TX Ro To Stay In Prison For Repo Assault During Her Appeal
A Beaumont woman convicted of aggravated assault for hitting a repo man with her car in September 2023 will remain in prison while appealing her case, an appeals court ruled this week.
Carla Culver, 49, is serving an eight-year sentence after a Jefferson County jury found her guilty in March 2025 of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury. The appeals court ruled that Judge John Stevens properly rescinded her $20,000 bond based on her criminal history, a deadly weapon finding, and a previous probation revocation.
Culver had requested release on bail during her appeal, arguing that Stevens’ decision to rescind the bond was arbitrary and denied her due process. She claimed the judge admitted her to bail on an unlawful basis. The jury sentenced Culver to eight years in prison. She faced between two and 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
The appeals court rejected her arguments, stating that a trial judge has the authority to modify, deny, or rescind bail pending appeal even if no bond conditions were violated. The court held that Stevens acted within his discretion.
Culver was convicted in a trial where a jury deliberated approximately 30 minutes before returning a guilty verdict. She broke down in tears as the verdict was read, and Stevens asked her to compose herself, directing her attorney to assist her.
The case stems from an incident at Temptations Gentleman Club at 5900 College St., where Culver drove her car forward while a repo agent was underneath the vehicle’s hood. The collision crushed the man’s leg between two vehicles, according to a probable cause affidavit.
When officers arrived, the man was lying on the ground with a catastrophic leg injury. Beaumont EMS medics reported he was in critical condition. His leg was “ripped open and mangled,” with his left foot turned at an unnatural angle, the affidavit said. The injuries required emergency surgery.
Witnesses told police the man was attempting to repossess Culver’s vehicle when she drove forward.
Culver admitted to police that she saw and heard the man underneath the car’s hood, according to the affidavit. While she told police she didn’t know how the car accelerated, a detective noted in the affidavit that her actions were “reckless” in driving forward with the hood up while someone was in front of the vehicle.
