Former HPD officers at center of botched, deadly raid arrested by FBI

Earlier this year, a thread was posted regarding a no knock warrant incident that took place in Houston, TX (see related thread below), after a nearly year long investigation, two officers have been arrested in connection with the event:

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Two former Houston police officers at the center of a deadly, botched narcotics raid have been arrested by the FBI.

Gerald Goines, 55, was arrested Wednesday morning on a federal indictment related to the raid, his attorney Nicole DeBorde confirmed.

Goines has been indicted on federal civil rights charges and stands accused of depriving the victims of their constitutional right to be secure against unreasonable searches.

If convicted of the civil rights charges, Goines faces up to life in prison.

Goines has also been charged with two counts of first-degree murder. He's accused of lying to get a search warrant to go into the victims' home.

Steven Bryant, 46, is the second former HPD officer facing charges in the Jan. 28 raid that caused the deaths of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas, who were inside their home at 7815 Harding St. in southeast Houston.

ABC13 - local news source

In addition to the two officers, a woman has also been arrested for providing false information to 911 operators:

A 53-year-old woman named Patricia Garcia has also been arrested in connection with the raid. Garcia is accused of conveying false information by making several fake 911 calls.

In addition to the federal civil rights charges, both officers also face state felony charges as well:

Gerald Goines is charged with felony murder under state law and has been charged with civil rights violations under federal law.

Steven Bryant is charged with tampering with a government record under state law and now has also been charged federally with obstructing justice by falsifying records.

This situation is a prime example of officers acting in an oppressive and corrupt manner, not only were records falsified, but evidence was also planted in an attempt to legitimize their actions:

Meanwhile, prosecutors have said the other officer, Bryant, falsely submitted a document about drugs found on Harding Street two days after the raid already happened. Prosecutors allege Bryant retrieved some heroin from Goines' car on Jan. 30, then wrote up the drugs as evidence in the Harding Street raid, and submitted to the police department.

However, court records show Bryant admitted to investigators that he never participated in the narcotics investigation at 7815 Harding, and that he admitted to making "a mistake" in the collection of the drugs.

This, "mistake" cost two people their lives and caused untold anguish and trauma for their families.

Additional news sources:

FBI arrest 2 police officers, 911 caller linked to deadly Harding Street drug raid - Houston Chronicle

'Finding the truth' | Two former police officers, 911 caller arrested by FBI in botched Harding Street raid - KHOU news

New details emerge in botched Pecan Park drug raid that left couple dead - Houston Chronicle

Related ATS threads:

Possible Houston Shooting Coverup - by Grimpachi

Houston Raid Murders: Undercover Cop Lied About Drug Buy That Led To Deadly Raid - by infolurker

What says ATS?

I know that if a criminal gang kills someone, the whole group is considered guilty of murder. By that standard, why isn't the entire police raiding party up on murder charges?

a reply to: Lazarus Short

Dude what? If they were all complicit sure, but if the other police were unaware that makes zero sense.

I think it's good news that justice is being done and hopefully it shows all police officers that they need to do their job while upholding constitutional law. I think there should be some jail time.

a reply to: jadedANDcynical

a reply to: jadedANDcynical

The imprisonment of the police officers needs to happen.

We need to crack down more on bad cops and crack down hard. Also we need to put pressure on the insurance companies that insure police agencies. So that they can pressure these police departments to make sure their officers don't do anything shady as well.

originally posted by: jjkenobi
a reply to: Lazarus Short

Dude what? If they were all complicit sure, but if the other police were unaware that makes zero sense.

What I believe Lazarus Short is referring to is called Felony murder

The rule of felony murder is a legal doctrine in some common law jurisdictions that broadens the crime of murder: when an offender kills (regardless of intent to kill) in the commission of a dangerous or enumerated crime (called a felony in some jurisdictions), the offender, and also the offender's accomplices or co-conspirators, may be found guilty of murder.

The concept of felony murder originates in the rule of transferred intent, which is older than the limit of legal memory. In its original form, the malicious intent inherent in the commission of any crime, however trivial, was considered to apply to any consequences of that crime, however unintended.

It may not always make sense, but that's the law in a lot of jurisdictions.

a reply to: BomSquad

Yes, if you're committing the act of a crime with a team of people such as robbery, and one of them shoots and kills someone, you can all be tried.

If police officers are doing a routine raid, which is standard to their job, and have no idea a dirty cop set it all up, they are in no way guilty of breaking the law.

The dirty cops got justice.

originally posted by: Lazarus Short
I know that if a criminal gang kills someone, the whole group is considered guilty of murder.

Really? I guess it depends on the circumstances...

Surely you aren't saying that if there is a 'criminal gang', and a few members of that gang go out into the city, and decide to rob someone, and end up killing them in the process, that the other gang members, hanging out in their gang hideout, are also guilty of said murder?

a reply to: tanstaafl

I wouldn't say that, but if a group of people go into a store together, and one of them robs and kills the clerk, it is possible to charge the other members of the group as accessories and charge them with felony murder, even if they had no reasonable expectation that this crime was going to be committed.

Notice I said "possible to charge". It doesn't necessarily mean they will be charged, or even should be charged. Personally, if the other people had no reason to suspect that the crime was to be committed, I don't think they should be held accountable for the other's actions...but the law doesn't always see it that way.

originally posted by: BomSquad
a reply to: tanstaafl

I wouldn't say that,

Ok, well, just fyi, it is very easy to read what you wrote that way.

a reply to: tanstaafl

To be honest, I wasn't saying anything in that first post beside listing the accepted definition of what "felony murder" is. In fact, my last sentence was "It may not always make sense, but that's the law in a lot of jurisdictions." and believe me, I mean it when I say, "It may not always make sense"!

originally posted by: BomSquad
a reply to: tanstaafl

To be honest, I wasn't saying anything in that first post beside listing the accepted definition of what "felony murder" is.

You said:

"I know that if a criminal gang kills someone, the whole group is considered guilty of murder."

Ok, so, re-reading it now, I guess it was technically correct. IF 'the gang' - meaning, the whole gang - kills someone, then yeah, they are all guilty of murder.

So...

NM

a reply to: tanstaafl

You've got me confused with the previous poster, Lazarus Short.

originally posted by: BomSquad
a reply to: tanstaafl

You've got me confused with the previous poster, Lazarus Short.

Oops, you're right...

Ok, time for a break... I'm actually pretty under the weather, didn't get much sleep last night...