Tag Archives: Pat Lykos

Lineup shuffling at the DA’s office

Posted on May 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This was a surprise. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg’s top lieutenant is out the door after the latest staffing shake-up at an office already plagued by high turnover and ongoing retention problems. Tom Berg, a former defense attorney who … Continue reading →

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DA’s office ends trace case prosecutions

Posted on October 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg has stopped prosecuting thousands of so-called trace drug cases, which typically stem from glass pipes seized from users containing little more than residue of crack cocaine, officials said Thursday. The recent change means … Continue reading →

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Ogg does some housecleaning

Posted on December 18, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure there will be more of this to come. Harris County’s new district attorney made clear Friday that she will fire dozens of prosecutors in a massive shake-up when she takes office on Jan. 1. Kim Ogg, who was … Continue reading →

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Checking in with Kim Ogg

Posted on November 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

That’s District Attorney-elect Kim Ogg now. Kim Ogg, still hoarse from shouting over the jubilant victory party crowd after winning her race for Harris County District Attorney, said Wednesday that her first order of business would be to evaluate and … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of the County Attorney race

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It’s the one with the one Democratic incumbent running for re-election. Vince Ryan calls himself the Doberman pinscher of Harris County. The Democrat county attorney campaigned in 2012 as a government watchdog. He cannot point to any “dramatic” instances he … Continue reading →

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Commissioners Court to get deposed

Posted on October 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and all four county commissioners are scheduled to be deposed Monday in a federal lawsuit filed by former Houston Police Department crime lab supervisors who said they experienced retaliation after … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit against county by former crime lab supervisor partially reinstated

Posted on June 27, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a bit of a convoluted story. A federal appeals court has reinstated portions of a lawsuit filed by two former Houston Police Department crime lab supervisors who contended that Harris County prosecutors retaliated against them after they exposed problems … 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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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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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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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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Whitmire weighs in on Harris jail population

Posted on October 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

State Sen. John Whitmire has pushed back on some of the explanations given for the recent uptick in the Harris County jail population, beginning with the claim that it’s due to state jails taking longer than usual to pick up … Continue reading →

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More on Kim Ogg

Posted on October 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the full Chron story about Kim Ogg’s declaration that she will run for Harris County DA as a Democrat in 2014. “I have the varied experience in policy, in prevention and in prosecution that I think gives me a … Continue reading →

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The Lykos era officially ends

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

That’s all she wrote. A grand jury scrutinizing former District Attorney Pat Lykos and her administration declined Thursday to indict Lykos regarding allegations of misuse of public resources. The Harris County grand jury’s decision to end its term without action … Continue reading →

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Trace cases to be prosecuted as felonies again

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

So says our new DA. Newly elected Harris County District Attorney Mike Anderson said Thursday he will prosecute as felonies drug cases that involve trace amounts of crack cocaine, reversing his predecessor’s stand on the so-called “trace cases.” “If there … Continue reading →

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Mental health court coup

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Citing problems with the administration of Harris County’s mental health court, a board of judges has ousted the court’s founder and presiding judge, Jan Krocker, officials confirmed Friday. “There were a lot of valid complaints about Judge Krocker’s administration … Continue reading →

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Anderson’s DWI proposal

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

You may recall that former Harris County DA Pat Lykos’ DIVERT program for DWI offenders was a major point of contention in the GOP primary fight that was eventually won by new DA Mike Anderson. (If you don’t recall, see … Continue reading →

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Former HPD lab supervisor files sues Lykos, county

Posted on December 21, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a nice little going away present for District Attorney Pat Lykos. Two former Houston Police Department crime lab supervisors have filed a federal lawsuit against Harris County District Attorney Pat Lykos, saying the county’s top prosecutor retaliated against them … Continue reading →

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What if Oliver wins?

