the following shocking footage of
Constable's looting a home was captured
by an officer who thought she' turned
her body camera off
okay put them in my
shirt
minute hold on this About Last
Night P would hate to sanitize
it
Oak
glasses hold
on a
second it was January 26
2021 when an already terrible day got
even worse for a family in Smith County
Texas not only were they being evicted
from their home but it would later be
revealed that some of the constables
enforcing the eviction were secretly
removing items from the residents for
themselves hold
on hold on don't come down
[Music]
here yeah let me
see
put them in my
shirt
AE hold
on oh we got some cocaine oh Dam
everything here
to this go here we set that box right we
set that on that dresser what's this uh
a
box
hold on give me a second you got this
bong what is this
some no that's a clip well actually it's
not a clip if we're going to get
technical it's a magazine but
technicalities seem to be the least of
their concerns right now to a gun yeah
it's a Ruger okay this is some more
bullets
um yeah sureff this some more
money too
F hold on a
minute the officers in the footage you
just saw are Curtis trailer Harris and
laquinda Banks their impromptu shopping
spree is interrupted by the tenant's
17-year-old daughter who was alone at
the house with a friend when the
officers arrived next steps is just kind
of move everything out is that like we
need to just step out do we need to stay
in what they're going to move everything
out but before they leave the locks will
be changed so get get your purse yep
like just get all like personal
belongings that we're going to need
right now yeah okay sorry about that cuz
everything is going to be right here
said I'm sorry she's just 17 I'm just
her friend just kind of confused on what
was going on it's just a procedure with
that handled for the time being the
Constable's return to what's really
important here hiding their loot where
they choose to store it is not only
shocking but incredibly bold considering
how many eyes are on
[Music]
them open your
um open I need to go in the car for a
minute I need to go in your car for a
minute think of something you put
something in
there that
put okay
I'm
good what
you put in your
pocket I can leave it cuz it's sit in
the drve seat sit in the Dr seat and
take it seems like the other Constable
almost notices that his colleague's body
camera is still on so close but even
after inspecting it he doesn't catch on
that every FiveFinger discount is being
recorded though they don't know it this
miscalculation will eventually come back
to bite them all right the oh he got
this
depending on the situation officers can
sometimes have legal grounds to remove
items from a house during an eviction
for example if the owner is present and
there's no criminal offense being
investigated there could be grounds to
remove some of the tenants personal
property from the rental in this case
however it seems like all they're taking
are items with some monetary value given
the context of their conversations these
actions have no legal rationale this
doesn't stop laquinda from unloading her
entire Hall into her colleague's back
seat then she makes the Bold decision to
go back into the house for a second
round of Acquisitions significantly she
is still recording
I
D's yeah C they when they can come in
and start
moving we done remember that name Derek
the question of his involvement will
become important later that's how look
it at this point it doesn't seem as if
there is any reason they have
established probable cause to search the
purse nor any consent from the purse
owner it's unlikely that the landlord
can consent to a search of the tenants
personal belongings if items had been
abandoned the scenario might be
different but this is not the case here
it seems they're just continuing to
Rifle through the property for purposes
consistent with what we've already seen
probably got some
do why they leave all this Stu CU we
told him to get out that's a little girl
purse y'all check these
out oh oh it's GNC damn thought I hit
some
pills empty I want to check it was
dark That's the
pistol okay
there is it this about last
night would hate to sanitize
it you still in here you find something
else Oak glasses
I they got everything in
a good spot
it what's all this
yeah yeah see what's in
here
oh Ray
bands okay
what's in
here put
my hold
on clean the thing is it's possible that
there could have been grounds for some
of the seizures the constables made
because drugs were found however they
didn't follow any constitutional
procedures and it was obvious they
weren't seizing items in the Fourth
Amendment since but rather they're
taking them as a predatory action and
they might have gotten away with it too
if it wasn't for leenda's pesky body
camera however the constables may have
stronger legal ground for removing the
firearms from the property but the issue
is still complicated the officers have a
right to be on the premises as the
eviction process gives them the right to
enter and remove the renter and their
property Additionally the landlord can
