HOUSTON – As a deadline imposed by the Harris County District Attorney’s Office loomed, Houston police on Monday handed over thousands of documents that had been requested by prosecutors investigating the deadly Harding Street raid.
Dane Schiller, spokesman for the District Attorney's Office, said prosecutors picked up Houston Police Department Narcotics Division files and an agreement was reached for police to provide the remaining documents next week.
The move comes after the District Attorney's Office issued an ultimatum to the department Friday, saying the department should give prosecutors the documents they’ve requested by Monday or face subpoenas. In Friday’s letter, prosecutors said it had been more than six weeks since they had requested documents pertaining to confidential informants used by the department’s Narcotics Division dating back to 2014.
“These records pertain, but are not limited, to such matters as the names of informants, locations of buys, payouts to those informants, who approved those payments and who signed off on any operations,” Assistant District Attorney Natasha Sinclair wrote. “This information is crucial to our ongoing review of hundreds of warrants and controlled buys executed by the HPD Narcotics Division and specifically the Goines investigation.”
DOCUMENT: Read June 20 letter sent to HPD by prosecutors
Officer Gerald Goines is accused of lying on the affidavit used to get a no-knock warrant that led to the Jan. 28 raid at 7815 Harding St. According to investigators, illegal drugs were purchased at the home by an informant.
Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas, who lived at the home, were killed during the raid.
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said in a statement Friday that his office has responded to all of the requests for information related to the botched raid.
Schiller said Monday that the District Attorney's office has also requested that the Harris County Commissioner’s Court authorize the hiring of additional senior prosecutors for the probe. The commissioners are expected to discuss the measure during the court’s meeting on Tuesday.
Police announced in May that the department's investigation into the raid had been completed.