Atkinson: Letter clears allegation of murder
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer Charlie Atkinson, who also is a Brownsville city commissioner, said the federal agency has cleared him of any involvement in a 2007 murder that he said likely never even occurred.
Atkinson provided The Brownsville Herald with a letter dated Feb. 9 from Michael Freeman, CBP port director for the Brownsville Port of Entry, advising Atkinson that, "based on the evidence provided in the investigation, management has decided that the allegation (of his involvement in a 2007 murder) is unfounded and no action is warranted. Please consider this matter closed."
Freeman’s letter reflects that CBP’s Office of Internal Affairs conducted the investigation. Conducting inquiries into employee misconduct allegations is among the responsibilities of the Office of Internal Affairs.
CPB spokesman Rick Pauza would not comment on the letter that Atkinson provided or on any aspect of the inquiry, including what spurred the investigation.
"We are not at liberty to discuss ongoing personnel matters," Pauza said.
Asked to confirm the letter’s authenticity, how the agency handles such accusations, and if a murder had even occurred, CBP spokesman Eddie Perez said the agency could not discuss personnel matters.
Freeman was not available for comment on Friday, and a fellow officer at the Veterans International Bridge at Los Tomates also declined to comment after looking at the letter.
Atkinson said the accusation was unfounded and the federal investigation was unnecessary, and that CBP and its Office of Internal Affairs subjected him to harassment in retaliation for serving on the city commission as an elected official.
"They (CBP) chose not to believe me," said Atkinson, noting that the murder allegation had been "ridiculous."
Atkinson said he is a "victim of retaliation."
He was "interrogated" in March last year, he said, for about eight hours in one day, and had to leave his gun and badge outside before stepping into the room.
The "victim" supposedly was a teacher with the Brownsville Independent School District, Atkinson said.
"(The CBP) didn’t know (if the victim) was male or female. They really didn’t know anything about it," Atkinson said, adding that it had been a "bunch of B.S."
Brownsville Police Chief Carlos Garcia said neither CBP nor Internal Affairs notified his office that they were investigating a murder in 2007. Garcia said there were several murders that year, and his recollection was that those had been resolved.
"As far as anyone (federal officers) advising us of a possible murder involving Charlie Atkinson, none whatsoever," Garcia said.
Atkinson said CBP placed him on paid leave last year pending inquiry into the murder allegation, and also for having obtained an airport security badge from the city in 2008, and for allegedly not processing 15 vehicles in a proper manner one day.
He said a determination has not been made on the latter two allegations, but he said he is confident he would be cleared.
"This is coming from outside my port," said Atkinson, noting that his co-workers at the Brownsville port are not the source of the harassment.
Instead, he points to agency lawyers whom he claims do not want him to serve as an elected official.
"They will use any little thing to get me to either quit CBP or quit the city commission. I am not going to do either," he vowed.
Atkinson has been with CBP for about 13 years. He was elected to the city commission in 2006. CBP placed him on administrative leave shortly after he was elected, saying election to public office created a conflict with his job. He was fired from the job in February 2007, but regained it in 2008 after an arbitrator found he had been wrongfully terminated.