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Nothing good, that’s for sure. “If he wins, I’m moving to Fredericksburg” said his GOP opponent, Mike Anderson. “I don’t have anything against him personally, but I can’t imagine what that office would be like.” His criminal history, unusual sense … Continue reading →

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Once again on bail and jail overcrowding

Posted on September 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Grits returns to a familiar topic. Harris County has successfully reduced its jail population in the last couple of years to the point where they no longer must ship inmates to jails in Louisiana and other Texas counties due to … Continue reading →

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Oliver to remain on the ballot

Posted on September 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t say I’m surprised. Attorneys representing Harris County Democratic Chairman Lane Lewis and the state Democratic Party argued that perennial candidate [Lloyd] Oliver should be kept off the ballot because he violated a party rule prohibiting a complimentary remark he … Continue reading →

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Birnberg files complaint to force Oliver off the ballot

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’m far from thrilled to have Lloyd Oliver as the Democratic nominee for District Attorney, but this seems a bit much to me. Gerry Birnberg, the former party chair, filed a complaint earlier this month to have Oliver removed from … Continue reading →

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GOP results, Harris County

Posted on May 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Bullet points for all these result posts, I was up way too late last night. See the numbers here and the chat transcript from last night here. – You could have sold me on any result in the GOP DA … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Fertitta and Lykos

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron makes its endorsements in the two primary races for District Attorney. On the Democratic side, they make the easy and obvious call for Zack Fertitta. Zack Fertitta represents a new generation at the Harris County courthouse, and deserves … Continue reading →

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Chron profiles of Lykos and Anderson

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve already had an overview of the GOP DA primary, but that race is apparently too big for just one story, so now we have profiles of the two candidates, Pat Lykos and Mike Anderson. I figure if you’re following … Continue reading →

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Nasty yet nice

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron’s characterization of the GOP primary race for District Attorney as a nasty fight between polite people strikes me as apt. Complaints about Harris County District Attorney Pat Lykos buzz through Houston’s criminal courthouse. Assistant district attorneys, police officers … Continue reading →

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Interview with DA Pat Lykos

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

For my interviews this week, I’m going to take a brief detour from the Democratic primaries to converse with the two candidates in the highest profile Republican primary in Harris County. That would be the District Attorney race, and we … Continue reading →

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FBI looking into DA’s office over grand jury “investigation”

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, boy. Eyewitness News learned from people interviewed that the FBI and Texas Rangers are asking questions inside the DA’s office. The questions aren’t about BAT vans, but about the DA and her team and how they reacted once the … Continue reading →

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What is an investigation?

Posted on February 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Remember when I said that the grand jury saga wasn’t over yet? After denying any investigation into the grand jurors who for six months investigated her office, Harris County District Attorney Pat Lykos disclosed that she directed her chief investigator … Continue reading →

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Grand jury no-bills DA’s office

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Thus endeth one of the most fascinating local stories in recent memory. A Harris County grand jury ended its session Tuesday, ending a months-long investigation into the district attorney’s office and the Houston Police Department’s DWI testing vehicles with a … Continue reading →

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January finance reports: Harris County

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

January is a very busy month for campaign finance reports, since they are due for all levels of government. I’ve been busy updating the 2012 Primary Election pages for Harris County and elsewhere in Texas with reports as I can … Continue reading →

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Lykos appears before the grand jury

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

And that’s all we know about it. Harris County District Attorney Pat Lykos testified Tuesday in a grand jury investigation of the Houston Police Department’s controversial mobile DWI testing vehicles. Because grand jury subpoenas and testimony are secret, it is … Continue reading →

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Lykos subpoenaed

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

That grand jury keeps stirring things up. A grand jury investigating possible wrongdoing within the DA’s Office has officially subpoenaed DA Pat Lykos. The probe centers around problems with the Houston Police Department’s DWI testing vans. The DA’s Office will … Continue reading →

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Inmate outsourcing on the way out

Posted on January 8, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This is unequivocally good news. Dropping inmate numbers at the Harris County Jail will let the county end its nearly 5-year-old practice of shipping overflow inmates to Louisiana and other Texas counties within days, Sheriff Adrian Garcia said this week. … Continue reading →

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