Park Ranger Indicted for Assaulting Gay Men in Houston
Joey Lamar Ellis allegedly threatened men in city parks with arrest, forcing them to pay him money or perform sexual acts.
Joey Lamar Ellis, a Houston park ranger, was indicted on December 3 by a federal grand jury for repeatedly abusing his authority by stopping, detaining, and assaulting gay men who visited city parks late at night or in the early morning. The 34-year-old faces 20 counts of civil rights violations for targeting eight different men whom he believed to be gay.
Ellis has been arrested and taken into custody, according to Houston CBS affiliate KHOU.
According to the charges, Ellis carried out a targeted campaign of extortion at several different parks in the Houston area. He allegedly positioned his city-issued vehicle behind victims’ vehicles to prevent them from leaving.
Ellis would falsely accuse victims of committing various crimes and threaten to arrest them or tow their cars. In many instances, Ellis allegedly confiscated victims’ driver’s licenses and cell phones.
As each encounter progressed, Ellis allegedly offered the victims a way out. On some occasions, he would allegedly demand money. On others, he would allegedly assault his victims and at times would force them to perform sexual acts, such as groping one victim, forcing another to strip naked, and sexually assaulting another by forcing him to perform oral sex. Ellis allegedly utilized his firearm on multiple occasions in an intimidating manner.
Ellis was arraigned on the federal charges on December 12. He pleaded not guilty.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew Edison scheduled a trial for January 27. Ellis remains in custody.
Anyone who believes they have been victimized by Ellis, or knows someone who has, is asked to contact the FBI by submitting an online form or contacting the Houston Field Office at 713-693-5000.
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