An exchange between me and a shoplifting client in the holdover:
ME: Good morning, Ms. _________.
HER: Are you my new attorney?
ME: Um, no. I've always been your attorney.
HER: You're the same guy from last time?
ME: Yes.
HER: I just remember you being a lot younger last time.
ME: That was only three weeks ago!
HER: Maybe you had more hair back then.
ME: Trust me, I didn't.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Saturday, August 13, 2011
The People We Know
It has been a brutally rough two weeks for the Defense Bar in Harris County.
The weekend before last, we lost John Denninger to cancer.
Days later, we learned of the deaths of Phil Jenkins and Rosemary Garza.
Last night, we learned that Marguerite Hudig passed away.
It seems lately that we've been losing a lot of fine people long before their time on this Earth should have been up.
Last week, I was up in Brazos County, talking to my friend, David Hilburn, and we talked about how it seemed that the frequency of hearing tragic news seemed to be increasing as we got older.
When we were all children, losing a friend or a family member was a much more rare, yet tragic occasion.
Now, it seems that every month or so, we learn that someone we know (at least, someone we know in passing) has died.
Maybe it's just the harsh reality of growing older that brings this to light. To me, that's the sad way to observe this phenomena.
The other way to look at it is that as we've grown older, we've expanded our boundaries and have gotten to know so many more people than we did when we were children. If you look at the circle of friends and acquaintances that we all had when we were smaller, it vastly pales in comparison to the number of people we get to know as adults.
We grew from children and met more people. The more people we meet, the more people we ultimately have to say goodbye to. The more goodbyes we say, the sadder we become.
The loss of a friend, a family member, a co-worker, or even just a familiar face that you were accustomed to seeing in the hallways of the courthouse is always sad.
But the reason for the feeling of sadness is the loss of that familiarity that we once had.
For some reason, learning of Marguerite's passing has made me particularly sad.
I can't articulate why. I didn't know her well at all. I had a few cases against her as a prosecutor, but none that ever went to trial.
But, I suppose I was used to her. She was a regular face around the CJC. Just like John Denninger, Phil Jenkins, and Rosemary Garza -- not to mention all of those other attorneys that I've had the honor to know and subsequently say goodbye to over the years.
I'm sorry that I won't be seeing those faces around the CJC again. They will be missed.
But I'm glad that I had the opportunity to meet them. Glad to have gotten to know them -- some better than others.
I'm happy to have expanded my circle of friends and co-workers as I've gotten older, because the people that we get to know along the way are the ones that make all of our lives so much richer and so much more interesting for having known them.
Even if it is so sad to ultimately have to say goodbye to them.
The weekend before last, we lost John Denninger to cancer.
Days later, we learned of the deaths of Phil Jenkins and Rosemary Garza.
Last night, we learned that Marguerite Hudig passed away.
It seems lately that we've been losing a lot of fine people long before their time on this Earth should have been up.
Last week, I was up in Brazos County, talking to my friend, David Hilburn, and we talked about how it seemed that the frequency of hearing tragic news seemed to be increasing as we got older.
When we were all children, losing a friend or a family member was a much more rare, yet tragic occasion.
Now, it seems that every month or so, we learn that someone we know (at least, someone we know in passing) has died.
Maybe it's just the harsh reality of growing older that brings this to light. To me, that's the sad way to observe this phenomena.
The other way to look at it is that as we've grown older, we've expanded our boundaries and have gotten to know so many more people than we did when we were children. If you look at the circle of friends and acquaintances that we all had when we were smaller, it vastly pales in comparison to the number of people we get to know as adults.
We grew from children and met more people. The more people we meet, the more people we ultimately have to say goodbye to. The more goodbyes we say, the sadder we become.
The loss of a friend, a family member, a co-worker, or even just a familiar face that you were accustomed to seeing in the hallways of the courthouse is always sad.
But the reason for the feeling of sadness is the loss of that familiarity that we once had.
For some reason, learning of Marguerite's passing has made me particularly sad.
I can't articulate why. I didn't know her well at all. I had a few cases against her as a prosecutor, but none that ever went to trial.
But, I suppose I was used to her. She was a regular face around the CJC. Just like John Denninger, Phil Jenkins, and Rosemary Garza -- not to mention all of those other attorneys that I've had the honor to know and subsequently say goodbye to over the years.
I'm sorry that I won't be seeing those faces around the CJC again. They will be missed.
