2 HPD officers relieved of duty after being arrested, charged in separate cases, authorities say

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A sergeant and a senior police officer have been suspended after being arrested in the same week during separate incidents, according to the Houston Police Department.

On Wednesday, Sr. Police Officer Stephen Martinez was off-duty when he allegedly used his elbow to hit his girlfriend at a home in Harris County, according to charging documents.

Martinez was charged with assaulting a family member and was relieved of duty, according to the police department.

On Thursday, Martinez posted a $5,000 bond and was released from jail. He's due back in court next week, on July 27.

HPD tweeted that Sgt. Stephen Childers was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly driving while intoxicated at the end of his shift.

Charging documents say the 60-year-old is expected back in court next week, on July 27.

According to the police department, Childers has served 27 years with HPD and was assigned to the Clear Lake Division at the time of the arrest. Officials say he was relieved of duty while the Internal Affairs Division investigates his case.

"Both officers had action taken against them while they were off-duty. We're waiting to learn more information about their cases. This is the initial stage of the investigation. We'll give a more in-depth statement when we learn more details about what happened," a spokesperson for the Houston Police Officers' Union told Eyewitness News in a statement.

ABC13 reached out to the police department for a statement, to which they declined.

HPD told Eyewitness News that officials couldn't release additional information because the investigation is under internal affairs.

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