HOUSTON MAN CHARGED WITH HATE CRIME AND DENIED BAIL IN KNOCK-OUT GAME ATTACK OF OLD BLACK MAN

CONRAD ALVIN BARRETT

A judge has denied bail for a white Houston-area man charged with a federal hate crime for allegedly sucker-punching a 79-year-old black man in a “knockout game”-style attack.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Frances Stacy said Friday that she was concerned about 27-year-old Conrad Alvin Barrett being free after hearing about the “vicious” crime. He’s charged with a hate crime punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison.

George Parnham, Barrett’s attorney, had argued that the Katy man has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was off his medication when he used his cellphone to record video of the apparently random attack.

Prosecutors say the attack happened Nov. 24 in Katy, but it wasn’t until 12 days later that authorities connected it to the cellphone video. Barrett was arrested Thursday.