Posthumous pardon is recommended for George Floyd's 2004 drug charge by disgraced Houston cop Gerald Goines - who has since been charged with murder and misconduct and had 160 of his bogus convictions dismissed
George Floyd should be pardoned posthumously for a 2004 drug arrest made by a disgraced ex-Houston police officer, Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles recommended Monday.
The unanimous decision has been sent to Gov. Greg Abbott, who will make the final decision. It was not clear when Abbott would decide the fate of the request.
Floyd, whose death at the hands of white Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin last year sparked global protests against police brutality, was arrested by Officer Gerald Goines in 2004.
He was accused of selling $10 worth of crack and sentenced to ten months in a state jail after pleading guilty to a drug charge.
George Floyd (pictured left), who grew up in Houston, was arrested in February 2004 by Officer Gerald Goines (pictured right) and accused of selling $10 worth of crack in a police sting. Floyd later pleaded guilty to a drug charge and was sentenced to 10 months in a state jail
Officer Gerald Goines’ casework has been under scrutiny following a deadly 2019 drug raid he led that resulted in the deaths of Dennis Tuttle, 59 (left), and his wife, Rhogena Nicholas, 58 (right)
But Goines has since been charged with murder and other misconduct charges following a deadly no-knock drugs raid that resulted in the deaths of Dennis Tuttle, 59, and his wife, Rhogena Nicholas, 58.
Prosecutors say the officer lied to get the raid warrant by claiming a confidential informant had bought heroin there.
During the raid, Tuttle, a US Navy veteran, exchanged gunfire with the raiding police, who fatally shot him and his wife, and also killed their pet pit bull.
Goines later said there was no informant and he had bought the drugs himself. Police found small amounts of marijuana and cocaine in the house, but no heroin.
Goines, once a respected Houston officer, has been accused of making bogus drugs arrests after investigators looked into his deadly 2019 drug raid.
Goines' casework has since come under intense scrutiny and as a result, more than 160 of his convictions - mostly drug related - have been dismissed.
'We do not support the integrity of Mr. Floyd’s conviction and agree these circumstances warrant a posthumous pardon. We urge Governor Abbott to follow the Board’s recommendation and grant clemency,' said Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg in an October 4 press release
Prosecutors have alleged Goines, 56, who led the raid, lied to obtain the no-knock warrant to search Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas' home by claiming a confidential informant had bought heroin there - the couple was ultimately shot dead. Goines later said there was no informant and he had bought the drugs himself, they allege. Police found small amounts of marijuana and cocaine in the house, but no heroin
'We lament the loss of former Houstonian George Floyd and hope that his family finds comfort in Monday’s decision,' wrote Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg in an October 4 press release
'Goines manufactured the existence of confidential informants to bolster his cases against innocent defendants,' wrote Allison Mathis, an attorney with the Harris County Public Defender's Office, when she first petitioned for Floyd’s clemency in April, according to the Texas Tribune.
'Gerald Goines' arrest of George Floyd reveals an offense report that is incomplete and suspect,' Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement. 'I have instructed prosecutors to verify the facts in this offense report.'
Ogg told The Wall Street Journal: 'Goines was likely lying in this case, and said that Floyd's unjust arrest may be among scores built on false evidence from Goines.
'We lament the loss of former Houstonian George Floyd and hope that his family finds comfort in Monday’s decision,' wrote Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg today.
'We do not support the integrity of Mr. Floyd’s conviction and agree these circumstances warrant a posthumous pardon. We urge Governor Abbott to follow the Board’s recommendation and grant clemency.'
Ogg said her office had tried to reach Floyd regarding the review of Goines in March 2019 but believe he did not receive the letter, having moved homes.
It read: 'Based on a review of criminal cases filed in Harris County, Texas, it appears that former Houston Police Department Officer Gerald Goines may have been involved in the above-referenced case which resulted in your conviction.
'Please be informed that Officer Goines has been relieved of duty and is currently under criminal investigation.'
Allison Mathis, an attorney with the Harris County Public Defender’s Office who submitted the pardon request in April, said she was pleased by the board’s decision.
'A man was set up by a corrupt police officer intent on securing arrests rather than pursuing justice,' Mathis said.
'No matter what your political affiliation is, no matter who that man was in his life or in his death, that is not something we should stand for in the United States or in Texas.'
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