Officer acquitted in Manuel Ellis’s death resigns from TCSO [Video]

Sheriff Derek Sanders wrote in a letter to the community that he met with Burbank and “discussed the impacts of his employment” with the sheriff’s office. “At the end of this discussion,” Burbank resigned. 

“This decision was based on community response and death threats made to Deputy Burbank’s family,” the letter, dated April 4 but distributed April 3, reads. 

The sheriff’s office announced Burbank’s hiring via Facebook on April 1. At the time, the office said the hire marks the first lateral patrol deputy since 2021 to apply and pass all phases of background checks. It was also the “first time in years” the sheriff’s office was expected to be fully staffed with no vacancies on patrol.

“When I made the decision to hire Deputy Burbank, I failed to consider the greater community impact and instead made the decision based on business …