Houston police investigator probing failed drug raid relieved of duty

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo talks to the media during a press conference at the police station on Friday, Feb. 15, 2019 in Houston. Chief Acevedo was updating the media on the investigation on the officer-involved shooting incident at 7815 Harding on January 28 that left the homeowners dead and some police officers injured. less Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo talks to the media during a press conference at the police station on Friday, Feb. 15, 2019 in Houston. Chief Acevedo was updating the media on the investigation on the ... more Photo: Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer Photo: Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 30 Caption Close Houston police investigator probing failed drug raid relieved of duty 1 / 30 Back to Gallery

A Houston police investigator probing a deadly botched drug raid in January was quietly relieved of duty earlier this month, law enforcement officials confirmed.

Angel August was taken off duty with pay on March 13, according to a Houston Police Department spokesman. Officials have not yet publicly divulged the reason for their decision to bench August, who joined the department in 2011.

August was the officer who filed the initial report a day after the Jan. 28 shooting at 7815 Harding Street that left two residents dead and five police officers injured, according to a police report obtained by the Houston Chronicle under the state open records law.

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The botched raid has since blossomed into a major scandal that officials are still struggling to contain amid allegations that the case agent, Officer Gerald Goines, lied about a drug buy that served as justification for the raid. Goines, the case agent, and Officer Steven Bryant were also relieved of pay following the raid, and both have since retired from the department.

The Harris County District Attorney’s Office and the FBI have launched investigations into the incident, and Chief Art Acevedo said last week he expects “more than one” officer to be criminally charged in connection with the failed raid.

Acevedo has described two avenues of inquiry — one into the fatal shooting and a second into the possibility of corruption.

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Department spokesman John Cannon confirmed August was relieved of duty but declined to elaborate. On Thursday, Acevedo did not return a request for comment, but last week briefly fielded one question about the removal.

“A person has been placed on administrative leave,” he said, “but it has nothing to do with the corruption investigation.”

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August joined HPD in 2011 and quickly made her way onto the homicide division and Acevedo’s elite Special Investigations Unit after stints working patrol in Northeast Houston and Clear Lake. She also served in the now-defunct Investigative First Responders Division, where one supervisor noted she worked 50 cases in six months, producing 24 arrests, according to internal police records.

While a homicide detective, she routinely received high praise from supervisors for her work output and productivity, records show.

“Detective August is very thorough with the cases she is assigned to investigate,” one supervisor wrote last fall, checking off the highest possible score in each evaluation criteria. “Detective August completes her assignments in a timely manner … with minimal supervision and is constantly seeking to learn new investigative skills.”

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A 2016 employee evaluation noted that August worked as an Internal Affairs assistant who “prepares all pertinent data, documents, and evidence for divisional investigations.”

August’s personnel records do not show any significant previous disciplinary actions by HPD. Department brass issued several commendations in her file, including one incident in 2015 in which she helped capture a “dangerous suspect,” another for helping rescue stranded citizens during Hurricane Harvey, and in November 2014 for helping calm a mentally ill person who was threatening suicide.

Union officials said they would be representing August if the department hands down any disciplinary action.

st.john.smith@chron.com

keri.blakinger@chron.com