Grand jury indicts 6 more Houston police officers in deadly Harding Street drug raid
HOUSTON - Nearly two years after the deadly no-knock drug raid on Harding Street, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced that a grand jury has indicted several more former Houston police officers involved in the incident on felony charges.
Houston police officer Felipe Gallegos has been charged with murder in the death of Dennis Tuttle. The first-degree felony carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Five other officers, who are or have served on the force, have been indicted for engaging in organized criminal activity.
The six officers indicted Monday follow six others – for a total of 12 -- including Gerald Goines and Steven Bryant, indicted last year for various felonies uncovered by a probe led by the Harris County District Attorney’s Office Civil Rights Division.
MORE: Harris County grand jury indicts six former Houston police officers in deadly drug raid
The new indictments conclude a two-year investigation into the shooting, which came after Rhogena Nicholas, her husband Dennis Tuttle, and their dog, were fatally shot by narcotics officers of Squad 15 during the botched raid on January 28, 2019. Four officers were also shot and survived their injuries. One of them, who was paralyzed, has also been charged.
Though the shooting investigation is done, Ogg says the investigation into corruption continues.
"The consequences of corruption are that two innocent people and their dog were shot to death in their home by police; four officers were shot, one paralyzed, and now all of them will face jurors who will determine their fate," Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said.
The investigation determined that Goines lied to a judge to obtain a "no knock" search warrant to raid the house, and that officers had been involved in a long-term scheme to steal overtime from the city.
DETAILS: District attorney's office launches review of 1,400 cases spanning HPD officer's career
The officers indicted on Monday include:
Felipe Gallegos - (HPD) was indicted for murder in the death of Dennis Tuttle. The charge is a first-degree felony and carries a penalty of up to life in prison.
Other officers indicted on first-degree felonies Monday who face a maximum of life in prison if convicted are:
Oscar Pardo – (HPD) Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity, to wit: Aggregate Theft by a Public Servant ($30,000 or more but less than $150,000) and Tampering with a Governmental Record (1st degree)
Cedell Lovings – (Status Unclear) Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity, to wit: Aggregate Theft by a Public Servant ($30,000 or more but less than $150,000) and Tampering with a Governmental Record (1st degree)
Nadeem Ashraf – (HPD) Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity, to wit: Aggregate Theft by a Public Servant ($30,000 or more but less than $150,000) and Tampering with a Governmental Record (1st degree)
Two officers who were already facing charges were also indicted on first-degree felonies:
Clemente Reyna – (No longer HPD, retired) Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity, to wit: Aggregate Theft by a Public Servant ($30,000 or more but less than $150,000) and Tampering with a Governmental Record (1st degree)
Thomas Wood – (No longer HPD, retired) Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity, to wit: Aggregate Theft by a Public Servant ($30,000 or more but less than $150,000) and Tampering with a Governmental Record (1st degree)
The following officers are charged with second-degree felonies. If convicted, they face 2 to 20 years in prison:
Frank Medina – (HPD) Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity, to wit: Aggregate Theft by a Public Servant ($2,500 or more, but less than $30,000) and Tampering with a Governmental Record (2nd degree)
Griff Maxwell – (HPD) Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity, to wit: Aggregate Theft by a Public Servant ($2,500 or more, but less than $30,000) and Tampering with a Governmental Record (2nd degree)
One officer who was charged last year was also indicted Monday on a second-degree felony:
Hodgie Armstrong – (No longer HPD, retired) Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity, to wit: Aggregate Theft by a Public Servant ($2,500 or more, but less than $30,000) and Tampering with a Governmental Record (2nd degree)
Goines – (No longer with HPD, retired) was previously indicted for two counts of felony murder.
Bryant – (No longer with HPD, retired) previously charged with tampering.
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo released a statement on Twitter following Monday's indictments.
Last year, Harris County grand jury indicted six former Houston police officers on 15 felony charges for their involvement in the deadly raid. Their crimes were uncovered during an investigation of the Houston Police Department Narcotics Division.
A statement from the Tuttle Family was sent to FOX 26 stating,
"Nearly 2 years after Dennis was murdered, his family is still reeling, still largely in the dark about what happened despite public promises of complete transparency by City officials.
We have not yet seen the new indictments yet, but the family heard today for the first time the name of an officer who shot Dennis. They appreciate the information, but it leads to still more questions.
There were 11 armed and armored Squad 15 members sent there to execute this phony warrant. Dozens of shots were fired, some blindly through walls and windows. Who else shot Dennis? Who shot Reggie?
What is clear is that Squad 15 was allowed to develop and thrive for years as a completely untethered, dangerous, and lawless subculture with no accountability whatsoever. They were endangering, not protecting citizens of Houston.
The Chief’s notion, expressed in a tweet today, that the corruption charges are unrelated to the shooting lies at the very heart of the problem. Of course, it is related. That kind of corruption and lawlessness can only happen over time if supervisors all the way up the line turn a blind eye to it. And the consequences of that corruption are sadly predictable. Unfortunately, they ended in the loss of two innocent lives.
The family appreciates D.A. Kim Ogg and her team’s relentless pursuit of the wrongdoers in criminal court.
We are planning to file suit in civil court this week. The citizens of Houston deserve better. Dennis and Reggie deserved better. Now Dennis and Reggie deserve Justice, as do their grieving families."
Michael Patrick Doyle, counsel for the Nicholas family also sent a statement to FOX 26:
"These latest indictments confirm some of the findings from the families’ independent investigation, and yet again raises two questions: how high does the corruption of HPD Narcotics Squad 15 go and why has the City and HPD fought so hard, still, to conceal the basic facts about what happened before, during and after the murderous raid? The Nicholas family is grateful for news of the district attorney’s continuing work on the case and urges the mayor and police chief to finally end the cover up of the full facts they have been sitting on for so long."