MANVEL, Texas (KTRK) — The Manvel Police Department is now facing a second lawsuit five months after a grand jury declined to indict two Black men on sexual assault charges. The new federal civil rights lawsuit filed by John Marks claims officers failed to conduct a thorough investigation due to racial bias.
According to the lawsuit filed last Wednesday, the sexual assault investigation stemmed from events that happened between Nov. 8 and 9, 2023, at Marks’ residence. The filing alleged that a female neighbor engaged in consensual sexual intercourse with Marks and then later on with his friend, Freddie Douglas.
In an interview ONLY ON 13, Marks said the neighbor was someone he considered a friend and developed a close relationship with for six months. He claimed she told him she was divorced when she was still married.
A month after the encounter, the neighbor filed a report with Manvel police claiming that Marks and Douglas kidnapped and raped her. Both men said they were arrested and jailed without being interviewed by officers beforehand about the allegations. Police charged them with aggravated sexual assault.
“It totally turned my world upside down. It was literally a nightmare, having my life in somebody else’s hands. It was three felony charges of the most heinous thing a man could possibly do,” Marks said. “I was fearful, thinking they were going to come back into my house, causing me to be hyper-vigilant and not being able to sleep.”
Douglas is a former officer with the El Campo Police Department, whose attorney said he was named their 2020 Officer of the Year. His employment was terminated as a result of the sexual assault charges.
In March, a grand jury in Brazoria County declined to indict the two men. Marks said he believes his home surveillance video was the critical piece of evidence that prevented the case from moving forward. The cameras reportedly captured the neighbor’s arrival and departure and her moving freely around the house.
RELATED: Grand jury declines to indict former El Campo PD detective on sex assault charges
Marks’ attorney, Justin Moore, claims Manvel police investigators ignored the surveillance video and purposely left it out of their case due to prejudice.
“What happened to my client shouldn’t happen to anybody in this country, not in the year 2024. This is something that goes back to the Jim Crow days. When you hear the details, you start to think about cases like Emmett Till. There is a historical element here. It is a context of Black men being falsely accused of sexual assault against white women,” Moore said.
The lawsuit names the City of Manvel, Police Chief Keith Traylor, two officers, and the neighbor as defendants. ABC13 is choosing not to name the neighbor since she has not been served with the lawsuit and does not currently face any charges.
Marks said he is now dealing with psychological trauma as a result of the ordeal. Even though he and Douglas were no-billed, he said the investigation negatively affected their reputations, tarnished their relationships, and jeopardized their future job prospects.
He told ABC13 he decided to file the lawsuit partly to prevent future racial discrimination in criminal investigations and to hold those who make false accusations accountable. He is seeking compensation for damages, including lost wages, diminished earning capacity, medical expenses, and attorney’s fees.
Douglas has also filed a separate lawsuit of his own.
“I don’t want anybody else to go through this. I was fortunate enough to be in a position to have cameras and people I could reach out to. If not, I would’ve been a gone brother. I would’ve been gone for something I didn’t do,” Marks said.
Chief Traylor declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing pending litigation as the reason. ABC13 attempted to contact the neighbor, but she no longer resides at her Manvel address, and her cell phone number has been disconnected.
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