Tag Archives: Devon Anderson

Misdemeanor charge dropped against video fraudster Daleiden

Posted on June 15, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Just the misdemeanor charge, not the felony. A Harris County judge has dropped one of the criminal charges against an anti-abortion activist who was indicted after making undercover recordings of a Houston Planned Parenthood facility. David Daleiden, one of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Harris County crime lab experiencing DNA testing backlog

Posted on May 15, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

These things do happen. Expanded testing for property crimes has helped create a backlog of more than 4,600 DNA cases in the Harris County crime lab, straining its ability to complete the processing of such evidence for sexual assaults and … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Video fraudsters to go to trial

Posted on May 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

All righty then. David Robert Daleiden, 27, and his colleague, Sandra Susan Merritt, 63, both of California, have rejected a plea deal that would have effectively put an end to the criminal charges against them, their lawyers confirmed Friday. “I … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Harris County takes a step towards jail reform

Posted on May 1, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Harris County commissioners voted Tuesday to back a sweeping plan to reform the criminal justice system, a week after the Harris County Jail began shipping inmates to other counties to avoid reaching capacity. Commissioners voted to accept a $2 … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Harris County takes a step towards jail reform

It’s a conspiracy!

Posted on April 16, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, noes! Planned Parenthood is in cahoots with the Harris County DA! Run for your lives! The anti-abortion activist accused of falsifying records to secretly videotape Planned Parenthood officials in Houston is accusing the Harris County district attorney’s office of … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on It’s a conspiracy!

Criminal complaint filed over Uptown land acquisition

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

All righty then. A consultant who represents property owners in the Galleria area has filed a criminal complaint with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, alleging the Uptown Development Authority and related entities broke state open meetings and disclosure laws … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Criminal complaint filed over Uptown land acquisition

Black Lives Matter takes an interest in the Harris County DA race

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This will be worth watching. Inspired by voters in Chicago and Cleveland who booted top prosecutors last week with candidates who pledged more accountability in police shootings, Houston-area Black Lives Matter activists have started a #ByeDevon social media campaign to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Endorsement watch: Opting for Ogg

Posted on February 15, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron makes their choice in the Democratic primary for District Attorney. Democratic voters face a choice between two strong candidates for Harris County district attorney. But while Morris Overstreet can look back and reflect on a distinguished career, Kim … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Video fraudsters offered probation

Posted on February 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

First the one, on Wednesday. A California woman charged last week for her role in the production of undercover videos at a Houston Planned Parenthood clinic will be offered probation, a Harris County prosecutor said in court. Sandra Susan Merritt, … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

How the tables got turned on the video fraudsters

Posted on January 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

A must read. Planned Parenthood’s legal strategy was in some ways similar to how corporations facing major white-collar criminal investigations often cooperate closely with prosecutors to try to influence the outcome. From the start, Planned Parenthood and its Houston lawyer … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Every investigation on Planned Parenthood has cleared them

Posted on January 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From Think Progress: After a months-long investigation, a Texas grand jury decided not to indict Planned Parenthood on Monday — providing more confirmation that there’s no solid evidence to support the accusations against the national women’s health organization. This trend … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Grand jury indicts Planned Parenthood video fraudsters

Posted on January 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Sweet. A Harris County grand jury investigating allegations that a Planned Parenthood clinic in Houston illegally sold the tissue of aborted fetuses has cleared the organization of wrongdoing and instead indicted two anti-abortion activists behind the undercover videos that sparked … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

County finally takes jail overcrowding seriously

Posted on January 10, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see what this actually becomes. Chasing $4 million in grant money, Harris County officials on Thursday announced reforms in the criminal justice system to unclog dockets, lower jail population and address racial and ethnic disparities. And because the changes … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Would you like to sit in armed or unarmed?

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From Houstonia: Imagine it’s a Saturday afternoon. You stop into Whataburger to pick up lunch with your kids in tow, the only thing on your mind remembering which kid doesn’t want ketchup on his burger, which kid only wants ketchup … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Anderson updates pot prosecution policy

Posted on November 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Small amounts of marijuana now mean a citation, not a ride to jail, Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson said Thursday. The county’s top prosecutor outlined changes to a pilot plan for low-level offenders she implemented last year, one … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Anderson updates pot prosecution policy

Morris Overstreet to run for DA

Posted on November 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I know we’re all still recovering from Tuesday, but the 2016 filing season is almost upon us, and the Democratic race for Harris County DA just became a contested race. Former appeals court judge Morris Overstreet announced Thursday that he … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Ogg announces for DA

