Tag Archives: Pat Lykos

Lykos v Anderson

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I obviously don’t have a dog in the Republican District Attorney primary fight, but I like a good high-profile political battle as much as the next junkie, so stories about it are interesting to me. [DA Pat] Lykos argues she … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

“It’s all politics!”

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The grand jury investigation of the District Attorney’s office over DWI evidence and policies continues to be the most compelling local story right now. A prosecutor who last week refused to answer questions from a grand jury said Monday she … Continue reading →

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

Investigations all around

Posted on December 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a second grand jury looking into Harris County DA Pat Lykos. Sources close to the investigation said a special prosecutor was appointed last week to look into claims by Shirley Cornelius, a 27-year-veteran of the office, that she was … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

More on Lykos versus the cops

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s another Chron story about the recent dust-up between Harris County DA Pat Lykos and six Harris County police groups that don’t like her policy that trace amounts of crack will not be prosecuted as felonies. Two points that are … Continue reading →

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Lykos versus the cops

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Various law enforcement unions are not happy with Harris County DA Pat Lykos. Leaders of six Harris County police organizations Tuesday announced a vote of no confidence in District Attorney Pat Lykos, saying she has “shirked her duty” and has … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

When prosecutors get in trouble

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

You know, this grand jury investigation of the Harris County DA’s office is starting to look like a full-fledged scandal. Two Harris County prosecutors are facing contempt charges after a judge learned that members of the District Attorney’s Office were … Continue reading →

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

Grand jury requests special prosecutor

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s getting mighty interesting over there. A Houston grand jury that may be investigating the Harris County District Attorney’s Office and the Houston Police Department’s troubled breath alcohol testing vans has asked for a special prosecutor and an extension of … Continue reading →

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

Investigating the DA

Posted on October 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There may be something interesting going on in the grand jury room. A Houston grand jury apparently investigating recent allegations about the Houston Police Department’s troubled mobile alcohol-testing vehicles may now be setting its sights on the Harris County District … Continue reading →

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More troubles for CM Jones

Posted on October 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There have not been many dull moments this year for CM Jolanda Jones. That seems unlikely to change in the near future. [O]n Wednesday, revelations surfaced that one of her staffers photographed a citizen picking up public records from her … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

DA gets Jones case

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

What sound does a hot potato make when it gets passed to someone else? The Harris County District Attorney has been asked to review for possible criminal prosecution allegations that Councilwoman Jolanda Jones used city resources to support her private … Continue reading →

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Still talking about jail overcrowding

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s another op-ed about jail overcrowding in Harris County and what to do about it. It’s all familiar stuff – we’ve only been talking about this for a million years or so – but I was struck by what wasn’t … Continue reading →

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

The firings will continue until services improve

Posted on January 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Harris County has only just begun to fire people. The protective net county government weaves under 4 million people — jailing crooks, inoculating residents against disease, investigating child abuse and treating the mentally ill – would fray noticeably under spending … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

The HPD crime lab backlog

Posted on October 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I just have one question about this: Lengthy waits for Houston police to test evidence for DNA is an increasingly common problem in the Harris County judicial system, prosecutors say. The understaffed HPD crime lab currently has a backlog of … Continue reading →

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Bad building design

Posted on August 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I have two questions about this story, which is about the poor design of the Harris County Criminal Justice Center downtown. Harris County District Attorney Pat Lykos calls the building at 1201 Franklin “the most poorly designed criminal justice center … Continue reading →

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It’s still hard to free an innocent person

Posted on August 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise, right? While some appellate attorneys are applauding Harris County District Attorney Pat Lykos’ establishment of a Post Conviction Review Section, whose work led to the freedom of two wrongfully convicted men in the past week, Texas law continues … Continue reading →

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

Please don’t shred the documents

Posted on February 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This isn’t good. At a crucial moment in the development of its light rail system, Metro confronted accusations Wednesday that it shredded documents sought in an open-records request, then fired two attorneys who objected to its handling of the request. … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The forensics backlog

Posted on January 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I was going to blog about this Chron story regarding a backlog in fingerprint analyses for the HPD Crime Lab, but Grits said most of what I was going to say, so just go read him. The key, I think, … Continue reading →

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More on the new DA drug policy

