Despite some pretrial diversion failures, Bexar County DA touts expanded program
Bexar County defendants given pretrial diversion repeatedly reoffended after landing dismissals, or in some instances, had their cases reopened after failing to complete the program, data analyzed by KSAT Investigates shows.
Man on parole back in custody, accused of terrorizing Stone Oak neighborhood with a gun
A San Antonio man with a violent criminal history dating back more than 15 years has been arrested and booked on a long list of new charges after investigators said he threatened people with a gun in a Stone Oak neighborhood.
Video: Off-duty SAPD officer called 911 saying woman was going to kill him. BCSO rushed to house, found him drunk
A veteran San Antonio police officer has been suspended after calling 911 and telling dispatchers a woman inside his home was going to kill him, prompting a large law enforcement response that ended with Bexar County Sheriff’s deputies instead determining that the off-duty officer was drunk.
After elderly grandmother’s home burns down, city hits her with $25K demolition bill
An elderly San Antonio woman whose home was destroyed in a fire Memorial Day weekend has been hit with a demolition bill for nearly $25,000, after city officials said they were forced to have the structure demolished.
Court tosses code enforcement cases spurred on by letter from disgraced former assistant development services director
An administrative hearing officer has tossed out four code violation cases against the owners of a west San Antonio storage yard after ruling that city code does not require the parking area to be paved.
City tore out downtown bike lane barriers after pressure from prominent real estate developer
The city of San Antonio ripped out four concrete barriers and reduced the size of two others in front of a downtown church just months after they were built, following pressure from a prominent real estate developer, records obtained by KSAT Investigates show.
10 years in prison for habitual drunk driver whose blood alcohol content was nearly 4 times the legal limit
Karon Shouse, 58, was sentenced last month in Kendall County District Court, nearly two years after investigators said she drove the wrong way down a street, nearly struck a man with her vehicle and then refused to stop for a Fair Oaks Ranch police officer who attempted to pull her over.
Man ‘ready for war’ with police found with loaded weapons, large amount of ammunition, records show
A man found with multiple loaded firearms, including an AR-style rifle, and a large amount of ammunition had planned to go to a home for a shootout with police just outside San Antonio this week, booking records obtained by KSAT Investigates show.
Two sergeants in one sheriff’s office had sexual relations with deputies. Why was only one fired?
A male Comal County Sheriff’s sergeant who admitted to having a sexual relationship with a subordinate deputy who worked for him at the courthouse complex was allowed to keep his job and retire years later, despite the same agency firing a female sergeant who violated similar rules on employee fraternization, personnel records obtained by KSAT Investigates show.
Another female convention center employee reports being assaulted by co-workers at city-run facility
A female maintenance worker at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center told San Antonio police last week that two male co-workers have repeatedly assaulted her the past six months. The allegations, laid out in an Aug. 15 SAPD assault report obtained by KSAT Investigates, are the latest issues to arise at the city-run facility, at least five maintenance supervisors have been accused of improperly treating female coworkers in recent years.
Complaint accuses Fair Oaks Ranch PD chief of intimidating officers, handing out prescription pills at department party
The chief of police of Fair Oaks Ranch has been placed on paid administrative leave while officials there investigate accusations that he intimidated officers at work and provided prescription Adderall pills to fellow officers while at an off-duty gathering.
SAPD officer suspended after gun, stun gun stolen from vehicle in separate burglaries
A San Antonio Police Department officer was twice suspended this summer after city-issued equipment, including his service weapon, was stolen from his personal vehicle in car burglaries that took place one month apart, discipline records released this week confirm.
City defends repeated contact with disgraced former assistant development services director
San Antonio officials have defended their repeated contact with a disgraced city executive after KSAT Investigates found a letter written by him was used as the catalyst for a code enforcement investigation at an elderly couple’s West Side property.
SAPD: Cousin of Uvalde mass shooter accused of threatening to shoot up school, family member
San Antonio police on Monday arrested a teenager accused of threatening to shoot up an area school and a family member, an arrest warrant obtained by KSAT Investigates shows. The suspect, 17-year-old Nathan Cruz, is the cousin of the Uvalde mass shooter, the warrant states.
Arbitrator severely reduces suspension of SAPD lieutenant who made sexual remarks about female sergeant
A San Antonio police lieutenant had a 30-day suspension reduced to just three days after a third-party arbitrator last month ruled there was no truth to the allegation that he had sexually harassed a female sergeant.
Lawsuit: South Texas DA twice used expunged records to block officer from landing law enforcement jobs
A veteran law enforcement officer has filed a lawsuit in federal court in San Antonio accusing the district attorney of the 81st judicial district and one of her investigators of using unlawfully obtained records to block his hiring by two agencies.
Former Medina County commissioner facing felony fraud, tampering with evidence charges
A Medina County commissioner who resigned last week citing personal reasons faces felony fraud and tampering with evidence charges, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed to KSAT Wednesday night.
Lawsuit over semitruck crash reveals issue of truck driver working 2 months without day off
San Antonio attorney Shawn Mechler was so troubled by what he uncovered during a lawsuit he filed against a Texas trucking conglomerate, that he reported the firm to federal authorities shortly after settling the case for six figures earlier this year.
Comal County Sheriff’s sergeant, deputy lose jobs after not disclosing sexual relationship
A Comal County Sheriff’s Office sergeant and deputy lost their jobs earlier this year after failing to disclose to their administration that they had been involved in a sexual relationship, personnel records obtained by KSAT Investigates show.
