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The newly hired Comal County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant, Thomas Lambert, faced investigation and a suspension for allegedly assaulting a Texas Highway Patrol trooper in Hidalgo County on July 26, 2023.
Comal County Sheriff Supervisor Allegedly Assaults Hidalgo Trooper
The Comal County Sheriff’s Office recently hired Thomas Lambert to be a Lieutenant. However, prior to Lambert accepting this new role where a background investigation is required, he was a trooper with the Texas Department of Public Safety (TxDPS). Interestingly enough, prior to his departure with TxDPS, he was under investigation and found to have allegedly assaulted a fellow trooper in the Hidalgo County area. The events unfolded on or about July 26, 2023.
In October of 2023, Lambert served a meager three day suspension for what many citizens would spend some jail time. After his departure from TxDPS on December 31, 2023, he began working for the Comal County Sheriff’s Office on February 5, 2024.
During the investigation of the incident by TxDPS, it was stated that Lambert indicated “he was offered another law enforcement position with the local sheriff’s department, and he did not want his TCOLE F5 report to be in jeopardy.“
The New Comal County Sheriff Supervisors’ 2023 Incident in Hidalgo County
On July 26, 2023, an incident occurred involving Thomas Lambert, who was a Staff Sergeant with TxDPS at the time. He was operating an unmarked department vehicle while on duty. Texas Highway Patrol (THP) Trooper Juan Zuniga stopped Staff Sergeant Lambert in Hidalgo County for speeding. During the course of this traffic stop, it was alleged that Staff Sergeant Lambert acted discourteously towards Trooper Zuniga.
Furthermore, the investigation revealed that as Staff Sergeant Lambert departed the scene, he drove the left rear tire of his department vehicle over Trooper Zuniga’s foot, resulting in injury to the trooper.
The findings of the investigation indicated that Staff Sergeant Thomas Lambert’s actions were in violation of protocol and resulted in bodily harm to Trooper Zuniga.
TxDPS Releases Investigative Findings on Comal County’s New Sheriff Supervisor
Body Camera Footage Analysis of the Incident on July 26, 2023
The body camera footage provides a detailed account of the events that transpired during the traffic stop on July 26, 2023, involving Texas Ranger Division (TRD) Staff Sergeant Thomas Lambert and Texas Highway Patrol (THP) Trooper Juan Zuniga. At 6:31 AM, Trooper Zuniga initiated the traffic stop on a white Chevrolet Tahoe, later identified as being driven by Staff Sergeant Lambert.
As Trooper Zuniga approached the driver’s side of the Tahoe, he engaged in a conversation with Lambert, acknowledging his affiliation with TxDPS. The interaction quickly escalated as Lambert expressed his frustration, stating that he was in a rush to respond to a call and disputing Zuniga’s instruction to slow down.
The exchange became increasingly contentious as Zuniga informed Lambert about the excessive speed at which he was driving and expressed his lack of awareness regarding any emergency call. Despite Zuniga’s attempt to communicate with Lambert, the situation intensified, and Lambert abruptly pulled the Tahoe forward with Zuniga in close proximity to the vehicle, causing Zuniga to drop to the ground in pain.
Subsequently, Zuniga returned to his patrol unit and initiated pursuit of the Tahoe, all the while audibly expressing discomfort from the incident.
During the pursuit of the white Tahoe, Trooper Juan Zuniga immediately contacted THP Sergeant David Hoard via phone to report the incident involving the unmarked DPS vehicle. Zuniga informed Hoard that he had stopped the vehicle for speeding, and the driver had subsequently run over his feet. At that point, Zuniga indicated uncertainty about the driver’s affiliation, mentioning the possibilities of being with either the Special Response Team (SRT) or the Criminal Investigations Division (CID) of the TRD.
Expressing discomfort and pain in his feet, Zuniga expressed his intention to pull over the Tahoe to obtain the driver’s information. Following this conversation, Hoard granted Zuniga permission to stop the vehicle and identify the driver.
