Category Archives: K-Mart Kiddie Roundup

And we’re one step closer to officially putting all the lawsuits that stemmed from the K-Mart Kiddie Roundup into the books for good. [Houston City Council] on Wednesday will consider whether to settle one lawsuit brought by 59 people who … Continue reading → Continue reading →

This story needs a wee bit more detail. Several civil rights lawsuits from a 2002 botched street racing raid were dismissed Friday in Houston federal court. The resolution comes days after the more than 100 plaintiffs in the remaining 10 … Continue reading → Continue reading →

It’s almost over. Two of three remaining plaintiffs with legal claims against the city and former Houston police chief C.O. “Brad” Bradford for alleged civil rights violations during a botched raid almost six years ago have reached settlements. Houston lawyer … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The great K-Mart Kiddie Roundup saga may finally be drawing to a close. Dozens of people arrested by Houston police during the 2002 street racing raid that turned into a scandal for the Houston Police Department have reached a tentative … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Another request by the city of Houston to throw out ten remaining lawsuits stemming from the infamous 2002 K-Mart Kiddie Roundup has been denied by the judge. In a decision this week, [U.S. District Judge Nancy] Atlas wrote that the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

It’s been almost two years since we last had an update on the K-Mart Kiddie Roundup story. Former Houston police Chief C.O. Bradford’s request to be severed from a lawsuit related to an infamous crackdown on street racing has been … Continue reading → Continue reading →

It’s never a good thing for a police force defending itself against various lawsuits to be labelled almost totalitarian by the judge. Calling the operation “almost totalitarian,” a federal judge says a Houston police plan that led to 278 arrests … Continue reading → Continue reading →

An arbitrator has ruled against former HPD Captain Mark Aguirre, who was fired by the city for his role in the K-Mart Kiddie Roundup. Thursday’s decision came six months after Aguirre testified that he was wrongfully fired in January 2003 … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Fired HPD Captain Mark Aguirre’s arbitration hearing has ended with a little media bashing. Fired Houston police Capt. Mark Aguirre’s civil service hearing ended Wednesday with testimony from Executive Assistant Police Chief Chuck McClelland, who called media footage of the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Former HPD Captain Mark Aguirre, fired for his role in the K-Mart Kiddie Roundup fiasco of 2002, is in arbitration and seeking to be reinstated. During emotional and sometimes angry testimony Tuesday, former Houston Police Department Capt. Mark Aguirre claimed … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Former HPD Captain Mark Aguirre, fired for his role in the K-Mart Kiddie Roundup fiasco, has filed an appeal with an arbitrator to get his old job back. He claims that his firing was personally motivated. Houston police officials on … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Houston Police Chief C.O. “BAMF” Bradford has announced his resignation in September, saying he needs to spend more time with his pregnant wife. It’s been a rough year for Bradford, and it’s hard to imagine the next mayor keeping him … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I thought that when the trial of former HPD Captain Mark Aguirre ended in an acquittal that I wouldn’t have anything more to say about the K-Mart Kiddie Roundup. Thankfully, that’s not so: Minutes after having the infamous Kmart raid … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Hey, here’s a great idea: Let’s crack down on illegal street racing in Houston, and this time let’s do it (this is the best part) by arresting people who are actually caught while racing illegally. Lt. Shannon Broze, who oversees … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Just when you thought it was safe…A federal lawsuit filed by 62 plaintiffs alleges that Chief C.O. “BAMF” Bradford knew and approved of the K-Mart raid last August. Among others, it names former Captain Mark Aguirre and Council member Michael … Continue reading → Continue reading →

