DA SAENZ'S DIRTY DEEDS TIP OF ICEBERG OF DPS CORRUPTION

(Ed.'s Note: If you thought that the abuses of power and official oppression alleged in six complaints from members of the Cameron County Tax Assessor-Collector's Office against two investigators with the Texas Department of Public Safety under the direction of Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz in his fabled Operation Dirty Deeds was an anomaly, think again. The article below the "culture of corruption" at the DPS which includes a contingent of Texas Rangers, an agency which was part of the task force investigating the Cameron County tax office.)

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Just weeks after a KXAN investigation revealed nearly 500 official allegations of harassment, discrimination and retaliation at the Texas Department of Public Safety since 2013, a federal lawsuit has been filed alleging a "culture of corruption" at the state agency.

The 24-page lawsuit was filed by Ty Clevenger on behalf of Darren Lubbe, a retired special agent with the state Criminal Investigation Division (CID) at DPS. Lubbe says he was retaliated against after he filed a formal harassment complaint. Then he says he was harassed into taking an early retirement.

According to the lawsuit, Lubbe was a DPS investigator in 2014 when "his captain began pressuring him to attend the captain's 'cowboy church.'" Lubbe refused, which he says resulted in harassment by the captain and his colleagues.

In 2016, Lubbe reportedly filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Office (EEO) at Austin's DPS headquarters. He said "that only made things worse."

Nineteen defendants are named in the lawsuit -- many of whom are high-ranking officials at the state agency. Among them is DPS Director Steven McCraw, DPS Inspector General Rhonda Fleming, and members of the Texas Public Safety Commission.

The lawsuit sources a number of instances wherein the plaintiff alleges multiple DPS Rangers took part in various illegal activities but DPS officials wanted to protect them and cover it up.

East Texas murder investigation allegedly compromised

The May 20, 2016 unsolved murder of prominent Longview businessman, Ronnie Horaney, was referenced in the lawsuit as evidence of alleged corruption at DPS.

The plaintiff points to the reported discovery by DPS supervisors in January 2018 that a Ranger was "involved in an ongoing sexual relationship" with Horaney's widow. The suit states that the Ranger was also heading up the murder investigation.

The suit alleges that the Ranger "badly compromised the murder investigation, rendering his testimony worthless at trial and raising questions about whether he diverted investigative attention away from [the woman]." It also states that the Ranger was subsequently demoted to DPS Trooper as a result and that he can reapply for Ranger status in January 2019.

Texas Ranger pulls gun on driver who flipped him off

A Texas Ranger exercised "poor judgment" in a February 27, 2017 incident where he pulled over and pointed his gun at a driver who flipped him off in traffic in Round Rock, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The lawsuit classifies it as a "road rage incident," adding that the Ranger had no probable cause to initiate the traffic stop.

After the incident, the civilian driver told officers he wanted to talk to the Ranger’s boss, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety. "I want the director of DPS down here to talk to this guy. He doesn't deserve to be doing that and then when I ask him who he is, all I see is a gun," the man said.

According to the lawsuit, the Ranger lied to police at the scene about what happened, and states that the incident was "kept quiet" until July 14, 2017 when our KXAN story aired.

At the time, DPS released a statement. It reads, in part, "While exiting the vehicle, the Ranger placed his weapon in a low, ready position, due to a perceived threat."

(To read rest of KXAN story, click on link below:)

https://www.kxan.com/news/investigations/federal-lawsuit-culture-of-corruption-at-texas-dps/1628252573