SAN ANTONIO – Two San Antonio police officers were each suspended 30 days late last year after failing to respond to calls for service during the same shift, city discipline records show.
Officers Michael Garcia and Stephanie Cherry were served with the suspensions in November, for rules violations including neglect of duty, failing to obey a lawful order and for failing to make a prompt response to calls, records show.
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Garcia served his suspension from Nov. 14 to Dec. 13 and Cherry served her suspension from Nov. 15 to Dec. 14, discipline records show.
First incident
On May 25, Officer Garcia was dispatched to the 7400 block of W. Military for a disturbance call. Garcia failed to respond to the call, according to his suspension report.
Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL) records showed Garcia’s vehicle, instead, remained parked at Broadmoor Bend and Justin Terrace for 42 minutes before going to a different call for service, records show.
Cherry was dispatched to the same disturbance call, but like Garcia, remained at Broadmoor Bend and Justin Terrace for 42 minutes before moving to a different call for service, records show.
SAPD investigators also uncovered text messages sent between the two officers during the time in question, about responding to a call for service.
Second incident
That same evening, both officers were dispatched to a major accident in the 1200 block of SW Loop 410.
Garcia, instead, remained parked at Hunt Lane and Tres Caminos for 17 minutes before responding, records show.
Cherry remained parked at San Fidel Rio and Roswell Canyon for 17 minutes before responding to the accident call, records show. That intersection is less than a half-mile away from Hunt Lane and Tres Caminos.
Third incident
In a third incident on May 25, Garcia was assigned to an assault call in the 8300 block of Marbach Road. After arriving on scene and being provided information on an assault involving family members, Garcia failed to complete an incident report, records show.
AVL records show Garcia left the scene but remained assigned to the call for another 50 minutes.
Cherry was dispatched to the same assault call on Marbach Road. After arriving on scene and assisting with the call, Cherry relocated from the scene but remained assigned to it for another 48 minutes, records show.
Another officer disciplined for neglect of duty
Suspension paperwork for Garcia and Cherry was released the same month KSAT Investigates reported on the five-day suspension of SAPD SWAT Officer Jonathan Reyes for neglect of duty.
An internal affairs investigation showed he left work in the middle of his shift in August 2022 and spent close to three hours at a Southeast Side hotel.
The allegations included in Reyes’ suspension were whittled down significantly from the original complaint lodged against Reyes and SAPD’s physical fitness coordinator, Officer Tammy Ayala, in a letter sent to the department last spring.
The complaint accused both officers of violating the department’s policy on sexual misconduct.
Reyes was not suspended after IA’s investigation.
“That case was thoroughly investigated by internal affairs and the allegations that he was charged with were the only ones that could be proven and that’s why they were the only ones he was charged with,” SAPD Chief William McManus told KSAT late last year.