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Texas Juvenile Justice Department Arrests

Gov. Greg Abbott

Texas Rangers, TJJD Make Arrests in Investigation

AUSTIN – The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) today announced that as the result of an investigation directed by Governor Greg Abbott, officials issued arrest warrants for five current or former employees at Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) facilities. They arrested four suspects today. One suspect remains at large and may be out of state.

The charges and arrests are the results of an ongoing, joint investigation by the Texas Rangers, the TJJD Office of Inspector General, and the TJJD Special Prosecution Unit into alleged misconduct at TJJD.

The charges included two felony allegations: tampering with a governmental record resulting from a false entry for leave and theft by a public servant. Also, authorities filed four ‘Class A’ misdemeanor charges of official oppression related to allegations of excessive force against juveniles in state custody.

The suspects arrested today included:

Derrick Goodman, 56, charged with official oppression. Officials detained Goodman at the TJJD facility in Gainesville, where he was employed. They booked him into the Cooke County Jail.
Shannon Hoaglen, 41, charged with official oppression. Officials arrested Hoaglen at the TJJD facility in Gainesville, where he was employed. They booked him into the Cooke County Jail.
Derrick Day, 39, charged with official oppression. Day formerly worked at the TJJD facility in Gainesville. He was arrested in Gainesville and booked into the Cooke County Jail.
Morsello Hooker, 31, charged with official oppression. Hooker formerly worked at the TJJD facility in Brownwood. He was arrested in Brownwood and booked into the Brown County Jail.

To read the December 2017 letter from Gov. Abbott to DPS Director Steven McCraw initially requesting that the Texas Rangers open an investigation into TJJD, visit: https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/press/McCraw_Steven_Letter20171213.pdf.