The Hays County Sheriff’s Office obtained arrest warrants for the officer, and he was arrested by them at the San Marcos Police Department after submitting his resignation.
Community members place flowers on fallen San Marcos Police Department officer Justin Putnam s 442 wreath, a tribute to his badge number, Sunday, April 18, 2021, at Five Mile Dam Parks Complex. Putnam was killed one year earlier while responding to a domestic disturbance call in San Marcos. Jaden Edison
During the early hours of Dec. 4, 2017, Justin Putnam was finishing his shift at the San Marcos Police Department when Kenneth Copeland entered the briefing room he was in.
In preparation for his day shift, Copeland, a veteran of the department, asked Justin Putnam to change the battery in his radio. Copeland proceeded to firmly shake Justin Putnam s hand, as he always did when the two crossed paths, and asked him how he was doing.