Turns out not even the Lubbock Police Department lobby is safe from bad decisions. Daniel Diaz-Gonzalez, 42, a civilian sex offender registration coordinator with LPD, was arrested after allegedly pushing 67-year-old registered sex offender Steven Sardinta to the ground during a July 24 check-in.
Court records say the two got into a heated argument, Diaz-Gonzalez told Sardinta to leave, and then things got physical. Sardinta—who is disabled—claimed bruising and filed a complaint that same day. The incident was caught on video.
Chief Seth Herman said Metro Special Crimes took over the investigation on August 5. Diaz-Gonzalez was placed on leave the next day, hit with a warrant, and arrested at police HQ without incident. He’s been with LPD since 2018 and took over the sex offender desk in 2023. He’s now sitting in jail on a $5,000 bond while the department runs its own internal probe.
For context: Sardinta isn’t exactly a saint either—he was convicted of child porn possession in 2003 and is required to register.
One guy’s job was keeping track of sex offenders. Instead, he added himself to the county jail roster.
