TABC sting goes bad for them

[KLB]

I would like to believe cops, but you obviously can't do so uncritically.

[Keith B]

In short, TABC agent screwed the pooch. Classic bar sting, agency brings in under age, young looking girl/guy (female in this case) and tries to get them served.

Catch was 1) it's on good quality video, and 2) the bartender checked her ID, noted that she was underage. Asks the older male (agent) next to her if he was her father, she indicates yes. Hands the beer to the male who then legally hands it to his 'daughter'. No crime committed, 3) defense lawyer was drooling at the opportunity to expose a little TABC abuse and struck gold.

Not the first time TABC has stepped in it.

Actually, a crime was committed... by agent Jergins when he handed the beer to the minor.

A year in jail and a $4,000 fine sounds like a good start.

If he had been her father, then there would have been no crime committed. A minor can drink with their parents in Texas.

[jb2012]

I worked as a bouncer for a year and a half in college, and I was almost always able to spot them from a mile away. I’m sure I was fooled by fake ID’s (that’s inevitable), but I can safely say I know I was never fooled by the TABC gang. They have definitely gotten friends and co-workers before though, I’d say I was just a little extra vigilant, and a smidge lucky.

[Pawpaw]

In short, TABC agent screwed the pooch. Classic bar sting, agency brings in under age, young looking girl/guy (female in this case) and tries to get them served.

Catch was 1) it's on good quality video, and 2) the bartender checked her ID, noted that she was underage. Asks the older male (agent) next to her if he was her father, she indicates yes. Hands the beer to the male who then legally hands it to his 'daughter'. No crime committed, 3) defense lawyer was drooling at the opportunity to expose a little TABC abuse and struck gold.

Not the first time TABC has stepped in it.

Actually, a crime was committed... by agent Jergins when he handed the beer to the minor.

A year in jail and a $4,000 fine sounds like a good start.

If he had been her father, then there would have been no crime committed. A minor can drink with their parents in Texas.

I'm well aware of that, but obviously agent Jergins is not her father.

Of course, that would not have been obvious to the bartender. He had already been told that he WAS her father. The bartender committed no crime, but agent Jergins did.

[C-dub]

Can that agent be prosecuted for giving alcohol to a minor since the girl was not his daughter?

[carlson1]

Can that agent be prosecuted for giving alcohol to a minor since the girl was not his daughter?

I think that is what Pawpaw is saying. I think he should be able to be prosecuted. When working UC there is a very fine line to walk not to break the law and it appears this Agent crossed that line.

[K.Mooneyham]

Busting college kids for drinking beers...yep, sure are making Texas safer that way. MUCH better for those kids to go pop a bunch of pills or smoke up some laced weed, right?

I have the utmost respect for law enforcement officers who go out and do their best to stop bad folks from committing crimes, or catch bad folks who have hurt others in some fashion. But an officer of the law who abuses their authority is a flat-out disgusting thing. This, on the heels of the faked drug bust/murder in Houston, just leaves me shaking my head.

[Liberty]

Law enforcement is like watching them make sausage. Particularly too those who respect and believe in the law and constitutional rights. What really bugs me about this incident is the reluctance of the county attornyto call out the crooked TABC agent.

Brazos County Attorney Rod Anderson, whose office prosecuted the case, said he was reluctant to say Agent Jergins lied. “Obviously what happened is different from what was described in his report,” he said. “Yes, he misstated the transaction that took place. But we felt it was nothing intentional.”

As an officer of the court, you would think they would be more aggressive about pursuing the truth, prosecuting for making false statements and eliminating the real criminals. I'm glad he did the right thing. I just wish he had more enthusiasm for flushing out the real thugs in the system.

[ScottDLS]

Long term solution. Lower the drinking age to 18 to reduce the amount of TABC agents required to enforce this particular violation. If it worked until 1984 it ought to be ok in 2019.

