More than 36,000 parolees convicted of new crimes but not sent back to prison

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - You’ve got to wonder how this even happens.

People paroled from prison before serving all their time are all told "Break the law and you will go back to prison." But that’s not what’s happening, and State Representative Sarah Davis filed a bill on Monday in hopes of finding out why.

It was a year ago this month when 19-year-old Peter Milke was murdered while working at a Bellaire pizzeria.

“My son was shot 15 times. How am I going to get over that,” said Peter’s mother Dana Milke.

24-year-old Kiara Taylor is charged with Milke’s murder, but his mother blames the Texas parole board and for good reason. Taylor should have been back in prison last February.

After serving less than half of his prison sentence, Taylor was paroled and his crime spree began.

“Within three months he gets two convictions of state jail felonies for burglary of a building,” said crime victims advocate Andy Kahan.

After serving his time Taylor walks out of a state jail and is free again.

“Doesn’t get revoked doesn’t got back to prison,” Kahan said.

Taylor gets a third conviction for evading arrest but is allowed to remain on parole.

Just days after his release from the county jail, Taylor allegedly murdered Peter Milke.

In an Only on Fox report last July, we told you how 42-year-old convicted killer Leroy Stoots was also allowed to remain on parole after he too was convicted of a new crime.

“Has at least nine warrants out for him, nothing happens to him,” Kahan said.

Now Stoots is charged with the murder of 31-year-old Kumba Sesay.

According to the parole board’s own figures from fiscal year 2010 through fiscal year 2015 around 6,000 parolees each fiscal year picked up a new conviction but did not have their paroles revoked.

But the parole board can’t tell us how many of the new convictions are misdemeanors and how many are felonies.

“If you are convicted of another crime while on parole that’s a pretty good indicator that you shouldn’t be on the street,” said Davis.

On Monday Davis filed a bill that would force the parole board to find out exactly how many parolees are convicted of misdemeanor crimes and felony crimes after their early release from prison.

If the bill passes parole officials must submit their findings to lawmakers.