$150K bond for man accused of killing sergeant sparks outrage
HOUSTON - A Harris County magistrate has now revoked the $150,000 bond for the man accused of killing a Nassau Bay police officer.
Some local law enforcement leaders expressed outrage on Thursday when the original $150,000 bond was set for Tavores Henderson, who is accused of killing Nassau Bay police Sgt. Kaila Sullivan.
On Friday, the charge against him was upgraded to capital murder, and the bond was revoked.
Henderson was arrested around 1:30 p.m. Thursday after a manhunt that began Tuesday night. Police say he hit and killed Sgt. Sullivan with his vehicle.
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Henderson appeared in court on Thursday for the original felony murder charge, wearing Sgt. Sullivan’s handcuffs.
At the hearing, his bond was set at $150,000 for the felony murder charge, but the state filed a motion to deny bail. There was also a bond of $5,000 set for a separate charge.
Court documents show he has no bond for a separate case out of Harris County, and a judge revoked his bond for another charge in Galveston County. The judge said both of those cases were taken into consideration when setting the bond.
On Friday, a magistrate revoked the $150,000 bond.
RELATED: Henderson appears in court wearing fallen sergeant's handcuffs
The original bond set on Thursday sparked backlash from local law enforcement leaders.
On Thursday, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez expressed “disbelief” on Twitter.
In a series of tweets, Sheriff Gonzalez wrote:
“Smh in disbelief. A Police Sgt dead, suspect on the run for couple days, my team and our law enforcement partners do a phenomenal job locating & taking him into custody without incident- I simply do not understand his initial bond set at $150,000.
I support reform on non-violent cases, but we must hold the line when it comes to violent crime. I know our current bail system in transition, but public safety/risk is important. We’ve seen examples where money alone does not make us safe, bc if someone can pay they can get out.
I know our criminal justice system has many [cogs], and we’re just one, but this one does not make sense to me and is disappointing.”
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo also took to Twitter, calling it “outrageous”.
“Outrageous! This coward who took the life of a hero & poses a clear & present danger to community & the people we serve. This story is incomplete, what court is this? Bail decisions need to be made on the basis of risk to public@ safety & of flight,” he wrote.
On Twitter, the Houston Police Officers’ Union wrote, “Yes, the judge gave Tavores Henderson a bond for the murder of Nassau Police Sergeant Kaila Sullivan. Henderson was already out on four felony bonds. #EnoughIsEnough This is a slap in the face to law enforcement everywhere. #HarrisCountyDeservesBetter”
Henderson will have to appear in court again Friday for the upgraded charge.
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