A Crime Stoppers advocate says 37 capital murder suspects are on bond in Harris County, with some bonds as low as $50,000.
HOUSTON — A string of violent crime suspects in Harris County have allegedly fled authorities in recent weeks after cutting off their ankle monitors while out on bond, prompting Crime Stoppers victim advocate Andy Kahan to call for tougher laws and faster law enforcement responses to electronic monitor tampering.
The push for reform follows several alarming cases. Lee Gilley, who is charged with capital murder in the death of his pregnant wife, allegedly fled to Italy while out on a $1 million bond. Walter Pozos, accused of killing a passenger during a street racing incident, allegedly cut off his ankle monitor while awaiting trial and had already picked up another charge while on bond before doing so.
Kahan, who has reviewed the recent cases, said the incidents expose a fundamental flaw in how the county monitors violent offenders electronically.
“Ankle monitor is as good as the person that wants to honor it,” he said. “If they want to honor the greatest tool in the world, nothing can prevent you from removing or destroying ankle monitor.”
Kahan argued that law enforcement needs the authority to act the moment a violent offender tampers with a monitor or goes missing from an approved location, without waiting on court paperwork.
“If you are on capital murder for violent offense, tamper alert and you verify they are not where they are supposed to be then needs to be set up to law enforcement for them to check to see where they can find the individual.”
Kahan noted that 37 capital murder suspects are currently out on bond in Harris County, with many carrying bond amounts below $500,000 and some as low as $50,000. Capital murder is the most serious charge the legal system can bring.
He also pointed to the case of Jacorey Randolph, who investigators say killed a 15-year-old during a robbery in 2018. Randolph was initially charged with capital murder and released on a $50,000 bond. Prosecutors later reduced the charge to aggravated robbery as part of a plea agreement. According to records cited in the report, Randolph failed to appear for sentencing after allegedly cutting off his GPS monitor and disappearing.
Kahan questioned whether defendants facing life sentences have any real incentive to show up to court.
“Will you show up? What is the worst that will happen to you?”
Kahan wants legislation to eliminate the delays law enforcement face when responding to monitor tampering. Currently, agencies must file court records before they can access data on defendants who have removed their monitors, a process Kahan said takes far too long.
“Not 48 hours…that needs to be given immediately.”
Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia is also expected to propose measures to strengthen the county’s electronic monitoring program for violent offenders, according to a statement he sent to KHOU 11.
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