82º

GRAND JURY

Bexar County grand juries conclude service under challenging circumstances

SAN ANTONIO – The circumstances under which the two latest grand juries served were anything but ideal, with the pandemic ongoing and the recent winter storms in the Bexar County area. The 12-member panels met alternately twice weekly in the cavernous central jury room in the Cadena-Reeves Justice Center basement, which made maintaining social distancing ideal. The juries reviewed a combined total of about 1,600 cases, down considerably from a usual average of 2,000 cases per grand jury, according to Rangel. AdHe said maintaining the secrecy that by law must surround grand juries was a challenge due to the sheer size of the central jury room, which can accommodate more than 600 people. “We had extra security outside the central jury room so that nobody would go into the room that is normally open to the public,” Rangel said.

SAPD officer indicted on bribery, child pornography, misuse of public information charges

SAN ANTONIO – A Bexar County grand jury on Monday indicted an officer with the San Antonio Police Department on charges of bribery, misuse of public information and child pornography. SAPD confirmed to KSAT 12 News last week that Rodriguez was arrested twice after a victim in a domestic violence case said she believed her abuser had a friend providing him information. A detective later discovered that not only had Rodriguez provided case information to the suspect but had been paid by the suspect to do so. Because Rodriguez had not been charged with the sexual offense prior to the grand jury indictment, the grand jury set a bond of $100,000 in the case. These cases are being prosecuted by the Public Integrity and Cyber Crime Unit in the 226th District Court.

Jurors concerned about COVID-19 safety as cases rise in Bexar County

SAN ANTONIO – The county is examining potential meeting locations for grand juries in the Bexar County Courthouse complex after some jurors expressed concerns for their safety given the rising number of COVID-19 cases locally. With safety protocols in place, grand juries have been meeting throughout the pandemic. On Thursday, State District Judge Velia Meza toured meeting sites for juries within the complex. The locations are not being revealed since all grand jury meetings are secret and confidential. Spike in COVID-19 cases prompts Bexar County judge to temporarily postpone jury selection in capital murder trial

Records: Man indicted after shooting at family of 5, including infants, during drug deal

Davian Loredo has been formally charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, as announced Friday by the District Attorney’s Office. A man, two women and the two children were inside of the vehicle with the windows rolled down at the time of the West Side incident, police said. One of the women inside of the car was shot in the head and was taken to the hospital, where police were notified of the incident. The man in the vehicle knew Loredo for at least two years and had bought marijuana from him during that time, according to a previous KSAT 12 report. RELATED: SAPD: Suspect shot at family, including infant, in car during drug deal

1 officer indicted in Breonna Taylor case; not for her death

The only charges were three counts of wanton endangerment against fired Officer Brett Hankison for shooting into a home next to Taylor's with people inside. Taylor, an emergency medical worker, was shot multiple times by white officers who entered her home during a narcotics investigation. State Attorney General Daniel Cameron said that while the officers had a no-knock warrant, the investigation showed they announced themselves before entering. "This justification bars us from pursuing criminal charges in Miss Breonna Taylor’s death.”Cameron said an FBI crime lab determined that Cosgrove fired the bullet that killed Taylor. ___This story has been updated to clarify that, according to the investigation, officers did not execute the warrant as a no-knock warrant, not that they didn’t use a no-knock warrant.

2 women indicted by Bexar County grand juries one for murder, one for injury to the elderly

BEXAR COUNTY, Texas Two women were indicted on felony charges this week by Bexar County grand juries, according to the district attorneys office. Injury to the Elderly CaseIn a separate case, Elisha Jimenez, 39, was also indicted this week for violent crimes allegedly committed against her elderly roommate. Jimenez was indicted on two charges of aggravated assault and a third charge of injury to the elderly causing bodily injury. The case will be prosecuted by the Family Violence Division in the 186th District Court, the DAs office said. The DAs office said the indictments are among the nearly 200 felony indictments handed down by grand juries in Bexar County this week.