HOUSTON – The charges against a man who was convicted of drug crimes in 2008 on the basis of testimony by then-Houston police narcotics Officer Gerald Goines have been dropped.
Otis Mallet Jr. was cleared of the charges after Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg filed a motion saying that “no credible evidence exists” against him. The judge signed the order Monday.
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Mallet was sent to prison in 2011.
A joint review found that Goines lied during Mallet’s trial when he claimed he paid $200 to Mallet and his brother for crack cocaine.
“What happened to Mr. Mallet was the result of deliberate lies testified to by Gerald Goines and relied upon prosecutors years ago,” Ogg said in a written statement. “No matter how long it takes, we are going to see that justice is done for every person victimized by this corrupt officer. This dismissal is a down payment on restoring community trust in our criminal justice system.”
Goines and several other officers have been charged in connection with the deadly police raid in January 2019 at a home on Harding Street. Two residents were killed in a gun battle with police. Five officers were injured.
Goines is accused of lying on the affidavit used to obtain the warrant that led to the raid.
Prosecutors have initiated a review of more than 14,000 cases involving HPD’s narcotics division.