SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio police officer who was fired amid accusations that he took thousands of dollars from a detained man has received a second indefinite suspension after being indicted in the case, SAPD records show.
Officer Joe Castaneda received notice of the indefinite suspension late last month, after a grand jury this summer indicted him.
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He is tentatively scheduled to go to trial Jan. 12 in 144th District Court. If convicted, Castaneda could face up to 10 years in prison.
SAPD typically finalizes firings after criminal cases are resolved or the officer’s indefinite suspension has been upheld by a third-party arbitrator.
Castaneda, while on-duty in July 2021, was accused of taking the money from a man he and another officer had detained in the parking lot of a hotel during a shooting investigation.
The man later told police he was missing $4,400, a Zippo lighter, a silver money clip, and a Gerber brand pocket knife after being taken into custody and then released.
A second SAPD officer, Bryan Aguilar, was given a 10-day suspension for the incident and KSAT could find no record that he was criminally charged.
Aguilar, like Castaneda, was originally handed a contemplated indefinite suspension, but Chief William McManus later agreed to reduce Aguilar’s discipline, records show.
Castaneda, who was already on indefinite suspension, was indicted by a Bexar County grand jury July 18 for theft by a public servant between $2,500 and $30,000, court records show.
Castaneda was booked on the third-degree felony charge Aug. 7 and posted bond the same day.