Raymond Lindsey Jr rejected plea deal that would have set him free and jailed for 40 years

Raymond Lindsey Jr. refused a plea bargain that would have set him free and was jailed for 40 years. Photo / Montgomery County Sheriff's Office

A man who claimed he was not guilty and rejected a plea deal that would have freed him immediately, was convicted and jailed for 40 years.

Raymond Lindsey Jr., 46, was jailed by Judge Phil Grant on Monday in Montgomery County, north of Houston, Texas, after jurors found him guilty of being convicted of assaulting a public servant and retaliation, Montgomery County Police Reporter stated.

The Houston Chronicle reported that his lawyer stated that he had already been in jail 19 months and would have been released with 'time served' if he pleaded guilty.

However, while Lindsey was appreciative of the deal, he did not want to plead guilty and believed everyone was conspiring against him, Lindsey's defence lawyer Willis Everett Smith said, The Chronicle reported.

The trial heard that Houston Police Department officers were called to a unit in Southeastern Montgomery County on January 5, 2015, for a possible domestic disturbance.

Officers encountered an aggressive Lindsey and his scared girlfriend, the court was told. As Lindsey's girlfriend gathered items to leave the apartment, Lindsey pointed a finger at each of the officers one by one and individually threatened to kill them, according to the DA's Office.

Lindsey then destroyed numerous items inside the unit including a glass coffee table, a flat-screen TV, an entertainment centre and a bird cage with a live bird inside.

After Lindsey's girlfriend was escorted from the unit additional police officers arrived to arrest Lindsay. The court was told Lindsey assaulted one of the officers by slamming the unit's door on his arm several times.

The jury found Lindsey guilty of both charges and Judge Grant was told by Assistant District Attorney Philip Teissier that Lindsey had been sentenced to jail three times before for car theft, burglary and domestic violence.

As Lindsey had at least two prior sentences, his punishment range was 25 years to life.

"This defendant had compiled a lengthy criminal history out of state prior to moving to Texas," Teissier said. "Consequently, Lindsey is obviously not the type of person we want living in Texas or Montgomery County. Unfortunately for him, he had to learn that the hard way."

Smith told the Houston Chronicle that the plea deal would have seen him released from jail.

"He is very religious and said no man should judge another man," said Smith, who added that Lindsey understood the charges and punishment he faced.

"That's another reason I filed a psychological evaluation is because of his thought process. ... He'd use religion to justify actions. The problem was the decisions weren't going to help him in reality."

"I said the minimum is 25 to life. You're going to have all of these witnesses come and testify against you and you are not going to have anyone testify for yourself. "He said, 'It is what it is.'"

Smith, who is preparing a notice to appeal the sentence, said it was the first time in his 30 years of experience that he has had a client turn down a plea bargain for the degree of charges Lindsey faced.

"(After the verdict) He said it's all good, you did your best," Smith said. "I said, 'Wow.'"