KHOU 11 Investigates: Harris County DA's Office May Have Filed Wrong Charges in 300 Cases

Erroneous Charging in Harris County

• investigative reporter Jeremy Riowski confirmed that the Harris County District Attorney's Office may have filed wrong charges in up to 300 cases over the past five years.
• In these cases, defendants were charged with a higher level offense than the facts alleged, potentially leading to incorrect convictions and punishments.

Impact of Charging Errors

• ⚖️ Defendants charged with a higher offense, such as a Class A misdemeanor instead of a Class B, could face greater punishment and have a more severe record.
• ⚠️ An error on a defendant's record could be used to enhance future crimes, triggering a minimum of 90 days in jail instead of 30.
• 📉 The chief public defender for Harris County stated that such errors devalue the system and undermine public trust in fair treatment.

Cause and Review of Errors

• 💻 First Assistant District Attorney Chandler Rain suggested that the errors may stem from a coding problem, where intake prosecutors entered incorrect charging codes into the system.
• 🔍 The DA's office is currently investigating how these mistakes occurred and is reviewing other offenses for potential charging errors.
• 📌 So far, problems have only been flagged in cases of criminal trespass.

Addressing the Discrepancies

• ✅ In about half of the flagged cases, defendants have already pleaded guilty and are entitled to file a petition to correct their record.
• ❓ For the other half, which are pending cases, the DA's office notified defense attorneys out of an abundance of caution, as some may not have actual problems.
• 🎯 Prosecutors aim to always make the right charging decision, and there is no intent to wrongly charge individuals.