Police outraged after man accused of making threats to kill their staff released from jail for free

DEER PARK, Texas (KTRK) -- Less than 72 hours after being arrested, a man who posted a series of videos threatening to shoot Deer Park police was released from jail on a personal bond.

J. Paul Gilliam, 49, was arrested on Friday and charged with retaliation, a third-degree felony.

According to charging documents, police were called out to the area of J.P. Dabbs Elementary School on Friday morning over reports that Gilliam was aggressively harassing a crossing guard. Gilliam lives across the street from the school.

Jillian Basilone, the president of the Deer Park Police Association, said the officer responded to the scene and cleared the call without making any arrests.

"One of the school officials calls our PD and says, 'Hey, we see J. Paul's Facebook page, and we see that he's posting a lot of threatening things on his page right now,'" Basilone said.

Gilliam posted at least 25 expletive-laced videos threatening Deer Park police and dispatchers within minutes of each other immediately following the officer's response to the call that Friday morning.

"They are very specific threats," Basilone said. "I mean, our police sergeant is named in it specifically."

"No more fun for you," Gilliam said in one of the videos. "No more fun for your family. No more fun for anybody because you're going to in fact, (expletive) die because I'm going to shoot you in your (expletive) face."

"I hope you die, Tryon you (expletive)," the Deer Park Police Association posted to their Facebook, quoting the videos. "J. Paul is going to shoot you in your (expletive) face (expletive), then in your chest... I'm not going to just shoot you once...You stop and jump out on me. I am going to shoot you in your face. You understand? You jump out on me. I'm shoot you in the face, (expletive) die. Dispatchers, too. Anybody who works for Deer Park PD, I want you dead."

Gilliam was taken to jail Friday night. His charging documents note that he is an ongoing problem for Dabbs Elementary.

During a probable cause court appearance, a magistrate set his bond at $10,000.

The Harris County District Attorney's Office filed a motion for sufficient bond with the judge and specifically opposed a personal bond and a low bond.

When he went before Associate Judge Ike Okorafor on Monday morning, he opted to give Gilliam a personal bond.

A personal bond does not require payment to leave jail under the promise that the defendant will return for court hearings in the future.

The FAQ section of the Harris County Pretrial Services website states that a judge may look at a number of factors when determining if someone is eligible for a personal bond.

"The judge may consider a person's stability in the community, the seriousness of the charge, and any potential danger to public safety presented by the defendant," the website reads.

"If you look at the documentation that shows his violent tendencies, his criminal history, and the threats he made, that doesn't read stable," Basilone said in response.

Gilliam has at least 15 past criminal charges that he has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to. The most recent violent charge was in 2012, according to records.

"You're putting people at risk," Basilone said. "I mean, so you can make threats like this and then end up back out on the streets less than 72 hours later?"

If his bond had been left at $10,000, Gilliam would have only had to pay $1,000 to get out, which Basilone said would have at least been better.

"It gives the opportunity that he is behind bars longer," Basilone said. "He is no longer on the streets. It adds one extra layer."

ABC13 reporter Mycah Hatfield spoke to Gilliam outside his home on Wednesday afternoon. When she asked if he planned to do anything violent against the crossing guard or the police, he said, "I'm nobody. Like I said, I don't even have a gun. Who's going to give me a gun to go hurt somebody if I'm irate and mad and like, 'I want them to die'?"

He said he had a mental illness and was off his medication on Friday.

ABC13 reached out to Associate Judge Okorafor for comment. The district court's communications director responded, saying that they are prevented from speaking about specifics of a pending case by the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct.

Deer Park ISD said they sent a note home to parents following Friday's encounter between Gilliam and the crossing guard.

"We are familiar with the man and his behavior, but, thankfully, he has not threatened any students or parents. He appears to be focused on the police," the letter reads.

They assured parents that there is a school resource officer on campus daily who is familiar with the situation and that Gilliam, who is not mentioned by name, has never attempted to enter the school or make contact with students.

Gilliam is due back in court on April 2.

For more on this story, follow Mycah Hatfield on Facebook, X and Instagram.