At approximately 6:36 AM, Zuniga conducted a second traffic stop on the white Tahoe and engaged in a heated exchange with the driver, Thomas Lambert. Zuniga explicitly informed Lambert about the incident where he ran over his foot, to which Lambert initially responded by stating he observed Zuniga walking off. Amidst the escalating argument, Zuniga requested Lambert’s identification and inquired about his supervisor. Lambert identified Texas Ranger Lieutenant Ruben Mankin as his supervisor in the area.
The dispute continued, with Zuniga accusing Lambert of being aware that he had run over him and alleging that Lambert had witnessed him falling to the ground. In response, Lambert claimed he did not see Zuniga go to the ground and stated that he only observed Zuniga in his side mirror.
Following this interaction, Zuniga returned to his patrol unit and resumed the phone conversation with Hoard, providing a more detailed account of the incident and expressing his dismay at Lambert’s actions. Zuniga mentioned his intention to drive to the THP Office in La Joya to assess the injuries to his feet.
Before departing from the scene, Zuniga approached Lambert again, requesting his supervisor’s phone number. Lambert informed Zuniga that his supervisor was en route to the scene and provided his supervisor’s phone number, after which Zuniga left the scene.
In-Car Video Evidence: Detailed Account of Events
The in-car camera footage from Trooper Zuniga’s patrol unit captured the sequence of events on US 83. As Zuniga traveled westbound, Thomas Lambert’s unmarked white Chevrolet Tahoe overtook Zuniga in the far left lane. After approximately 2 minutes and 30 seconds of trailing Lambert’s Tahoe, Zuniga activated his emergency lights, prompting the rapid activation of the rear deck emergency lights on Lambert’s vehicle.
Lambert promptly pulled over to the shoulder, and Zuniga initiated a driver-side approach to Lambert’s Tahoe. While engaged in conversation with Zuniga, Lambert abruptly began to drive away, resulting in the Tahoe’s left rear tire running over Zuniga’s left foot. Subsequently, Zuniga went down to one knee, holding his left ankle in distress, while observing Lambert continue driving on the shoulder. After standing up, Zuniga swiftly limped back to his patrol unit.
During the second traffic stop, approximately two minutes and thirty seconds later, Zuniga approached Lambert’s vehicle at a slow pace without displaying any signs of a limp. He then engaged in further conversation with Lambert at the driver’s side door of the vehicle.
Affidavit Submission by THP Trooper Juan Zuniga Regarding Incident with TRD Sergeant Thomas Lambert
On August 15, 2023, THP Trooper Juan Zuniga submitted an affidavit to the OIG outlining the events that transpired during the traffic contact with TRD Sergeant Thomas Lambert on July 26, 2023.
Trooper Zuniga stated that he observed a white Chevrolet Tahoe traveling at a high speed of 90 mph in a marked 65 mph zone on US 83. Upon conducting a traffic stop on the Tahoe, Zuniga noticed red and blue lights activated on the rear of the vehicle. As he approached the Tahoe, he observed the driver, later identified as TRD Sergeant Thomas Lambert, wearing a green tactical uniform.
Zuniga informed Lambert to slow down and questioned his emergency response, to which Lambert reportedly retorted by stating “you do not tell me to slow down, I’m doing the same thing as you.” Lambert further indicated he was responding to a group of illegals. Despite Zuniga’s explanation about the unmarked nature of Lambert’s vehicle, the situation escalated as Lambert drove away while Zuniga was in close proximity, resulting in the left rear tire of the Tahoe running over Zuniga’s left foot.
Experiencing immediate pain, Zuniga fell to the ground and observed Lambert looking back at him from the rear-view mirror as the Tahoe departed. Zuniga subsequently reported the incident to Sergeant David Hoard and proceeded to conduct a second traffic stop on the Tahoe, where he identified the driver as Thomas Lambert from the SRT Texas Ranger Division.
