No criminal investigation into Texas officers who led black man by rope

An investigation into the arrest of a black man led by rope down a Texas street by two white police officers on horseback has concluded, according to the Houston Chronicle. 

Conducted by the Texas Rangers — a division of the Texas Department of Public Safety — the third-party investigation found that the actions of the officers involved do not warrant criminal investigation.

The Chronicle reported that the district attorney concluded there was “nothing that warranted a criminal investigation.”

The Rangers determined that the two officers “had not violated the law,” according to a statement quoted in The Washington Post.

The latest update comes two weeks after photographs of the incident first surfaced online. 

WATCH: More video emerges of police on horseback leading man via rope in Texas

0:53 More video emerges of police on horseback leading man via rope in Texas

Police in Galveston, Texas, released a public apology after the mounted officers were photographed leading a black man by rope down a street. 

The police chief, Vernon Hale, has said his officers — identified in the police release as P. Brosch and A. Smith — did not have any “malicious intent” but “showed poor judgment in this instance.” He has described using mounted horses to transport a person as a “trained technique” and “best practice in some scenarios.” 

Hale has said the man was handcuffed, with a “line” clipped to the handcuffs.

The photographs showed the man with a police officer on horseback on both sides of him, his hands behind his back — and what appeared to be a blue rope in one officer’s hand. 

Hale’s apology noted that the officers “could have waited for a transport unit at the location of the arrest” and that the department has “immediately changed” its policy to halt the use of this technique. 

WATCH: Attorney says family of black man led by rope down street by police in Texas are ‘disgusted’

0:41 Attorney says family of black man led by rope down street by police in Texas are ‘disgusted’

At the suggestion of the Galveston city manager, Hale commissioned a third-party investigation into the arrest, composed of a criminal inquiry by the Texas Rangers and a “full administrative review” by the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office into the policies and practices related to the arrest. 

“This is such a polarizing event that it is imperative that we have an independent, third-party investigation to ensure we address any potential issues,” city manager Brian Maxwell said in an Aug. 8 police news release.

The man arrested was 43-year-old Donald Neely. His attorney Melissa Morris told the Houston Chronicle that she still believes the officers exercised “poor judgment even if it’s within the confines of policy.”