WACO, TX – A former Texas police chief has pleaded guilty to unlawfully obtaining information from a law enforcement computer system in connection with a methamphetamine trafficking investigation.
Former Normangee Police Chief Joseph Ray ‘Jody’ Navarro, 41, pleaded guilty to one count of intentionally exceeding authorized access to a protected computer in federal court in Waco. Navarro admitted that in May 2013, he ran a background check on a license plate and name supplied to him by suspected methamphetamine trafficker Brenda Antanette Evans, 45, of Normangee.
Navarro’s guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney Robert Pitman. As part of a plea deal, Navarro must relinquish his Texas peace officer’s license.
Navarro faces up to one year in federal prison and a maximum $100,000 fine at sentencing scheduled for March 19, 2014.
Evans and co-defendant Joshua Troy Thomas, 25, of Normangee, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. According to court records, on April 26, 2013, Evans purchased close to one ounce of methamphetamine from Thomas on behalf of an undercover agent for approximately $1,200.
Earlier this month, Judge Walter S. Smith sentenced Evans to five years in federal prison. Thomas faces up to 20 years in federal prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on February 12, 2014.
The investigation was conducted by the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigation Division, Leon County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Mary Kucera is prosecuting this case on behalf of the Government.
The investigation and guilty plea highlight the ongoing battle against methamphetamine trafficking in Texas.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|Cybercrime|Public Corruption|White Collar Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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