HOUSTON – The president of the Houston Police Officer’s Union is calling for a Harris County judge to step down after allowing a habitual offender, who has since been accused of shooting two Houston police officers, to bond out of jail.
Deon Ledet is accused of killing Sr. Police Officer William “Bill” Jeffrey -- a 30-year veteran of the department. The other officer, Sgt. Michael Vance, was shot several times and is in stable condition. It could take him months to recover.
“He needs to have the integrity to step down,” said HPOU President Doug Griffith. “Until he decides to step up and explain himself, we will continue to come after him. I will actively search for people who will run against him.”
According to a criminal history record from the Texas Department of Public Safety, 30-year-old Ledet had several convictions dating back to 2008. In 2015, he was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. In 2020, the felony charge of possession with intent to deliver was added to his rap sheet.
The Harris County District Attorney’s office tells KPRC 2 that Magistrate Lionel Castro set bond amounts for Ledet at $20,000 and $40,000 on Nov. 17, 2020. The next day, on Nov. 18, the District Attorney’s office asked for the bond to be denied because Ledet had two felony convictions. Instead, the DA’s office said Judge Greg Glass of the 208th District Court lowered the bond amounts to $10,000 and $20,000.
“He needs to be out in the forefront explaining himself as to why he did what he did,” said Griffith.
KPRC 2 caught up with Judge Glass as he was presiding over a murder trial Monday afternoon.
His bailiff said that Judge Glass is not going to speak about his decision regarding Ledet’s bond because he does not believe judges should talk about cases.
Ledet was shot and killed in the shooting. His case is no longer pending.
“As a technical matter, judges are not precluded from talking about matters that either aren’t likely to come before them or are no longer pending before them,” said KPRC 2 Legal Analyst Brian Wice.
Tuesday morning, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner also commented on the issue of bond in this case.
“We all have a role to play, but judges do have to be mindful of those that are coming before them each and every day. You can’t ignore what’s happening out here in the real world,” said Turner.
Wice said he is not surprised Glass is not publicly answering questions about his decision.
“The fact that he ultimately made a judgment call that resulted in a horrible, horrible consequence is one that should not characterize the motion picture of his judicial career,” said Wice.