usually consent to entry at that point
anything found in plain sight that
indicates criminal activity can be
pursued legally this could rapidly
escalate to probable cause however
proper procedure would have been to call
in for a telephonic warrant listing the
items seen to be seized along with a
probable cost statement but even if some
of the items were collected legally the
constables can't leave the scene with
their Treasures just yet they's still
the tenant to handle okay yeah there
cocaine weed cocaine and weed so all
right so I don't know about any of this
but this you're the owner of the house
it's going to be all on you all right so
it on me do
you is Jo that's what we ask did you
find it in my room you went through my
drawers I you saw my
vibrator the drawers were open I didn't
see any vibraator we're talking about
this I don't want we're not here I don't
want to have to take you to jail for
this who is it I don't know I obviously
didn't even know it was in the house
what about the other drugs
what other drugs cocaine cocaine I
didn't know there was cocaine in the
house and other marijuana as well yeah
it's about large large quantity like
felony type quantity so cocaine um
marijuana with baggage so that means
somebody was actually Distributing yeah
distribution from this house so yeah I
don't know anything about
that but put it on me I'm the owner the
Constable has convinced the tenant to
move away from the residence siren's
approach are they coming for
me um they just they just coming for
okay I can get my driver license out
um you don't have to run what are they
doing I don't know why they running
because they saying his guns we got to
get AR up and stuff I don't know the
Constable sound understandably nervous
to have another law enforcement agency
pulling up likely worried that the focus
will be on them rather than the res
president but as is becoming typical for
this case all doesn't go as
expected hey St back get back get back
I'm trying to talk to my daughter L
listen me you're being detained you're
not going to walk over there okay I
don't do anything we I'm trying to do
this nice way but you're not going to
walk away I'm not going anywhere I'm
talking to my daughter you being give me
your phone don't break give me your
other hand give me your other hand
around the presence of drugs and
Firearms escalates the eviction to a
criminal matter meaning that detaining
the renter is legal in the interest of
preventing evidence destruction and
access to weapons an actual arrest would
be legal too as they are able to
articulate Reasonable Suspicion with
this excitement taking place the
constables were likely hopeful that
attention would not turn on them and it
didn't for 10 whole months after the
eviction it was only in November of 2021
that the accidentally filmed body cam
footage came back to haunt the sticky
fingered constables as it turns out the
resident had discovered that several
items were missing from the home shortly
after the eviction was carried out and
filed a report in February according to
an affidavit in addition it's been
reported that accusations led to arrests
though it's unknown exactly when these
accusations surfaced it was in October
according to the affidavit that
everything finally caught up with them
the Smith County DA's office gave Texas
Rangers a US USB drive that contained
some rather incriminating body camera
footage associated with the case and it
was all downhill from there laquinda
Banks whose body cam was recording was
approached first after being reader
Miranda writes she's confronted with the
footage she took documenting the theft
in progress she's going to have to do
some quick thinking if she plans to deny
her guilt your body cam got turned on
like you know that right yes you do now
when you thought you had it on and
turned it off
they actually turned it on yeah I know I
saw the both
lights I don't think you know what I'm
talking about no like when I thought
that you you're saying when I thought
that it was off it was
on hold on don't come down
here
yeah I think you just said take that huh
I said take that
keep
watching hold
on so where did all this stuff
go the stuff the only thing that I saw
that I wanted for myself was a pair of
sunglasses and a a little watch before
we left I put back I know it was
wrong said y'all have returned ever
saying to the home they s be back there
but you didn't get any bullets it wasn't
on that
paper get check did she get the the
airpods back um nobody took any
airpods huh that's what shoved in your
shirt with those books
airpods note that laquinda denies taking
any airpods even as the footage replays
her putting an airpod box into her shirt
this doesn't exactly make for a sturdy
defense so this a normal y'all just
rumage through stuff and this was my
second one I mean since he found dope I
mean I'm that's what we toally looking
for I mean I've never been one this I
don't
understand shoving stuff in your shirt
oh no not is that a normal course of
action no
not that's why I had so when did you put
this stuff at it was um I don't know how
