Two responding officers were also pulled from duty over allegations the fatal crash was not fully investigated.
By Chase Rogers
Dallas Morning News
https://www.dallasnews.com/
Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer
The former president of Dallas’ largest police union retired last month while under investigation for his involvement in a fatal off-duty crash months earlier, according to records reviewed by The Dallas Morning News.
Department leadership placed Jaime Castro, a 27-year officer who led the Dallas Police Association, on leave in November as part of a monthslong investigation into a multivehicle crash in northwest Dallas that killed a pedestrian.
Castro, 52, left the department on Jan. 13, the records show, roughly two months after he was placed on leave. Police spokespeople have declined to disclose the nature of his departure.
Allison Hudson, a police spokesperson, declined Tuesday to answer a list of questions about Castro’s retirement, which records indicate was approved by Chief Daniel Comeaux. Castro’s attorney, John Snider, declined to comment.
The handling of the March 15 crash in the 2500 block of West Northwest Highway has been under scrutiny for months. Two responding officers were placed on leave 10 days afterward as a result of an allegation that they failed to investigate the crash fully.
Those officers, Evan Muller and Robert Wilcox Jr., were on administrative leave until at least Aug. 15, according to records reviewed by The News.
Whether they have faced disciplinary action or returned to duty is unclear. Police spokespeople have declined to answer questions about their standing, citing the ongoing investigation.
A report by Muller lists Castro as the front-seat passenger of one of the vehicles.
Dallas Fire-Rescue personnel transported the pedestrian to Parkland Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. She was identified as Atianna Washington, 25.
Castro, who held the rank of senior corporal, remained on duty until Nov. 14, when department leadership placed him on leave as part of the internal inquiry. Department records listed the rationale as “Grand Jury referral for Class A Misdemeanor.”
The police association’s board confirmed the results of its last election in December, with Sean Pease beating out Castro for president with roughly 77% of the vote. Castro had run to retain the position.
Castro submitted his retirement request on Jan. 6, according to a memo provided to The News in a records request. He asked to be paid in a lump sum for his balance of vacation, sick, incentive and compensatory leave.
The same day, one of Castro’s supervisors, Sgt. Adam Reinhart, wrote a memo to Comeaux to recommend that Castro not be eligible for rehire should he seek to reapply to the Dallas Police Department.
Reinhart’s recommendation was informed by Castro’s “retiring under a pending” internal affairs investigation, he wrote in the memo.
Castro joined the department in 1998 and was last assigned to the department’s alarm unit, which is housed in the office of the police chief.
Dallas Police Association members elected Castro president in January 2024. Before then, he had served on the union’s executive board since 2016.
By Chase Rogers
Chase Rogers is a public safety reporter covering the Dallas Police Department and Dallas Fire-Rescue. He grew up in Granbury and studied journalism at Texas State University. Before joining The News, he reported for the Austin American-Statesman and the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. He can be reached at 361-239-6527 and on Signal at crogers.95.
This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.
