By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
A county grand jury on Friday no-billed a criminal use-of-force case against two Del Rio Police Department officers that has been pending for more than a year.
City Communications and Marketing Director Anita P. Mariner issued the following statement about the case late Friday afternoon:
“The City of Del Rio has been advised today that the grand jury has declined pursuing charges against officers in the use of force incident at the Del Rio Police Department jail on Feb. 8, 2021. The city will provide additional information as it becomes available,” Mariner’s statement reads.
District Attorney Suzanne West confirmed the information in the statement to the 830 Times today.
West confirmed the grand jury had no-billed criminal cases presented against two DRPD officers on Friday.
The use-of-force investigation was initiated after an incident that occurred inside the DRPD jail on Feb. 8, 2021.
The investigation was initiated by the police department after three DRPD officers, two of them department supervisors, were videotaped tussling with a prisoner being held in the city jail. None of the officers involved in the incident have ever been identified by the city.
Former DRPD Chief Fred Knoll Jr. told the 830 Times in early March 2021 that he had been notified about the incident on Feb. 12, 2021, and said the DRPD’s internal affairs division was conducting an investigation. Knoll at the time also said he had called the FBI for assistance in the case.
The city’s press release on Friday does not address the DRPD’s internal affairs investigation of the incident, nor does it mention the outcome of the FBI’s review of the case and whether or not that agency ever presented its findings for possible federal prosecution.
—
Contact the author at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
