Felony Criminal Freed to Walk the Streets Charged with Murder. What Happened?
The man accused of leading law enforcement on a chase which led to a Houston woman’s tragic death would still be behind bars if not for dismissal of his 2022 felony charge, according to Harris County records.
Joseph Jebbia, a career criminal, was charged Wednesday with murder for the death of Carrie Mitchell.
Harris County authorities said Mitchell was waiting at a North Houston bus stop last week when she was hit and killed by Jebbia during a high speed chases in which Jebbia was fleeing authorities.
Why was Jebbia Out of Jail?
According to 2022 court records, Jebbia was charged with felon in possession of a weapon, a felony. Because he was already on parole, Jebbia had to remain in the Harris County Jail. However, just days before he was set to go to trial in December 2023, the case against Jebbia was dropped by the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. The reason cited in the dismissal documents was a pending federal case.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office confirmed to ABC13 that the U.S. Attorney’s Office informed them that moving forward with the state’s case would hinder the federal investigation.
According to ABC13’s reporting, sources told them the federal investigation was related to drug trafficking. But there was only one problem: the federal case was never filed.
Attorney Michael Wynne Speaks with ABC13
“Look, the feds messed up, the case should have been charged,“ said former federal prosecutor and Gregor Wynne Arney attorney Michael Wynne. “The guy should not have been on the street. No excuse for it.”
A few weeks after the state case was dismissed, Jebbia’s parole hold was released, and he was back on the streets. Wynne says although situations like this do occur, the defendants are usually charged with federal crimes right away, so they are not just wandering the streets.
“It’s symptomatic of a colossal lack of communications between law enforcement in the fed side and stateside. Happens far too frequently. Here we have a tragic result,” Wynne said.
Wynne says Mitchell’s family deserves an explanation from prosecutors about what happened. ABC13 spoke to Mitchell’s daughter Wednesday afternoon, and she said she had no idea that a previous charge had been dismissed without federal follow-up.
“Odds are the feds just didn’t get around to it. There is just no excuse,” Wynne said.
To see the full story, follow this link to ABC13.com | Click here
