Texas Police Accused of Planting Drugs on Innocent Man: Aransas Pass Police Department Corruption Charges Escalate

What is going on with the Aransas Pass Police Department — is there widespread corruption there, as more and more news stories suggest?

Consider this:  just last week, we posted about the situation involving the Aransas Pass Police Department being investigated by the Texas Rangers after Martin Ortiz ended up comatose in a Corpus Christi hospital after being beaten by an Aransas Pass law enforcement officer as Mr. Ortiz was riding his bicycle home, in his own neighborhood.  (For details on that incident, read “Texas Rangers Investigating Another Case of Police Brutality and Excessive Force.“)

This week, we’re learning about folk coming forward to accuse this same police department of planting drugs on a suspect – as well as using a Taser and beating a man before learning that the victim of their physical attack was not even the man that they were looking for.

Imagine: you’re at work, and suddenly the cops burst in and use a stungun on you and then beat you there on the floor.  That’s what is being alleged happened to Kasey Staley.

According to Velma Freeman, who owns and operates Freeman’s A/C Supply there in Aransas Pass (Google Street View here), back in June 2011 several Aransas Pass police officers came to her shop asking to see a man named “Keith,” who was a suspect in some crime.

There was no “Keith” there, but this didn’t stop the cops.  According to Ms. Freeman’s eyewitness account, these law enforcment officers (who we all know have sworn to protect and serve) picked out Kasey Staley, 21, as he was there working on the job and went after him.

According to reports, Kasey Staley was (1) stun-gunned; (2) beaten; and (3) arrested, all the while being totally innocent since the cops had the wrong guy here.  Kasey was not the illusive “Keith” the police were looking for in their fevered hunt.

Things were very bad for Kasey Staley at this point.  You’re working, the cops bust in, and suddenly you’ve been shocked with a Taser and beaten and then arrested.   Worst work day ever, right?

Nope.  It got worse for Kasey Staley.  Six different affidavits have been signed (by Kasey’s employer, Ms. Freeman, his ex-wife Kayla, and four other eyewitnesses) that after all this, the Aransas Pass cops then planted drugs on Staley, as he sat there in handcuffs.

No One’s Listening to these Witnesses in Aransas Pass

This shocking story just gets more bizarre.  It seems that these six people not only took the time and trouble to make these sworn, written statements of what happened, they took them to the Aransas Pass Powers That Be to get justice.  And got zip.

So, now the local media is involved and two local television stations are covering the story, KZTV10 and KRISTV.  One can hope that both the Texas Rangers and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are busy investigating things down at the Aransas Pass Police Department.

Meanwhile, the Aransas Pass Police Department finally got around to talking with the press; in response to media requests to explain what happened, what did the APPD representative say?  “Prove it,” is what Captain Roberto Gonzales told the Corpus Christi reporters; the Aransas Pass Police Department isn’t even opening up an internal investigation.

That’s right.  Prove it. Texas Rangers, your move.