After 565 days in the custody of Jefferson County Correctional Facility staff, Billy Lynn Woolley found himself a free man thanks to the presentation of $400,000 in cashier’s checks paid to bail out the accused predator and fraudster Oct. 7.
Woolley was first held 48 days in the Jefferson County jail from June 2, 2021, through July 19, 2021, on charges of indecency with a child, assault family violence, sexual assault and aggravated assault. Woolley, then 48, was alleged to have exposed himself sexually to a minor in 2005, raped a woman in 2016, and choked and pulled a gun on a woman he was dating in 2018.
Woolley was charged with theft Sept. 2, 2022, after the Southeast Texas Regional Planning Commission (SETRPC) reported to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) that Woolley – while on bond for the aforementioned crimes – attempted to defraud the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) of $115,000. He was released on bond the same day.
Woolley found himself back in custody Nov. 8, 2022, from the original charges, where he sat for 135 days before a technical issue within the Jefferson County jail allowed his release on a reduced bond amount. Woolley was taken back into custody the very next day, where he stayed, until this week when an unknown person presented the verified cashier’s checks on his behalf.
Now, approximately a month before he is set to begin the trial process, Woolley left the bunk of a jail cell after presenting $400,000 in verified cashier’s checks, classified as a cash bond, and instead be confined to his Beaumont home, where he is ordered to wear a GPS monitor at all times as a condition of bond.
Upon Woolley’s release, victims and registered concerned citizens received notification through the VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday) Alert System.
The VINE Alert System, a nationwide service designed to provide crime victims with timely information and notifications regarding the status of offenders, is touted as empowering victims by giving them real-time updates and notifications on the custody status of offenders involved in their cases.
Crime victims can voluntarily sign up for the VINE service. Registration is simple and can be done online at vinelink.com, by phone (1-866-277-7477) or through the mobile app. Victims provide contact information and select how to receive notifications; once registered, victims are alerted when there is any change in an offender’s status, including notifications for release from custody, transfer between facilities, escape or absconding, parole hearings and outcomes, and incarceration or court status updates.
VINE ensures the anonymity of service users and is designed to protect user privacy, making it a useful tool for individuals concerned about their safety.
VINE is available in most states and is often linked to county and state-level correctional facilities, as well as some federal systems. The VINE system is free for crime victims to use, and it operates 24/7 to provide constant access to information.
After years of slipping in and out of jail, and on and off the trial docket, Woolley’s case is among the many backed up in the system as victims wait for justice. One of Woolley’s alleged victims has relocated out of Texas but plans to be back in the Lone Star State to testify against the man she said terrorized her for years – and still continues to pose a boding presence in her life. Thanks to VINE, alleged victims/witnesses were notified of Woolley’s release even before the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office was informed of the update.
“I want to be able to put this whole thing in the past where it should be,” the victim shared exclusively with The Examiner. “I need this to not be a constant part of my life anymore and to not be this cloud looming over my family's head.”
In August, Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) statisticians Dr. Emilie Coen and Alexandra Thompson presented findings from the 2022 National Crime Victimization Survey that shows the correlation of violent victimization and negative social and emotional wellbeing.
“In the National Crime Victimization Survey, socio-emotional consequences of crime include moderate to severe emotional distress, significant problems with friends or family, and significant problems with one’s job or schoolwork,” the report concluded.
Key findings also revealed that nearly half of all violent victimizations (47%) resulted in moderate to severe distress to the victim, about 22% of violent victimizations resulted in the victim experiencing significant problems with family or friends, and 18% caused significant problems with victims’ job or schoolwork.
“It is emotionally exhausting, trying to keep up with this for all these years,” the witness added. “I’ve been told to let it go and leave the past in the past. I honestly had done so in 2014 when I moved my daughter and I across the country but, in 2020, when we learned how many people had been hurt since then, we knew that this was a fight that we couldn’t back down from again until we had done everything within our power to make sure that he can no longer continue to hurt others. But, yeah, I need that to happen soon because this is a lot.”
Woolley currently holds a place on Jefferson County Criminal District Court Judge John Stevens’ trial docket slated for Nov. 18 to face numerous outstanding charges.