A jury has indicted two current officers and one former officer with the Denton Police Department for oppression and tampering.
Officer Ronald Foy is charged with official oppression, Officer William Hulslander is charged with official oppression and tampering with a government record, and former Officer Joel Weinstein is charged with tampering with a government record, Denton police announced October 23. This followed a “monthslong investigation into alleged criminal conduct.”
“When allegations of misconduct arise, we owe it to the Denton community and to the men and women who serve honorably every day to confront them directly,” said Denton Police Chief Jessica Robledo in the release. “We remain committed to transparency, accountability, and strengthening community trust.”
In February, officials with the Denton County District Attorney’s Office notified Denton police they had dismissed charges against a homeless person arrested in March 2024. They said the probable cause affidavit – written by Hulslander – did not align with the bodycam footage.
The footage allegedly showed Foy “deploying his department-issued chemical spray in a manner inconsistent with policy and training,” according to the department. After this, officials placed Foy and Hulslander on administrative leave.
The district attorney’s office also mentioned concerns about other arrests by Weinstein, a former officer who had left the department before the discovery.
So Robledo directed the department to begin separate Internal Affairs and Major Crimes criminal investigations.
After the Internal Affairs investigation, Robledo reviewed the findings and found Foy and Hulslander had violated policy, according to the release.
Foy was indefinitely suspended without pay, “the civil service equivalent of termination,” which he has since appealed. Hulslander agreed to a 90-day suspension without pay, the next-shortest possible suspension.
After the investigations, officials presented their findings to the district attorney’s office for review by a jury, leading to the recent indictments. That day, both officers were further suspended without pay pending trial.
Official oppression is a Class A misdemeanor, while tampering with a government record is a state jail felony. According to the release, the jury claimed the officers’ intent was “to defraud or harm another individual.”
“Denton PD regularly reviews policies and procedures to identify gaps between performance and expectations,” Robledo said. “When we discover we have fallen short of our core values, we commit to taking steps to restore the trust that the community has placed in us.”
The department referred further inquiries to the district attorney’s office.
The Dallas Express reached out to First Assistant District Attorney Jamie Beck, but she declined to comment, citing ethical constraints.
“While preserving the integrity of the Denton Police Department remains a top priority, they are equally committed to ensuring that every accused officer is treated fairly and afforded the same legal rights and due process as any individual under the law,” the release reads.