I know this has been discussed before, but how do you go about getting disciplinary records from TDCJ? Does anyone know how long they maintain those records (i.e., can I get them for all of his prior trips, some of which were in the 80's)?

Thanks for any direction you can give.

If you have a copy of this publication, see Chapter 4 (prison resources), page 110-133.

If you don't have that contact Sammy Buentello - TDCJ at (936) 437-6466 for how to subpoena those records.

Sammy is no longer at TDCJ:

Author: Mike Ward, AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Date: June 10, 2004 Publication: Austin American-Statesman (TX)

Salvador "Sammy" Buentello, a top state prison official who retired last month amid a sexual harassment investigation, has been charged with four counts of official oppression, officials said Wednesday.

Larry LeFlore is acting in Sammy's stead until the new person is named. Requests for records have been going through him lately, and we haven't had any problems getting documents during the interim.

Thanks John and AP for the update!

I was in Nevada last at NCDA and haven't gotten got up on all the news....

Former prison official indicted

Buentello faces felony charges of sexual assault
By Mike Ward

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Thursday, June 17, 2004

Salvador "Sammy" Buentello, a top state prison official who retired last month after former co-workers accused him of sexual harassment, was indicted Wednesday on felony sexual assault charges.

If convicted, Buentello could face up to 20 years in prison.

The indictments by a Walker County grand jury in Huntsville allege that Buentello sexually assaulted three women on four occasions: in May and June 1999, and in January and May 2002.

At the time, he was an assistant director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and headed the agency's powerful State Classification Committee, which assigns convicts to various prisons.

Buentello was perhaps best known as the agency's director of the secretive Security Threat Group Unit, which monitors prison gang activity, and as a state and national authority on prison gangs.

Walker County District Attorney David Weeks said that all of the alleged victims were employees of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and worked with Buentello at the time the assaults are said to have occurred.

Last week, Buentello was charged with four counts of official oppression -- misdemeanors -- for allegedly harassing female employees. Two of the victims in Wednesday's indictments were also victims in the misdemeanor charges.

Weeks said Buentello, who could not be reached for comment, is expected to surrender for arraignment on the new charges later this week. Bail has not been set.

Buentello, who joined the prison system in 1978, retired April 30 amid an investigation of the harassment allegations.

Prison officials offered no immediate comment on the charges against Buentello, the highest-ranking official to be indicted for a criminal offense since former prisons chief Andy Collins was indicted six years ago on federal bribery and money-laundering charges.

He and Canadian businessman Yank Barry were later convicted and are awaiting sentencing.