Case agent at center of botched Houston drug raid released from hospital

The home at 7815 Harding is shown Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019 where five Houston Police Officers were shot in a gun battle while serving a search warrant on Monday. Police identified the two suspects who died as Rhogena Nicholas, 58, and Dennis Tuttle, 59. less The home at 7815 Harding is shown Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019 where five Houston Police Officers were shot in a gun battle while serving a search warrant on Monday. Police identified the two suspects who died as ... more Photo: Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle Photo: Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 39 Caption Close Case agent at center of botched Houston drug raid released from hospital 1 / 39 Back to Gallery

The wounded case agent at the center of the botched Pecan Park drug raid has been released from the hospital, his lawyer confirmed Thursday.

Gerald Goines, a 34-year veteran of the force, was shot in the neck on Jan. 28 after narcotics officers burst through the door of 7815 Harding in a futile search for heroin.

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The controversial no-knock entry set off a gun battle that ended in the deaths of 58-year-old Rhogena Nicholas, her 59-year-old husband Dennis Tuttle and their pit bull dog. Five officers were hurt, including Goines.

In the days after the shooting, Goines underwent at least six surgeries and at one point was on a feeding tube with his jaw wired shut. But, even as he fought to recover in the hospital, questions began swirling about his actions leading up the deadly raid.

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Initially Houston police Chief Art Acevedo lauded the veteran undercover officer. But on Friday, local media learned of a new search warrant seeking more information about officers' actions in the case, and Acevedo pulled together a hastily called press conference to announce that Goines would likely face criminal charges.

"We know that there's already a crime that's been committed," Acevedo said then. "It's a serious crime when we prepare a document to go into somebody's home, into the sanctity that is somebody's home."

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The fiery language stemmed from an internal investigation that raised concerns after police realized they couldn't find the informant Goines said he used in an undercover heroin buy before the raid.

Afterward, the FBI opened a civil rights investigation, the Houston Police Department announced sweeping policy changes and the Harris County District Attorney's Office began reviewing the more than 1,400 cases Goines worked on over the course of his career.

Earlier this week, the wounded officer's attorney, Nicole DeBorde, began raising concerns earlier this week about her client's case getting politicized.

"Is this case going to get drastically overcharged or charged inappropriately because the district attorney's office thinks that's going to be popular?" she asked. "I feel like it's a set-up geared toward that and it makes me really uncomfortable. And I'd hate to see this man used for whoever's political gain."

On Thursday afternoon, DeBorde confirmed that he's home between surgeries.