Former DPS trooper makes plea in use of force case, surrenders TCOLE license
Dec 18, 2024
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Zachary Maini, a former trooper with the Texas Department of Public Safety, pleaded no contest Wednesday to Official Oppression, a Class A misdemeanor.
This stems from a traffic stop Maini made in August of 2022, when he pulled over Clateachia Stewart on U.S. Highway 183.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: DPS trooper suspended after Austin traffic stop
"Mr. Maini was accused of intentionally subjecting Ms. Stewart to mistreatment that he knew was unlawful by deploying ... a Taser," the Travis County District Attorney's Office said in a statement.
"When this first happened, there were so many lawyers that I spoke with that told me 'No one's gonna care, you're not dead, you didn't get shot, this story doesn't matter,'" Stewart said as she delivered allocution Wednesday. "For two years I thought this story didn't matter. It's not the justice I imagined, but it's still a step."
KXAN spoke with Stewart about the traffic stop the month after it happened. She recorded her interaction with Maini on her cellphone. DPS suspended Maini after this incident.
As part of the plea deal, Maini was required to surrender his Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, or TCOLE, license, meaning he can no longer serve as a peace officer. He was also given two months of deferred adjudication community supervision. This means that if he completes the two months of probation with no violations, he's eligible to seal his records related to the case.
KXAN Investigates: Bargaining of the badge
KXAN has reached out to Stewart's attorney and will update this story if we receive a response.
Stewart said the Maini arrested her for attempting to evade, and he told her he originally pulled her over for speeding. According to online court records, those evasion charges have been dropped. When KXAN first covered this incident, we discovered a previous assault arrest for Stewart. Those charges, according to online court records, have been dismissed, and DPS told us the trooper was not aware of that arrest when he pulled Stewart over.
According to DPS, the agency fired Maini about one month after the traffic stop following "a thorough investigation" by DPS' Office of the Inspector General. Maini started with DPS in 2017 and was stationed in Austin.