SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio Police Department records employee is accused of sending a photo of a vehicle to a suspect in an auto theft case and accessing other internal information, according to an arrest affidavit.
Bexar County court records show Manuel Rubio, 29, was taken into custody Wednesday night on the following charges:
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- misuse of official information, a third-degree felony
- unauthorized disclosures of information, a Class B misdemeanor
According to Rubio’s arrest affidavit, a search warrant was previously obtained for a different suspect’s social media account in an auto theft investigation.
A detective noticed a picture of the auto theft suspect’s vehicle on the social media account, which the detective determined was taken from SAPD’s digital records system.
According to the warrant, the detective recognized the photo — which was taken from SAPD’s EAGLE Helicopter — as one that they uploaded into the system’s investigative section.
Further investigation revealed that the photo was sent to the suspect through Rubio’s phone number, who the affidavit identified as a civilian SAPD records employee.
An internal audit also indicated that Rubio was the only person to view the photo in the system. Rubio viewed the photo on the same day he communicated with the auto theft suspect on social media, court documents show.
Additionally, Rubio told the suspect that they were under police surveillance, which may have impacted law enforcement safety and the overall investigation, the affidavit states.
According to the detective, Rubio also accessed criminal justice information services for an unidentified pro basketball coach, his own family’s felony criminal records, a victim in an assault case and other classified data, according to the warrant.
In a subsequent interview with investigators, the affidavit states Rubio admitted to sending the photo to the suspect and accessing the other investigative information.
He was also aware his actions were a violation of city policy, court documents state.
Rubio was booked into the Bexar County Adult Detention Center on a combined $11,000 bond, records show. He has since bonded out of custody.
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