Read the latest in our coverage of the death of Anthony Johnson Jr. and other issues at the Tarrant County Jail.
Two Tarrant County security guards charged in the murder of Anthony Johnson Jr. while in custody, were booked into North Texas jails and released on bail over the weekend.
Rafael Moreno Jr., the detention officer accused of kneeling on Johnson’s back and choking him, turned himself in to the Tarrant County sheriff’s office Saturday and posted $125,000 bail, court documents said.
As part of the conditions of his bail, Moreno was placed under house arrest with GPS monitoring, court documents show.
Joel Garcia, a Tarrant County Jail supervisor who recorded cellphone video of the April 21 altercation that led to Johnson’s death, turned himself in to the Parker County Sheriff’s Office on Friday. He was also released on $125,000 bond after being booked into the Parker County Jail, according to jail records.
Arrest warrants for the two jail employees were issued after a Tarrant County grand jury returned the charges last week.
The Texas Rangers investigated Johnson’s death and turned the results over to the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office, which is prosecuting the case.
“As promised, the Texas Department of Public Safety, Ranger Division, has conducted a thorough, impartial and accurate investigation into the death of Anthony Johnson,” DPS Regional Director Jeremy Sherrod said in a statement Monday. “… We know this has been a painful and at times lengthy process for Anthony Johnson’s family, but now this case moves to the next step in the legal process.”
