HOUSTON – About 24 hours after KPRC 2 News revealed a second Harris County murder defendant is accused of cutting off his ankle monitor just before trial this month, Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia said he bring a plan to Commissioners Court to strengthen the county’s electronic monitoring program.
Garcia, the former sheriff, said the two recent examples show the monitors are effective at informing authorities of a potential escape, but “making sure that this technology can work to its fullest capability has always been a concern of mine to bolster public safety,” Garcia wrote in a statement to KPRC 2 News.
The most recent example is Walter Pozos, a murder defendant scheduled to start a retrial last week but he didn’t show up after allegedly cutting off his ankle monitor two days prior.
He’s accused of causing his passenger’s death in July 2023 while speeding away from deputies.
The other example is Lee Gilley, the capital murder defendant accused of killing his pregnant wife Christa Bauer, before using a fake name and forged travel documents to travel to Milan, Italy, according to federal investigators.
The specifics of Garcia’s plan have not yet been shared and a spokesperson for the commissioner said it will likely be shared over the summer throughout budget season.
Read the commissioner’s full statement:
“Harris County utilizes every tool at its disposal to ensure justice happens. Ankle monitor technology is one of those used, and recent stories of two first time defendants cutting their monitors shows that these devices can be effective in informing authorities of a potential escape. Making sure that this technology can work to its fullest capability has always been a concern of mine to bolster public safety. I will be bringing to Commissioners Court a plan to further strengthen the county’s electronic monitoring program, specifically when it involves violent offenders. Pre Trial Services has been effective at surveilling people with these devices, and since 2023, new laws have been in place allowing the District Attorney to file additional charges over 200 times when tampering has occurred, but I know we can still do more to ensure compliance and accountability, especially from violent offenders,” Garcia wrote.
Pretrial Services is the Harris County department in charge of monitoring defendants out on bond.
In the Gilley case, Judge Peyton Peebles expressed frustration with the department, saying in the past he had told them to alert him “immediately” if there was any indication Gilley wasn’t following his GPS monitor restrictions.
He also suggested the department rethink its policy on how soon it informs the court — instead of within 24 to 48 hours — about any sort of tamper alerts from a defendant’s device.
At the time, the executive director of Pretrial Services, Natalie Michailides, told KPRC 2 News in a statement:
“Although Pretrial Services followed our current notification protocols in this instance, we recognize existing guidelines can be improved. We are committed to refining these protocols to ensure that our procedures evolve alongside with the needs of the Court and community.”
After the latest incident involving Pozos, Michailides has not provided any public comment, despite multiple requests.
Pozos is still sought by authorities, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Tuesday, and Gilley has additional court proceedings pending in Italy.