long the video is but it was shortly um
before her arrest note that there's no
footage of laquinda taking anything back
into the house before the tenant was
arrested in addition the footage doesn't
appear to skip or show any indication
that the camera had been turned off for
a while she would also later claim that
she felt forced to participate in the
theft by her colleagues and feared she
would get fired if she refused to
participate we'll leave the validity of
that claim up to you at least until we
reveal what the jury thought the next
Constable to be questioned was Derek
Holman the owner of the car used to hide
the stolen
goods really needs to learn how to use
her body
can what are we
[Applause]
steal what are we
steal I'll show you the
big
sure
[Applause]
y want to do that R of possession y want
in to do that R of
[Music]
possession start do
stuff turn on actually instead of
off so you know what I'm talking she
everything stick it
in understand this
[Applause]
body she's put it in your
V instead of her standing at the door
tell
her y all work together she she
concealed your vehicle with your
permission with your help
take she can seal the
St even when she steal stuff upstairs
she walks down the stairs
gotou so you you letting her store all
the Sten stuff in your
[Music]
car I didn't got her to go get inside to
unload so now she's storing stolen stuff
in your
car because you tell her to I know
Derek was likely surprised by the arrest
given that he'd already spoken to
investigators several days
before uh sorry home I I talk to you
earlier uh we're looking at
a I think on it looks like
January 26 I
believe yall ser a possession uh y
initially turned it over to Tyler yes
sir and Y remove some stuff from the
house which was we just look for any
knives for firearms okay so some two
Firearms everything and I think con said
that CH thanks she got she where the I
guess the list of the stuff that y'all
took and later return to her was yeah
see she's saying like this $300 there's
an iPhone 8 O glasses jewelry four
bottles of per iPhone I it was it was a
moving truck that she called there yeah
to move all yeah did you see anybody
take any money an iPhone 8 Oakley
sunglasses jewelry Chanel
ping iPhone x Nike shoes airpods no sir
iPhone 12 MacBook MacBook we know where
the
money yes sir not at all this likely
struck investigators as questionable
considering that this was Derrick's
response when he saw laquinda come
downstairs with a bunch of goods
secreted away in her shirt you going sit
down and rest a little bit Yeah I need
to go sit down and rest yeah go sit down
and
rest got a little little fat over there
trying to find a
pocket Derek is also the one who checked
to see if Linda's body camera was off
and failed to notice it wasn't this
along with the fact that the stolen
items were hidden in his car doesn't
make him look too good however his
unwaver ing story that he had absolutely
no involvement in the incident would
farewell for him as you're about to see
finally police approached Smith County
Precinct one Constable Curtis trailer
Harris who was the highest ranking
officer suspected to be involved in the
theft we get started you know you're
under you like
that after reading Curtis's rights the
investigators sit him down to watch the
footage from leenda's body cam you
should take that
no I said That's you said take that oh
yeah I said you take everything in there
because had cocaine this normally how
y'all take
everything do you see me taking anything
no say it looks like one person's on the
spech yet and I paying no attention to
her you see me doing my job like
laquinda Curtis insists that everything
taken from the house was returned and
even makes a cursory attempt to locate
the missing bullets but as you can
likely predict they were nowhere to be
found Curtis laquinda and Derek were all
accused of felony theft and and official
oppression a misdemeanor but despite the
identical charges each case was decided
differently after being found guilty
Curtis received the heftiest punishment
perhaps because of his higher rank he
was sentenced to 5 years of Probation
and fin
$10,000 if he violates his parole at any
time he will be required to spend 2
years in jail he's currently appealing
the oppression charge and the case is
pending laquinda was also found guilty
and placed on probation although she
only Reed receiv received 18 months the
felony theft charge against her was
dropped when she pleaded guilty and as a
result she was only convicted of the
oppression charge which is a misdemeanor
while on the stand laquinda also stated
that she was embarrassed and remorseful
to have taken part in the crime finally
Derek Holman whose car was used to
transport the stolen goods was found not
guilty on all charges when a jury
decided there was Reasonable Doubt of
his involvement after all there was no
footage of him removing anything from
the house personally of the three
constables suspected he's the only one
to avoid criminal charges however Curtis
laquinda and Derek have all since
resigned from their jobs as constables