Tag Archives: District Attorney

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 →

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Perry re-files motions to quash indictments

Posted on January 31, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. Following the cues provided in a judge’s ruling this week, lawyers for Rick Perry filed a request on Friday to get an indictment against the former governor dismissed. The new request noted “serious, well-founded concerns” that Judge Bert … Continue reading →

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Paxton evades prosecution

Posted on January 30, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

In Travis County, anyway. New Attorney General Ken Paxton, who in 2014 was found to have violated the Texas Securities Act, will not be prosecuted by the state’s office that investigates public corruption, officials said Thursday. Paxton, a former state … Continue reading →

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Perry still under indictment

Posted on January 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. A judge on Tuesday rejected former Gov. Rick Perry’s attempt to throw out a two-count indictment against him, saying it’s too early in the case to challenge the constitutionality of the charges. Perry’s attorneys immediately filed notice that they … Continue reading →

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Expect to hear more about Perry vetos and no-bid contracts

Posted on January 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Bring it on. Democratic lawmakers and government watchdog groups on Saturday called for the reopening of an investigation into no-bid state contracts that ended in 2013 after Gov. Rick Perry vetoed funding for the team conducting it. The critics decried … Continue reading →

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The veto that keeps on giving

Posted on January 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I haven’t closely followed the burgeoning scandal at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, which involves no-bid contracts, up front tuition reimbursements for top level staffers, and rampant cronyism. It’s already cost three people their jobs and will likely … Continue reading →

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On playing small ball

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Campos reacts to Mayor Parker’s future statewide plans. And here again is my small ball take from a few weeks ago: It is time for small ball instead of the big inning. In baseball, small ball is a strategy where … Continue reading →

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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 →

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On grand juries

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Some folks are trying to change the makeup of grand juries in Harris County. It was a largely black crowd with at least a third of the audience made up of white people and a few anarchists sprinkled in. They … Continue reading →

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Perry’s first day in court

Posted on November 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Hopefully not his last, but that’s up to the judge at this time. Gov. Rick Perry appeared in court Thursday to watch his attorneys, armed with plenty of theater, try to convince a judge that the prosecutor pursuing abuse-of-power charges … Continue reading →

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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 →

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McCrum responds to Perry’s motions

Posted on November 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Another story to distract us from the election results. Special prosecutor Michael McCrum filed court papers on Monday, saying the governor, who was indicted for abuse of office, shouldn’t have access to grand jury testimony because he could intimidate witnesses. … Continue reading →

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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 →

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Wilvin Carter

Posted on October 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, there are interesting races for District Attorney in Harris, Dallas, and Bexar Counties. Turns out there’s one in Fort Bend County, too. As Fort Bend County District Attorney, John Healey has faced competitive elections before. Since a … Continue reading →

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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 →

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Interview index

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

For your convenience, here is a list of all my interviews and judicial Q&As for the November election. This includes ones I did for the primary and runoff. Interviews US Senate – David Alameel Attorney General – Sam Houston Comptroller … Continue reading →

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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 →

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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 →

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Perry’s lawyers are earning their paychecks

Posted on October 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

You never know what might stick when you throw everything you’ve got at the wall. Lawyers for Gov. Rick Perry on Friday filed a request to dismiss the indictment against the governor, saying paperwork needed to properly swear in the … Continue reading →

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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 →

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Perry doesn’t have to show up at his court hearing

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

He’s excused this time. But don’t push it. Gov. Rick Perry does not have to appear at an Oct. 13 court hearing in his case, but that does not mean he has a pass to skip all future hearings, Visiting … Continue reading →

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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 →

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McCrum asks for help

Posted on September 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Because many against one is not a fair fight. The special prosecutor in the case against Gov. Rick Perry is asking for some help. San Antonio lawyer Michael McCrum, who guided the case to last month’s indictment, filed a motion … Continue reading →

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Perry’s lawyers ask again for indictments to be tossed

Posted on September 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Attorneys for Gov. Rick Perry, indicted last month on charges related to his veto threat of money for the Travis County District Attorney’s office, have filed another request for a judge to … Continue reading →

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Complaint filed against Whitmire

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I think this is more a political stunt than anything else, but we’ll see. A conservative group has filed a criminal complaint against state Sen. John Whitmire, accusing him of coercion in an exchange of text messages with University of … Continue reading →

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Interview with Kim Ogg

Posted on September 2, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s time to start the interview series for the fall elections. As you know, I did interviews with various Democratic primary candidates earlier this year. As a rule, I’m not going to re-interview candidates that made it to the fall … Continue reading →

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Now how much would you pay for Rick Perry’s lawyers?

Posted on September 1, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The tab has gone up. Gov. Rick Perry has billed taxpayers $133,000 to hire several lawyers to defend him against public corruption allegations, his office confirmed Friday. That’s more lawyers and more state money spent than previously disclosed. After Perry … Continue reading →

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Rick Perry was actively searching for Rosemary Lehmberg’s replacement

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The plot thickens. Gov. Rick Perry personally called a well-known Austin Democrat to discuss her interest in replacing Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg days before the public learned Perry was threatening to withhold state funding from Lehmberg’s office unless … Continue reading →

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Perry’s legal team to try to get indictments tossed

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s what any defense attorney would try to do. A lawyer for Gov. Rick Perry said Friday he will challenge felony charges that the governor overstepped his authority when he said he would veto state funding for Travis County prosecutors … Continue reading →

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The Public Integrity Unit probably won’t have to worry about a veto next year

Posted on August 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

They’ll have bigger things to worry about. With Republican partisans campaigning loudly to strip Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg of her control of the unit, chances of getting the funding restored under her by the GOP-dominated Legislature that convenes … Continue reading →

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Ogg challenges Anderson’s handling of Ryan Chandler investigation

Posted on August 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This gets a little complicated, so stay with me. A county prosecutor who was engaged to fired Houston homicide detective Sgt. Ryan Chandler emailed him an office database search of all his cases as he was under investigation for possible … Continue reading →

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Perry will pay for his own defense

Posted on August 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Wise decision, something our Governor is not known for. Gov. Rick Perry, who has been using taxpayer dollars to pay his defense lawyers, will tap campaign funds from now on to compensate the attorneys who are fighting his felony indictments, … Continue reading →

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Possibly the last thing I’m going to say about the Perry indictment for now

Posted on August 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Certainly not the last thing I’ll ever say, since there’s a vast amount of the story left to be told, and I reserve the right to change my mind. But for now, since the indictment came down on Friday there’s … Continue reading →

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The debate over handling drug cases in the DA race

Posted on August 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

An update from the Chron. Incumbent Devon Anderson and challenger Kim Ogg have somewhat similar thoughts on dealing with misdemeanor marijuana possession, but are on polar opposites when it comes to trace amounts of crack cocaine, a perennial debate in … Continue reading →

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