During this encounter, Lambert expressed unawareness of having driven over Zuniga’s foot and mentioned observing Zuniga walking back to his patrol unit. Despite Zuniga’s injuries, Lambert did not offer medical assistance before being released from the traffic stop. Zuniga then sought medical attention at the South Texas Health System ER Mission on US 83.
Affidavit Submission by Trooper IV Israel Pena Regarding Incident on July 26, 2023
On August 3, 2023, Trooper IV Israel Pena submitted an affidavit to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), providing a detailed account of his involvement in the events that unfolded on July 26, 2023.
According to the submitted affidavit, Trooper Pena became aware of the incident involving Trooper Juan Zuniga’s left foot being run over by a department vehicle operated by a commissioned officer during a traffic stop on US 83 in Hidalgo County. Upon being informed of the situation, Zuniga communicated to Pena that he was experiencing pain and was en route to the South Texas Health Systems Emergency Room for the evaluation of his injuries.
In response to the incident, Pena proceeded to document the injuries sustained by Zuniga, capturing photographic evidence of Zuniga’s left foot. Additionally, he completed a comprehensive crash report detailing the circumstances surrounding the event.
CR-3 Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Report
On July 27, 2023, THP Trooper Israel Pena finalized the CR-3 Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Report, detailing the incident involving Thomas Lambert and Juan Zuniga. The report identified Thomas Lambert as the driver of Unit #1, operating a 2020 DPS white Chevrolet Tahoe, while Juan Zuniga was listed as Unit #2, noted as a pedestrian.
According to the report, Zuniga sustained possible injuries as a result of the incident, while Lambert was not injured.
Statement from Texas Ranger Staff Sergeant Thomas Lambert
Texas Ranger Staff Sergeant Thomas Lambert, was served with OIG personnel complaint #OIG2023-0313 by Texas Ranger Lieutenant Richard Henderson on August 4, 2023. Following this, OIG conducted a recorded interview with Lambert on August 21, 2023. During the interview, Lambert provided his account of the incident that occurred on US 83 involving THP Trooper Juan Zuniga.
Lambert stated that on the day of the incident, he was en route to assist border patrol and passed Zuniga’s patrol unit. He mentioned that the traffic was light and his emergency equipment was not activated. Lambert observed the emergency lights on Zuniga’s patrol unit and subsequently turned his emergency lights on to signal that he was also law enforcement and responding to a call.
Lambert expressed agitation towards the trooper for stopping him and telling him to slow down. He acknowledged that he could have handled the situation better and admitted that he should have refrained from engaging in a verbal altercation with the trooper. Lambert believed that Zuniga was wrong for instructing him to slow down, as he was headed to respond to a felony event.
During the interview, Lambert confirmed that Zuniga was unaware of the emergency call and was not at fault for advising Lambert to slow down. He also reviewed Zuniga’s body camera and in-car camera footage of the incident, stating that he did not see Zuniga go to the ground after he drove away. When questioned about Zuniga’s engagement at the time of his departure, Lambert initially believed that Zuniga had turned and began to walk back to the patrol unit.
Subsequently, Lambert reviewed the in-car camera footage and admitted that Zuniga was still conversing with him when he drove off. He admitted that he drove off intentionally, feeling agitated and not wanting to continue the dialogue with Zuniga. Lambert acknowledged that he accidentally drove over Zuniga’s foot, confirming the allegations presented to him during the interview.
Additionally, Lambert expressed that he could have handled the situation with Zuniga better, and he conveyed his disappointment regarding his actions to the OIG. Lambert emphasized that he was not aware of Zuniga’s injury at the time of his departure and stated that he would have stopped to help Zuniga had he known about the injury.
Following the conclusion of the recorded interview, Lambert inquired about the time frame for the investigation and expressed his concern about his TCOLE F5 report, stating that he was offered another law enforcement position and did not want his report to be in jeopardy. Lambert subsequently submitted an affidavit on August 25, 2023, consistent with his interview with the OIG.
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