A state district judge Thursday found a former Dallas police officer guilty of aggravated assault for holding country music singer Steve Holy at gunpoint in December 2007. But Judge John Creuzot ruled that Randy Anderson is not guilty of kidnapping.
Anderson, 27, had already pleaded no contest to one count each of aggravated assault and kidnapping and had asked the judge to decide his fate during a three-day bench trial. Judge Creuzot will likely sentence Anderson – who is free on bond – next month after a pre-sentence investigation.
Another former officer, Paul Loughridge, 50, is charged with one count of aggravated assault in connection with the altercation. A trial date for him has not been set.
Before the verdict was announced Thursday, Anderson testified that he only pulled his gun on Holy after the musician tried to shut a door on him and acted as if he was going to charge at him.
"I was acting as a police officer through my training and my instincts," Anderson testified. He and Loughridge were both fired within weeks of the off-duty, alcohol-fueled confrontation that occurred at Holy's Greenville Avenue-area home.
According to previous trial testimony, the confrontation occurred hours after another Dallas officer introduced Loughridge and Anderson to Holy at a bar near Holy's house. After the bar closed, the singer invited the two officers and a friend of his, Walter McRae, to his home, where they drank and played foosball.
Anderson testified that McRae, had become increasingly drunk and agitated and had finally passed out on a couch in the garage. He said Holy woke up McRae, who began acting belligerent. Holy told his friend that he would have go to go home because his wife wouldn't want him to spend the night, Anderson said.
Loughridge then agreed that he and Anderson would take McRae home.
Anderson said they asked McRae where he lived but he was too drunk to tell them. He said he then asked Holy where McRae lived, but Holy said he didn't know and didn't know McRae's last name.
"None of this added up. It just seemed fishy," Anderson testified.
Anderson said he asked Holy to show him some identification, but Holy said it was upstairs and he didn't want to go get it because he didn't want to wake his wife. He said Holy showed him a credit card with his name on it, but he told Holy that he still wanted to see some identification.
As he stood in a doorway, Anderson said, Holy tried to shut the door on him.
"He balled his fists up and acted like he was going to come at me," Anderson testified. "I drew my pistol from behind my back and pointed it at his midsection and told him to step back and sit on the ground."
In his testimony earlier this week, Holy denied making aggressive moves toward Anderson.
Both Anderson and Loughridge, who testified Wednesday, denied Holy's account that Loughridge brought the gun inside the house to Anderson.
Anderson testified that he started up the stairs of Holy's home when Holy's wife appeared on the second-floor balcony. He said he showed her his wallet badge.
"I was like, 'Who is this guy sitting on the floor?' She said, 'That's my husband, Steve Holy,' " Anderson said.
Anderson denied threatening to kill or harm Holy and said that after Holy's wife identified her husband, he and Holy shook hands and agreed that the confrontation had been a misunderstanding.
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