Longview Case Alleges DPS Corruption in Murder Investigation
In 2016 Gregg County Sheriff's Office responded to a shots-fired call in Longview. They discovered respected businessman Ronnie Horaney shot. EMS rushed him to the hospital, where he died of his wounds.
Investigation Struggles to Name Suspect
The Sheriff's Office announced they were investigating Horaney's death as a homicide, but seemed to struggle with the case. In June of this year the murder was still unsolved. Police released a sketch showing a person of interest, but made no arrests.
Gregg County Crimestoppers announced a reward for information that led to solving the case was $20,000, an amount they later increased to $50,000 then $70,000.
DPS Corruption Suit
This month (December 2018) attorney Ty Clevenger filed a federal lawsuit against the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) alleging "a culture of cryonism and outright corruption." Clevenger filed the suit on behalf of former DPS investigator Darren Lubbe. Lubbe worked for the Criminal Investigation Division and says supervisors and co-workers violated his rights when he was employed with the department.
Lubbe says his supervisor pressured him to join a cowboy church during his employment. When he refused, he says his DPS captain and other staff members harassed him to the point he chose early retirement.
Lubbe filed a complaint in November 2016 with the DPS Equal Employment Office and says the information leaked and law enforcement contacted him about the complaint. Even after he quit, he says DPS-related harassment led to him being fired from his teaching job at Texas State University.
Horaney Murder Connection
The Horaney murder investigation came up during the DPS corruption case because Lubbe's lawsuit alleges a Texas Ranger was having a sexual relationship with Horaney's wife. DPS Ranger Davis was leading the investigation into Horaney's murder, and DPS rumors suggest he also helped Faezeh Pour Mogahdam Horaney collect on her husband's life insurance policy.
Even though Ranger Davis compromised the investigation, Lubbe's lawsuit points out he was only quietly, temporarily demoted. Lubbe says this is typical of the way the department functions. The lawsuit also names at least 25 other defendants at multiple levels of law enforcement.