Texas police officer arrested in cocaine sting could face more charges

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The Houston patrol officer accused of trying to steal a duffel bag with 8 kilos of cocaine during a traffic stop in an elaborate internal affairs sting could face more charges, prosecutors said Monday.

Officer Julissa Guzman Diaz, 37, was arrested Thursday for the third-degree felony of tampering and fabricating evidence. She also could be charged with intent to deliver a controlled substance, prosecutor Jennifer Stabe told state District Judge Denise Collins in court.

"She's also under investigation for delivery of cocaine," Stabe said as Diaz was being arraigned

If convicted of the third-degree felony, she faces a maximum of 10 years in prison. If convicted of a more serious charge, she could face more time.

An attorney for Diaz said she is innocent and would be vindicated.

"These are very serious charges and my client is completely innocent and we look forward to proving that in court," said lawyer Scott Siscoe. "I took this case because I talked to her and I believe she's innocent of these charges."

Diaz was arrested after pulling over a motorist, who was actually an undercover officer, swerving near Interstate 45.

The undercover officer allegedly told Diaz that the car was not his, then he volunteered that there was cocaine in the car, but it was not his.

As she detained him for suspicion of drunk driving, Diaz allegedly repeatedly told the undercover officer that she did not want to know about any cocaine. After she put him in the back of her patrol car, she asked where his phone was, then retrieved it from his car.

While she looked for the phone, prosecutors said, Diaz rummaged through the car and would have seen an open black duffel bag with one kilo of cocaine and 7 kilos of staged cocaine.

Diaz told the undercover officer that she was not going to inventory the car and instead called a wrecker driver. Police said Diaz and the wrecker driver agreed to meet up to split the cocaine after she took the undercover officer to the city's sobering center.

Police followed the wrecker driver and he was pulled over for failing to signal a turn. Police found the cocaine and some marijuana and charged him with possession of marijuana.

Diaz is free on $100,000 bail.

After hearing that Diaz went to high school and college in Houston, and was a dutiful employee of a grocery store for a decade followed by 12 years as a Houston police officer, the judge declined to make her wear a GPS ankle monitor as a condition of bond.