But I'm glad that I had the opportunity to meet them. Glad to have gotten to know them -- some better than others.
I'm happy to have expanded my circle of friends and co-workers as I've gotten older, because the people that we get to know along the way are the ones that make all of our lives so much richer and so much more interesting for having known them.
Even if it is so sad to ultimately have to say goodbye to them.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
. . . And Now You Don't
The turnout for the Veterans Court graduation today was outstanding, as a packed courtroom filled the 228th. Here are a couple of photos from the big event.
Judge Carter hosted the ceremony.
Deputy Walker keeps his pants up like the Good Lord intended . . .
Connie Williams gave a very moving speech.
Craig Still and I spend our last moments with Greg Allman.
Halfway through Pat McCann honoring his deal.
Brothers in baldness.
Like I said in my last post . . .
With all the fun of Pat McCann honoring his bet, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that today's ceremony was a very important and moving moment in the CJC. A big congratulations goes out to Judge Carter, Pat, Shannon Davis, Staci Biggar, and (most importantly) the graduates of Veterans Court for a great day today.
Now You See It . . .
There will be a ceremony in the 228th District Court today at 2:00 p.m. as Judge Marc Carter and the dedicated attorneys who have donated their time to the Veterans' Court celebrate the successful completion of pre-trial diversions by fifteen members of its starting class. As part of the Veteran's Court, defense attorney Pat "Sumo Jesus" McCann challenged the Veterans by swearing he would allow his head to be shaved should they successfully complete their pre-trial diversions.
And they did.
So, a big congratulations to the Veterans who helped make this project a big success, as well as to Judge Carter, Pat, Shannon Davis of the D.A.'s Office and all the other attorneys who have made this project possible.
And on a sad note, we bid a fond farewell to the flowing locks of hair that belong to Mr. McCann for only a few hours more. As a veteran of hair loss, I will be there to support you in the days to come, my friend.
I, for one, will remember you like this:
Even though, when this is all over, I'm pretty sure you will more closely resemble this.
And they did.
So, a big congratulations to the Veterans who helped make this project a big success, as well as to Judge Carter, Pat, Shannon Davis of the D.A.'s Office and all the other attorneys who have made this project possible.
And on a sad note, we bid a fond farewell to the flowing locks of hair that belong to Mr. McCann for only a few hours more. As a veteran of hair loss, I will be there to support you in the days to come, my friend.
I, for one, will remember you like this:
Even though, when this is all over, I'm pretty sure you will more closely resemble this.
Monday, August 1, 2011
John Denninger
I was very saddened to learn yesterday that my friend and longtime Defense Attorney John Denninger passed away after a battle with lung cancer.
I first met John when I became a Felony Two in Judge Michael McSpadden's court around 2006. He, along with Ken Goode and Chuck Hinton, were the contract attorneys in the court. I had known Chuck and Ken when I had been an academic intern in the 209th back in 1998, but John wasn't in the court back then.
John took me awhile to figure out, because he had such a deadpan sense of humor. Where Chuck and Ken were more prone to laughing out loud and telling jokes, John was often quiet and stone-faced by comparison. It wasn't until I got to know him better that I realized the quiet demeanor actually masked a very very dry wit.
He was a good lawyer who was very dedicated to his clients, and we tried serious cases against each other during the time I spent in Judge McSpadden's court. His clients were appointed to him, and he fought vigorously for them. He didn't lose his cool on the high stress cases and he tried them with integrity and the highest level of ethics.
After I left the 209th, I didn't see much of John anymore, except in the hallways of the CJC. Every time I saw him, he would always smile brightly and ask how I was doing. He was a very nice man.
The last time I saw him was earlier this year. He was having dinner with his daughter, and he introduced me to her. It was very apparent that he was enjoying father/daughter time and he couldn't have been prouder to be there with her.
I didn't even know that John was sick until a few weeks ago.
As a member of HCCLA, I can't talk about those things that are posted on the listserve, but I will say that John is being very fondly remembered today by his peers from the Defense Bar. He was highly respected as an attorney, a family man, and a friend.
We are all very sad to lose our friend, John Denninger.
I first met John when I became a Felony Two in Judge Michael McSpadden's court around 2006. He, along with Ken Goode and Chuck Hinton, were the contract attorneys in the court. I had known Chuck and Ken when I had been an academic intern in the 209th back in 1998, but John wasn't in the court back then.
