HOUSTON – A Houston Urban Park Ranger accused of threatening a man with jail time if he didn’t pay him and allegedly helping him lure men into Cullen Park for sex appeared before a judge.
Joey Lamar Ellis, 33, is charged with felony official oppression.
KPRC 2′s Re’Chelle Turner was in the courtroom and spoke to the prosecutor and defense attorney.
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The hearing only lasted about 10 minutes.
Ellis didn’t say much inside the courtroom when the judge set bond conditions in his case.
The judge said Ellis could not possess any weapons. He cannot do drugs. He cannot leave Harris County without permission. He cannot have contact with any victims, and he cannot go to any parks.
On Thursday, KPRC 2 was made aware of details involving the first victim who encountered Ellis at Cullen Park.
Here’s what happened
Prosecutors say Ellis was on the clock during the time of the incident, but he was not supposed to be working at Cullen Park.
At some point while out there, he approached a man who was sitting in his car with another man.
Prosecutors say Ellis had a gun and told the man to get out of the car, strip down naked, and confess to a crime he didn’t commit.
They also said Ellis reportedly told the victim he would take him to jail if he didn’t pay him.
The victim gave Ellis $20 cash and used CashApp to send him $100.
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“Then the defendant says, you’re going to help me lure in other men to do the same scheme, essentially. And that’s when the complainant was able to get away from the defendant. And was able to go to a nearby gas station and call 911 and report this to the police,” said Assistant District Attorney for the Public Corruption Division, Kimberly Smith.
Defense Attorney Wes Rucker denied the allegations.
“Mr. Ellis is an upstanding citizen,” Rucker said. “He’s never been in trouble for a day in his life. And he strongly contests these charges. And we think as the evidence unfolds, it’ll be seen that this was a mistake to bring these cases.”
A second victim spoke to KPRC 2′s Deven Clarke on Wednesday about similar allegations.
SEE ALSO: Man says Houston park ranger made him strip, demanded sex and money at Cullen Park
That victim says back in April, Ellis approached him as he was leaving the park and made him pull his pants down, demanded his license, and threatened to take him to jail unless he did one of two things— have sex with him or pay him $260. The man paid the money but didn’t report the incident to police out of fear.
The man returned to the park a few weeks later and ran into Ellis again. This time, he managed to get away and ultimately ended up filing a police report. That man—who asked not to be identified—says Cullen Park used to be a place where he could go to run and workout.
Now, it triggers memories of, not one but two series of traumatic events that he still finds hard to believe.
“This is like traumatizing. Like, my life will never be the same, ever,” he said.
Prosecutors say Ellis could be facing more charges if more victims speak out.
Houston police are urging any potential victims to come forward if they have encountered Ellis.
His next court date is set for this August.