Houston, Texas
A judge has lowered the bail for a Houston police officer accused of sexually assaulting a woman while on duty and implicated in five other possible cases, disappointing advocates of the other alleged victims.
State District Judge Denise Collins lowered the bail from $500,000 to $150,000 for Abraham Joseph after tearful testimony from Joseph's wife, who is eight months pregnant, saying the family doesn't have any money.
Katrina Patrick, an attorney involved in a civil suit against the officer, said other women accusing Joseph of attacking them are concerned for their safety.
"I find it terribly, terribly alarming that Joseph's bond was reduced today, especially in light of the fact that we are seeing more and more victims coming forward," Patrick said.
"This is a guy who has done some horrendous acts against the community, and he deserves to be behind bars," she added. "I think this is going to alarm a lot of the victims. A lot of their ... solace comes from the fact this guy is behind bars."
Benjamin Hall, who represents the woman Joseph is charged with raping and two other possible victims, said he worries the former officer may be released.
"He's got a constitutional right to have a reasonable bond, but we're just going to make sure he has no contact with our clients," Hall said.
Joseph, 27, was indicted last week on charges of aggravated sexual assault. The charges stem from an alleged attack on Jan. 2 in which Joseph is accused of handcuffing a cantina waitress outside of the bar, driving her to a secluded area and raping her on the trunk of his police car, according to a civil lawsuit filed by the woman.
He was relieved of duty by HPD officials later that day. Prosecutors argued Friday that Joseph is a suspect in five other cases involving four other women.
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