Zach Thomas: Same Dallas officer mistreated my wife

NFL linebacker says line was crossed in 2008 traffic stop; Powell's attorney sees no improper actions
12:45 AM CDT on Sunday, March 29, 2009

By TODD ARCHER / The Dallas Morning News
tarcher@dallasnews.com

Maritza Thomas, the wife of NFL linebacker Zach Thomas, saw a familiar face as she watched the video of Officer Robert Powell detaining Houston Texans running back Ryan Moats as he and his family rushed to a hospital to see a dying loved one. That face was Powell's.


On July 27, 2008, while her husband was at training camp with the Cowboys in Oxnard, Calif., Maritza Thomas was pulled over by Powell for an illegal U-turn near NorthPark Center.
Maritza Thomas was issued five tickets by Powell, four of which were later dismissed. Thomas was handcuffed, placed in the back of a police cruiser, spent about three hours in the Dallas County Jail and was threatened with the possibility of spending the night behind bars.


"This in no way compares to what happened to Ryan Moats and his family," said Zach Thomas, who played for the Cowboys last season and is now a free agent. "But we wanted to tell our story, not knowing how many others have been affected by Officer Powell. We know the vast majority of the
Dallas police force are good and professional people, but this guy just seems excessive."



The charges that were dropped included: failure to show proof of insurance, running a red light, improper address on driver's license and a registration sticker was not on the windshield. She accepted deferred adjudication for the illegal U-turn charge, and her record will be cleared next month.


In total, Maritza Thomas, who is Hispanic, was detained roughly five hours.
"This situation never should've happened," said Maritza Thomas' attorney, Brody Shanklin. "Unless extraordinary circumstances exist, no person should be arrested for a Class C citation. In this case, it was an example of Officer Powell being overzealous and exerting his authority in a manner that he never should have."


Bob Gorsky, Powell's attorney, questioned the timing of Thomas' allegations, saying she had not complained about her arrest until the Moats incident became public.
"After her arrest, she may have mentioned that her husband was a football player, but that played no role in her arrest or the disposition of the case," Gorsky said.


"I do understand that an arrest on multiple traffic charges happens often and is absolutely proper under these circumstances," Gorsky said. "Often, when there are multiple charges, an arrest made and bond posted, some of the charges from a single event are later dropped."


According to Maritza Thomas, a pharmacist with no prior criminal record, Powell would not accept the explanation of where the proper paperwork was before she was taken to jail. Her mother, Teresa Lozano, who was making her first trip to Dallas and speaks little English, was forced to ride with the tow truck driver when the car was impounded. She later posted bail for her daughter's release.


"My mom was begging for him to let her go to the apartment that was five minutes away to get the paperwork," Maritza Thomas said. "He unbuckled his holster, and she got scared."
The Thomases said Powell was dismissive, but they did not allege that he used abusive language. There is no dash-cam video available of the incident, but the police report lists the five citations and confirms that Thomas was taken to jail.


At the time, the Thomases considered filing a complaint against Powell but declined, "because we didn't want to cause a stir," said her husband, Zach Thomas, believing it "was maybe a guy having a bad day." However, they plan to file one now.


Complaints can be made more than 60 days following an incident in person or in writing with the internal affairs department. Maritza Thomas said she would fax a letter this week. The Thomases said they are not seeking money.


Sr. Cpl. Kevin Janse, a Dallas police spokesman, declined to comment on Thomas' allegation.
However, he said police would investigate all complaints submitted to the department about Powell.
"If she feels Officer Powell did something wrong, we'll investigate it," Janse said. "We are not going to go back and track everything this officer has done," he said. "If people come to us with concerns, we'll look into it."

The department is investigating Powell's actions on the night of the Moats traffic stop, as well as any other questionable encounters involving the officer, Janse said.
Maritza Thomas said, "I hope that by telling my story that it will help prevent situations like this from happening in the future."


Powell issued an apology Friday for his actions in which Moats and his grandfather-in-law were unable to see Jonetta Collinsworth before she succumbed to breast cancer this month. Powell has been put on paid leave.


With the grim news of Collinsworth's health, Moats, his wife, Tamishia, and her grandfather rushed to Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano, rolling through a red light that prompted Powell to turn on his lights.


Outside the emergency room, Powell detained Moats for 13 minutes, and Collinsworth died before everybody could say goodbye.
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Some people get a little power and totally trip on out. Sometimes you see that on message boards.


Lots of people have very disturbed ways of thinking and it certainly doesn't help when that person is put in any kind of position with Authority.

People like this Officer are absolutely sick mentally, lost emotionally and very fragile psychologically speaking.

These same characters typically tend to nurture and support their superficial behavior by condoning their insanity on a regular daily basis and surrounding themselves with other Psychotics' to help reinforce their delusional fantasies.

Worse these semi-Societal conditions usually deteriorate with age.


At times I think that certain people need to be reminded that life is a miracle, still for others that notion seems to never really sink in.
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no one is more pro cop than I am as two of my best friends are longtime police officers but this guy Powell sounds like he is out of control.