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- Shawn Younger, a DPS sergeant in Decatur, was indicted last Thursday under cause number CR-21417 for "TAMPER/FABRICATE PHYS EVID W/INTENT TO IMPAIR" according to Wise County online records. Fort Worth attorney Bill Ray is the special prosecutor. (That's about all I know right now, and I have no idea if the case is legitimate or not.)
- One of my big rants over the years is people being criminally prosecuted for what used to be considered a car wreck, and I mentioned a couple of months back about a case out of Tyler featured in Texas Monthly. In general, a guy was prosecuted for drinking at a golf course and a restaurant afterwards, not being legally intoxicated, and then having a car wreck by failing to negotiate a curve. That wreck ended up in the death of a young girl, and the driver being sent to prison, shockingly, for 10 years. Late last week, the Tyler court of appeals affirmed his conviction (but at least gave him a new punishment hearing because of a lawyer screw up.) But it's a 2-1 decision and the dissent was spot on: Drinking and driving is not illegal in Texas. Drinking and being intoxicated and driving is. But the majority "blurs that distinction" in a criminally negligent homicide case because a tragic accident occurred. I hope the Texas Court of Appeals reviews this one. The man is sitting in prison.
- Lightening rod Jonathon Stickland announced he won't run for the Texas Legislature again. The Tea Party darling and Empower Texans PAC golden boy, barely won re-election last time.
Krause thought this was a good look? - I didn't watch it, but a couple of members of the Wallenda family walked a tightrope at Times Square on Sunday on live TV. I'm surprised it didn't end in injury because Joel Osteen said a prayer for them beforehand. (Side note: The fact that they wore a safety harness probably eliminated the need for any thoughts and prayers from Osteen.)
- TDCAA, the official prosecutors organization in Texas, has a pretty good publication which is available for all to see. But a recent cover story on "implicit bias" got my attention when it had this very odd tip to not let racial bias sneak into a trial. If a prosecutor tried this, I'd be worried they were at Charlottesville (on the bad side.)
- From the WFAA archives, a quick video of kids riding the old slide at Six Flags. I rode that thing. You would catch a bizarre amount of air (as evidenced by the kid at the end who looks like he needs to be in traction after the ride.)
- If you like those old videos from WFAA, you'll love this one: "In what is an insane series of words, Oaklawn’s The Patch Go-Go Club in Dallas is having its go-go dancers dance for 21 hours straight to help Jerry Lewis’ telethon fight muscular dystrophy. Bill O’Reilly reports. WFAA Collection. September 1976."
- Trump responded again to the accusation that he raped the women who was on the cover of New York magazine: "She's not my type." He's the only guy who can deny something with words which make you certain that he did it.
- Is it called "It's Like Getting a Root Canal" tour?
- Funny exchanged up at the courthouse yesterday when a group was discussing the novel legal question: Can a person who has voluntarily agreed to provide a sample of his blood revoke that consent after the blood is drawn but before it is analyzed by the lab? Lawyer #1: "I'd get a court order!" Lawyer #2: "Get a court order? What is this? C.S.I.?"
- There's nothing wrong with the "deal" below: The prosecution is guaranteed a conviction and the defendant now faces a maximum of life in prison with eligibility for parole in 30 years instead of life in prison without the possibility of parole. The jury will hear the same facts had no plea bargain occurred.