All charges against Sgt. Ken Wenzel, the second former HPD officer indicted on five counts of official oppression stemming from the botched K-Mart raid last august, have been dropped in the wake of former Captain Mark Aguirre’s acquittal. Prosecutor Tommy … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Former HPD Captain Mark Aguirre was acquitted on all counts of official oppression stemming from the botched K-Mart Kiddie Roundup raid last August. Forewoman Elaine Sayers said the jury, which began deliberating Friday, was unable to find evidence Aguirre tried … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Well, shoot. The defense attorney for former HPD Captain Mark Aguirre has rested its case without calling Chief C.O. “BAMF” Bradford as a hostile witness. Closing arguments are today, with jury deliberations expected to start today as well. What a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The prosecution rested its case against former HPD Captain Mark Aguirre yesterday, going with a witness who said he felt “duped” by his former mentor instead of with Chief C.O. “BAMF” Bradford as I thought they might. “He was a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The prosecution continues to makes its points in the case against former HPD Captain Mark Aguirre on five counts of official oppression stemming from the botched K-Mart raid last year. The DA has two main thrusts to its argument, which … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The prosecution is still presenting its case against former HPD Captain Mark Aguirre. On Thursday, Sgt. (formerly Lt.) Frank Jackson testified that Aguirre made some changes to the original plan after it had been submitted for approval: Jackson said Aguirre … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The DA called a few respectable suburban arrestees and the defense did its best to hogtie Chief C.O. “BAMF” Bradford to the defendant in the opening day of former HPD Captain Mark Aguirre’s trial on official oppression charges. Let’s go … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Jury selection has begun in the trial of former HPD Captain Mark Aguirre on five counts of official oppression, and everyone involved is having a hard time finding jurors who don’t already have an opinion on the case. At the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

District Judge Carol Davies has granted a motion by K-Mart Kiddie Roundup defendant Sgt. Ken Wenzel to sever his trial from that of Captian Mark Aguirre. In requesting the severance, [Wenzel’s defense attorney Joe] Bailey argued several points that he … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The attempt by attorneys for former HPD Captain Mark Aguirre and former HPD Sergeant Ken Wenzel to get a change of venue in their upcoming trial on five counts of official oppression has failed. State District Judge Carol Davies made … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The attorneys for former HPD Captain Mark Aguirre and Sergeant Steve Wenzel are requesting a change of venue for their upcoming trial on five counts of official oppression, claiming that the local coverage has poisoned the jury pool against them. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The judge who gave a directed verdict of “not guilty” to Chief C.O. “BAMF” Bradford in his perjury trial has now expunged the arrest from his permanent record. State District Judge Brian Rains, the judge who called off the chief’s … Continue reading → Continue reading →

It took an op-ed piece written by a couple of defense attorneys, but Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal has finally commented on the perjury trial of Chief C.O. “BAMF” Bradford with a letter to the editor in today’s Chron. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Whatever else you may say about this op-ed piece in the Chron that comes to the shocking conclusion that the recent perjury prosecution of Chief C.O. “BAMF” Bradford may have been a waste of time and/or politically biased, you can’t … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Police Chief C.O. “BAMF” Bradford is back at work amid handsprings and huzzahs from supporters, and he gave them a good demonstration of his political skills: Asked whether the ordeal caused him to fear for people wrongly charged and without … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Houston Press has weighed in on the perjury trial of Houston Police Chief C.O. “BAMF” Bradford, and it’s almost embarrassing how much more detail they have than the Chron did. I could quote large bits of it, but you … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Didn’t take long to find out Captain Mark Aguirre’s fate: He’s fired. Acting Police Chief Tim Oettmeier announced Aguirre’s firing during a briefing to City Council on the Kmart raids. “What we witnessed was nothing more than the political lynching … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Now that we know that while Chief C.O. “BAMF” Bradford may have a potty mouth, he at least doesn’t lie about it (and I for one am sleeping better at night with the security that this knowledge brings), we can … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Ginger says the following in the comments to this entry about the decision to prosecute Chief C.O. “BAMF” Bradford for perjury: Anyone who didn’t think this was all about HPD internal politics wasn’t paying attention. At least it didn’t result … Continue reading → Continue reading →