Former Dallas Transit Police Officer Pleads Guilty To Federal Civil Rights Violation

Lance Kendall Bonner of Dallas, Texas, a former police officer with Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), pleaded guilty on Friday in federal court to violating the civil rights of a Dallas woman, the Department of Justice announced.

During his guilty plea, Bonner admitted that on October 10, 2004 , he saw the woman at a Dallas convenience store, followed her and arrested her after a traffic stop.  Bonner then drove the woman to the Dallas County jail but did not take her inside.  Instead, he drove her to an empty DART substation and forced her to engage in sexual acts with him.  Bonner then released the woman from custody.  Bonner acknowledged that he violated the woman’s constitutional rights and caused her bodily injury.

“I applaud the victim for her courage in coming forward to make this prosecution possible,” said Grace Chung Becker, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.  “Although most officers perform their duties honorably, the Department of Justice will prosecute those few who cross the line.”

 

Military Recruiter Indicted for Child Porn

United States Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced that an indictment had been returned against RAMON SANTOS, Jr., 41, of Lemoore, California, alleging that the defendant possessed and received or distributed images of child pornography.

According to court documents, Santos was identified after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents analyzed a computer that had been seized in West Palm Beach, Florida. The analysis suggested Santos had sent images of child pornography to the owner of the computer by e-mail. When a search warrant was executed at Santos’ residence in California, agents discovered numerous images of child pornography on a computer. Santos admitted that he had acquired and distributed images of child pornography through use of e-mail and peer-to-peer file-sharing programs. Santos, a 17-year Army veteran, most recently had worked on active duty as a military recruiter. His case was investigated by the Fresno office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Fresno County Sheriff’s Department Computer Crimes Investigation Unit, and the Navy Criminal Investigation Service.