Federal authorities have opened a civil rights investigation into a former Houston park ranger accused of extorting and sexually assaulting park visitors.
Jacob Lamar Ellis, 33, was arrested in June by Houston police on a felony charge of official oppression. Since then, he has been charged with an additional felony count of official oppression and one felony count of sexual assault.
Authorities on Wednesday said they believe there are more victims and hope the announcement of the federal investigation will encourage them to come forward.
“We believe Mr. Ellis used his official position as a park ranger to make victims believe he was acting in a law enforcement capacity when he allegedly forced them to pay him money and/or sexually assaulted them in exchange for their ability to leave the park,” Houston FBI Special Agent in Charge Doug Williams said.
Facing an indefinite suspension, Ellis resigned from the Houston Parks and Recreation Department on Aug. 6, according to a department spokesperson. He had been assigned to Hermann Park on an overnight shift.
Williams said the federal investigation will not supplant the state probe. Federal authorities can launch a separate inquiry because Ellis was considered to be acting in an official capacity when he allegedly sexually assaulted people or demanded payment in return for not arresting or towing their vehicles.
Williams added that Ellis, hired by the city of Houston in 2019, may have targeted members of the area’s LGBTQIA+ community. Williams encouraged potential victims or those with information about Ellis to fill out an anonymous form on the FBI’s website.
Williams was joined Wednesday by Houston Police Chief J. Noe Diaz. They spoke under a pavilion at Cullen Park, where Ellis worked. Ellis also worked at Memorial and Cleveland parks, authorities said.
Diaz said Ellis prevented visitors from leaving park grounds by blocking their vehicles with his own. Ellis would accuse victims of violating the law and demand payment in return for not towing their car or arresting them, Diaz said.
“It’s an alarming case because it breaks the public trust,” Diaz said.
Diaz said the uniform Ellis wore was little more than a collared shirt. “There was no badge. It was, essentially, a shirt with patches,” he added.
Diaz encouraged members of the public to call 911 or ask for an officer’s identification badge if they suspect they are being misled.
Court records show Ellis was released from the Harris County Jail last month after paying a $60,000 surety bond tied to the two counts of official oppression, and a $70,000 bond tied to the sexual assault charge. The percentage of a bond that Harris County defendants pay varies by the company they contract with and the offenses they’re charged with.
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