A teenager whose March 2010 arrest made headlines because of allegations of police brutality appeared in court early Thursday after he was arrested in connection with another burglary.
Harris County sheriff's deputies said Chad Holley, 18, and three others -- Alexander Babbs, 20, Paulus Jackson, 18, and Donald Toren, 19 -- were seen running out of a home in the 14400 block of Forest Trail in northwest Harris County at 2 p.m. Wednesday. The group got into a car and a neighbor got a license plate number, investigators said. Deputies pulled over the car and took four people, including Holley, into custody, officials said.
Holley and the three other suspects were all charged with burglary of a habitation.
The four suspects appeared before a judge at 2 a.m. Thursday.
"They came out of the home with a laptop. They passed the laptop over the fence as they jumped back over the fence and got back into their car," a court official read in court.
Babbs, Jackson and Toren all confessed to committing the crime with Holley, the court official said.
Bond was set at $10,000 for Holley and the others. Holley was released from jail shortly after noon.
Holley didn't say a single word when he was walked out of jail.
Holley rode home with Quanell X, who has been one of Holley's biggest supporters. The community activist said he has reached a new conclusion about Holley.
"There is something mentally wrong with Chad Holley," he said.
Quannell X said Holley does not understand the magnitude his decisions. He said Holley has a mental illness and had taken strong anti-psychotic medications for years, but stopped taking the medicine because his insurance benefits ran out when he turned 18 and his mother could not provide the needed medications.
"He has refused to take his medicine for months now," Quanell X said. "Ms. Holley explained to me clearly that once Chad refused to take those medicines, he became a totally different young man."
Quanell X said this may not be Holley's last arrest.
"If he does not get his mental situation straight, something else stupid and crazy may happen with this young boy," he said. "It's a bad situation."
Holley's civil lawsuit filed against former Houston Police Officer Andrew Blomberg claimed that Holley's mental condition was affected when he was beaten.
"As a result of Blomberg's excessive and unreasonable use of force against this minor, Chad has sustained head, neck and brain injuries," the lawsuit said. "Chad is undergoing psychological and psychiatric care since the beating and he has been found to be suffering from mental deficits, neurological impairment and psychological malfunctions."
Quanell X said he did not know if Holley's mental problems started before or after the beating.
"The medicine bottles I saw had 2011 and 2012 and 2010 on them. Obviously this has been happening since the beating for sure."
Quanell X met with other community leaders Thursday night. They said they want the cases against the three former Houston Police Officers to stand on their own.
"These officers should be weighed for what they did on that video tape," Quannell X said. "That's clearly criminal conduct. And they should go to jail."
Holley has another court appearance scheduled for Friday.
Holley Made National Headlines
Holley's first arrest in March 2010 was captured on surveillance cameras installed at a southwest Houston business. The video showed several Houston police officers kicking and stomping him. Holley was 15 at the time. He was later convicted on a burglary charge and given probation.
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