Report: Raid turned up little
Bust yielded only small amount of pot, white powder
The deadly drug bust in Pecan Park last month that left two people dead and five officers injured netted only 18 grams of marijuana and 1.5 grams of white powder, according to the results of a search warrant released Friday.
One day after a narcotics officer was relieved of duty pending an internal investigation, officials remained tight-lipped about the botched raid, which was one of the most violent in the history of the Houston Police Department. “We’re not going to piecemeal the discussion,” Police Chief Art Acevedo said Friday, after a promotion ceremony at the training academy in north Houston. “When we are done with our investigation, we will have uncovered every stone to get to the truth.”
The chief declined to address continued questions that have swirled since the Jan. 28 raid, when police arrived at the home expecting to shut down a heroin-dealing operation. Instead, their no-knock raid kicked off a gunbattle that ended with the deaths of Navy veteran Dennis Tuttle, his wife, Rhogena Nicholas, and their dog — but failed to turn up any heroin.
Besides the small amount of drugs — which officials later said included cocaine — police recovered a 20-gauge Beretta shotgun, a Winchester rifle and a Remington shotgun and rifle, according to the search warrant return. The handgun that Acevedo said Tuttle used in the gun battle was not among the listed firearms.
The court filing released this week did not list any
drug paraphernalia or scales, which apparently were not recovered from the scene.
Anonymous tip
The drug probe leading to the botched bust started on Jan. 8, when officials say an anonymous caller phoned police to complain that her daughter was “doing drugs” inside the home at 7815 Harding St.
When officers showed up, they didn’t see any suspicious activity but stopped a passerby to ask if she’d called 911. She hadn’t, but — according to what Acevedo said days later — the woman allegedly turned back to her phone call and said, “Hey, the police are at the dope house.”
Afterward, HPD’s Squad 15 began investigating and sent in a confidential informant for a prearranged drug buy, according to a sworn statement. Initially, officials said the purchase netted black tar heroin, though records later showed that it was brown powder form of the illegal narcotic.
The informant also warned police of a “large quantity” of drugs inside, packaged in plastic baggies, and a 9mm handgun, according to a court filing. The following day, on Jan. 28, a municipal court judge signed off on a warrant authorizing the no-knock raid.
Hours later, police broke down the door and shot the couple’s pit bull after the animal lunged at them. Tuttle came out from around the back of the house, police said, and started shooting. Inside the home, a wounded officer fell down on the sofa, and Nicholas allegedly tried grabbing his weapon, police said.
Authorities have not yet clarified who fired which shots.
In the days after the deadly shootout, the couple’s friends and family called into question the official narrative, saying Nicholas and Tuttle weren’t drug dealers and questioning whether police raided the wrong house.
‘Ongoing questions’
The police union framed the officers’ shootings as more evidence of a war on police, and union president Joe Gamaldi sparked criticism with controversial comments blaming activists — who later called for his resignation.
On Thursday, police said that one of the officers involved in the raid was relieved of duty in light of “ongoing questions” about the deadly encounter. The officer, who was not publicly identified, was not among those wounded.
His suspension, law enforcement sources said, comes amid a probe into questions over whether the sworn affidavit used to justify the no-knock warrant may have contained false information.
The investigation has been delayed while the case agent on the raid recovers after being shot in the neck. He is one of two officers who remain hospitalized.