| Inmate name: | Jeff Beno Simmons |
| Charge description: | Jeff Beno Simmons was sentenced to three-months probation by Judge R. H. Sandy Bielstein after a jury convicted him of Deadly Conduct for threatening a man with a gun in 2011. The 58-year-old Sugar Land man chose for the court to assess his punishment at a separate hearing on April 15, 2014 after the jury convicted him a week earlier. According to Assistant District Attorney Sherman Hatton, Jeff Simmons observed a reckless driver on October 19, 2011 in Sugar Land. He followed the driver for several miles and into a parking lot where the defendant then confronted his victim. After a verbal exchange, the victim stated that he didnt see SLPD on the defendants car, and asked where his badge was. Simmons then brandished a loaded .45 caliber Taurus and stated, This is my [expletive] badge! The defendant drove away, but the victim followed him and notified the police of the crime. The defense argued that because Simmons is a long-time resident and important businessman, he had the right to follow and confront his victim, said Hatton. But neither a gun, nor your status in the community, makes you above the law. Simmons was tried in County Court at Law No. 4. Deadly Conduct in this case is a Class A Misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in the county jail and/or a fine up to $4,000. The court declined to assess a fine, court costs or community service. Fort Bend County Assistant District Attorneys Sherman Hatton and Grayson Miller prosecuted the case. Attorneys Steven Rocket Rosen and Armen Merjanian represented the defendant. |
| Booking location: | Fort Bend County, TX |
