Two school traffic cops who
were fired — one for allegedly drinking outside the school and the other for
not reporting it.
Hialeah Sgt. Tomas Muñoz’s arrest last month
on charges that he had “several crack rocks” on a nightstand table in the
Ernesto Motel on West Flagler Street, near the Magic City Casino. Muñoz, a
15-year-veteran of the Hialeah PD, was arrested at 2:50 a.m. and was in the
room with an unidentified female. Muñoz told TV reporters that his girlfriend’s
pimp set him up.
Cop Julio Robaina, and his
wife, Raiza, turned themselves in Friday to federal law enforcement officials
after they were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of income tax
evasion, making loans at sky-high interest rates and failing to report secret
cash payments.
In December, Hialeah police officer Rafael
Valdes was indicted on gun-trafficking charges. According to the indictment
handed down by a federal grand jury in West Palm Beach, Valdes and his wife,
Tammy, a retired police officer in Golden Beach, illegally sold at least 600
guns over seven years. They are accused of selling the weapons over the
Internet and at gun shows throughout South Florida. Authorities seized five
rifles, four shotguns and 38 handguns from the couple’s home
In October, Hialeah Detective Raul Samaria was
involved in an accident that killed Andrea Castillo, the 21-year-old daughter
of Miami-Dade School Board member Susie Castillo. Andrea Castillo’s boyfriend,
Marco Barrios, was driving the SUV that collided with Samaria’s police cruiser
at East Ninth Court and 49th Street at 9:45 on a Friday night. In a matter of
days, the department investigated and concluded Barrios had caused the crash
after running a stop sign. The families of Barrios and Castillo have sued the
city, contending the officer was speeding.
Cop MarioHernandez was
dismissed for allegedly drinking on the job and another cop named Del Diego for
not reporting the incident.
During Memorial Day weekend 2011, three
Hialeah cop, working with Miami Beach police, were involved in the shooting and
killing of a 22-year-old man. Cops have said Raymond Herisse, from Boynton
Beach, refused an order to pull over while speeding on Collins. Police fired
more than 100 rounds during the shootout. Herisse, who died on the scene, was
shot 16 times, according to autopsy reports released earlier this month. Three
bystanders were also wounded. Prosecutors are investigating whether the
officers’ shootings were justified.