Jurors convict HPD officer charged in Holley beating Trial marks the end of controversial saga

It's been more than three years since 15-year-old Chad Holley was videotaped running from police, falling, then lying face down with his hands above his head as Houston police officers punched, kneed and kicked him.

Since March 23, 2010, Holley has been convicted of burglary and a dozen officers were disciplined, four of whom were indicted for official oppression.

The video of the black teenager being beaten by white police officers shocked Houston, made national headlines and prompted outrage from Mayor Annise Parker.

On Wednesday, the saga drew to a close when Drew Ryser, the fourth and final officer with a pending case, was convicted of the misdemeanor oppression charge and agreed to two years probation.

For critics of the Houston Police Department who watched as one officer was acquitted last year and two others were put on probation without a trial for the beating, Wednesday's verdict was vindication.

For Ryser and supporters, it was unbelievable.

A Harris County jury on Wednesday, June 12, 2013, convicted former Houston police officer Drew Ryser on charges of official oppression for his role in the 2010 videotaped beating of teenager Chad Holley. (Nick de la Torre / Houston Chronicle) less A Harris County jury on Wednesday, June 12, 2013, convicted former Houston police officer Drew Ryser on charges of official oppression for his role in the 2010 videotaped beating of teenager Chad Holley. (Nick ... more Photo: Nick De La Torre, Houston Chronicle Photo: Nick De La Torre, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 149 Caption Close Jurors convict HPD officer charged in Holley beating 1 / 149 Back to Gallery

"I'm a little sad and upset that six people would honestly believe I would intentionally mistreat anyone," Ryser said after the verdict. He was accused of kicking the teenager in the head as he and other officers descended on Holley before handcuffing him. "I didn't kick him if it looks that way to somebody, it looks that way, but I'm not going to lie about it."

After the verdict, his wife sobbed and other supporters, who attended more than a week of trial with Ryser, hugged him.

His attorneys were disappointed and "vehemently disagreed" with the verdict.

"I think Drew Ryser was the victim of a lot of political decisions, and I feel bad it's ended this way," said Lisa Andrews, one of his attorneys. "His police chief turns on him without even knowing what the facts and circumstances are, so that he can make a political decision, it's pretty disheartening."

Andrews and attorney Carson Joachim argued the officer's actions were legal throughout the video and that he should be judged on what he did, not what other officers were doing during a beating that lasted several seconds.

Others, including Houston's police chief and the NAACP, said the verdict and the punishment was the right result.

"Despite the fact that some people would like corporal punishment for some offenders, it's not proper, and we're not going to tolerate it," said Jon Munier, a special prosecutor appointed to the case. "This jury would have wrestled with it, then put this police officer on probation. Our probation offer was a fair and just offer."

Munier and fellow prosecutor Tommy LaFon had argued that Ryser and the other officers were doling out "street justice" as part of an unwritten code that allows police to beat suspects who run from police.

In a statement, Chief Charles McClelland said the actions of Ryser and the other officers do not reflect HPD's values. He also thanked the jury for their diligence and hard work.

McClelland testified last week that the incident gave the department a "black eye" and lent ammunition to anyone looking to criticize the department.

The jury deliberated more than 10 hours over two days before finding Ryser guilty essentially of mistreating a suspect in custody. Instead of heading to a punishment phase, Ryser's attorneys and prosecutors agreed to a sentence of six months in jail, which will be probated for two years. That means he will serve no jail time, but be on probation until 2015. He also agreed to pay a $1,000 fine.

Earlier this year, officers Raad Hassan and Phil Bryan pleaded "no contest" for their roles in the beating and were sentenced to probation. A fourth officer, Andrew Blomberg, was found not guilty of any wrongdoing by a jury last year.

The NAACP Houston Branch applauded Wednesday's verdict after saying they were disappointed with an acquittal and "back door plea deals." The organization said the decision "provides a glimmer of hope for our Harris County criminal justice system that far too often turns a blind eye to justice by acquitting rogue law enforcement officers and issuing disproportional sentences to minorities."

Others did not mince words when they said jury diversity is the difference between Blomberg's acquittal and Ryser's conviction.

"The Blomberg jury was all-white jury," said community activist Quanell X. "Now that you have a jury with six people that looks like Harris County - two black, two Hispanic and two white - they came back with the right decision."

Because the charges were misdemeanors, the jury was made up of six people instead of 12.

The activist also said he hoped the verdict would send a message to police officers. "Your cowboy days of just beating suspects who just completely surrender are over," he said. "That kind of behavior will no longer be tolerated in Houston."

James Pinkerton contributed to this report.