Skip to main content

Texas DA Sued for 'Spying' on Constable Facing Criminal Charges

By George Khoury, Esq. on May 22, 2018 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

It's a story with more twists and turns than you can shake a stick at. A Texas county and district attorney (yes, he is both the county attorney and district attorney) has been sued for allegedly spying on a fellow elected official, a constable, by monitoring and reading emails without a warrant.

A spokesperson for the district attorney's office explained that the allegations are meritless as the emails of the county constable are public record and available to anyone who files a request. What's unclear is whether a proper request was ever made, or needed in the first place. Regardless, the district attorney had the civil complaint against him sent out for independent investigation (per policy), and has recused himself from the criminal matter against the constable.

Do You Know What "Nemesis" Means?

While Ellis County's county and district attorney, Patrick Wilson, seems to be following established policies, in his office's statement it was expressly noted that the allegations were made by "a criminal defense attorney who has a longstanding and well-documented vendetta against the Ellis County and District Attorney's Office."

Despite claiming a vendetta, the DA is taking the allegations seriously and following proper protocol. After all, the DA's office is pressing on with the criminal charges even after the constable was cleared by a civil jury.

What's Going On Here?

At the heart of this case are allegations against Constable Mike Jones. It is alleged that he tampered with evidence, misused official information, and engaged in deadly conduct, in relation to his recent re-election. Luckily for Constable Jones, the civil jury did not find that he engaged in that conduct. However, he is still currently facing criminal charges related to similar allegations. And that criminal action may be delayed even longer due to DA Wilson's stepping aside as a result of the civil lawsuit Jones filed over the emails. Until the court appoints a special prosecutor who can get up to speed, the criminal case remains in limbo.

Curiously though, despite criminal charges still pending, Constable Jones has been reinstated to his post. Given the result in the civil case, he is hopeful that the jury in the criminal matter will see it the same way.

Related Resources:

Copied to clipboard