HOUSTON – A Houston woman who said she was sexually assaulted by a Harris County deputy three years ago is speaking out for the first time after his sentencing.
According to court documents, Shanita Terrell stated that Harris County Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Hines sexually assaulted her after he agreed to drive her home from a popular midtown bar back in 2020.
According to investigators, Terrell told police that she was a customer at The Address bar, where Hines was working an off-duty job. She said that she became intoxicated and was “not in her usual state of mind.”
That’s when Hines and another deputy allegedly used their authority to place her in the front seat of his patrol unit, promising to take her home.
The next morning when Terrell woke up, she stated that she felt immense pain which caused her to go to the hospital where a rape kit was administered. The kit showed that sexual activity had, in fact, taken place although Terrell said she did not consent to have sex with anyone that night, documents state. Later in the investigation, DNA evidence revealed that body fluids left on Terrell matched Hines, which led to the charges being filed.
On Tuesday, lawyers announced that Hines pled guilty to felony attempted sexual assault and was sentenced to six years probation and told that he would have to register as a sex offender for the next 10 years.
Documents show Hines had previously been charged in two separate cases. One for sexual assault of a child where he was “no-billed” by a Harris County Grand Jury, and another in July 2021 where he was arrested for an assault involving a family member. He pled guilty to that case in 2022.
Terrell, her attorney Randall L. Kallinen, and several others gathered to share their thoughts on the case and the sentence.
According to Kallinen, Hines no longer works for the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and, according to his probation stipulations, will no longer be able to use a weapon.
While admitting that Terrell was in fact intoxicated at the time of the incident, Kallinen said it still does not give anybody the right to do what was done.
“It is my understanding that it is against policy to give someone a ride home in a squad car,” Kallinen said. “And furthermore, she was put into the front seat.”
Additionally, Kallinen made a note that when an off-duty deputy is approved to work at a club or bar, that establishment receives a level of qualified immunity while law enforcement officials are on the property.
“When officers work at clubs, the clubs are basically getting to buy that governmental immunity,” Kallinen said.
During the news conference, Terrell stated that while she’s happy that Hines was reprimanded, she still feels like there should have been a more severe punishment regarding the alleged assault.
“It wasn’t all the way justice. I don’t feel like it was fair. He should’ve had jail time,” Terrell said. “Full justice for me looks like taking away everything, making sure he never has a chance to hurt anyone else.”
She said during the past three years, she has been devastated by the case. She added that she constantly lives in fear of someone doing something to her and that she had to move out of her residence immediately after the incident.
“They are there to protect us. That’s what we pay our tax dollars for. And we don’t even get protection from them,” Terrell added.
She then encouraged other victims who have gone through a similar situation to come forward, even if the suspect is a law enforcement official.
Terrell currently has a civil case pending on the matter.