The following includes editorial content which is the opinion of the writer, a retired Police Chief and current Law Enforcement Today staff writer.
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HARRIS COUNTY, TX- In today’s issue of “social justice Democrat style,” we give you the story of 24-year-old Joshua Gabriel Ortiz-Lopez, who has managed to bail out of jail while being subject to 31 felony bonds totaling over $1 million dollars, Fox 26 Houston reports.
“I’ve never seen someone who’s out on a total of 31 felony bonds,” gasped Andy Kahan with Crime Stoppers.
All of this is happening in Harris County, Texas, home of Houston, where liberal judges continue to release Ortiz-Lopez despite having his bond revoked at least four times each on two separate cases.
“$1,160,000 in total bonds on eight felonies since 2019,” said Kahan.
24-year-old ex-con free from jail on total of 31 felony bonds, exceeding more than $1 million
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— National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) (@GLFOP) January 5, 2023
Among the felony charges Ortiz-Lopez faces include engaging in organized criminal activity, arson, retaliation, and possession of body armor by a convicted felon. Typical “low-level” offenses, right?
“I’ve seen his bond revoked on one case four times, on another case four times,” said Kahan. “They keep reinstating it, and he keeps getting back out. He keeps reoffending and they keep putting him back out.”
And Ortiz-Lopez continues to take advantage of the judges soft-on-crime policies, having gotten himself a host of new felony charges while also being convicted of felony theft in Montgomery County, Texas.
“If public safety is your primary goal to keep the public safe from an offender like him, it’s not happening,” said Kahan.
Fox 26 said they went to the home which Ortiz-Lopez claims is his home address in information provided to the bonding company. The outlet was told that he no longer lives there.
“I dare anyone out there watching this, if you think you can top 31 felony bonds, call me, you contact us,” said Kahan. Â
Thankfully, the judge who is responsible for Ortiz-Lopez being out on the streets was defeated in last year’s primary election. Her name is Amy Martin, and she will apparently no longer be in the position to release violent felons back out onto the streets.
Meanwhile in Florida, a burglary suspect who was out on bond is back behind bars after accidentally shooting himself with a stolen gun while breaking into a car, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said, reported the Miami Herald.
The incident took place on Jan. 4 during a slew of car burglaries north of Crestview, investigators said in a news released. That city is located about 50 miles northeast of Pensacola.
“A woman living on Highway 85…called the OCSO to report a man was outside of her home saying he had been shot, the sheriff’s office said.
“Deputies found [the suspect] with a gunshot wound to his leg. He was taken to a hospital for treatment.”
Investigators determined the unidentified man, 28, had been recorded “on several residential video cameras…committing a series of car and residential burglaries,” the sheriff’s office said.
During their investigation, sheriffs discovered the suspect was out on bond in connection with two unrelated burglary cases and “on felony probation for a previous theft of a firearm.”
While a list of stolen items was not provided, one woman in the area said the suspect was seen wearing her stolen boots.
“A homeowner on Zach Avenue says she discovered someone had broken into her car and taken her purse,” authorities said. “Later while watching a neighbor’s surveillance video, she saw [the suspect] on camera wearing her white Sperry boots, which had been in her home’s garage.”
The burglary suspect was arrested on Jan. 5 after being released from a hospital and was charged with “grand theft, burglary to a structure, car burglary, and a felony violation of probation,” officials said.
“Overall, he has had 13 felony guilty convictions since 2012 in Florida, including six for burglary, four for grand theft, and one for grand theft of a firearm,” the sheriff’s office said.
Sometimes however things turn deadly when violent felons are released from jail when they shouldn’t be. Such was the case when a California deputy was fatally shot during a traffic stop by a man who officials said should have still been in jail under that state’s “three strikes” law.
In that case, Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy Isaiah Cordero, 32, was killed after the suspect, William Shea McKay, opened fire on him after being pulled over. McKay was eventually killed by sheriff’s deputies during a shootout. For a full accounting of this incident, please see our previous Law Enforcement Today report on the incident.
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