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Bond drastically lowered for serial robbery suspect
FOX 26 Reporter Randy Wallace explains what happened in this edition of Breaking Bond.
HOUSTON - 33-year-old Antjuan Dixon has six prior convictions, two for aggravated robbery.
"He actually gets 12 years in the penitentiary in 2008," said Andy Kahan with Houston Crime Stoppers.
Dixon was released from prison in 2020. Little more than a year later, police say he returned to a life of crime.
"He's charged with not one, not two, but three more aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon and that means a firearm," Kahan said.
Court documents show the DA's office wanted Dixon's bond set at $500,000.
"Which makes sense based on his criminal history, he's obviously a known threat," said Kahan.
Harris County 182nd Criminal District Court Judge Danny Lacayo ignored the DA's request for the bond. He lowered it to just $5,000.
"All he had to do was cough up $500 for three counts of aggravated robbery, which he easily did," Kahan said.
"So you let someone out for $500, where are they going to get the money to pay for their bond? They've already demonstrated their profession is I'm an armed robber," said State Senator John Whitmire.
"I don't know how you justify that," said Kahan. "It simply defies logic and I'd love for someone to tell me why they thought this was in the best interest of public safety."
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"We're seeing repeat armed robbers being released on cash bonds, we're seeing, charged like carrying a gun when you're a felon, which is very serious law violation. They are being released without looking at the risk assessment," Whitmire said.
We're noticing a disturbing trend with some criminal district court judges when it comes to granting small bond amounts for defendants charged with felon in possession of a weapon.
"The stakeholders and some of the judges get very upset with your program and Andy, but I think putting a face on it, identifying the problem, is the first step to solving the problem," Whitmire said.