[Papa_Tiger]

Law enforcement is like watching them make sausage. Particularly too those who respect and believe in the law and constitutional rights. What rally bugs me about this incident is the reluctance of the county attornyto call out the crooked TABC agent.

Brazos County Attorney Rod Anderson, whose office prosecuted the case, said he was reluctant to say Agent Jergins lied. “Obviously what happened is different from what was described in his report,” he said. “Yes, he misstated the transaction that took place. But we felt it was nothing intentional.”

As an officer of the court, you would think they would be more aggressive about pursuing the truth, prosecuting for making false statements and eliminating the real criminals. I'm glad he did the right thing. I just wish he had more enthusiasm for flushing out the real thugs in the system.

Blue Privilege/The Blue Wall is alive and well. Is it any wonder people have a really hard time trusting the police? Now don't get me wrong, I know a number of very good police officers who I believe would never compromise their integrity to get an arrest. This sort of activity between officers and the justice system just reinforce the belief that the system is stacked against the little guy and ONLY those with enough money to hire a good lawyer are going to receive justice... after spending several grand and YEARS in the legal system to clear their name.

Unless I know the police officer personally, I wouldn't trust him/her any farther than I could throw him/her, and that is a sad state of affairs indeed.

[Keith B]

Unless I know the police officer personally, I wouldn't trust him/her any farther than I could throw him/her, and that is a sad state of affairs indeed.

The major majority of police officers are good people and do the right thing. It's the 1-2% that push the edge or outright break the law, get caught and are publicly outed that cause a skewed view of law enforcement in people today.

Everyone needs to be careful and don't violate the rules by generalized bashing of law enforcement in comments.

[mojo84]

It seems there are other potential charges available in addition to just providing alcohol to a minor. What about contempt of court for lying under oath and falsifying the police report.

[Liberty]

Unless I know the police officer personally, I wouldn't trust him/her any farther than I could throw him/her, and that is a sad state of affairs indeed.

The major majority of police officers are good people and do the right thing. It's the 1-2% that push the edge or outright break the law, get caught and are publicly outed that cause a skewed view of law enforcement in people today.

Everyone needs to be careful and don't violate the rules by generalized bashing of law enforcement in comments.

The so many issues we are seeing today are not the tiny minority of miscreant officers, but the administrators and agencies themselves. The issues of revealed about the shooting of the Houston couple isn't just about the one renegade co, but of the coverup by the chief, how could Goines continue his blatant behaviour for so long. It's hard to believe that his activities weren't widely known.

[Keith B]

Unless I know the police officer personally, I wouldn't trust him/her any farther than I could throw him/her, and that is a sad state of affairs indeed.

The major majority of police officers are good people and do the right thing. It's the 1-2% that push the edge or outright break the law, get caught and are publicly outed that cause a skewed view of law enforcement in people today.

Everyone needs to be careful and don't violate the rules by generalized bashing of law enforcement in comments.

The so many issues we are seeing today are not the tiny minority of miscreant officers, but the administrators and agencies themselves. The issues of revealed about the shooting of the Houston couple isn't just about the one renegade co, but of the coverup by the chief, how could Goines continue his blatant behaviour for so long. It's hard to believe that his activities weren't widely known.

Yeah, I agree that an administration that fosters down improper methods and allows unacceptable tactics can cause a department to become rotten overall.

[Paladin]

But, he said, it matters when police at any level can’t be trusted.

“Were it not for the video,” he pointed out, “my client could have been a convicted criminal.”

So glad that the truth was established in court.

These TABC sting operations are absurd in the first place. They create an unhealthy level of paranoia around the sale of a single beer. It's not like anybody's going to get drunk off a single beer.

As the population of Texas grows by 100 people per day, or roughly one U.S. Congressional District per year, Texas needs to spend less money on creating victimless crimes and more on Infrastructure.

A growing, economically prosperous state needs infrastructure, and a C- infrastructure rating is nothing to brag about.