HOUSTON – A second man has come forward with shocking allegations against a Houston Urban Park Ranger.
The man says 33-year-old Joey Lamar Ellis demanded he either give him sex or cash to avoid being arrested at Cullen Park.
The man—who asked not to be identified—says Cullen Park used to be a place where he could go to run and workout, but now, it triggers memories of, not one, but two series of traumatic events that he still finds hard to believe.
“This is like traumatizing, like my life will never be the same, ever,” he said.
His story begins in early April. He says he was getting ready to leave the park after a workout when Ellis did the unthinkable.
“He ended up stopping me. I was at my car, and he was like ‘you’re trespassing, your car going to be towed, you’re not supposed to be out here,’” the man said.
He says Ellis made him pull his pants down, demanded his license, and threatened to take him to jail unless he did one of two things.
“He told me you can suck this—you know what—or you can pay me,” he said.
The man says he reluctantly paid Ellis some $260.
“He has like a holster, a gun holster,” the man said.
Out of fear, the man says he didn’t report the first incident. When he returned to the park a few weeks later, he says he ran into Ellis again.
“He was like ‘you already know the routine. I told you not to be out here, you know one or two things.’ Basically, what I told you the first time,” he said.
But this time, the man says he was able to get away, but Ellis didn’t back down.
“So, I jumped the curb and I drove off, and as I attempted to drive off, he was following my car, like on the highways speeding then he tried to side-swipe me and everything to get me to pull over,” he said.
The man says he eventually lost Ellis. Now, he tells us he found the strength to file a report with Houston Police Department after hearing that another man came forward with a similar story earlier this month, leading to Ellis being charged in that case with felony official oppression.
“I just left it alone, but then somebody else spoke up, so I just hope that others will speak up,” he said.
Houston police are hoping for the same asking any other potential victims to come forward.
At last check, Ellis was in the Harris County Jail and is scheduled to appear before a judge tomorrow. We reached out to Ellis’s employer for comment but so far, we have not heard back.