Harris County sheriff's deputy arrested in game-room case

Jose Ramirez has been suspended without pay. Jose Ramirez has been suspended without pay. Photo: Harris County Sheriff's Office Photo: Harris County Sheriff's Office Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Harris County sheriff's deputy arrested in game-room case 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A Harris County sheriff's deputy is accused of checking license plates for possible undercover police officers at the game room managed by his wife.

Deputy Jose J. Ramirez, 25, was arrested Monday and has been suspended without pay. He was charged with misuse of official information - a felony.

"The Harris County Sheriff's Office stands firm in the belief that all employees' actions will be held to the highest level and when found to violate policy, procedures or laws will be dealt with swiftly, professionally and justly," Sheriff Ron Hickman said in a statement.

At the center of the investigation that led to Monday's arrest is the Airport Game Room, located in a strip shopping center along the 9800 block of the Gulf Freeway near Airport. It is run by Karla Sandoval, Ramirez' common-law wife, authorities said.

In January, investigators with the Houston Police Department's vice unit launched an investigation into allegations the game room was illegally paying out money to customers winning on the eight-liner gambling machines. Investigators learned the manager was married to a deputy and suspected him of checking the license plate numbers of possible police officers.

On Feb. 28, an undercover HPD vice officer went into the game room and struck up a conversation with Sandoval. The officer played one of the games for a short time then left, according to the criminal complaint filed against Ramirez.

Minutes later, Sandoval sent a phone text message asking Ramirez to check the undercover officer's license plate. Texas Department of Public Safety records showed the license plate was checked by a law enforcement officer whose ID matched that of Ramirez.

On April 10, another HPD vice officer went to the game room and spoke with Sandoval. A short time later, the officer left after briefly playing one of the 8-liner machines.

Sandoval again sent Ramirez a message, asking that he check the license plate because she thought he was "an undercover," according to the criminal complaint.

DPS records show that license plate also was checked by someone whose ID was a match for Ramirez.

Sandoval was arrested in late April for possession of a gambling device. She was released after posting $2,000 bail in the misdemeanor case.

According to the criminal complaint against him, Ramirez admitted checking the plates but said it was for his wife's protection because she was afraid of being robbed.

The Harris County Sheriff's Office launched its own internal investigation after the allegations against Ramirez were brought to the office's attention.

St. John Barned-Smith contributed to this report.