by Juan A. Lozano, The Associated Press
Posted Jan 25, 2021 5:19 pm ADT
Last Updated Jan 25, 2021 at 5:24 pm ADT
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 “riddled with sloppiness and errors.”
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 “riddled with sloppiness and errors.”
Houston law enforcement working to lower crime as violence among teenagers increases
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That s the highest number over that time period in the past five years.
But what s alarming about these crime statistics is that the problem isn t prevalent just in Houston. The number of teens, not just in the Houston area, you know, Harris county, beyond, I ve been on several, current phone calls with several mayors across the country, and we are facing some serious challenges as it relates to crime, said Mayor Sylvester Turner in a press conference on Saturday, Jan. 23.
Trinnace Ross, 16, is one of the 10 teens killed in the Houston area this month.
Texas doctor charged with stealing a vial of Covid-19 vaccine was trying to use leftover doses, attorney says krdo.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from krdo.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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HARRIS COUNTY, Texas A Texas doctor has been fired from his job and is now facing charges after allegedly stealing doses of the coronavirus vaccine to administer to his friends and family, prosecutors say.
Hasan Gokal, who worked with Harris County Public Health, could be sentenced to up to a year in prison and receive a $4,000 fine if convicted on a theft by a public servant charge, according to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
“He abused his position to place his friends and family in line in front of people who had gone through the lawful process to be there,” District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement. “What he did was illegal and he’ll be held accountable under the law.”