Dallas District Attorney Never Pursued Constable Allegations

According to a report by Kevin Krause in The Dallas Morning News, Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins was informed in a memo of suspicious payments to former Constable Jaime Cortes' office as early as February 2008 and did not act on the information. Watkins' inaction has been under fire for months from Dallas County Commissioners once the allegations against Cortes were made public by the Morning News last year.

Watkins at first denied receiving the memo about the payments in 2008, which were first discovered by a county auditor. After it was reported that Watkins asked the state attorney general in 2009 not to release the auditor's memo, he admitted receiving it. According to a county report, a "confidential source" reported to the auditor that "unreceipted payments" were made by Dowdy Ferry Auto Services to Jaime Cortes' office, who in turn informed Watkins soon after. Cortes used Dowdy Ferry as the exclusive provider of towing services for his constables.

An investigative report by county commissioners found Cortes' constables gave Dowdy Ferry preferential treatment in handling towing situations in return for cash payments. Although Watkins' office has been aware of the situation for some time, no charges have been filed and there is no public indication from Watkins' office of any investigation into the matter. Commissioners have questioned whether Watkins is serious about investigating Cortes for political reasons. Both Watkins and Cortes are high-profile local Democrats.

The scandal has created a dramatic turnaround of public opinion for Watkins, who earned a nationwide reputation for using DNA testing to release wrongly convicted criminals. He even has a reality show detailing his efforts on a Discovery cable channel.

Those who call to investigate Watkins now have a place to vent their frustrations - a group page on Facebook.

Called "Investigate ConstableGate Now," the group was formed by members of the Dallas County Republican Party and had earned over 100 members within hours of forming. A statement on the group's profile says Watkins "has refused to investigate allegations of corruption, bribery, official repression, and theft involving two fellow Democrat constables."

To access the "Investigate ConstableGate Now" Facebook group, click here.

Source: Dallas Morning News