HOUSTON – A rookie HPD officer accused of failing to properly report and turn in a piece of stolen property has been indefinitely suspended from the police force.
Linda Stewart said all her nephew ever wanted was to be Houston police officer.
"That, I think, was one of his dream jobs," Stewart said.
Back in January, a friend of Brandon Crissmon-Stewart wrote on his Facebook page how proud he was to see the 23-year-old graduate from the HPD police academy.
"He's always been a good kid. Just tried to do the best he possibly could," said Stewart.
Not even a year into his career and Crissmon-Stewart is no longer a member of HPD's rank and file. HPD's top brass indefinitely suspended the rookie officer in the wake of an internal affairs investigation.
Sources told Local 2 the 23-year-old failed to properly report and turn in an iPhone that someone reported stolen from a plane at Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Crissmon-Stewart, according to police sources, found the stolen cell phone on the side of the road not far from his home near Humble. He was off duty and out riding his horse.
While it's unclear how long he had the phone, sources said police discovered it was in his possession because the phone was turned on, which allowed them to ping it and track its location to his home.
Sources said since the locked cell phone was turned on, Crissmon-Stewart should have seen the message stating the phone was lost, along with a phone number where the owner could be reached.
"From my understanding he was going to try and contact the person and get it unlocked so he could contact the person, and he didn't know he was supposed to turn it in," Stewart said.
Stewart claimed her nephew has an iPhone and has no use for another one. She said what amounts to nothing more than mistake should not cost him his career in law enforcement.
No one at HPD has accused Crissmon-Stewart of stealing the phone. He is not facing any charges.
