CLOSURE ON THAT FRONT AND ROAD CONSTRUCTION BARRELS ARE UP AND THERE’S HEAVY EQUIPMENT IN THE
MEDIAN. THERE.
>> WE’LL KEEP AN EYE ON THAT
SITUATION. THEY CHARGED HER FOR
A CRIME. SHE KNEW SHE DID NOT
COMMIT. AND DESPITE YEARS OF
PRESSURE FROM COUNTY
PROSECUTORS, THE SAN ANTONIO
MOTHER REFUSED TO PLEAD GUILTY.
SO HOW DID SHE END UP IN THE
SITUATION?
>> OCTOBER SECOND, 2017 IS THE
DAY RUBY SANDOVAL’S WORLD
TURNED UPSIDE DOWN.
TODAY. DEPUTIES WITH THE BEXAR
COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
NARCOTICS UNIT RAIDED HER HOME
TO SEE THEM RUNNING UP ON THE
POOR, THE REST OF THE MONEY
BEHIND THEM AND LOOK IN THE
DISCOURSE STRAIGHT TO THE BACK
ROOM.
>> AND THEY GET A HIT. I’M HERE
TO GET IT AND THEY PICK PUT
CUFFS ON HIM. SITTING ON THE
COUCH WITH THIS THREATENED FOR
THAT WINDOW. BUT SHE SAYS WHAT
CAME NEXT SIMPLY LEFT HER
STUNNED. THEN THEY COME OUT.
AND THEN JUST LIKE I SAID,
THEY’RE JUST HOLDING UP THAT
THAT BIG BAG AND YEAH, TAKE A
BIG BREATH.
RUBY WAS IN BIG TROUBLE BECAUSE
THAT BAG CONTAINED MORE THAN
2 POUNDS OF METHAMPHETAMINE.
>> OVER 1000 GRAMS, MAKING HER
LOOK LIKE A DRUG TRAFFICKER.
>> ALL RIGHT. SO IT TURNS OUT
SHE HAD BEEN FRAMED BY A SECRET
INFORMANT WORKING WITH THE
BEXAR COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
AND NOW INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER
TIM GERBER IS HERE WITH US WITH
IS ONE HOUR SPECIAL NECESSARY
EVIL. THE COST OF
>> CONFIDENTIAL INFORMANTS.
NOW, TIM, YOU FOUND THE SAME
INFORMANT HAD ALSO FRAMED AT
LEAST 3 OTHER PEOPLE. SAME
EXACT WAY, RIGHT? YES. SO THIS
ALL HAPPENED IN 2017. THE
INFORMANT WAS ARRESTED IN JULY.
>> AND CHARGED WITH POSSESSION
OF METHAMPHETAMINE WITH INTENT
TO DELIVER. HE ENDED UP GETTING
AN OFFER FROM THE PROSECUTORS
AT THE BEXAR COUNTY DISTRICT
ATTORNEY’S OFFICE SAID IF HE
WOULD WORK FOR THEM AND BECOME
AN INFORMANT AND PROVIDE TO
MORE CASES ABOUT THE SIMILAR
AMOUNT OF DRUGS. THEY WOULD
DROP. HIS CASE IS SO THEY USED
HIM AS AN INFORMANT. AND THIS
WAS THE FIRST TIME THEY WERE
USING HIM. SO THE FOLKS THAT
YOU SEE HERE THAT THIS WAS
ANOTHER HOUSE RIGHT BEFORE RUBY
SANDOVAL, WHO WE JUST SHOWED
A COUPLE WEEKS BEFORE HER
ARREST. THESE FOLKS AT WESTERN
WERE ARRESTED AND IT TURNED OUT
THAT RIGHT BEFORE THE BEXAR
COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE RAIDED
THE HOME. A MAN HAD SHOWN UP TO
THE HOUSE WITH A LITTLE GIRL IN
A BACKPACK. THEY WENT USE THE
BATHROOM WHEN THEY CAME BACK.
THE BACKPACK WASN’T THERE.
A FEW MINUTES LATER, THE
SHERIFF’S OFFICE COMES IN RAIDS
AND THEY FIND 2 POUNDS OF
METHAMPHETAMINE HIDDEN IN THE
BATHROOM.
AND IT WAS VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT
HAPPENED TO RUBY. HOWEVER, THE
SAME MAN WHO WAS WORKING AS AN
INFORMANT WHO KNEW HER ASKED
HER TO HOLD SOME ITEMS BECAUSE
HE WAS GETTING KICKED OUT OF
HIS HOUSE AND HAD A BOX AND
SO, HEY, CAN YOU STORE THIS FOR
A WHILE? HE COMES OVER THIS
LITTLE GIRL AND SHE STORES THE
BOX. AND, YOU KNOW, THE NEXT
DAY HE’S SENDING HER TEXT
MESSAGES SAYING YOU STOP MY
BOX CAN COME PICK IT UP.
