Dominique Duncan, 23, was arrested Monday in the parking lot outside the Baker Street jail. It was the culmination of sheriff's office internal affairs investigation that grew from a tip alleging he was selling drugs at the jail where he worked.
"We take them very seriously and we take action very seriously, very quickly," Harris County Deputy Thomas Gilleland said.
Investigators say Duncan was illegally in possession of a "vast amount" of painkillers -- hydrocodone -- and that he was going to sell them in the jail. It's not clear if he was allegedly selling just to inmates or to others working at the jail. He was booked and housed in the same jail system where he worked.
Duncan quickly bonded out of jail. We went to his home to see if he would tell us his side of the story. There was no answer. His neighbors were stunned.
"It's a bad decision, bad decision right about now," neighbor Clarence Woodson said.
Those who live right next door to Duncan say it's unfortunate that he would apparently throw his career away over something like this.
"Oh man, I don't understand man. You have a good career ahead of you. It ain't worth doing all that," Woodson said.
Duncan joined the Harris County Sheriff's Office as a detention officer in May 2013. But now the sheriff's office has fired him. They say they found enough evidence to warrant that. And they say others working at the jail could be in trouble soon, too, though no more arrests have been made and no more charges have been filed yet.
Find Kevin on Facebook at ABC13KevinQuinn or on Twitter at @kquinn001
Take ABC13 with you!
Download our free apps for iPhone, iPad and Android devices
