Roger Johnson, 41, did not appear at his probable cause hearing. The magistrate said he was combative, but the court attorney said it was for other reasons.
"I don't see any notes that he was combative. This is a high-profile case because he is a detention officer for Harris County," the attorney said.
Johnson is charged with aggravated assault. Tomball police said on Saturday, he was using his free time and went to the Academy when an altercation played out between Johnson, a man, and a woman. The magistrate said Johnson thought they were shoplifting.
The magistrate said the man got away, and then Johnson pointed a gun at the woman before engaging in what the magistrate called a 'take down' of the woman.
"This is an instance of a non-licensed peace officer person who works in a semi-related law enforcement capacity, pulling a gun on a person he suspected was a shoplifter," the magistrate said.
The magistrate also said that Johnson alleged the woman reached for something, prompting him to pull his weapon, but that surveillance video contradicted that. The magistrate also revealed that the woman didn't have any stolen goods on her.
Johnson, the man, and the woman were all arrested. Dennis Tovar and Claudia Saldana are facing misdemeanor theft charges. Court records show both were accused of taking multiple sets of shirts, shorts, and shoes from the Academy.
The magistrate said she's concerned with how Johnson handled the situation and set his bond at $10,000.
"A shoplifting case where you have no idea the value, whether it's a misdemeanor, whether it's a felony, whether a person is actually involved, it's one thing to help a police officer by trying to detain someone physically with your arms, it's another to point a gun at them," the magistrate said.
An ABC13 crew did see Johnson and his lawyer as Johnson was being released, but neither made a comment. Eyewitness News has contacted the sheriff's office and Academy Sport and is waiting to hear back.
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