George Floyd Was a Victim of the War on Drugs

Mural by EME FREE THINKER

George Floyd was arrested nine times from 1997-2007 when he lived in Houston, Four of the arrests were for selling cocaine. He was incarcerated many times and spent more than two years total in various Texas jail and prisons. On May 25, Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police, setting off a wave of protests and calls for defunding local police departments. Here's his rap sheet.

 

8/3/97 Arrest (Floyd's 1st Drug Arrest)

Initial charge: Delivery of a controlled substance – less than a gram of cocaine (felony)

Bail bond: $4,000

Outcome: Plea of guilty 

Date of judgment: 10/20/97

Sentence: 180 days in Harris County Jail

Time served credit: 29 days

 

9/25/98 Arrest

Initial charge: Aggravated robbery with a firearm (felony)

*Note: The felony complaint listed a different individual at a different address: Omar Jamal Jett. In the indictment, that name was crossed out in pen and George Floyd’s name was written in.

Bail bond: $30,000

Outcome: Plea of guilty to theft

Date of judgment: 2/11/99

Sentence: 10 months in state jail

Time served credit: 70 days

 

10/22/98 Arrest

Initial charge: Theft (Class B misdemeanor) 

Bail bond: unknown

Outcome: Plea of guilty 

Date of judgment: 12/14/98

Sentence: 10 days in Harris County Jail

Time served: 2 days

 

8/29/01 Arrest

Initial charge: Failure to identify to a police officer (Class B misdemeanor)

Bail bond: $3,000

Outcome: Plea of guilty  

Date of judgment: 8/31/01

Sentence: 15 days in Harris County Jail

Time served: 3 days

 

10/29/02 Arrest (Floyd's 2nd Drug Arrest)

Initial charge: Felony possession of a controlled substance (less than a gram of cocaine)

Bail bond: $5,000 (increased to $15,000)

Indicted: 12/10/02

Outcome: Plea of guilty

Date of judgment: 03/03/03

Sentence: 8 months in state jail

*Note: “Appeal waived. No permission to appeal granted.”

Time served: 92 days

 

4/23/02 Arrest

Note: date listed on case summary is 1/3/03

Initial charge: Criminal trespass (Class B misdemeanor)

Bail bond: $5,000

Outcome: Plea of guilty

Date of judgment: 03/05/03

Sentence: 30 days

Time served: 87 days

Note: These numbers are correct: 30-day sentence with 87 days time already served

 

2/6/04 Arrest (Floyd's 3rd Drug Arrest)

Initial charge: Felony delivery of less than a gram of controlled substance (cocaine)

Bail bond: $15,000 (bail was revoked 4/26/04)

Outcome: Plea of guilty

Date of judgment: 7/21/04

Sentence: 10 months in state jail

Note: “Appeal waived. No permission to appeal granted.”

Time served: 109 days

Note: On 3/8/19, Floyd was notified by the Harris County District Attorney that the undercover officer to whom he'd allegedly sold less than a gram of cocaine, Officer Gerald Goines, “has been relieved of duty and is currently under criminal investigation.”

 

12/15/05 Arrest (Floyd's 4th Drug Arrest)

Initial charge: Possession with intent to delivery a controlled substance (felony)

Bail bond: $10,000

Outcome 1: Order of deferred adjudication – 6 years community supervision (8/17/06)

Outcome 2: Motion for new trail (9/06/06)

Outcome 3: Plea of guilty to possession of cocaine less than one gram

Date of judgment: 09/06/06

Sentence: 10 months

Time served: 31 days

 

11/27/07 Arrest

Initial charge: Aggravated robbery (felony)

Bail bond: $50,000

Date of grand jury indictment: 3/13/08

Outcome: Plea of guilty to aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon (first degree felony)

Date of judgment: 04/03/09

Sentence: 5 years in state prison

Time served: From 4/14/08 to 4/3/09

Doug McVay

Doug McVay

Writer and KBOO radio host based in Portland, Ore. He's also editor of DrugPolicyFacts.org.