John took me awhile to figure out, because he had such a deadpan sense of humor. Where Chuck and Ken were more prone to laughing out loud and telling jokes, John was often quiet and stone-faced by comparison. It wasn't until I got to know him better that I realized the quiet demeanor actually masked a very very dry wit.
He was a good lawyer who was very dedicated to his clients, and we tried serious cases against each other during the time I spent in Judge McSpadden's court. His clients were appointed to him, and he fought vigorously for them. He didn't lose his cool on the high stress cases and he tried them with integrity and the highest level of ethics.
After I left the 209th, I didn't see much of John anymore, except in the hallways of the CJC. Every time I saw him, he would always smile brightly and ask how I was doing. He was a very nice man.
The last time I saw him was earlier this year. He was having dinner with his daughter, and he introduced me to her. It was very apparent that he was enjoying father/daughter time and he couldn't have been prouder to be there with her.
I didn't even know that John was sick until a few weeks ago.
As a member of HCCLA, I can't talk about those things that are posted on the listserve, but I will say that John is being very fondly remembered today by his peers from the Defense Bar. He was highly respected as an attorney, a family man, and a friend.
We are all very sad to lose our friend, John Denninger.
Of Raining, Pouring and Writer's Block
I've gotten a bunch of complaints lately that I haven't posted on anything in a while, either on this blog or the Chronicle blog.
Either there just hadn't been much happening of interest lately or I've just been experiencing a bout of writer's block. Also, I've been very busy with my Little Man's summer activities and my Favorite Editor from New York being in town for an extended visit.
And then last week, several different things happened that were all worthy of writing a blog post (or two or three) on . . .
. . . and I'm at a place for the weekend that has no Internet connection.
Ah the irony.
One of the major things that happened last week was the stunning revelation by former Houston Police Department technical advisor Amanda Culbertson that HPD's mobile "BATmobiles" (used for the on-site testing of a DWI suspect's breath) had some major glitches in their reliability. It was covered at length by Paul Kennedy with his post here. (NOTE: If you aren't reading Kennedy's blog, you should be. Yes, you'll probably disagree with a lot of it, and he does wear that bola instead of a tie, but he is worth reading.)
Paul focuses in on the ramifications for HPD, but what I find interesting is the ramifications for the D.A.'s Office. There are a ton of cases that Culbertson's testimony effects and it will be very interesting to see what the Office does with them.
I'm also quite skeptical of the idea that the D.A.'s Office was unaware of Ms. Culbertson's claims that the BATmobiles were faulty. Why exactly did the prosecutors ask for a continuance on the case rather than dismiss it? Look for there to be A LOT more to come from this revelation and the key question you'll need to be asking is "Who knew what? And when?"
In addition to the BATmobile revelations, last week long-term prosecutor Bill Hawkins turned in his letter of resignation to the Lykos Administration. I say that he turned his resignation into the Lykos Administration, because Bill Hawkins would have never resigned from a District Attorney's Office. There is a distinction between the two.
Bill was the lead prosecutor on the upcoming retrial of cop killer Carl Buntion, which was set for trial in the next month or so. His resignation is surprising in its timing, but there were early warnings that Bill was not going to mesh well with the Lykos Administration.
Integrity often causes conflict with those who have none.
Because Bill has integrity, he is not talking about his departure at the moment, but if I had to guess, I would bet it had something to do with the idiotic idea to have him supervised by a prosecutor junior to him as I detailed in this post. Especially if that junior prosecutor is a darling of the Lykos Administration when Bill certainly was not.
I will be writing a much better post regarding my friend and mentor, Bill Hawkins when he has finished his last day at the Office.
In other news, I did finally get off my butt and write a new blog on the Chronicle. You can check it out by clicking here.
And finally, on a sad note, my friend and former trial adversary, John Denninger, passed away yesterday after a battle with cancer.
But, I will be writing a separate post on him momentarily.
Either there just hadn't been much happening of interest lately or I've just been experiencing a bout of writer's block. Also, I've been very busy with my Little Man's summer activities and my Favorite Editor from New York being in town for an extended visit.
And then last week, several different things happened that were all worthy of writing a blog post (or two or three) on . . .
. . . and I'm at a place for the weekend that has no Internet connection.
Ah the irony.
