ARE HEADED TO LAFAYETTE WHERE THE GOODS WILL BE DISTRIBUTED TO THE REST OF THE STATES.
>> AND NOW WE GO TO THE DEFENDERS DEBRIEF THIS STORY BEGAN WITH THE TRAGIC AND
CARELESS CAR CRASH.
>> LOCKHART POLICE OFFICERS RESPONDING TO THIS RURAL STRETCH OF ROAD ON A SUNNY
AFTERNOON IN JUNE 2020
ENCOUNTERED A HORRIFIC CRASH.
A LARGE FOR TRUCK AND SPED
THROUGH A STOP SIGN NEAR STATE
HIGHWAY ONE 30 MANGLING THIS
HONDA ACCORD CRITICALLY
INJURING ITS DRIVER PAM WATTS
AND KILLING HER 56 YEAR-OLD
PARTNER, JENNIFER MILLER.
>> THEY GOT ME OUT, BUT THEY
NEVER GOT JENNA SHE DIED 40
MINUTES LATER SITTING IN THAT
VEHICLE.
>> THE OTHER DRIVER RYAN
HARTMAN SEEN HERE IN THE FRONT
SEAT OF AN AMBULANCE AFTER
BEING TREATED FOR MINOR
INJURIES WAS HANDLED WITH KID
GLOVES, ACCORDING TO WANTS HIS
ATTORNEY AFTER OFFICERS
REALIZED HARTMAN WAS ONE OF
THEM. A POLICE SERGEANT FROM
THE NEIGHBORING TOWN OF SAN
MARCUS.
AND WHILE LOCKHART PD WAS READY TO RELEASE HARTMAN FROM THE SCENE WITH NOTHING MORE THAN A
CITATION FOR RUNNING A STOP
SIGN THAT CHANGED AFTER HIS
TRUCK WAS FLIPPED BACK ON ITS
WHEELS. OFFICERS FOUND A DOUBLE
SIZE 24 OUNCE CAN OF DOS
EQUIS BEER, STILL PARTIALLY
FULL.
>> AND WHAT HAPPENED NEXT HAS SOME ACCUSING SAN MARCOS CITY OFFICIALS OF A COVER
DILLON COLLIER JOINS US NOW
WITH MORE GOOD MORNING.
GOOD MORNING.
>> WALK US THROUGH THE AGENCIES
INVOLVED IT’S IN THE IN THIS
INVESTIGATION, HOW THINGS WENT
SOUTH. SURE SO THIS CRASH
HAPPENED IN LA CARTE WHICH IS
EAST OF SAN MARCUS, SO THE LOCK
OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT
INVESTIGATED HIM FOR WHETHER OR
NOT A CRIME TOOK PLACE THEY DID
CHARGE HIM WITH RUNNING A STOP
SIGN WHICH IS A TRAFFIC
CITATION THEY DID NOT CITE HIM
FOR HAVING OPEN ALCOHOL IN HIS
VEHICLE WHICH IS A CLASS C
MISDEMEANOR IN TEXAS. THEY DID
FILE THE CHARGE EVENTUALLY
WITH A GRAND JURY FOR CRIMINAL
NEGLIGENT HOMICIDE, THE ISSUE
IS THAT HE WAS NO BILL BY A
GRAND JURY AND THE BIG PROBLEM
WITH THAT IS THE SAN MARCUS
POLICE DEPARTMENT RELIED ON
THAT INDICTMENT TOO INVESTIGATE
HIM INTERNALLY BECAUSE THERE
WAS NO INDICTMENT. THEY BROUGHT
HIM BACK TO WORK LAST FALL
AND WHAT HAPPENED ONCE THE
DISTRICT ATTORNEY GOT INVOLVED
IN AS WE’VE SEEN TIME AND AGAIN
THAT HAPPENS A LOT IN SAN
ANTONIO AS WELL THERE’S A
CONFLICT OF INTEREST BECAUSE
YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT SOMEONE
WHO WORKS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT SO
THE
DISTRICT ATTORNEY IN CALDWELL
COUNTY WHICH IS WHERE THE CRASH
TOOK PLACE HAD TO RECUSE
HIMSELF FROM THE CASE AND SO
AFTER LOCKHART PD FILED IT.
IT WENT TO A GRAND JURY IN
CALDWELL COUNTY BUT WAS
PRESENTED BY ANOTHER DISTRICT
ATTORNEY FROM BASTROP COUNTY.
AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS A LOT OF
TIMES THINGS DON’T GO AS FLUID
AS IT WOULD IF IT WAS SOMEONE
WHO IS NOT INVOLVED IN LAW
ENFORCEMENT AND THAT WAS THE
CASE HERE. HE WAS NO BILL BY A
GRAND JURY.
THE POLICE DEPARTMENT HAD NEVER
CITED HIM FOR THE OPEN ALCOHOL
CONTAINER. SO YOU HAVE SOMEONE
WHO CAUSED THE DEATH OF ANOTHER
PERSON IN A NEGLIGENT CAR CRASH
THAT HE ADMITTED TO AT
THE SCENE WHO WAS ONLY EVER
CITED FOR RUNNING A STOP SIGN
WHICH IS ABOUT A
$200 FINE. SO AT THIS POINT
DYLAN YOU SAY OFFICIALS IN SAN
MARCUS BEGAN TO CHANGE THEIR
STORY.
>> BASED ON WHO THEY WERE
TALKING TO YEAH THE E-MAILS
THAT WE GOT BACK FROM SAN
MARCUS CITY OFFICIALS WERE
TRULY
EYE OPENING. WE HAD THEM
TELLING THE VICTIM WHO SURVIVED
THE CAR CRASH. PAM WATTS
THAT HARTMAN WAS BEING RETURNED
TO DUTY BECAUSE HE WAS NO BILL
BY A GRAND JURY. BUT WHEN THE
PUBLIC BEGAN TO FIND OUT ABOUT
THIS CRASH IN THE FACT THAT THE
SERGEANT HAD KILLED
A PERSON AND WAS NOW WORKING
OVERNIGHT ARRESTING DRUNK
DRIVERS AND OTHER PEOPLE
CHARGED WITH ALCOHOL RELATED
OFFENSES. CITY OFFICIALS THEN
CAME UP WITH ANOTHER
STORY WHERE WELL WE WEREN’T
ABLE TO DISCIPLINE HIM WITHIN A
180 DAYS WHICH IS STATE LAW
AND BECAUSE OF THAT WE HAD TO
BRING HIM BACK TO DUTY, THE
ONLY ISSUE IS HE WAS
NO BUILD IN NOVEMBER OF LAST
YEAR WHICH WAS WELL BEFORE THE
180 TAKEN PLACE SINCE THE CRASH
SO THAT’S SIMPLY NOT TRUE THE
STATEMENTS THAT THEY PUT OUT TO
THE PUBLIC
ARE SIMPLY NOT ACCURATE IN
THAT’S VERY PROBLEMATIC BECAUSE
THIS IS
AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT PUT
TOGETHER BY CITY OFFICIALS
ABOUT WHY A PERSON WHO KILLED
SOMEONE ELSE IS WORKING
THE STREETS AND CONTINUING TO