Tarrant County corrections officers charged in Anthony Johnson's in-custody death surrender, post bail
TARRANT COUNTY – Two corrections officers who were indicted in the death of Anthony Johnson Jr. turned themselves into police and have since been released on bond.
As a result of the indictments of Rafael Moreno and Lt. Joel Garcia, murder warrants were issued for both of the men on Friday, June 28.
The Texas Department of Public Safety says Garcia turned himself in to the Parker County Sheriff's Office the same day. Moreno turned himself into the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office on Saturday.
They both bailed out of jail on $125,000 bond.
"As promised, the Texas Department of Public Safety, Ranger Division, conducted a thorough, impartial, and meticulous investigation of the death of Anthony Johnson," Texas DPS Regional Director Jeremy Sherrod said in a statement. "We provided the findings of that investigation to the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office, which resulted in the Murder indictments. We know that this has been a painful, and at times, a prolonged process for the family of Anthony Johnson, but now this case moves to the next step in the judicial process."
Johnson, a 31-year-old former Marine, died in April after a confrontation with corrections officers at the Tarrant County Jail.
Security video from the incident showed at least six employees wrestling with Johnson, and at least one officer using pepper spray. Moreno put a knee into Johnson's back, according to investigators, which is against department policy.
Moreno and Garcia, his supervisor, were fired, but later reinstated and then put on administrative leave because they were not fired properly.