A former METRO police officer caught on camera beating a homeless man in 2016 was sentenced Thursday after being convicted by a jury Wednesday for assault bodily injury at Burnett train station.
The judge sentenced Jairus Warren, 24, to 30 days in jail, two years of probation with an ankle monitor and a curfew.
Immediately after the beating, METRO police said the victim, 31-year-old Darrell Giles, should not have been beaten with a baton.
Giles was taken to an area hospital where he was treated and released. The charges against him were dropped.
Warren is “in shock, absolute shock,” said his defense attorney, Andy Taylor.
The sentence also stipulated that Warren cannot drink alcohol or possess a firearm and must attend intervention classes.
“The sentence that was handed down today does not, in fact, respect the verdict of the jury having been through the course of this trial,” said Taylor.
The judge did not hold back during the sentencing hearing, saying Warren was an embarrassment to the uniform and members of law enforcement across the country.
He said he wished he could hand down a harsher sentence, but the conviction would not allow it.
“The sentence here that was given today was equivalent of a felony sentence, this is as harsh as you can get in the misdemeanor portion of the criminal justice system,” said Taylor.
After sentencing, Taylor requested an appeal bond, which the judge granted.
“What that means is that until a determination is made about the motion for a new trial that we anticipate that the defense will file, the sentence that was provided by the judge is essentially stayed or frozen,” Assistant District Attorney for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, Jules Johnson said.
When asked if he got the outcome he wanted today, Johnson said he wanted none of what happened today.
“We do not want to have to deal with situations where police officers are being convicted of crimes,” said Johnson.
As the appeal makes its way through the court system, Taylor remains confident.
“We do believe at this time we have ample grounds to fight the conviction first and the sentence second,” said Taylor.
According to investigators, Warren approached Giles, who was slumped over in a seat at the Burnett Station platform Wednesday morning. After a confrontation, Warren beat Giles with a baton.
Bumpers said that after Warren and another officer at the scene, identified as Daniel Reynoso, reported a use-of-force incident, a supervisor reviewed video taken by security cameras at the station.
Reynoso was cleared of wrongdoing, but was ordered to additional training after the incident.