One of the major things that happened last week was the stunning revelation by former Houston Police Department technical advisor Amanda Culbertson that HPD's mobile "BATmobiles" (used for the on-site testing of a DWI suspect's breath) had some major glitches in their reliability. It was covered at length by Paul Kennedy with his post here. (NOTE: If you aren't reading Kennedy's blog, you should be. Yes, you'll probably disagree with a lot of it, and he does wear that bola instead of a tie, but he is worth reading.)
Paul focuses in on the ramifications for HPD, but what I find interesting is the ramifications for the D.A.'s Office. There are a ton of cases that Culbertson's testimony effects and it will be very interesting to see what the Office does with them.
I'm also quite skeptical of the idea that the D.A.'s Office was unaware of Ms. Culbertson's claims that the BATmobiles were faulty. Why exactly did the prosecutors ask for a continuance on the case rather than dismiss it? Look for there to be A LOT more to come from this revelation and the key question you'll need to be asking is "Who knew what? And when?"
In addition to the BATmobile revelations, last week long-term prosecutor Bill Hawkins turned in his letter of resignation to the Lykos Administration. I say that he turned his resignation into the Lykos Administration, because Bill Hawkins would have never resigned from a District Attorney's Office. There is a distinction between the two.
Bill was the lead prosecutor on the upcoming retrial of cop killer Carl Buntion, which was set for trial in the next month or so. His resignation is surprising in its timing, but there were early warnings that Bill was not going to mesh well with the Lykos Administration.
Integrity often causes conflict with those who have none.
Because Bill has integrity, he is not talking about his departure at the moment, but if I had to guess, I would bet it had something to do with the idiotic idea to have him supervised by a prosecutor junior to him as I detailed in this post. Especially if that junior prosecutor is a darling of the Lykos Administration when Bill certainly was not.
I will be writing a much better post regarding my friend and mentor, Bill Hawkins when he has finished his last day at the Office.
In other news, I did finally get off my butt and write a new blog on the Chronicle. You can check it out by clicking here.
And finally, on a sad note, my friend and former trial adversary, John Denninger, passed away yesterday after a battle with cancer.
But, I will be writing a separate post on him momentarily.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
The Ever Changing Election Field
As I mentioned with this post back in February, the 2012 Election Season has begun preposterously early this time around, with most of the activity focusing on which Republicans are going to be vying to retake the criminal court benches lost to Democrats in 2008. Here we are five months later and the field has already changed significantly from back in February.
I thought you all might like an up-to-date guide on how things look right now:
The 174th District Court
This race has become contested since we last checked in. Felony District Court Chief Joe Vinas has moved from the race for the 338th District Court (see below for more details on that) to face off against former-prosecutor and local attorney Robert Summerlin. The winner will face off against Ruben Guerrero on the Democratic side.
The 176th District Court
Last we looked here, no one had thrown their name in to be the Republican challenger to Incumbent Judge Shawna Reagin. Since then, former prosecutor and criminal defense attorney Stacey Webb Bond has announced that she will be running as a Republican.
The 177th District Court
There have been no official changes to this race thus far, as Republican Ryan Patrick will be running for the spot against Incumbent Judge Kevin Fine. There have been some rumors that Judge Fine may draw an opponent in his own primary. I'll keep you posted on this one.
The 178th District Court
I'm not sure if Roger Bridgwater has made it official that he will be attempting to retake his bench from Incumbent Judge David Mendoza. The word on the street is that Patricia R. Lykos is not too happy about the idea of Roger running because it conveys the idea that people are "jumping ship" from the Office. Um, yeah, Pat, half your damn Trial Bureau leaves and you don't bat an eye, but when the guy who sits in his office and does nothing all day wants to be a judge, then you get worried?
The 179th District Court
This is still facially the same race, as Republican Kristin Guiney is the only listed challenger right now against Incumbent Judge Randy Roll. However, there are rumors that Lana Shadwick is going to run as a Republican. Shadwick is apparently hoping her ex-husband's name will bring her a judgeship, and her flaky history and resume of bouncing from job to job and position to position within the D.A.'s Office has fellow-blogger Mark Bennett declaring this to be "Christmas in July".
The 337th District Court
This one has been a change, as it doesn't appear that prosecutor Alexis Gilbert is running for the position any longer. However, long-time prosecutor and Chief Renee Magee is now officially running against Democratic candidate and Incumbent Judge Herb Ritchie.
