HOUSTON – A veteran Houston police officer made his first appearance as a defendant Wednesday as a defendant in a federal drug probe
HPD Officer Noe Juarez is charged with conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine hydrochloride, in addition to conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offense.
Juarez was charged along with Mexican citizen Sergio Grimaldo. Juarez was taken into custody Tuesday by federal agents as he arrived for work. He appeared before federal magistrate Stephen Smith Wednesday afternoon.
Juarez faces a minimum of 10 years in prison on the conspiracy charge, and an additional 20-year sentence on the second count.
"They haven't put any meat on the bone, this is the most bare-boned indictment I seen in a long time," said Juarez attorney George Murphy.
The indictment provides few details about how federal investigators believe the alleged conspiracy was planned or carried out. But Juarez' attorney say his first concern is convincing the court to release Juarez on bond pending trial.
"He's got a long history of law-abiding conduct. He's got a big support group and family that's going to show up in court so I don't think the government is going to be able to prove that he does not deserve a bond," Murphy said.
A bond hearing for is scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday before Judge Francis Stacy. Prosecutors will likely have to provide more specific evidence against Juarez to convince the judge keep him locked up.
Juarez, 46, has been relieved of duty without pay, pending the outcome of the federal investigation.
If convicted of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, each defendant faces a sentence of 10 years to life imprisonment, followed by a minimum of five years of supervised release and a $10,000 fine.
If convicted of conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, Juarez faces a maximum of 20 years imprisonment, followed by a maximum of three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Juarez became an officer with HPD in 1995, and for most of his career served as a patrolman with the Central Patrol Division. In March, he transferred to he department's motorcycle detail.
In 2009, Juarez was named as one of the Houston Police Officers Union's officers of the year for his work with the Central Division Tactical Unit.
In February 2008, he was one of three officers involved in a shooting at Northwest Mall that left one of the policemen wounded, and a robbery suspect dead. Juarez did not fire the fatal shot.
In 2006, Juarez was named as a defendant in a federal wrongful arrest lawsuit that was settled out of court.
The Houston Police Officers Union released a statement Wednesday that read,"Like the public at large, the HPOU takes all allegations of criminal wrongdoing against Houston police officers very seriously. While the allegations in this particular case are disturbing, we are unable to comment on the merits of the allegations or the status of the legal proceedings. The HPOU is not involved in the investigation, prosecution or defense of any of the individual(s) involved in this matter. At this time, we will reserve further comment until the appropriate legal proceedings are concluded."