Galveston Police officer fired for assaulting teen at pool birthday party

GALVESTON, Texas – A former Galveston police officer is now on the other side of a jail cell after being accused of attacking a child and several people at an apartment complex pool.

The Galveston County District Attorney's Office did not release details of the assault but said it occurred on June 25. Former Galveston Police Officer Jared Rivas worked as a volunteer at the Island Bay Resort, according to a news release from a law firm representing the victims. The Galveston County District Attorney's Office said Rivas was fired after the incident.

That day, the lawyers say, the teens were celebrating a birthday party in the presence of their parents when Rivas “launched a provoked and brutal attack on them.” The attack was captured on video, and the victim's lawyers say he was seen “hitting, kicking and holding the young people while shouting profanities at them.”

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His badge was also visible in the footage, and the victim's attorneys said other Galveston Police Department officers “stood by as passive observers while Rivas continued his violent behavior.”

Prosecutors say evidence was presented to a grand jury and the former officer was charged with eight counts, including assault and injury to a child. The total number of charges and possible penalties are listed as follows:

• Two counts of assault on a child, a third-degree felony punishable by two to ten years in prison

• A charge of deprivation of liberty of a child, a crime punishable by up to two years in prison;

• One charge of abuse of office, a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison;

• Four counts of assault, also a Class A misdemeanor.