The 338th District Court
A change here as well as former-prosecutor, former-judge, and current defense attorney Brock Thomas has announced he will be running against Hazel Jones to retake his bench after the 2008 elections. Joe Vinas had been slated to run for this bench against Judge Jones, but deferred to Brock and switched to the 174th race. I'm glad to see Brock running again.
The 339th District Court
This race remains unchanged, as well. Special Crimes Chief Brad Hart is still the only candidate currently listed to be running against Incumbent Judge Maria Jackson.
The 351st District Court
As I mentioned in the last post, I can't imagine Incumbent Judge Mark Ellis drawing a Republican challenger in the primary, and I haven't heard of any Democratic candidates signing up to run against him either.
I'll keep you posted as things develop . . .
I thought you all might like an up-to-date guide on how things look right now:
The 174th District Court
This race has become contested since we last checked in. Felony District Court Chief Joe Vinas has moved from the race for the 338th District Court (see below for more details on that) to face off against former-prosecutor and local attorney Robert Summerlin. The winner will face off against Ruben Guerrero on the Democratic side.
The 176th District Court
Last we looked here, no one had thrown their name in to be the Republican challenger to Incumbent Judge Shawna Reagin. Since then, former prosecutor and criminal defense attorney Stacey Webb Bond has announced that she will be running as a Republican.
The 177th District Court
There have been no official changes to this race thus far, as Republican Ryan Patrick will be running for the spot against Incumbent Judge Kevin Fine. There have been some rumors that Judge Fine may draw an opponent in his own primary. I'll keep you posted on this one.
The 178th District Court
I'm not sure if Roger Bridgwater has made it official that he will be attempting to retake his bench from Incumbent Judge David Mendoza. The word on the street is that Patricia R. Lykos is not too happy about the idea of Roger running because it conveys the idea that people are "jumping ship" from the Office. Um, yeah, Pat, half your damn Trial Bureau leaves and you don't bat an eye, but when the guy who sits in his office and does nothing all day wants to be a judge, then you get worried?
The 179th District Court
This is still facially the same race, as Republican Kristin Guiney is the only listed challenger right now against Incumbent Judge Randy Roll. However, there are rumors that Lana Shadwick is going to run as a Republican. Shadwick is apparently hoping her ex-husband's name will bring her a judgeship, and her flaky history and resume of bouncing from job to job and position to position within the D.A.'s Office has fellow-blogger Mark Bennett declaring this to be "Christmas in July".
The 337th District Court
This one has been a change, as it doesn't appear that prosecutor Alexis Gilbert is running for the position any longer. However, long-time prosecutor and Chief Renee Magee is now officially running against Democratic candidate and Incumbent Judge Herb Ritchie.
The 338th District Court
A change here as well as former-prosecutor, former-judge, and current defense attorney Brock Thomas has announced he will be running against Hazel Jones to retake his bench after the 2008 elections. Joe Vinas had been slated to run for this bench against Judge Jones, but deferred to Brock and switched to the 174th race. I'm glad to see Brock running again.
The 339th District Court
This race remains unchanged, as well. Special Crimes Chief Brad Hart is still the only candidate currently listed to be running against Incumbent Judge Maria Jackson.
The 351st District Court
As I mentioned in the last post, I can't imagine Incumbent Judge Mark Ellis drawing a Republican challenger in the primary, and I haven't heard of any Democratic candidates signing up to run against him either.
I'll keep you posted as things develop . . .
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Tonight's Reasonable Doubt (7/21/11)
Join me and Todd Dupont for tonight's Reasonable Doubt at 8:00 p.m. Our guest will be defense attorney, legal commentator, and HCCLA President-Elect Chris Tritico.
As always, you can tune in to watch it live streaming by clicking here.
As always, you can tune in to watch it live streaming by clicking here.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Deceptive Trade Practices Downtown?
So, you're running late for court and desperately looking for a parking place, and you come across this sign in front of a parking lot (which looks like it has been carpet bombed);
Your interpretation of the sign leads you to believe that:
A. You can park at this lot for a flat fee of $5.
B. You can buy the whole crappy lot for $5.
C. You can park there for ten minutes for $5, but if you stay over an hour, it will be $15.
Well, if you guessed "C", you would be correct. Sadly, I was running late and shelled out the additional $10 more than I expected rather than go look for another spot.
The non-apologetic parking lot attendant pointed out to me that the letters "MIN" are written above the dollar sign, so I should have known better.
As a side note, you may not want to park at the lot framed by Fannin, Preston, Prairie, and Main. It's a rip off.
