HOUSTON – A Harris County deputy has pled guilty after he was accused of felony attempted sexual assault while working an off-duty job at a popular midtown club.
According to court documents, Harris County Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Hines was sentenced to six years of probation and has to register as a sex offender for the next 10 years following the 2020 incident.
Here’s what happened
On Feb. 23, 2020, the victim, Shanita Terrell, said she was visiting a club named The Address where one of her family members worked. By the end of the night, Terrell said that she was “not in her usual state of mind,” according to legal documents.
Hines and another deputy, who were both dressed in their standard HCSO uniforms, reportedly used their authority to put Terrell in the front seat of Hines’ squad car where they claimed she would be taken home.
The next day, Terrell told investigators she woke up in immense pain and believed that something happened to her sexually. She decided to go to the hospital where a rape kit was administered. The rape kit showed that sexual activity had in fact taken place although Terrell said she did not consent to have sex with anyone.
DNA evidence later revealed that body fluids left on Terrell matched Hines, which led to the charges being filed, according to investigators.
Hines track record
This is not the first time Deputy Hines has been on the other side of the law.
Back in Sept. 2018, Hines was previously arrested for sexual assault of a child. He was “no-billed” in this case by a Harris County Grand Jury.
Hines was also arrested on July 18, 2021, for an assault involving a family member in Harris County and pled guilty in 2022.
“Ms. Terrell was brave to stand up and report this to show others that if you are sexually assaulted, you can prevail. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office, unlike HPD, allows deputies to work at venues where most of their sales come from alcohol,” said civil rights lawyer Randall Kallinen. “The red flag was there. People of Harris County are fed up with misconduct by law enforcement. We need to know if there are other victims out there.”