HPD chief said officer from drug raid would be relieved of duty after release from hospital

Thursday, February 21, 2019

DA to review all cases involving officer at center of deadly raid

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston police Officer Gerald Goines is out of the hospital nearly four weeks after he led a botched drug raid that left two people dead and four other officers injured.

Goines was released from the hospital on Thursday. His whereabouts after his discharge were not immediately disclosed.

Goines is the focus of an investigation into the Jan. 28 raid of a home on Harding Street in southeast Houston. The incident has drawn intense scrutiny when a warrant uncovered the raid may have been done under a false pretense.

The incident has prompted a review of Goines' 1,400 cases over his career, which has stretched nearly four decades. In addition, the FBI opened a civil rights investigation after the deaths of Dennis Tuttle and Rhoghena Nicholas, a married couple whose home produced smaller amounts of narcotics than what was first thought.

Goines swore in a search warrant that a confidential informant bought drugs at the home on Harding Street in southeast Houston.

Investigators now believe that never happened.

In his 34 years with HPD, there were six sustained complaints.

Five of those complaints led to written reprimands, including one for which he didn't tag crack cocaine as evidence until a month later and only when he was asked about it.

He was suspended once for attacking a man his sister said sexually assaulted her.

The police chief at the time wrote Goines didn't use sound judgment, but overall his performance was highly rated.

You can get an in-depth look at what was in Goines' files here.

Goines' attorney is calling for an independent investigation.

HPD Chief Art Acevedo has mentioned over the last few weeks that he expects to relieve Goines of duty once he leaves the hospital. Goines is due for additional surgeries.

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