TexasCHLforum.com

O.F.Fascist wrote:Bump for outcome.

https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texa ... 825784.php

Russell Lawrence Ziemba, who was arrested for kicking a police officer who found a stash of weapons in his downtown Houston hotel room on New Year's Eve, will get his high-capacity guns back after a county grand jury declined to indict him on any felony charges earlier this week.
...
After being arrested and charged with assault of a police officer, the 49-year-old Tomball man’s case was reviewed by a grand jury. On Monday, prosecutors failed to convince grand jurors that there was enough evidence to proceed on a criminal case, effectively dismissing it.
...
“The surveillance video from the Hyatt Regency showed insufficient evidence that Mr. Ziemba kicked the officer when he was being arrested for trespassing,” Easterling said in a brief emailed statement. “Everybody looked at it, homicide looked at it, and there was zero evidence of bad intent. He was just having a good time in a hotel, drinking.”
...
Easterling said Ziemba is now in drug and alcohol treatment with the Veterans Administration. He still faces misdemeanor charges of trespass. Notes in the file indicate that case would be resolved after the grand jury action.

Guy is lucky he had a reasonable Grand Jury. I wonder if the officer exaggerated the assault allegation in an attempt to hit this guy with a felony and strip him of his gun rights.

A very interesting development. I thought a DA could get a ham sandwich indicted. This man was given $100,000 bond in a city that seems to be a revolving door for repeat criminals getting out of jail, on very low bonds. (they have a right to be free because they haven't been convicted yet or something to that effect from the DA) Correct me if I am wrong, the arrested man's lawyer didn't get to say anything to the grand jury, the grand jury came up with this on their own, after hearing the DA, evidence, which I assume included a statement from a police officer that the defendant kicked him. Wow.

Did the Grand Jury like guns so much that they smelled a rat and over reach by just about everybody against the guy who just didn't want his guns stolen and then decided to have a good time on New Years Eve. Was there any discussion on how he got so drunk in the hotel. Drinking in his room or buying drinks at the hotel bar? Inquiring minds want to know.

Our drunken gun owner did not get off unharmed. I'm assuming the $100,000 bond cost him $10,000 he won't get back, plus attorney fees to this point, plus it sounds like some more.

Very interesting. I would not expect the same ending to this story in California or Austin.

philip964 wrote:

TreyHouston wrote:“Ziemba's bond is set at $100,000.
The DA's office said the bond is high because he was already out on bond when he committed another crime.” Added: will see the judge on Friday, I guess to enter plea?

I heard this at lunch today. His previous “crime” has to do with a weapons charge. From what I understood, this “crime” he is only being charged with trespassing and assault on an police officer.

WHO IS THIS GUY??

For those of you not from Houston the high bond became somewhat of a surprise. One of Houston's problems right now is professional criminals are getting 6,000 dollar bonds for their 30th arrest in two months. They make enough money from robbing and burglarizing that they can make the $600 every two day cash requirement for the bonds. The judges blamed the DA for not alerting them to the problem, the DA blames everyone's "right" to bond out of jail on crimes they haven't been convicted of. The police of course feel they are just a cog in a revolving door and are tired of rearresting the same folks everyday.

I'm figuring the high bond was due to it being a high profile "gun" crime and his lack of preferential status.

Here is a $100,000 bond for a man "with ties to another county", but its only for murder and pointing a gun at a police officer. He later cut the ankle monitor off and committed more crimes.

https://www.click2houston.com/news/hous ... -low-bonds_

TreyHouston wrote:“Ziemba's bond is set at $100,000.
The DA's office said the bond is high because he was already out on bond when he committed another crime.” Added: will see the judge on Friday, I guess to enter plea?

I heard this at lunch today. His previous “crime” has to do with a weapons charge. From what I understood, this “crime” he is only being charged with trespassing and assault on an police officer.

WHO IS THIS GUY??

For those of you not from Houston the high bond became somewhat of a surprise. One of Houston's problems right now is professional criminals are getting 6,000 dollar bonds for their 30th arrest in two months. They make enough money from robbing and burglarizing that they can make the $600 every two day cash requirement for the bonds. The judges blamed the DA for not alerting them to the problem, the DA blames everyone's "right" to bond out of jail on crimes they haven't been convicted of. The police of course feel they are just a cog in a revolving door and are tired of rearresting the same folks everyday.

I'm figuring the high bond was due to it being a high profile "gun" crime and his lack of preferential status.

https://www.click2houston.com/news/man- ... appearance

Has a pick up truck, looks pretty new.

Likes to grill outside.

At hotel to drink and celebrate new year.

Army veteran.

Didn't want to leave guns in truck where they would be stolen.

Hotel asked him to leave and he wouldn't.

Struggled with officer sent to evict him.

Guns found during search of room.

Became front page national news.

Yep Gun show just down the street.

This one appears to be two minutes sooner than the other similar thread. Its really tough to be that close to the prize and yet not make it.

This is the big major headline on Drudge this morning.

However a comment posted by a reader may put this into perspective. There is a gun show in downtown Houston this weekend.

It was just three guns afterall.

I have not confirmed accuracy of the gun show comment.