Man let out of jail for $50 accused of beating his ex and her grandma
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A man beat his ex-girlfriend and threw her grandmother to the ground two weeks after he was released from jail on a low bond after being arrested for a violent crime, according to Harris County records.
Timothy Singleton, 31, has a warrant out for his arrest.
Two weeks ago, he was released from jail after paying $50 on a $500 bond. The bond was controversial because he has violent convictions. Most recently he was accused of pulling a gun out on his aunt's neighbor.
At his first court appearance at the end of March, Magistrate Jennifer Gaut and prosecutor Karen Barney had a heated exchange about the bond amount.
Barney requested a $50,000 bond based on his criminal history. Gaut ultimately explained COVID-19 concerns in the jail were driving her decisions.
District Judge Chris Morton upheld the bond. The Harris County District Attorney's Office was in the midst of an appeal when Singleton allegedly committed another violent crime.
"This is exactly what we predicted. What we were fearful of," said Andy Kahan, director of victim services at Crime Stoppers.
On Wednesday morning, Singleton attacked his ex-girlfriend at her house in Acres Homes, according to Houston police. After breaking in, he "pummeled" her and "ripped out her weave." Records said he also threw her grandmother to the ground and then took off.
Gaut, who set the low bond, declined to comment. Morton also did not respond.
Singleton benefited from the effort to thin out the jail population in the midst of the coronavirus crisis.
Quaran Pope, 21 did, too. Pope was released by way of an emergency order issued by County Judge Lina Hidalgo before a District Judge halted it.
Pope was one of a dozen people accused of non-violent crimes with non-violent histories who were released April 3rd. On Wednesday night, he was back in jail, charged with a car break-in and stealing IDs and bank account numbers from three people. These are crimes for which he's previously been convicted.
The cases at the Harris County jail continue to grow. Early Wednesday, the Harris County Sheriff's Office said 85 people who work there and 68 inmates have been infected.
"By the day, these cases are growing exponentially, which we feared," Hidalgo told ABC13.
Kahan argues against releasing any habitual offender.
"The reverberations of COVID-19, not just from the pandemic but from the criminal justice side, you're going to continue to see day in a day out," said Kahan.
SEE RELATED LINK: Federal judge rejects motion to release up to 4,000 Harris County Jail inmates
