A Fort Bend County mom demands accountability after a deputy detained her teen son without cause, prompting an internal investigation and disciplinary action.
FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas — A mom is demanding greater accountability after a Fort Bend County deputy detained her 17-year-old son in an incident caught on body camera footage.
Deshonda Penn, the teen’s mother, filed a formal complaint against the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office following the incident.
The incident began on January 22 when Penn’s son and a friend went to a store to buy snacks before walking to a nearby neighborhood to meet another friend.
While walking, they were approached by a deputy. In the body camera footage, the deputy can be heard calling out, “Black hoodie, black pants, black shorts, come here.”
The teens continued walking, at which point the deputy followed them, saying, “I’m gonna keep up with y’all no matter what, man.”
Moments later, the deputy exited his vehicle and grabbed the teen, pinning him to the ground.
Penn, after reviewing the footage, expressed her outrage and questioned the deputy’s actions.
She filed a formal complaint over the interaction, leading to an internal affairs investigation.
“That was enough for you to wrestle somebody to the ground? Like you felt like that was good police work?”
According to a statement from the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Lopez was responding to reports of an armed robbery involving suspects on foot.
He allegedly relayed information to Deputy Kholer, who conducted the stop.
However, the teen was not connected to the crime.
“Why is my boy in cuffs? Why was he detained?” Penn questioned.
An internal investigation found that Deputy Lopez “failed to use sound judgment resulting in a violation of FBCSO policy.”
The investigation determined that Deputy Kholer acted within policy based on the information he received.
As a result, Lopez faced disciplinary action, and all patrol officers will receive re-training on investigatory stops.
While Penn acknowledged the department’s response, she believes further action is necessary.
“I do appreciate that, but I explained this to the sheriff and his people and I’m like, I don’t think that’s enough,” she said.
The incident has mentally and emotionally taken a toll on their family.
“You need to do better by your community,” she said. “I know you live in this community, too. I do too, I’m a hospice nurse. I serve this community deeply, just like you do.”