Who says police officers never lie?
KXAN reported that an Austin police officer is under investigation for allegedly lying about a case that led to the criminal conviction of an Austin man.
Ernest Smith was convicted in September on drug charges, but the district attorney’s office learned something was wrong, and it had to do with one Austin cop.
It’s unclear exactly what this officer may have lied about, but it was big enough for the district attorney to do something it rarely does.
The district attorney’s office initiated a conversation with Smith’s defense attorney and offered to vacate a judgment on his conviction based on new information. Essentially, Smith’s conviction from September is going to be withdrawn.
APD and the DA are not sharing too much information with KXAN either but we do know this…
Sources say that officer lied about something in the drug case, so District Judge Bob Perkins dropped the case entirely some three months after Smith was convicted. But friends of his say it’s too late.
That’s because Smith is still in jail on unrelated drug charges. It’s also unclear how this might affect the other cases this accused officer is involved with.