HOUSTON — Frederick Jeffery walked out of prison Friday night, freed on bond after being incarcerated for nearly six years of his 25-year sentence after a 2018 conviction on drug charges.
"It feel good because I knew from the get-go I was innocent," said Jeffery seconds after he walked out of jail. "I just had to prove it. God did everything for me. I ain't did nothing but stay down. I thank God for keeping my mama by my side the whole time. I just want to say I thank God and I'm ready.
His mother waited outside the courthouse for hours his release.
"I want to just praise God. I’ve been praying since my son was in jail, because I knew he was innocent since day one," Tina Baldwin told us. "My emotions are just everywhere, because I haven’t seen my son in five years, almost six years."
On Thursday, Ogg said Jackson's conviction should be reversed "due to perjury and false evidence presented by former Houston Police Department Officer Gerald Goines."
Goines is the ex-cop facing murder and organized crime charges in connection with a long-running overtime theft scheme by multiple HPD officers brought to light after the deadly Harding Street raid.
Jeffery will remain on bond while the Court of Criminal Appeals reviews his case.
Watch the moment Jeffery walked out of prison and embraced his mother:
Harding Street raid
Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas were shot and killed during the botched raid.
Four HPD undercover officers, including Goines, were shot and wounded.
Investigators later determined Tuttle and Nicholas were innocent and Goines lied to get the warrant used for the raid.
The investigation uncovered a long history of police corruption, according to Ogg.
'Due process disaster'
Prosecutors say new evidence shows Goines lied in the Jefferson case and committed perjury during his trial.
“Frederick Jeffery’s case is a due process disaster,” Ogg said Thursday. “In the wake of Harding Street, it is clear that Gerald Goines and other members of the Houston Police Department Narcotics Division engaged in a years-long scheme involving fictional drug buys, perjured warrants and phony overtime. Individuals like Frederick Jeffery were collateral damage.”
Goines’ case is pending. He also faces federal charges for violating the civil rights of Tuttle and Nicholas.
Dozens of other defendants linked to Goines have had their cases dismissed and hundreds more are being investigated.
George Floyd, the Houston native killed by Minneapolis police, was recommended for a posthumous pardon because of an earlier conviction linked to Goines.