HOUSTON – A Houston man has been indicted on federal charges following his release on eight bonds while facing numerous charges in Harris County. At the beginning of August, Channel 2 Investigates reported on the case of Javon Opoku.
“This was a pretty, this was a scary scenario,” said Houston Crimestoppers' Andy Kahan, who has long been a critic of allowing people charged with dangerous felonies to be released on multiple bonds.
Court records show Opoku was released on several bonds while facing charges, including capital murder and possession of child pornography. Two weeks after our story aired, Opoku was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges relating to the “sexual exploitation of a child.”
According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, following a February traffic stop videos were found on Opoku’s phone showing a 16-year-old girl and him allegedly having sex.
“At least now we know he is not going to be bonded out, he is not going anywhere and the feds mean serious business,” Kahan said.
When KPRC 2 first reported this case, court records show a condition of Opoku’s bond was to wear an ankle monitor to help track his whereabouts. A bond violation report dated Aug. 17 noted Opoku was placed under the supervision of Harris County Pretrial Services on June 26. However, by the date of the bond violation report, it was noted Opoku never showed up to be fitted for his ankle monitor and despite claiming he tested positive for COVID-19 never provided those test results “as instructed.”
Prosecutors then asked the court to revoke Opoku’s bond.
“The defendant has gone nearly two months while on bond without a GPS ankle monitor-a condition this court found necessary for this defendant,” prosecutors wrote in a Motion to Revoke. “This defendant has demonstrated a blatant and continuous history of disregarding Court orders with regard to bond.”
“If you’re not willing to put on an ankle monitor after being out on eight bonds that pretty much tells me you’re not going to comply with any laws of society and that’s pretty evident,” Kahan said.
Before a hearing could be held on whether to revoke Opoku’s bond, he was hit with federal charges and taken into custody. Court records do show another bond violation report was filed on Sept. 11 as part of the possession of child pornography case. That report contained the same language as the Aug. report, but an order was signed revoking Opoku’s bond in that case.
This is the third time KPRC 2 reported on a person released on multiple bonds in Harris County, who is then later hit with federal charges. The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District, Ryan Patrick, has never spoken directly to this issue but in May, Tweeted his office works with police everyday to keep dangerous felons off the streets “if there is an appropriate federal charge.”