Jeremy Moore said he was handcuffed for 5 to 10 minutes before an officer let him go.
WILLIS, Texas — A Willis man said he was handcuffed on his own porch by the U.S. Marshals Service early Monday morning., who were searching for a fugitive, as his wife and young children watched in fear.
Jeremy Moore said he woke up to the sound of people shouting and loud banging noises coming from his front door.
“There were about probably five or six flashlights, and all I hear is people yelling,” Moore said.
Moore shared a photo of law enforcement officers parked in his yard. He said officials forced his front door open, damaging the door and frame and breaking the lock. He then said he was brought onto the porch and detained.
“They put me in handcuffs right here and then walked me down the stairs and there under the carport,” Moore said.
Moore’s wife, Kristin, said she was holding her two young children, ages three and six, on the porch. She said they were all confused and terrified.
“I get on my porch with my children, and I’m just holding them. I have no clue where my husband is or what they’re doing with him,” she said. “I’m holding my three-year-old, and she wets herself on me because she’s so scared.”
Moore said officers held him for about five to 10 minutes before releasing him.
“They just said, ‘My bad,’” Moore said. “‘No, this isn’t the target.’ That’s exactly how they said it.”
Kristin Moore added, “They tried to shake my hand and go, ‘Sorry, ma’am. Everything’s okay.’ That wasn’t okay.”
The U.S. Marshals Service confirmed with KHOU 11 that officers briefly detained Moore but released him when they saw he was not the man they were searching for. The fugitive they were after was Christopher Villio, a parole violator, whose last address of record was listed as the Moores’ home address, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
The U.S. Marshals Service told KHOU 11 that because the home was the address they had on file for Villio, they had the right to be there. They added that handcuffing Moore was necessary to ensure officer safety, while they verified his identity.
However, Moore said he and his family have lived at the home for about three years.
“I wish they would have actually investigated,” Moore said. “If they would have done an actual investigation, this could have been prevented.”
A supervisory deputy with the U.S. Marshals Service claimed that the Moores had told investigators they saw Villio on numerous occasions and that Villio even asked them for food and money. However, the family denied that while speaking to KHOU 11.
“Never met him. The only thing, basically when he was moving out, he was pulling his vehicle out as we were pulling our stuff in. And that wasn’t even an interaction,” Moore said.
Moore added that the brief moment occurred in passing, during his move-in, about three years ago. When asked if he had seen Villio since then, Moore replied: “No. Not even close.”
The U.S. Marshals Service initially agreed to an on-camera interview with KHOU 11 but later canceled and provided the following statement, which did not directly address the incident with Moore:
“The United States Marshals Service – Gulf Coast Violent Offenders and Fugitive Task Force, follows up on all credible leads using a range of investigative tools. Our goal is to safely locate and arrest individuals who pose a threat to the community and remove them from the streets.”
Still, Moore said what happened to him shows a breakdown in how law enforcement actions were carried out Monday morning.
“They failed,” Moore said. “I just wanted something like that to not happen to someone else.”
Moore and his wife said they are now speaking with attorneys and exploring their legal options.