Your interpretation of the sign leads you to believe that:
A. You can park at this lot for a flat fee of $5.
B. You can buy the whole crappy lot for $5.
C. You can park there for ten minutes for $5, but if you stay over an hour, it will be $15.
Well, if you guessed "C", you would be correct. Sadly, I was running late and shelled out the additional $10 more than I expected rather than go look for another spot.
The non-apologetic parking lot attendant pointed out to me that the letters "MIN" are written above the dollar sign, so I should have known better.
As a side note, you may not want to park at the lot framed by Fannin, Preston, Prairie, and Main. It's a rip off.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Life at the Galveston County Criminal Justice Center
Yesterday, I headed down to Galveston for their morning docket.
I had a pleasant drive down, going against the flow of traffic.
I was running a little late for docket, and my client called me on the drive down to say that he was running even later than I was -- a mortal sin in Harris County.
I pulled into the parking lot of the Galveston Courthouse, where there was ample (and completely free) parking within fifty yards of the front door of the building.
There were no lines to get in the building and going through the metal detectors and security probably took less than a minute. The security screeners were polite and friendly.
There were no lines at the elevator, which was open and waiting the second I cleared security.
I went up to court and learned that they had already called docket. I explained to the court coordinator that my client was running late. She didn't even ask why. She just told me to let me know when my client got there and it wouldn't be any problem.
I talked to the prosecutor and told her my client was running late. No problem. She made me an offer and handed me his file to review. She just wanted me to let her know when he got there.
The court was hearing a civil jury trial, so we got shuffled out of the courtroom and to the back hallway, outside of chambers to finish the morning business. A few minutes later, the coordinator let me know my client had shown up and was kind enough to escort him back to where I was so we could discuss the case with the prosecutor.
The prosecutor was very nice and listened to my version of events and told me she agreed that we needed to listen to a 911 tape before deciding what an appropriate punishment recommendation might be. She even pointed out some potential weaknesses in the case that she saw, before I brought them to her attention. My client explained a side fact of the case to her, and she was polite and friendly to him as she listened.
We agreed that the case needed to be reset, so I talked to the coordinator again. She suggested a day and asked if it worked for me. I told her it did and she said "Okay, see you then."
"Do I need to sign a reset?" I asked.
"Nope," she smiled. "We're all grown ups around here. We figure you can remember."
My client and I walked out the front door, no more than thirty minutes after my arrival.
All I can say is "Wow". I love Galveston.
I loved it even more when I came back to the Harris County CJC elevator bank and was greeted with this:
I had a pleasant drive down, going against the flow of traffic.
I was running a little late for docket, and my client called me on the drive down to say that he was running even later than I was -- a mortal sin in Harris County.
I pulled into the parking lot of the Galveston Courthouse, where there was ample (and completely free) parking within fifty yards of the front door of the building.
There were no lines to get in the building and going through the metal detectors and security probably took less than a minute. The security screeners were polite and friendly.
There were no lines at the elevator, which was open and waiting the second I cleared security.
I went up to court and learned that they had already called docket. I explained to the court coordinator that my client was running late. She didn't even ask why. She just told me to let me know when my client got there and it wouldn't be any problem.
I talked to the prosecutor and told her my client was running late. No problem. She made me an offer and handed me his file to review. She just wanted me to let her know when he got there.
The court was hearing a civil jury trial, so we got shuffled out of the courtroom and to the back hallway, outside of chambers to finish the morning business. A few minutes later, the coordinator let me know my client had shown up and was kind enough to escort him back to where I was so we could discuss the case with the prosecutor.
The prosecutor was very nice and listened to my version of events and told me she agreed that we needed to listen to a 911 tape before deciding what an appropriate punishment recommendation might be. She even pointed out some potential weaknesses in the case that she saw, before I brought them to her attention. My client explained a side fact of the case to her, and she was polite and friendly to him as she listened.
We agreed that the case needed to be reset, so I talked to the coordinator again. She suggested a day and asked if it worked for me. I told her it did and she said "Okay, see you then."
"Do I need to sign a reset?" I asked.
"Nope," she smiled. "We're all grown ups around here. We figure you can remember."
My client and I walked out the front door, no more than thirty minutes after my arrival.
All I can say is "Wow". I love Galveston.
I loved it even more when I came back to the Harris County CJC elevator bank and was greeted with this:
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