Veteran Houston criminal defense lawyer Neal Davis, along with Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo, are questioning the tactics of narcotics officer Gerald Goines after it was discovered the officer lied on a search warrant, which led to a deadly drug raid in January.
Since that revelation, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office has begun reviewing 1,400 of the officer’s drug cases, 27 of which are active cases.
Some of the cases under review could be dismissed, according to Neal Davis, who is Vice President of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association and president-elect of the group for next year.
“The concern, of course, is if it’s true, how much smoke is there and how much fire is there in his other cases?” Neal Davis said in a statement reported by KTRK ABC-13 News. “Is this just a one-off incident if he, in fact, lied, or has he been doing this in other cases?”
Neal Davis said a possible pattern of police impropriety in other cases is “a grave concern to us as defense attorneys and our clients.” Improper police actions can lead to charges being dismissed in some criminal cases.
The incident in question took place on Harding Street on January 28th, and involved a “no-knock” raid, with Houston officers storming a house believed to be a drug den. A shoot-out ensued, and two persons in the house died, while three officers were wounded.
