HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – A former deputy with Harris County Sheriff’s Office is facing multiple civil rights lawsuits alleging excessive force including a new one connected to a 2023 incident involving two high school students.
Christopher Bolin was fired from HCSO in 2023 and resigned in lieu of termination from the Harris County Precinct 2 Constable’s Office earlier this year.
So far, the sheriff’s office has faced at least three lawsuits connected to Bolin, all with similar allegations of racial profiling, malicious prosecution, and use of excessive force. Two are pending in federal court and the latest was filed in Harris County District Court earlier this week.
In 2023, cell phone video captured Bolin slamming Langham Creek High School senior Seth Palumbo to the ground during a traffic stop.
“I remember being assaulted. I remember being scared. I remember my day completely being turned around and taken to a place that I couldn’t even fathom,” Palumbo said.
Weeks before graduation, Palumbo was arrested, taken to jail, and charged with assault of a peace officer. Prosecutors found no probable cause 10 days later, and the case was dismissed.
Dash camera footage showed deputies approaching his car on April 6, 2023, with their weapons drawn and they claimed he made an illegal turn after he had left Langham Creek High School and went to help a football teammate who had run out of gas.
After meeting the friend near the school, he was stopped on his way to fill up empty bottles of water with gas to help his friend get back on the road.
“Never was I told what I did wrong, never was I told what I was slammed for or put in handcuffs for, detained for,” Palumbo said.
His friend, Kristopher Willis Jr., also took cell phone video when he realized what was going on.
“I was absolutely confused on how it went from my son’s run out of gas to he’s potentially being incarcerated,” said Kristopher Willis Sr., whose son was the stranded driver that day.
Willis Jr. was also accused of obstructing a roadway, a charge that was later dismissed.
Attorney Terry Henderson Peden filed a new lawsuit this week accusing Deputy Bolin and five others of violating the teens’ constitutional rights, including unlawful arrest and abuse of power.
“Nobody made any attempt to de-escalate the situation as per their policy and treat these young men with any form of humanity,” Peden said. “We’re not going to tolerate this form of Gestapo-type policing of racial discrimination and profiling of Black men.”
Following an internal affairs investigation, Deputy Bolin was fired, while another deputy was suspended and transferred to a different unit.
In a statement to KPRC 2, the sheriff’s office stated that the four other deputies received written reprimands.
However, Texas Commission on Law Enforcement records show that just days later, Bolin was hired by the Harris County Precinct 2 Constable’s Office. He worked until February of this year, when he resigned in lieu of being fired.
Chief Mike Kritzler said Bolin would not have been hirable had they known about his full past.
“I have a high respect for those in uniform, so to see this happen and see him abuse his position, it just burns me up,” Willis Sr. said.
Willis Sr. said he does not want to see Bolin work in law enforcement again, given his alleged pattern of behavior.
Bolin also faces an excessive force lawsuit for a different incident in 2023, where he was seen on dash camera video punching a driver several times.
When asked why he thought the deputy treated him that way, Palumbo responded, “As somebody who is Black and White, I’m not one to just sit here and play the race card, but it definitely felt a little racist.”
This new lawsuit claims the sheriff’s office fails to supervise and correct the wrongful and illegal behavior of deputies, citing other issues with Deputy Bolin and his former crime reduction team.
A sheriff’s office spokesperson told KPRC 2 they cannot comment on pending litigation.