Patrol deputy suspended, arrested

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - Deputy Jose J. Ramirez has been suspended without pay and arrested, according to a statement released by the Harris County Sheriff's Office on Monday. He had served as a patrol deputy and worked with the sheriff's office for more than two years.

Ramirez is accused of misuse of official information, a felony offense. Investigators with the Houston Police Department Vice Division and Houston Police Proactive IAD Unit notified the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Internal Affairs Division that Ramirez was conducting random checks of license plate numbers of vehicles that were parked outside Airport Game Room in Houston. The business was managed by his wife. He is alleged by HCSO to conduct the license plate checks in order to notify his wife if patrons entering the game room were suspected law enforcement personnel.

When the investigation into Deputy Ramirez began, he was suspended from duty without pay. 

“The Harris County Sheriff’s Office stands firm in the belief that all employees’ actions will be held to the highest level and when found to violate policy, procedures, or laws and will be dealt with swiftly, professionally, and justly,” says Sheriff Ron Hickman in the statement.