SAN ANTONIO – Twenty-four Bexar County Sheriff’s Office staffers have now been arrested this year, more than double the total from 2017. And there are still four weeks left in the year..
With 1,374 deputies in the county, that is an arrest rate of 1.7 percent.
By comparison, five of the 2,329 officers in the San Antonio Police Department have been arrested this year, a rate of 0.2 percent.
If SAPD officers were being arrested at the same rate as the Sheriff’s Department, the number of police arrested would be 39..
The most recent deputy arrested – on Dec. 3 – is Michael Dewitt, 51, for assault-family choking/strangulation.
Sheriff Javier Salazar, who succeeded Susan Pamerleau on Jan. 1, 2017, attributed the spike in arrests to a culture change in the department.
“If you are going to act like a thug, we are going to treat you like a thug and you’re going to jail. It doesn’t matter if you wear the uniform or not,” he said.
Salazar said recently his department will no longer hire jailers with criminal records.
Among the BCSO arrests this year, eight have been for DWI, three for assaulting inmates and two each for sexual assault of a child and intent to distribute meth. The remaining arrests were for assault and fraud charges.
Salazar admitted to being “extremely disappointed” about previous arrests. Regarding the number of deputies arrested for DWI, he cited the Safe Ride Home Program and said: “It is unfortunate that there are still personnel who fail to heed numerous warnings and continue to drive while intoxicated.”
In Dallas County, where there are 518 deputies, one had been arrested this year through September. That department had two arrests in 2017.
In Travis County, two of the 251 deputies have been arrested through September, one more than in 2017.
Seven of the 24 BCSO staffers arrested this year were female.
“We’re taking a proactive stance. We’re actively seeking it out. If you call it looking for trouble, that’s what we’re doing. We’re out there looking for people that are breaking the law, breaking policies and we’re going to hold them accountable to the extent that we can,” Salazar said earlier this month at a press conference..
Eleven deputies were arrested in 2017, including three for DWI.
Cadets in the Bexar County Sheriff’s Department earn a starting annual salary of $34,656. That is over $10,000 less per year than the $45,000 salary SAPD cadets are paid.
Here are the names, ages and charges of the BCSO arrestees this year, along with a link to each story:
1. Adam Miller, 39, driving while intoxicated, Jan. 12, 2018.
2. Clayton Saunders, 44, aggravated sexual assault of a child, Jan. 27, 2018.
3. Adelaida Adams, 38, medical fraud, theft, Feb. 8, 2018.
4. Michael Gomez, 30, official oppression of inmate, April 11, 2018.
5. Joseph Anthony Hernandez, 26, official oppression of inmate, April 11, 2018.
6. Leonard Lopez, 47, sexual assault, April 17, 2018.
7. Jose Raul Paez, 31, assault causing bodily injury, April 19, 2018.
8. Margie Miranda, 61, driving while intoxicated, April 25, 2018.
9. Andrew McDermott, 26, aggravated assault with deadly weapon, June 6, 2018.
10. Jose Nunez, 47, sexual assault of child, June 17, 2018.
11. Yesenia Rios, 26, driving while intoxicated, July 7, 2018.
12. Libmar Rodriguez, 35, driving while intoxicated, July 26, 2018.
13. Ruben Hernandez, 26, possession with intent to distribute meth, July 26, 2018,
14. Gabriel Robert Ortiz, 29, possession with intent to distribute meth, July 26, 2018.
15. Eric Rodriguez, 31, family violence, Aug. 6, 2018.
16. Tavian Gloeckler, 23, assault and official oppression, Sept. 5, 2018,
17. Kailin Kruger, 26, driving while intoxicated, Sept. 7, 2018.
18. Aida Santos, 26, family assault, Sept. 9, 2018.
19. Joseph Martinez, 27, driving while intoxicated, Sept. 13, 2018.
20. Diana Barrera, 51, driving while intoxicated, Sept. 22, 2018
21. Vanessa Flores, 39, driving while intoxicated, Oct. 6, 2018
22. Joseph Anthony Becerra, 32, theft, Oct. 15, 2018
23. Ethan Joe Munoz, 26, marijuana, Nov. 26, 2018
24. Michael Dewitt, assault family choking/strangulation, Dec. 3, 2018
‘Salazar said recently his department will no longer hire jailers with criminal records.’…….. well isn’t that special