‘Somebody dropped the ball’: Sakai says he was blindsided by fee increase for indigent defense
Members of the San Antonio Criminal Defense Lawyers Association attending a seminar during Fiesta were among the first people to hear the good news: county court judges had days earlier approved a fee increase for misdemeanor indigent defense cases. The pay increase for private attorneys who represent defendants who cannot otherwise afford legal counsel was long overdue, multiple county officials and defense attorneys told KSAT Investigates.
A year after SA voters approved $2.25 million in city bond money to expand K9s For Warriors, organization lays off staff
A little over a year after San Antonio residents voted to approve millions of dollars in funding to expand the footprint of K9s For Warriors here, the organization has instead laid off some of its staff.
Man shot, killed by BCSO faced prison time for violating probation in manslaughter case
Ryan Stanush punched his sister in the face inside the home, leaving her with facial lacerations, before attacking a deputy outside the residence in the 8000 block of Versant Bluff, Sheriff Javier Salazar previously said.
Judge denies motion to extend surrender date for woman who embellished husband’s wartime injuries
A Dripping Springs woman who embellished her Army veteran husband’s wartime injuries to carry out a lengthy fraud scheme must report to federal prison by Wednesday, after a judge denied her motion to extend her surrender date.
‘You’re a Ranger for God’s sake’: Judge affirms contempt of court ruling against Texas Ranger in Barrientes Vela case
A Bexar County visiting judge on Monday affirmed a previous judge’s decision to hold a Texas Ranger in contempt of court for flubbing his testimony during Michelle Barrientes Vela’s public corruption trial last year.
Top prosecutor who left DA’s office after scathing review hampered by complaints in return to office
The chief of the Bexar County District Attorney’s Family Violence Division previously resigned from the office after a performance improvement report questioned her courtroom strategy and behavior in the workplace, personnel records obtained by KSAT Investigates show.
Records: Arbitrator in high-profile SAPD, BCSO discipline cases intended to defraud creditors during past bankruptcy
An arbitrator who has decided several high-profile San Antonio and Bexar County first responder discipline cases in recent years is under scrutiny after federal courts ruled he intended to defraud creditors during a previous bankruptcy filing, KSAT Investigates has confirmed.
One year since Robb Elementary shooting, mystery still surrounds criminal investigation of law enforcement response
One year since the Robb Elementary School shooting, it remains unclear whether any of the nearly 400 law enforcement officers who responded that fateful May day will be criminally charged for their inaction.
San Antonio woman sues BCSO after a confidential informant planted drugs in her home
Rubee Sandoval proved a confidential informant working for BCSO planted drugs in her home and others. Sandoval's unmasking of the corrupt informant led to the overturning of at least 4 convictions and the dismissal of her case. Since the botched drug raid on her home, Sandoval said she lost the home, her vehicle and her job. She's now suing the county, Sheriff Salazar, his narcotics deputies, and the confidential informant.
Harlandale ISD student loses testicle after being kicked by classmate
A child with special needs at Harlandale Independent School District was forced to have surgery to remove one of his testicles after a classmate kicked him in the groin, district and medical records obtained by KSAT Investigates show.
Even more issues for SA convention center as supervisor fired for inappropriate text messages
A maintenance supervisor at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center was fired this month after a workplace investigation found he sent sexually inappropriate text messages to a woman who worked under him, records obtained Wednesday by KSAT Investigates confirm.
Records: Councilman Perry made teen girl cashier uncomfortable before drunken hit-and-run crash
San Antonio City Councilman Clayton Perry drank more than 14 alcoholic beverages and repeatedly professed his love for a teenage drive-thru cashier shortly before crashing his Jeep into another vehicle and fleeing the scene, prosecution records obtained by KSAT Investigates show.
Car stolen from SA family racked up hundreds of dollars in fees at city pound
A car stolen from a downtown parking lot in early March was repeatedly cited for parking illegally blocks away and then sat for more than a week at the city’s impound lot, before its owner was finally informed of its recovery.
Female convention center employees file lawsuit against city, accusing male supervisors of harassment and sexual assault
Female maintenance employees at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center were subjected to sexual harassment, sexual assault, battery and verbal abuse by their male supervisors, a lawsuit filed Friday in Bexar County District Court claims.
Feds move to freeze assets of woman who embellished husband’s wartime injuries in fraud scheme
Department of Justice officials have moved to freeze the assets of a Dripping Springs woman who embellished her Army husband’s wartime injuries as part of a lengthy fraud scheme, federal court records obtained by KSAT Investigates show.
Man charged with killing own daughter faced massive tax liens, defaulted on golf membership payments
A San Antonio nurse practitioner accused of shooting his ex-wife and two young children Monday, killing the youngest victim, faced tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid golf membership dues, Bexar County court records obtained by KSAT Investigates show.
Domestic violence survivor criticizes plea deal that gave attacker no jail time
A domestic abuser with a previous family violence conviction in Bexar County was given five years probation and no jail time as part of a plea deal with prosecutors. Now, the deal is being criticized by the victim in the case.
Parents sew recording device in toddler’s jacket, capture audio of day care worker threatening to harm kids
Two employees of a San Antonio day care directed profane language toward young children, with one of the women even threatening to harm kids in her care, according to audio recordings obtained by KSAT Investigates.
DA Gonzales pushes back on KSAT exposé into workplace complaints
Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales on Tuesday publicly took issue with KSAT’s reporting on workplace complaints within his agency, telling county commissioners that low pay is the primary catalyst behind a drove of recent resignations.
Post commander stripped of position after sounding alarm on Texas VFW leader’s intoxication manslaughter conviction
A commander of a San Antonio VFW post was stripped of his position last year after repeatedly alerting leaders of the organization that one of its state officers is on probation for intoxication manslaughter.