Two individuals have been arrested after investigators alleged they hid proof following the drowning loss of life of an 18-year-old at a North Texas lake earlier this 12 months, in response to the Dallas Police Division.
Lucas Roper, 19, and a juvenile suspect are every charged with tampering with bodily proof, a third-degree felony, police mentioned Monday. The arrests come after the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Workplace dominated Daniel Erving’s loss of life an unintended drowning, in response to a press release supplied to ABC Information.
“The Dallas Police Division extends its deepest condolences to the household and family members of Daniel Erving,” division spokesperson Erika M. Brown mentioned within the assertion. “This was a tragic incident that resulted within the loss of life of a youngster.”
Brown mentioned detectives carried out “a radical investigation, together with interviews, proof assortment, and coordination with the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Workplace.”
“The Medical Examiner decided Daniel Erving’s explanation for loss of life was drowning, and the style of loss of life was dominated unintended,” Brown mentioned.
In accordance with police, detectives decided that Roper and the juvenile have been current when Erving drowned however didn’t report the incident and later discarded a few of his belongings.
“In the course of the investigation, detectives recognized proof that two people who have been current on the lake didn’t report the incident and later discarded objects belonging to Daniel,” Brown mentioned. “Consequently, investigators obtained arrest warrants for Lucas Roper, 19, and a juvenile suspect. They’re every charged with Tampering with Bodily Proof, a third-degree felony.”
Police mentioned each suspects have been arrested and that the instances will proceed by means of the prison justice system.
In accordance with the arrest affidavit, Erving was reported lacking by the Rowlett Police Division on April 13 after he was final seen with Roper and a 17-year-old juvenile at Lake Ray Hubbard. Investigators allege the three jumped into the water from a railroad bridge close to the 6300 block of Miller Highway, the place Erving drowned.
The affidavit alleges that after Erving drowned, Roper and the juvenile fled the scene in Roper’s car.
Investigators additionally allege Roper threw Erving’s clothes right into a tree line close to the bridge, and that the juvenile threw Erving’s cellphone from the car after Roper advised him to take action. The cellphone and a few of Erving’s clothes have been later recovered after the juvenile confirmed detectives the place that they had been discarded, in response to the affidavit.
Throughout a voluntary interview with detectives, Roper allegedly admitted he “panicked” after Erving drowned and that he and the juvenile fled the scene.
In accordance with the affidavit, Roper additionally admitted deleting all communications with Erving from his cellphone as a result of he “was conscious that there can be an investigation into Daniel Erving’s loss of life and he didn’t wish to get into hassle.” Detectives later examined Roper’s cellphone and confirmed these communications had been deleted, the affidavit states.
The affidavit alleges Roper tampered with bodily proof by discarding Erving’s clothes and deleting communications with Erving from his cellphone. It additionally alleges Roper and the juvenile stopped their car away from the scene and threw Erving’s cellphone right into a ditch to forestall it from being accessible to investigators.
The case stays underneath investigation.
