Liberty PD lieutenant fired after investigation into contact with father in near-drowning case

LIBERTY, Texas (KTRK) -- A lieutenant with the Liberty Police Department has been fired after an investigation that he had been in contact with the father of three children in a near-drowning incident, according to authorities.

In a post on social media on Thursday, Liberty PD shared that, while no criminal charges were being pursued for the "poor judgment and questionable decisions" by Lt. Ramiro Lozano, the city did fire him from the department.

This comes after it was discovered Lozano had visited Domingo Quintana, who was in jail for an unrelated animal cruelty charge. Authorities said Lozano visited Quintana in the Liberty County Jail, and after Quintana bonded out, Lozano waited for him and drove him home.

"Our organization holds every employee to a high standard of conduct, both on and off duty, and we will continue to act decisively when those standards are not met. Therefore, following the completion of an internal investigation and the exhaustion of the employee's appeal process, the City of Liberty has terminated Lieutenant Lozano's employment with the Liberty Police Department. The City's decision was made in accordance with established personnel policies and due process procedures," Liberty PD said in a post.

Separate from the animal cruelty case, authorities said it was Quintana who called 911 in October to report that his wife may have tried to harm their three children. All three kids and their mother survived the near-drowning on the family's 300-acre property.

The children's mother is still in the hospital, and it was determined that the State of Texas would have temporary custody of the children, who were placed with relatives.

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