Criminal justice reformers are suing Harris County over the practice of civil forfeiture, saying police routinely seize money and property from county residents based on flimsy claims, in violation of their constitutional rights. Via HoustonChron
Yet there has been another, yet untallied, cost to his misconduct: the tens of thousands of dollars he and his unit seized during their anti-drug operations. In Texas, police can take property or money they believe was obtained through criminal activity in a process known as civil asset forfeiture. The process — which takes place in a civil legal proceeding — requires a far lower burden of proof and doesn’t require police to file criminal charges against the target of the seizure.
Panju filed a lawsuit in 2021 on behalf of Ameal Woods and Jordan Davis, who were driving to Texas to buy a tractor trailer when they were stopped by Harris County sheriff’s deputies. Panju’s suit argues that the deputies unlawfully seized the money the two had brought to buy the vehicle, some $42,000.
On Oct. 27, Goines and other members of Squad 15 raided both homes. In search warrant returns, the veteran narcotics officer said he’d found 150 grams of marjuana at Thomas’ house, along with some codeine and Xanax. At the neighboring house, he claimed to have found 21g of ecstasy, 3.5g of powder cocaine, 167g of marijuana, and an ounce of codeine.It was a fairly standard operation for Squad 15 — a quick investigation and raid, some dope on the table — and a few arrests.
Records show HPD street level narcotics squads confiscated thousands dollars every month along with other contraband. In the 13 months prior to the Harding Street raid, Goines and his compatriots from Squad 15 confiscated close to $200,000.The scandal led to the dismissal of dozens of still active cases Goines had handled — including Orville Jackson’s.
In the years since he got out of prison, Thomas has picked up several misdemeanors, including a pair of DWIs and a minor drug possession charge. And in 2017, police charged him with animal cruelty after he surrendered a sick dog to BARC.The day police raided his home, Thomas remembers trying to reason with the officers. He knew Goines, or “Batman” — from the years the narcotics officer had spent years roaming the area. Thomas, meanwhile, has lived at his home on Nettleton for the past 16 years.
In fact, they now believed Goines had lied about the whole operation, and Jeffery’s conviction needed to be reversed. Orville Jackson’s case hadn’t gone to trial when the scandal broke, and was quietly dismissed. But the last defendant caught up in the case, Larry Chatman, had pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor marijuana charge, and received a four-day jail sentence.
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