Baltimore Officer Dequwan Houchins Indicted on 9 Counts for Faking Traffic Stops
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 11
Baltimore Officer Dequwan Houchins Indicted on 9 Counts for Faking Traffic Stops
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 11
Summary
Baltimore prosecutors charged Officer Dequwan Houchins, 30, with four counts of false entry in a public record and five counts of misconduct in office for allegedly pretending to be on traffic stops while avoiding service calls.
An undercover probe that tailed him on four patrol shifts between April 8 and May 13 found nine legitimate stops and eight illegitimate ones; in one instance, investigators said he claimed stops while ordering a smoothie.
The indictment says other officers had to take calls assigned to Houchins when he reported himself unavailable, and detectives also found no body-camera footage tied to the supposed stops.
Each false-entry charge carries up to 12 years in prison and a $4,000 fine if convicted, while Houchins denied the smoothie allegation and said he was unaware of the indictment.
The case adds to a string of recent Baltimore police misconduct indictments, including March charges against seven officers over alleged assault, false reports, theft, forgery and timesheet fraud.