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January 25, 2021, 3:53 PM)
In this March 16, 2020, file photo, Neal Browning receives a shot in the first-stage safety study of a potential vaccine for COVID-19 at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle.
A Harris County judge on Monday dismissed the case against a doctor accused of stealing doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and administering them after hours.
Dr. Hasan Gokal, a former Harris County Public Health doctor, was fired earlier this month after allegedly swiping a vial of the vaccine and administering doses off site on Dec. 29, according to the Harris County District Attorney s Office.
But in an order issued Monday, Harris County Court-At-Law Judge Franklin Bynum threw out the case for lack of probable cause, and slammed the DA’s office for its “novel theory” that administering the vaccines amounted to theft under Texas law.
Charges dropped against Harris Co. doctor accused of stealing COVID-19 vaccine vial
(Harris County Public Health)
On Monday, court documents showed that no probable cause was found in the case of Harris County Public Health Dr. Hasan Gokal.
Gokal s attorney, Paul Doyle, released the following statement: We appreciate today’s outcome and will now transition our efforts toward a wrongful termination suit. As I stated publicly last week, an apology by Harris County Public Health and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office towards Dr. Gokal and his family will not be enough. The agency disparaged this good public servant’s name and took away his employment without cause. More must be done by those responsible to make this right.
Juan A. Lozano January 25, 2021 - 5:11 PM
HOUSTON - A judge on Monday dismissed a theft charge against a Houston area health department doctor who had been accused by prosecutors of stealing nine doses of coronavirus vaccine from a damaged vial and administering them to family and friends.
Authorities had alleged that Hasan Gokal, who worked for Harris County Public Health, stole a vial of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine while working at a vaccination site at a suburban Houston park on Dec. 29.
But Harris County Court-At-Law Judge Franklin Bynum found there was no probable cause to charge Gokal with theft. The judge criticized prosecutors for charging Gokal, saying their probable cause complaint was âriddled with sloppiness and errors.â