Ex-Texas City Cop Faces Theft, Narcotics Charges

TEXAS CITY, TX — A former Texas City police officer who resigned from the police department earlier this year, is finding himself on the wrong side of the law after being accused of stealing money from a dying man during a call in December 2016.

Linnard Crouch resigned from the Texas City Police Department on Jan. 30, after an allegation of theft was made against him by the family of the dying man. (Want to get daily updates about traffic news and other events going on in your area? Sign up for the free Houston Patch morning newsletter.)

According to family members, Crouch responded to a call for a driver in trouble, and found 74-year old James Mabe suffering from a medical emergency, and removed more than $2,000 from Mabe, that he’d been given to buy Christmas presents, KTRK reported.

Mabe died at an area hospital a short time later.

The family lodged their complaint after the incident, and an internal affairs investigation was launched, KHOU reported.

Investigators reviewed evidence and found that the alleged theft of $2,400 had been recorded on Crouch’s body camera.

Crouch now faces charges of theft and possession of a controlled substance, and is also named in a civil rights lawsuit filed by the Mabe family on Wednesday.

According to a Houston Chronicle report, Crouch had a history of derelict behavior during his decade as a Texas City Police Officer

The case has been referred to the Galveston County District Attorney’s Office, and will be presented to a grand jury once the investigation is completed.

To learn more, read the story in the Houston Chronicle

Image: Shutterstock

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