Medina County sheriff filed insurance claim on K-9 who died weeks after being donated to agency (2025)

MEDINA COUNTY, Texas – The Medina County Sheriff’s Office filed a proof of loss claim on a K-9 who died in 2023, even though the animal had just been donated to the agency weeks earlier, records obtained by KSAT Investigates show.

K-9 Lux, a 2-year-old Belgian Malinois-German Shepherd mix, also known as a Malinois X, died in early June 2023 after being stung by a swarm of bees.

The Medina County Sheriff’s Office had formally adopted Lux from Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland late that April, after Lux had “washed out” of a military working dog training course at the base, records show.

Lux was donated free of charge, current and former Medina County sheriff’s officials confirmed to KSAT.

The county received more than $9,000 in insurance proceeds following the December 2023 claim filed by Sheriff Randy Brown with the Texas Association of Counties Risk Management Pool, county records show.

Brown defended filing the claim, telling KSAT in a recent phone interview that Lux was insured, much like any other property belonging to the sheriff’s office, and that putting in a claim after the dog’s death was the appropriate step to take.

‘It wasn’t right for them to be doing that’

Lux was given to the sheriff’s office after training issues forced him to be eliminated from the 341st Training Squadron Military Working Dog program, records show.

“He was washed out from Lackland Air Force Base because he couldn’t release the ball. He didn’t meet the standards and they washed him out,” said Ricardo “Ricky” Delgado, a former Medina County Sheriff’s sergeant.

Delgado supervised the agency’s K-9 unit at the time of Lux’s adoption.

He said Lux continued to have issues releasing a ball after being adopted, but that the sheriff’s office had planned to enroll the dog in a formal K-9 training program.

The agency never got the chance.

Lux was stung by a swarm of bees on June 6, 2023, records show.

The more than 60 bee stings left Lux with a number of health issues, including renal failure.

The dog was first taken to a veterinary hospital in Hondo before being transferred to a San Antonio pet hospital, where he was euthanized on June 8, 2023, according to records.

Delgado said after Lux’s death, he was approached by the Medina County Sheriff’s Office administration and asked to get a quote from a K-9 company for the cost of a fully trained 2-year-old law enforcement dog.

“It slipped out that there was an insurance claim. I said it wasn’t right. It wasn’t right for them to be doing that,” Delgado said. “As soon as I started asking questions, I started noticing that I was being treated differently. I started getting on their bad side. Once you get on their bad side, they’ll do anything to ruin your career, your reputation, your credibility. And that’s what happened to me.”

That December, Brown filed a proof of loss claim that accurately listed Lux’s date of adoption, date of death and timeline of his injuries.

A Medina County sheriff’s official confirmed the county paid a $1,000 deductible.

The county then received proceeds totaling $9,250, records show.

The Texas Association of Counties did not respond to multiple messages from KSAT seeking to clarify whether K-9 Lux’s death qualified as a covered claim.

Brown, in a phone call with KSAT, said three other K-9s in his agency are currently insured under the same type of policy.

He compared filing a claim for the loss of Lux to filing a claim for a donated vehicle that is used by the sheriff’s office and then later damaged.

He said the insurance proceeds have been put in the county’s general fund and are earmarked to be used for future K-9-related expenses.

“Put me in jail, whatever you need to do,” said Brown, who contends his actions do not constitute insurance fraud.

KSAT could find no record that Brown or his agency was investigated for possible insurance fraud related to the claim.

Brown described Delgado as a one-time political supporter of his who had turned on the sheriff for some reason.

“Why would I be supporting somebody who did that?” asked Delgado, who confirmed he was a former Brown political supporter.

Brown shared with KSAT a recording of a six-minute phone call between Delgado and a Medina County resident, which the sheriff said shows Delgado discussing his desire to try and keep him from being reelected last year.

In the recording, Delgado describes the K-9 insurance claim and tells the person on the other end of the line, “They need to move fast before the election. Tell them this is the FBI and we’re trying to get this information.”

In an unrelated incident, Delgado was accused last year of releasing a small portion of body-worn camera footage to a member of the community.

Delgado told KSAT the footage showed deputies surrounding a handcuffed man on the floor, asking for medical assistance.

Delgado said he released the footage to bring attention to rule-breaking within the sheriff’s office that was going unchecked.

He was eventually criminally charged with unauthorized release of body-worn camera footage, a class A misdemeanor, and separated from the sheriff’s office in April 2024.

Delgado, as part of a plea deal signed with Medina County prosecutors and accepted by the court this month, agreed to pay a $500 fine and serve 18 months of community supervision.

He was also forced to surrender his peace officer’s license for the next four years.

“I regret it because Randy Brown is a very powerful person,” Delgado said.

Brown, during his phone call with KSAT, pointed out that the Texas Rangers investigated Delgado for the body-worn camera incident, and said the footage did not show anything notable.

Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.