IT WAS THOSE TEXT MESSAGES THAT
REALLY UNRAVELED THIS WHOLE
THING THAT SHOWED THAT THIS
GUY WAS SETTING UP PEOPLE.
SO NOT ONLY HER, BUT THOSE 3
PEOPLE THERE AND THEY ENDED UP
HAVING TO GO
BACK IN REDO ALL THESE CASES
AND THEY DISMISS THEM AND FOUND
THAT THESE FOLKS ARE ACTUALLY
INNOCENT. SO, TIM, I KNOW
YOU’VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS
PROJECT FOR ABOUT 3 YEARS.
A LOT WENT INTO IT. I KNOW YOU
INTERVIEWED BEXAR COUNTY
SHERIFF SALAZAR.
>> AND THE DA. SO WHAT DID THEY
HAVE TO SAY ABOUT ALL THIS?
SO THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S
OFFICE IS LEARNING SOME LESSONS
FROM THIS. THEY SAY THEY ARE
USING THIS CASE AS A
>> AS A LESSON AND IN TEACHING
THE PROSECUTORS, YOU KNOW, THIS
IS SOME OF THE THINGS THAT CAN
HAPPEN HERE. WE REALLY NEED TO
LISTEN TO PEOPLE WHEN THEY’RE
BRINGING THESE TYPES OF THINGS
UP AND THEY’RE BEING MORE
CAUTIOUS IN HOW THEY USE
CONFIDENTIAL INFORMANTS AND WHO
THEY’RE PROVIDING THESE
CONTRACTS WITH.
AND, YOU KNOW, THEY THEY SEEM
TO HAVE LEARNED A LESSON FROM
ALL THIS ARE ALSO GOING BACK
AND LOOKING AT SOME OF THE DRUG
CASES OF THE PAST 10 YEARS TO
MAKE SURE THERE AREN’T SIMILAR
CASES. BUT THEY HAVE FOUND A
5TH CASE RELATED TO THE SAME
INFORMANT IN GOING LOOKING ALL
THIS. NOW THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE
SAYS THEY HAVE DONE NOTHING
WRONG. THEY DON’T FEEL ANY OF
THE DEPUTIES INVOLVED DID
ANYTHING WRONG HERE. SO THEY
SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE
REALLY REORGANIZE. THEY’RE NO
LONGER USING THE NARCOTICS
UNIT. IT ALL FALLS UNDER AN
ORGANIZED CRIME TASK FORCE AND
THEY’RE RELYING MORE ON
INTELLIGENCE AND INFORMATION
FROM INFORMANTS. BUT THEY SAY
INFORMANTS ARE SOMETHING THAT
ARE ALWAYS GOING TO BE PART
OF LAW ENFORCEMENT. YOU BET.
ALL RIGHT. TO ME ABOUT 30
SECONDS LEFT, TURNS OUT THE
SORT OF PROBLEMS ARE
WIDESPREAD. WHAT EXPERTS SAY
ABOUT THIS, IT IS SOMETHING IS
HAPPENING EVERY DAY IN EVERY
JURISDICTION IN THE PROBLEM IS
WE REALLY DON’T KNOW HOW MANY
CRIMES THESE INFORMANTS ARE
ACTUALLY SOLVING. WE DON’T KNOW
HOW MANY CRIMES LAW ENFORCEMENT
LETTING THESE INFORMANTS
CONTINUE TO COMMIT WHILE
THEY’RE SETTING OTHER PEOPLE
UP FOR FOR CHARGES. SO THERE’S
NOT REALLY ANY GOOD TRACKING
HERE. WE NEED BETTER TRACKING
AND WE NEED BETTER RESOURCES
FOR THERE TO BE HEARING WITH
THESE INFORMANTS PRIOR TO
SIGNING A WARRANT TO LET THEM
GO IN TO TO RAID A HOME TO
REALLY MAKE SURE THAT THIS
INFORMANT IS TELLING THE TRUTH
BEFORE SOMEONE ENDS UP GETTING
PUT IN JAIL WHEN THEY’RE
INNOCENT.
>> TIM, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I KNOW A LOT OF HARD WORK.
THIS IS A TEAM EFFORT WITH YOU
SO IF VIEWERS, IF YOU DIDN’T
GET TO WATCH IT LAST NIGHT AT