‘LEGAL THEFT’: Texas police seized a man’s life savings. Now the state is putting his cash on trial

In May 2019, Ameal Woods embarked on a commute to Houston to shop for a 2d tractor-trailer and amplify his trucking industry. His circle of relatives had stored over $40,000 to make this dream a fact, however as Woods drove thru Harris County, he used to be pulled over via a sheriff’s deputy who accused him of following a truck too carefully. Although the deputy didn’t give him a price ticket, he did take all of Woods’ cash. The state of Texas is recently heading to court docket to make sure that Woods by no means will get his life financial savings again. The deputy seized Woods’ cash thru civil asset forfeiture, a procedure intended to punish and deter criminality via depriving criminals of assets bought thru unlawful actions. However, critics argue that this custom is ceaselessly abused via police and prosecutors, treating any individual who carries a great amount of cash as in charge. Lawyers from the Institute for Justice, which is representing Woods, argue that despite the fact that the deputy says that Woods’ cash used to be hooked up to medication, he used to be by no means ticketed, cited, or arrested for a crime. The trial commences Monday, 4 years and at some point after the seizure, in The State of Texas v. Approximately $41,680.00. The state argues that there used to be possible motive to take hold of the cash and that the cash used to be both won from committing a crime or supposed for use to dedicate a crime reminiscent of drug dealing or cash laundering. The Institute for Justice says that Woods’ case is not distinctive and that police in Texas’ maximum populous county often ask drivers if they have got cash of their vehicles, in the end permitting the police division to stay any cash its officials take hold of. Preliminary numbers point out that “policing for profit” is a commonplace incidence in Texas, with a minimum of 113 civil forfeiture petitions filed via county prosecutors since 2016 based totally on a shape affidavit written via an officer who used to be now not provide at the time and position of seizure, in step with the nonprofit legislation company.