Paper: Houston Chronicle

Date: Wed 01/09/2008

Section: B Page: 6 Edition: 3 STAR

Grand jury to decide if officer should face criminal charges / Report accuses captain of running personal business during work hours

By ROBERT CROWE

Staff

A Harris County grand jury will decide this month whether Houston police Capt. Dwayne Ready should face criminal charges on allegations that he managed his private security company during work hours at police headquarters

The department launched an internal affairs investigation after a television station reported in May that Ready's clients may have received prompt police service because they paid his company $1,000 to $1,300 per month.

The KTRK (Channel 13) story in May alleged that Ready was conducting his private business while working in his official capacity at the department. At the time, Ready was the department's top spokesman. He now works in the human resources division.

Ready and other Houston officers who worked with him could be indicted on charges of theft by a public servant. Ready declined to discuss the allegations Tuesday.

"We're not allowed by police to comment on any ongoing investigations," Ready said.

Harris County Assistant District Attorney Kelly Blackburn said grand jurors could decide whether to indict Ready by month's end.

Prosecutors first presented the case to the 178th District Court grand jury Tuesday. A grand jury in the 228th District Court in July had asked to review the case, but Blackburn and Judge Marc Carter said the investigation would not have been completed before that grand jury term ended.

In July, some grand jurors, who included at least one former Houston officer, told Carter and Blackburn they were willing to extend their term because they feared the Ready case would be "swept under the rug," according to a July 25 e-mail Blackburn sent to Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal.

"They are going to subpoena the two HPD IAD Sgts. that are investigating the case to the Grand Jury to try and determine what is actually being done to investigate the allegations," Blackburn stated.

The e-mail was one of hundreds released recently in a federal lawsuit against Harris County. In the e-mail, Blackburn said he was also concerned with the police investigation.

"Based on the conversations I have had with IAD Sgts, I also have some concerns that parts of their investigation may be getting compromised (or slowed down) by the higher ups at HPD," he wrote.

Blackburn confirmed Tuesday that he wrote the e-mail to Rosenthal, but he declined to discuss why he was concerned at the time.

In his e-mail response, Rosenthal offered to assist Blackburn.

"If you can find out the delay of the investigation, let them know," Rosenthal wrote. "If you need the Chief to light a fire under them, I can help that happen."

Blackburn said he has since discussed the matter with Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt. The prosecutor said Tuesday that he no longer has concerns with the department's investigation.

"They're completely cooperating with our office and giving us everything we need," Blackburn said. "There are no issues at this point."

A police department spokesman said he could not comment on the e-mails because he had not read them by late Tuesday.

"We respect the grand jury investigation and because of that, we're not at liberty to discuss any details regarding the internal investigation and/or its outcome," spokesman John Cannon said.

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