Duby Redburn says police failed to respond to the first calls for help, and that an officer made an anti-gay comment while discussing the case with her
DAVID TAFFET | Staff Writer
taffet@dallasvoice.com
BALCH SPRINGS — The sister of a gay Balch Springs man said this week she believes the Balch Springs Police Department’s failure to answer a call at his home may have contributed to his death last month. And she claims that an officer’s anti-gay response to her inquiries make her question how thoroughly her brother’s death will be investigated.
Duby Redburn said that her brother Rodney Johnson’s body was found by another brother, laying face down on the floor of his mobile home, in a pool of blood.
But when Redburn spoke to Balch Springs police Investigator Thomas Clements, she said he told her they found her brother sitting at the computer with his pants down. Redburn said the cop told her, “I don’t know what sort of lifestyle he led,” and snickered.
“He was very insensitive,” she said.
And Redburn wondered why calls to Balch Springs police two nights before the body was found went unanswered.
When Johnson did not show up for work at his job as a security guard at a Bank of America branch on Thursday, Nov. 10, his supervisor, Cheri Mendoza, became worried. And when she couldn’t reach him by phone, her worry grew.
It just wasn’t like Johnson to just not show up for work, Mendoza said, adding “You could set your watch by him.”
So Mendoza drove to the mobile home park where Johnson lived. Unable to get into the trailer and convinced something was wrong, she called and asked police to help.
Mendoza said she called both 9-1-1 and directly to the Balch Springs Police Department. But no officer showed up.
Mendoza’s calls are not listed on the police report.
Two days later, Rodney Johnson’s boyfriend, who lives in Canada, called Rodney’s brother, Roger Johnson. The boyfriend told Roger that while he and Rodney ordinarily spoke by phone every day, he had been unable to reach Rodney for two days.
So Roger Johnson called his brother, and when he got no answer, he took his key to Rodney’s home and went to check. That’s when Roger went into the trailer and found his brother’s body.
Redburn, who lives in California, this week told Dallas Voice she is frustrated after getting no answers from the police and the delays from the Dallas County Medical Examiner. She is also angry over the officer’s anti-gay comments about her brother.
She said her brother Rodney Johnson was diabetic, but was otherwise a healthy man. She described him as “good, honorable and upstanding.”
Redburn said her brother’s arms were underneath him as if he was trying to catch his fall. He was found naked but she said Rodney always slept in pajamas.
Several days later, Roger found that the mobile home had been broken into. Among the things taken were his sheets as well as jewelry, a camera and his Bank of America badge. On Monday, Nov. 14, someone tried to access Rodney Johnson’s bank accounts.
Redburn wondered if that was related to the death or if someone simply broke into the home because it was not occupied.
Redburn said the missing sheets bothered her. She wondered if someone had returned to the house to take any possible DNA evidence that might be found or if someone simply used the sheet to carry out other items.
The Dallas County Medical Examiner told the family that test results would take three months to come back, the standard amount of time for toxicology tests to be returned.
Balch Springs police confirmed this week that they had no investigation open. Clements, who was assigned to the case, is out of the office for the week and was unavailable to comment.
The police report doesn’t indicate receiving a call from Mendoza but begins with the call from Roger Johnson on Nov. 12.
The report states that Rodney Johnson advised that “he thinks his brother is dead,” and that “he hadn’t heard from his brother in awhile so he went over there to check on him.”
The account ends two hours later with transferring the body to Dallas County.
Redburn was concerned that Balch Springs police weren’t investigating the death. She said her brother might have died of natural causes, but she questioned the police response to her.
She wondered why the police account of how the body was found differed from what her brother reported. The police report does not mention blood on the floor or position of the body.
Redburn doesn’t know if foul play was involved. She wonders if her brother was still alive when Mendoza arrived at the house. Had police responded to Mendoza’s call, Redburn wonders if her brother could have been saved.
Redburn said she hopes the medical examiner’s report will reveal whether there was a physical attack, if he died of natural causes and why there was no investigation when blood was found.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition December 23, 2011.
Perhaps the police found the body, falsified the report, took whatever belongings of the deceased that they wanted, closed the case and downplayed their role in the whole incident. I could be wrong, but I doubt anyone would be surprised if I was right.
Since Mr Clements has returned, what is his reaction to these comments?
Is this another case of “who cares” because of Mr Johnson’s lifestlye?
everyone deserves equal rsponse by All entities of the law with NO personal decisions from anyone.
I’m sick and tired of anyone who thinks they are better or fell that less should be put forward in any case. No matter what, the truth should be the eltimate goal here.
Sounds a lot like “the good O boy” days are still here!
John Johnson-Brother.
First, I would like to thank Mr. Taffet and the Dallas Voice for shedding a much needed light on this case. I do however have a correction. The sheets were missing when my brothers body was found. My brother noticed that no sheets or blankets were on the bed when he discovered Rodney’s body lying
on the floor. I was told as was the writter of the article that the case was closed. Since that time I wrote a letter to the mayor of Balch Springs and the Cheif of Police. Today I received a call from an Officer Hurley that the case is still open and he is looking into why no one came to my brothers aid when many calls were made for help on my brothers behalf. This is not over and I
have every intention on working together with numerous resouces and legal counsel to find out the truth. No one should ever be denied emergency care regardless of sexual preference. I will keep fighting for answers until I know the truth. My brother deserves that. Hopefully I will be able to finally grieve my brother and have some peace about it all. I will never have closure. This was my big brother whom I loved and now miss with all my heart. He is the Godfather of my only son and only child. My brother will not be just another satistic. His death will not be in vain. My hope is that the police department will have to under go sensitivity training for a start. And that is just a start. There is so many things wrong here it’s hard to list them all.