Two affidavits revealed more information on a former Bexar County Sheriff’s Office deputy’s alleged role in facilitating inmate assaults inside the Bexar County jail.
Two affidavits revealed more information on a former Bexar County Sheriff’s Office deputy’s alleged role in facilitating inmate assaults inside the Bexar County jail.
On Friday, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar announced that Jorge Alejandro Rocha, 30, was arrested and charged with interference with public duties and official oppression.
Salazar said Friday that information was developed around the time of the arrest of a different former BCSO deputy, Clemente Lopez, and that Rocha “conducted similar activities” to Lopez.
Lopez, 20, was charged with murder earlier this month after admitting to investigators that he opened the door to a jail cell, allowing a deadly assault to take place, according to an arrest affidavit.
Lopez told investigators that he knew another deputy jailer, identified as “J. Rocha,” who “has opened doors in the jail living units on several occasions for inmates to conduct assaults on other inmates,” according to Rocha’s affidavit.
“Lopez stated that Rocha also does not stop the inmate assaults as they are happening,” the affidavit said.
Lopez told investigators that he and Rocha would brief each other following the inmate assaults so they could monitor victim injuries, the affidavit said.
Salazar said Friday that the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Texas Rangers division and BCSO’s Major Crimes Unit gathered some Bexar County jail inmates who made outcries of being assaulted.
According to the affidavit, an unidentified inmate interviewed by investigators “implicated Deputy. J Rocha as also opening doors in the jail for inmates to coordinate assaults on other inmates and would not stop the assaults.”
One of the assaults allegedly took place on March 27, the affidavit said, with six men going into another unidentified inmate’s cell and attacking them, with one report indicating the inmate was in “fear for safety.”
Another inmate told investigators that they were “fearful because Rocha was still a deputy,” telling investigators that “they’re gonna open my door tonight,” the affidavit said.
On April 30, after investigators left, Rocha allegedly yelled out loud “somebody’s snitching,” so all the inmates would be able to hear him, the affidavit said.
Rocha was interviewed by investigators and denied his involvement with any allegations, according to the affidavit.
The inmates that were assaulted have since recovered from their injuries, Salazar said Friday night.
Although Rocha is not believed to be involved in any homicides, Salazar said that Rocha’s activities at the jail were illegal and cannot be tolerated.
After Rocha was arrested, Salazar said he went to serve Rocha with termination paperwork. Rocha ultimately chose to resign.
Rocha bonded out of jail on Saturday, records show.
A KSAT analysis indicates Rocha is now the sixth BCSO deputy to be arrested so far this year.
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