Posted on September 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Rematch time. Kim Ogg, the Democrat who unsuccessfully ran for district attorney last year, launched her second bid for the office Friday, promising to pursue violent criminals, de-emphasize misdemeanor marijuana possession cases and aggressively combat prosecutorial misconduct. Ogg took a … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Ogg announces for DA

DA’s office responds to Temple case allegations

Posted on September 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Their view differs, to say the least. Three months after a judge ruled that a Katy man convicted of murdering his wife did not get a fair trial and excoriated the prosecutor who handled the case, saying she withheld evidence, … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on DA’s office responds to Temple case allegations

Harris County DA to investigate Planned Parenthood clinic here

Posted on August 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I haven’t spent any time writing about the misleading attack videos on Planned Parenthood being put out by yet another shadowy anti-abortion group, so let me dispense with this. Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson said Wednesday her office has … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The David Temple case

Posted on July 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I have not followed this very closely, but it definitely deserves all the attention it has received. There’s a 1,300-page offense report detailing the investigation into the fatal shooting of Belinda Temple in 1999. There are audio tapes of witnesses … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , | 29 Comments

Sheriff asks for more funds for body cameras

Posted on July 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Good move. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office recently applied for a grant from the Department of Justice to purchase 750 wearable body cameras, a new technology aimed at improving government transparency and accountability after a year of high-profile police-involved shootings … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Sheriff asks for more funds for body cameras

All backlogged rape kits have been tested

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Great news. Houston officials have completed the lab testing and review of a three-decade backlog of rape kits, yielding 850 matches in the national DNA database. On Monday, Mayor Annise Parker, District Attorney Devon Anderson and police department and crime … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Reforming the grand jury system

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Harris County DA Devon Anderson comes out in favor of changing how grand juries are selected. I have been the Harris County district attorney for 17 months now. In that time, one of the most frequently recurring issues I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Reforming the grand jury system

Now what do we do with those body cameras?

Posted on February 5, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

KPRC addresses an important question. HPD has been running a pilot program regarding body cameras for more than a year. 100 officers are currently wearing a body camera. The department has yet to finalize a policy on the use of … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Now what do we do with those body cameras?

Commissioners Court approves body camera purchase

Posted on December 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday unanimously approved District Attorney Devon Anderson’s plan to spend $1.9 million in seized assets to equip Houston police officers and Harris County sheriff’s deputies with body cameras. County officials also said they would … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

DA’s office to help buy body cams

Posted on December 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Very good news. Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson plans to purchase hundreds of body-worn cameras for Houston police officers and sheriff’s deputies, weeks after widespread protests erupted when a white Missouri police officer was not charged for fatally shooting … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

First impressions of the 2014 results

Posted on November 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

My initial thoughts, for what they are worth. – Let me begin by saying that for all the criticism I had of the UT/Texas Trib’s polling and the skepticism of Internet-sample methodology, they were fairly accurate in the end. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Chron overview of DA race

Posted on October 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a simple question at the core of the race for Harris County District Attorney. For two years, in the early 1990s, Kim Ogg and Devon Anderson worked in the same office under legendary Harris County District Attorney Johnny Holmes. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Chron overview of DA race

HPOU wades into the DA race

Posted on October 25, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

They’re all in for incumbent Devon Anderson. The already intense race for Harris County district attorney became more heated Wednesday with the Houston Police Officer’s Union attacking Democratic candidate Kim Ogg, saying that during her time at Crime Stoppers she … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

KHOU: Abbott 47, Davis 32

Posted on October 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

A new poll to open Early Voting. As early voters head to the polls for a landmark election in Texas, a new survey conducted for KHOU-TV and Houston Public Media shows Republican Greg Abbott with a commanding lead over Democrat … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on KHOU: Abbott 47, Davis 32

DA race developments

Posted on October 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Couple of stories of interest relating to the District Attorney’s race. First, DA Devon Anderson announced the creation of a special court to handle prostitution cases. A new program Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson announced on Thursday targets prostitutes, … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Anderson proposes her own pot prosecution reform plan

Posted on October 4, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a trend. A move to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana emerged Wednesday as a major issue in the contentious race for Harris County District attorney with both candidates claiming ownership of the idea. At a news … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Endorsement watch: Ogg for DA

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Chronicle endorses a change in thew Harris County DA’s office. Houston has changed since the hang ’em high days of Holmes’ tenure. Our region has grown more diverse, our mentality more mature. While some may look back with nostalgia, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Enos files complaint against Judge Franklin

Posted on September 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again. Lawyer Greg Enos filed a criminal complaint this month with the District Attorney’s Public Integrity Division alleging 311th District Court Judge Alicia Franklin submitted false and questionable pay vouchers to the county for court-appointed work in … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment