Former Texas park ranger accused of sexually harassing gay men

A former Houston park ranger was back in court Monday to face additional charges alleging he abused his position of power to rob and sexually assault gay men.

Stay up to date with the latest LGBTQ+ news and politics. Sign up for The Advocate's email newsletter.

Joey Lamar Ellis, 33, now faces one count of sexual assault and two counts of abuse of authority for several incidents that occurred earlier this year in Houston's Cullen Park. Prosecutors accuse Ellis of encountering men after the park's opening hours, forcing them to undress, robbing and sexually assaulting them, and coercing them to lure other gay men to the area for similar assaults.

“We had one indictment, and it was against a single plaintiff,” Assistant District Attorney Kimberly Smith told the local ABC affiliate. KTRK on Monday. “Since then, more victims have come forward.”

Ellis was taken into custody by Houston police on June 11 when they responded to a reported robbery in Cullen Park around 3 a.m.

Joshua Beede told police he was sleeping in his car at the park when Ellis knocked on his window. He said the former park ranger was driving a truck with official lights and was wearing his ranger uniform. He said Ellis made it look like he had a gun in his pocket.

Ellis reportedly forced Beede to make false confessions on video, strip naked, and agree to use a dating app to lure other potential victims to the park. Ellis also allegedly robbed Beede of $120. Beede was eventually able to escape Ellis and call the police.

Police reportedly found Ellis with a gun and took him into custody.

Another victim said Ellis robbed him in Cullen Park in April. The unnamed man said Ellis pulled down his pants and threatened him with jail if he didn't do one of two things.

“He told me you can suck this you-know-what or you can pay me,” the alleged victim told the local NBC affiliate KPRC in June.

The victim decided to pay Ellis $260.

The victim claimed he encountered Ellis a few weeks later. When Ellis again attempted to blackmail him for sex, the victim said he drove up the curb and was only able to escape Ellis after a short but terrifying chase.

The victim reported the incidents to police after learning of Ellis' arrest in June.

“I just left it at that, but then someone else said something. So I hope others will say something too,” said the man, who was not named.

Smith believes there are more victims and expressed the man's hope that they will have the courage to report their stories to police.

“He shows up in these parks where he's not supposed to be working,” Smith said. “But he shows up in these other places where he finds a single man or maybe two men, approaches them and either forces them to perform sexual acts or forces them to give him money.”