Aubrey Taylor kidnapped a lady he was relationship, choked and “terrorized” her, courtroom paperwork mentioned. But Houston Judge Josh Hill set each his bonds at $1 every.
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — A Katy man who was released from jail on two $1 bonds on prices of kidnapping and choking a lady he was relationship was again in courtroom Thursday on a brand new cost.
According to courtroom paperwork, Aubrey Andre Taylor, 42, was arrested inside days of his launch final week after he threatened the identical sufferer.
This time, Taylor’s bond was set at $45,000 for the kidnapping cost and $15,000 for the assault cost.
“Mr. Taylor does have convictions for violent offenses in his history, including a conviction for robbery — he had two convictions for robbery — and he also had a conviction for burglary of a habitation,” Magistrate Courtney St. Julian mentioned.
She rejected the prosecutor’s request for no bond as a result of Taylor is “a lifelong resident” and “is indigent” so she did not see him as a flight threat. St. Julian additionally granted the sufferer’s request for a protecting order.
Judge Josh Hill units $1 bond
Taylor was initially arrested on Dec. 27 after the lady mentioned he held her hostage, choked her and terrorized her.
Taylor has a protracted rap sheet that features two theft convictions, a housebreaking conviction, theft and drug prices relationship again to 2003.
When he appeared in Judge Josh Hill’s courtroom on Jan. 13, Taylor was given two get-out-of-jail almost-free playing cards with the $1 bonds. Hill ordered him to deal with arrest and instructed him to steer clear of the sufferer.
Taylor was arrested once more on Jan. 18 for violating these orders and threatening the sufferer.
‘Sends a horrible message’
“Setting a $2 bond for an accused abuser is like letting a dangerous animal loose. Sadly, it also sends a terrible message to survivors that the criminal justice system could not protect them. The trauma of violence and the terror of kidnapping and stalking lead to a lifetime of emotional healing for a victim,” trauma therapist Chau Nguyen mentioned.
The story made nationwide headlines and caught the eye of Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott.
“Repeat offender accused of beating woman gets $1 bond. Horrific,” Abbott tweeted. “Texans must feel safe in their communities. This session, we will eliminate the easy bail policies that allow dangerous criminals back onto our streets.”
Crime Stoppers victims advocate Andy Kahan mentioned the case has caught his consideration.
“If I’m a defense attorney and I have a client in the 232nd district court that’s currently in custody and charged with a violent offense – I’d be filing motions the next day saying I want the same deal you cut this guy for my client,” Kahan mentioned. “So where does it end?”
We reached out to Judge Hill for remark.
“Judicial ethics rules don’t let me comment on any case,” Hill mentioned.
Another decide, who is not presiding over the case and might’t remark on specifics, mentioned he is seen bonds like this earlier than.
“I’ve given a $1 bond on a number of events, I do know a lot of my colleagues have,” Judge Chris Morton mentioned.
He mentioned there’s typically much more going on within the courtroom than what folks notice.
“We just follow the law as it’s laid out by the legislature,” Morton said. “So when they say we can’t give a personal bond in these cases, we don’t. But wherever it’s appropriate to give a bond a person can make, if $1 is what it is, and generally the parties are going to agree, that’s what we do.”
When requested about experiences that Judge Hill did it to ship a message a few new Texas legislation that bans judges from releasing violent criminals on a private recognizance or PR bond, which suggests they do not need to pay something.
“I absolutely never said that. I believe I did a legal analysis of what the law does and does not permit,” Hill mentioned. “I’m not in the business of making political statements or advocating for or against legislation.”
When the Democrat was operating for reelection in November, he addressed the difficulty of low bonds for violent offenders in a protracted submit on his Facebook web page.
“Judges don’t commit crimes:
Judges don’t get folks out of jail:
Bail bonding firms do.
Judges don’t prosecute crimes:
Judges don’t make the principles they’re sworn to uphold:
Taylor is due again in courtroom subsequent Wednesday.
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