HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The man accused of leading law enforcement on a chase in which a woman was tragically hit and killed would still be behind bars if it weren’t for a 2022 charge being dismissed, according to records.
Joseph Jebbia is charged with murder for the death of Carrie Mitchell.
Mitchell was waiting for the bus along the North Freeway service road last week when she was hit and killed by Jebbia, authorities said.
Now the question is, why was Jebbia out, driving around?
According to court records reviewed by ABC13, in 2022, Jebbia was charged with felon in possession of a weapon, a felony. Because he was already on parole, Jebbia was on a parole hold and 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 dismissed. 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 if the state case were to go forward, it would hinder the federal investigation.
Sources told ABC13 that the federal investigation was related to drug trafficking. But there was only one problem: the federal case was never filed.
“Look, the feds messed up, the case should have been charged,” former federal prosecutor Michael Wynne said. “The guy should not have been on the street. No excuse for it.”
After the state case was dismissed, Jebbia’s parole hold was released in a few weeks, 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,” Wynn 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.
When ABC13 contacted the Department of Justice about the case, they said they’re looking into it. But they can only comment on what’s on the record. But since there is no arrest, there is no record to comment upon.
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