Ex-Tarrant jailer charged with Anthony Johnson’s murder seeks release from house arrest
One of the former Tarrant County Jail employees charged with the murder of Anthony Johnson Jr. has filed a motion asking that he be released from 24-hour house arrest.
Attorneys for Joel Garcia, who worked as a supervisor at the jail at the time of the 31-year-old Marine veteran’s death in April, filed the motion seeking to change his bond conditions on Nov. 29, according to court records. Garcia was indicted in June along with former jailer Rafael Moreno.
“There is no allegation Mr. Garcia personally touched Mr. Johnson in any way,” his defense attorneys wrote in the motion, in which they called Johnson’s death tragic. “Instead, he stands accused of acting as a party who is criminally responsible for the conduct of Rafael Moreno, Jr., another Tarrant County Sheriff’s Deputy accused of causing Mr. Johnson’s death by putting his weight on Mr. Johnson’s back or the back of Mr. Johnson’s shoulder causing Mr. Johnson to die of asphyxia.”
Johnson was booked as an inmate at the jail after he experienced symptoms of a schizophrenic episode and was turned away when he sought help at a medical facility, according to his family. Video shows he was pepper-sprayed and held face-down on the ground by jailers during the altercation that led to his death.
Garcia was released from jail on $125,000 bond after his indictment and has been confined at his North Texas home since July, according to court documents. His attorneys are asking the court to amend his bond conditions to remove the requirements for 24-hour house arrest and “intensive” GPS monitoring.
Garcia’s attorneys argue that he is not a flight risk and that the house arrest and electronic monitoring are not needed to guarantee his appearance at trial or to protect the community.
Garcia, who is appealing his termination from the Sheriff’s Office, would like to seek other employment and take his daughter to school, church and other activities, according to the motion. His wife works as a lieutenant at the Sheriff’s Office, the motion states.
