A South Texas sheriff has stopped releasing jail booking photos in a change that comes after a newspaper requested the mug shot of a former hospital executive arrested on aggravated assault charges.
A spokesman for Victoria County Sheriff Michael O'Connor told the Victoria Advocate in a story published Sunday (http://bit.ly/2aSBsCy ) the change isn't related to the arrest of the former head of Citizens Medical Center, whose photo was eventually released.
The sheriff says he's instead concerned about lawsuits from people later found innocent. The move is being criticized by public information advocates and isn't how most departments operate.
O'Connor says he will now only release mug shots if a suspect is convicted or put on probation.
The Texas attorney general's office has given the sheriff discretion to withhold the photos.
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Information from: The Victoria Advocate, http://www.victoriaadvocate.com
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