Posted on December 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Mark Bennett notes the new policy for dealing with trace amounts of drugs as announced by the Harris County DA’s office and suggests there’s little to be concerned about. What we’re really talking about here is a small number of … Continue reading →

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Getting smarter about crime

Posted on December 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The news that Harris County DA Pat Lykos has changed the office’s policy to no longer will file state jail felony charges against suspects found with only a trace of drugs is good news indeed. Lykos said the move “gives … Continue reading →

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Lykos asks Senate for regional crime lab funds

Posted on November 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Harris County DA Pat Lykos went before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week to ask for money that would be used to help get a regional crime lab up and running. Lykos testified Tuesday in support of the Innocence Protection … Continue reading →

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Chron poll: Brown leads

Posted on October 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Campos teased the news earlier today, and now the story is up: Peter Brown leads in a new Zogby poll of the Mayor’s race. According to the poll, Brown leads the field with 23.8 percent of the vote, followed by … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2009 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Endorsement watch: At Large

Posted on October 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Having dispatched with the District Council races yesterday, the Chron continues with the schedule I’d hoped they’d follow by making their endorsements in the At Large races. As I thought, they went with incumbents Sue Lovell in #2 and Jolanda … Continue reading →

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Commissioners Court approves public defenders plan

Posted on September 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The “hybrid” public defenders office that Commissioners Court had been considering was approved Tuesday by a 5-0 vote, though the details still need to be worked out in time for the February 2010 budget meeting. “It’s going to take however … Continue reading →

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The county’s proposal for a public defender’s office

Posted on September 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Next week, a proposal for a “hybrid” public defender’s office will be presented to Harris County Commissioners Court. It is considered a hybrid because it would allow courts to use both public defenders and private attorneys. For example, two of … Continue reading →

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HISD set to hire Grier

Posted on September 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

But not without some drama first. The Houston school board is expected to officially hire Terry Grier as superintendent Thursday and offer him a multiyear contract that is likely to top $400,000 a year in salary and perks over time. … Continue reading →

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Grand juror disagrees with dismissal of arson charge against Francisca Medina

Posted on August 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Given the grand jury issues that surrounded the original indictment of Supreme Court Justice David Medina in the matter of the fire that destroyed his house, this seems only fitting. A grand juror who sat on one of two panels … Continue reading →

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The exodus from the DA’s office

Posted on August 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron writes about disgruntlement in the DA’s office. Harris County District Attorney Pat Lykos promised to clean house when she was elected in November and promptly fired seven senior prosecutors. Now other experienced prosecutors, including a member of Lykos’ … Continue reading →

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When county officials cooperate

Posted on August 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I was sent a copy of this story as a PDF a few days ago, and I’m glad to see (via Hair Balls) that it’s available online. It’s about the level of cooperation between Harris County District Attorney Pat Lykos … Continue reading →

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The DA’s new DWI program

Posted on August 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Harris County District Attorney’s new driving while intoxicated diversion program appears to have some problems. Under the new program, those accused of a first-time DWI will be offered the diversion program or 30 days in jail and a $750 … Continue reading →

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Interview with CO Bradford

Posted on July 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Next up in the interview series is C.O. “Brad” Bradford, who is running for At Large #4, currently held by the term-limited Ronald Green. Bradford was the Democratic candidate for Harris County District Attorney last year, and though he lost … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2009 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 33 Comments

The jail czar

Posted on July 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I think the whole “czar” thing is overdone, but if it takes hiring a person whose only job it is to focus on jail overcrowding to get something done in a real and lasting way about it, then so be … Continue reading →

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What about Dwayne?

Posted on June 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Lone Star Project turns its attention to Ed Johnson‘s partner, State Rep. Dwayne Bohac. [Friday], the Lone Star Project formally submitted open records requests of Dwayne Bohac, Tax Assessor Collector Leo Vasquez, Harris County DA Pat Lykos -a CDS … Continue reading →

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Chron reports on Ed Johnson

Posted on June 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s their story about Ed Johnson and his questionable side venture as a Republican consultant. It doesn’t add much to what we already know, but it does get some local reaction, including from Johnson’s boss, Harris County Tax Assessor Leo … Continue reading →

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Two immigration stories

Posted on April 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Governor Perry writes a letter to the Department of Homeland Security. Perry asked Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano this week to take a series of steps to improve information-sharing between federal, state and local law enforcement. The Homeland Security-related issues … Continue reading →

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