So, You Think You Had a Bad Week?

Bozeman Bonds Out, Gets Re-Arrested

By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter

HOUSTON COUNTY – Sometimes you just have one of those weeks when everything that could go wrong – does. A Grapeland man knows that all too well after he was arrested on a second degree felony after bonding out of jail on three, unrelated felony counts Saturday, Nov. 11.

John Theodore Bozeman, 54, was re-arrested on Tuesday, Nov. 14 and charged with possession of over 20 items of identifying information after his home was burglarized while he was still in jail.

Bozeman was originally arrested on Nov. 9 for two counts of felony theft and one count of tampering with evidence. While he was in jail, his residence was burglarized by Jeri Lyn Kennedy. Kennedy was arrested and charged with burglary of a habitation (along with several other charges) after she wrecked the vehicle she was driving and left many of the items taken from Bozeman’s residence in the wrecked vehicle. Kennedy is still held at the Houston County Jail.

According to an affidavit of probable cause, Houston County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Billy Christian discovered 21 pieces of identifying information taken from Bozeman’s home when it was burglarized.

“After John Bozeman’s house was burglarized, the objects taken were in a vehicle that was involved in a traffic accident. The recovered items were brought to the Houston County Jail. In the recovered items was an envelope with papers in it,” the affidavit reported.

Bozeman, who had just posted bail on Nov. 11, was called into the sheriff’s office and questioned as to the ownership of the contents.

“John Bozeman stated all of the items in the container were his, after he looked through the container. Inside the envelope were 21 identifiers from bank papers with dates of birth and social security numbers to driver licenses and several credit cards. There were (also) death certificates and two birth certificates,” the probable cause document stated.

When asked, Bozeman claimed ownership of all the contents in the envelope and informed the deputy someone had stolen it from his home.

“None of the identifiers belonged to John Bozeman,” the affidavit indicated. “The identifiers belong to 16 different people. There were five social security cards with different names, three driver licenses with different names, two credit cards, one Medicaid card, two birth certificates, one death certificate and several bank papers with identifiers on them. None of them were in John Bozeman’s name.”

Bozeman was arrested and booked into custody on charges of the fraudulent use or possession of identifying information, a second degree felony.

According to Section 12.33 of the Texas Penal Code, “An individual adjudged guilty of a felony of the second degree shall be punished by imprisonment in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for any term of not more than 20 years or less than 2 years.  In addition to imprisonment, an individual adjudged guilty of a felony of the second degree may be punished by a fine not to exceed $10,000.”

Bozeman is still in custody and is being held on a $20,000 bond.

Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].