PANORAMA VILLAGE, Texas – A former Harris County prosecutor is out of a job and facing a felony charge, accused of strangling his girlfriend at a child’s birthday party in Montgomery County on Sunday evening.
Gabriel Kabak, 32, has been licensed to practice law in Texas for nearly four years, according to State Bar of Texas records, and most recently worked in the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
He’s now been fired and charged with third-degree felony assault of a family member after an incident in the small Montgomery County town of Panorama Village.
“This is a man that’s dedicated his life to public service, his legal career to prosecuting cases for some of the more vulnerable,” his defense attorney Shelby Burns said. “He has earned the right for us to withhold judgment until all the facts have been heard.”
Burns said Kabak handled cases involving sex crimes and domestic violence while at the DA’s office, which the DA’s office has not yet confirmed.
Allegations at a child’s birthday party
In a Facebook post, the Panorama Village police chief said officers were called Sunday night to a disturbance between Kabak and a woman who Chief Chris Holcomb later identified as Kabak’s girlfriend.
The chief wrote that Kabak was allegedly intoxicated, pushing people at a child’s birthday party and arguing with his girlfriend over her concerns about him driving drunk.
The statement says Kabak then allegedly pushed her, pinned her against the side of a home and grabbed her by the throat.
Burns said it’s too early for that level of detail to be made public and urged people to wait for all the evidence.
Kabak allegedly made unsolicited comments about his employment with the DA’s office and Chief Holcomb also told KPRC 2 News that Kabak showed his prosecutor badge to the arresting officer.
When asked why he would have done that, Burns declined to elaborate.
“That’s what I can comment on in this case,” he said, repeating that was the extent of what he was willing to discuss.
Concerns about power and domestic violence
Advocates say domestic violence cases involving people in law enforcement or prosecution can raise fears about power and influence.
“There’s a fear in this situation of the misuse of power,” said Chanica Brown, chief of client services at the Houston Area Women’s Center, adding that the power dynamic in these situations could be exponential. “They may be thinking that someone may believe someone in a uniform or someone in a position of power, faster than they would believe the survivor themselves.”
She urged anyone who needs domestic violence support to call the 24/7 hotline at the HAWC.
“Anytime there’s a domestic violence case, there is a power differential,” Brown said. “And just because someone works in a position of authority, like a law enforcement agency, does not mean that the person is not worthy of seeking help.”
Fired within 24 hours
Within 24 hours of Kabak’s arrest, his employer issued a brief statement: “Gabriel Kabak is no longer an employee at the Harris County DA’s Office.”
Burns called that decision “shameful” and “knee-jerk.”
“These allegations are as fresh as they get, and the prosecutors know as well as anybody that in lots of charges like these types of charges, people are innocent,” Burns said.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office declined to provide further details about Kabak’s termination, citing a strict policy against discussing personnel matters.
The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office confirmed the alleged victim now has an emergency protective order.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Kabak had been released on bond.