Police Chief hires a police officer who was banned in Texas from being a cop
Blinn College was fined $10,000 for employing an unlicensed individual who performed law enforcement duties, including carrying a firearm and badge and acting as a peace officer.
In addition, Blinn College Police Chief John Chancellor and Sergeant Joe Espinoza were also issued letters of reprimand by TCOLE in connection with this investigation.
The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) conducted a month-long investigation into the hiring practices of Blinn College Police Chief John Chancellor.
The inquiry focused on his decision to hire Aaron Bryan Carlisle, a former peace officer who, in 2018, agreed to permanently surrender his TCOLE license as part of a plea agreement in a family violence case in Montgomery County.
What was Chanellor thinking?
Despite this, Chancellor allegedly allowed Carlisle to act in a law enforcement capacity, including carrying a badge and firearm and participating in an arrest. On one occasion, Carlisle and Chancellor apprehended a 19-year-old suspect who was reportedly in possession of a handgun, leading to a substantial law enforcement response; however, no weapon was ever recovered and the individual was subsequently released following a review by the district attorney.
A whistleblower and Assistant Chief Jennifer Taylor reported the situation to TCOLE, prompting a detailed investigation. TCOLE concluded there was substantial evidence that Chancellor violated state regulations and that Carlisle may have unlawfully acted as a peace officer without a valid license.
Police officers always lie
During the investigation, Sergeant Joe Espinoza provided misleading information regarding his awareness that Carlisle possessed a firearm and was acting in a law enforcement capacity, resulting in the issuance of a letter of reprimand.
The findings were forwarded to the local district attorney, Derek Estep, who agreed there were potential violations and presented the case to a grand jury. Blinn College then retained former District Attorney Julie Renken to represent them. Following a meeting between Julie Renken and District Attorney Derek Estep, the grand jury issued a “no bill,” indicating that no charges were filed. No one got arrested, and it was all swept under the rug.
In the end, according to the report, Blinn College was fined $10,000.00. Pages 40 and 41. Blinn College Police Chief John Chancellor and Sergeant Joe Espinoza received letters of reprimand. John Chancellor received a letter for employing an unlicensed individual who was performing police officer duties. Joe Espinoza received a letter for misleading the investigation.
Blinn College police
We are unsure why Joe Espinoza was not included on the recently posted Brady list. The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement specifically lists “misleading” an investigation as untruthfulness. It should be noted that since this investigation concluded, Sergeant Joe Espinoza has been promoted to Lieutenant at the Blinn College Police Department. How does that even happen?
There are some noteworthy questions. Why would Blinn College allow an employee to carry a badge and gun with the history Carlisle has? Pages 18 and 19 of the report. Why would they not “true bill” them, which means accept charges, when there was body camera video of Carlisle with the gun falling from his waistband? Pages 25 and 26 of the report.
The body camera footage appeared to have been destroyed to cover up Carlisle’s crimes. Page 29 of the report, included in the pictures below, Joe Espinoza is lying to the investigator on page 32 about seeing Carlisle with a gun.
Years of body camera video were purged, which happens to coincide with the years of Carlisle’s years of employment with Blinn College. Page 34 of the report. The conclusion on page 36 indicates Carlisle used to be John Chancellor’s assistant chief at the Shenandoah Police Department. Now we know why he hired him.