HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The Texas Rangers have launched a criminal investigation after two Houston police officers were accused of secretly placing a GPS tracking device on a suspect’s vehicle without a warrant.
Newly obtained search warrant documents, first reported by ABC13’s partners at the Houston Chronicle, reveal that the Texas Rangers are investigating potential crimes of official oppression and the unlawful installation of a tracking device.
ORIGINAL REPORT: HPD officer resigns, sergeant suspended after investigation into unauthorized surveillance: Sources
According to the affidavit, the incident occurred during nighttime surveillance at the Carmel Creek Apartments on Hollister in northwest Houston on September 22, 2025.
The records state that two brothers who were under FBI investigation captured the incident on video and later provided the footage to the FBI Gang Task Force. They also provided a video of the device.
The video allegedly shows a man, later identified as Houston Police Officer Juan J. Gonzalez, approaching a white pickup truck and crouching near the right rear wheel well. Seconds later, a loud snapping sound can be heard before the man walks away, enters another vehicle, and leaves the area.
One of the brothers later discovered a GPS tracking device attached to the truck, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit states that a supervisor identified Gonzalez from the video and also recognized the unmarked HPD-issued vehicle that picked him up as belonging to Sgt. Peter Vu.
Personnel records obtained by ABC13 show that Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz suspended Vu for 15 days without pay last month. Around the same time, Gonzalez submitted a resignation letter to the chief.
“Typically, there’s an offer to resign in lieu of being fired,” said Mark Stephens, a former Houston police officer turned private investigator and police consultant.
According to records, both officers initially denied involvement. The affidavit says Gonzalez claimed the operation was intended as an “investigative ploy” to lure the suspects out of their home. He allegedly said he attached the tracker after becoming startled during the surveillance operation.
Investigators also verified through HPD overtime records that the officers were at the apartment complex on the day of the incident. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office confirmed that no warrant had been obtained for the tracking device.
Civil rights and criminal defense attorney UA Lewis said the allegations raise serious concerns.
“It makes you wonder: Was their motive nefarious?” Lewis told ABC13 last week.
HPD declined to comment on the ongoing criminal investigation.
While Gonzalez admitted to owning the GPS tracker, investigators say records obtained through a subpoena to LandAirSea Systems Inc. also linked the device to him.
No criminal charges have been filed at this time. The officer’s attorney, Tim Adams, did not respond to a request for comment.
After discovering the device, the affidavit states that the brothers later drove to a gas station and attached it to a random truck in the parking lot.
They also told investigators it was not the first time they had found a tracking device on their vehicle. They said they discovered one on May 4, 2025, and shared photographs that appeared to show that the device was also issued by LandAirSea Systems, Inc., the affidavit states.
This story comes from our news partner ABC13 Houston.