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A former park ranger in Houston has been accused of forcing homosexual males into sexual encounters within the parks the place he allegedly beat and robbed them, in accordance with federal prosecutors.

Joey Ellis, 34, was arrested on Tuesday throughout a courtroom listening to asserting his fees. He was initially in courtroom to face three fees in Harris County, two of which have been for official oppression, and one for sexual assault.

Federal prosecutors allege that Ellis pressured victims into paying him cash or performing sexual acts on him. These alleged victims have been all visiting Houston metropolis parks within the evenings when the assaults happened.

The 20-count indictment got here down on December 3, alleging that Ellis violated the civil rights of eight victims.

Based on the indictments, Ellis allegedly confiscated the sufferer’s driver’s licenses and threatened to have their autos towed except they paid him off or had intercourse with him.

The indictments embody troubling particulars of the alleged assaults. Cases of groping, pressured nudity, and utilizing a gun to intimidate a sufferer are listed amongst Ellis’s alleged violations.

The investigation into Ellis started after two males got here ahead in June with allegations that they’d been robbed by a park ranger at Cullen Park, in accordance with NBC 2 Houston.

One of many males who got here ahead claimed that Ellis threatened to arrest him if he didn’t both pay him or carry out intercourse acts on him. He stated Ellis made him pull his pants down, hand over his license after which threatened to take him to jail if he did not comply along with his calls for for intercourse or money. The person stated he reluctantly paid Ellis $260.

That particular person claims they bumped into Ellis a second time on the park, and that he once more threatened him with arrest.

“He was like ‘You already know the routine. I instructed you to not be out right here, one or two issues.’” the person reportedly instructed police.

He tried to drive off, however Ellis allegedly gave chase and tried to sideswipe him. The person finally managed to shake Ellis, after which he reported the incident to police.

Based on the FBI, the parks the place Ellis labored are well-liked meet-up spots for homosexual males. Officers say Ellis could have been focusing on victims for years earlier than he was caught and had labored for the Metropolis of Houston since 2019.

The FBI is requesting that anybody else who could have been attacked, or witnessed potential crimes associated to the case to contact the company.

Ellis’s protection attorneys stated the previous ranger is harmless and vowed to combat the costs.