In the wake of Pat Lykos' election, Harris County prosecutors were nervously waiting to see how the Office would be structured on January 1st, 2009. Obviously the first thought on most people's minds was whether or not their job was safe. The next thought was curiosity over who she would be bringing in as her upper-administration.
Jim Leitner was obviously going to be the First Assistant. Although he had lost the trust and respect of many of the ADAs when he endorsed Lykos (after he and Clint Greenwood had sworn up and down that would never happen), there was actually a little relief to hear that Jim would be in the Upper Admin. The thought being that he would provide some calm advice and stability during those moments where Lykos was letting her infamous temper flare up.
When Roger Bridgwater lost the election for the 178th bench, and was named as part of Team Lykos, I was glad to hear it. I had always liked Roger as a defense attorney and had been very happy for him when he had been appointed judge. I thought Lykos was making a great call by bringing him on.
I (and a lot of others) thought that if anything was going to make the next four years survivable with a crazy political hack, it would be having the calm and guiding force of these two men.
Good God, did we miss the mark on that prediction.'
Over the past six months, Jim Leitner and Roger Bridgwater have transitioned from the spineless hatchetmen to Official Administration Apologists to downright Grade-A Bullies.
Jim was the first to fully embrace his Napoleonic complex, as he first decided he would break bad and just verbally eviscerate Rifi Newaz and Mark Donnelly after the Batson debacle. Some would think that a good administrator might have actually given them the benefit of letting them explain themselves, but not Big Jimmy Leitner. Of course, in all fairness, I guess he was under a deadline to chew them out since Lykos was in the next room calling the Chronicle about what was happening.
He's continued his "tough guy" image by doing a lot of shooting first and asking questions later. Demanding explanations on perceived wrongs rather than asking what happened from his troops. As one prosecutor mentioned to me, "there's a presumption that you have done something wrong and he acts like he is looking for any reason to fire you."
There have been at least two occasions that I'm aware of where Leitner has tried to play a diminutive Clint Eastwood tough guy on younger prosecutors for actions that they had carried out because he told them to.
But the bottom line is that Leitner has become little more than Lykos' chief thug.
What was more surprising to me, personally, was that former-judge Roger Bridgwater has now apparently decided to get into the act.
I will freely admit that I used to be a big fan of Roger's. I thought better of him.
I was wrong.
His behavior has become as bizarre and erratic as the rest of the Gang Who Couldn't Shoot Straight. Whether it be his officially revoking an invitation to Rusty Hardin to speak at an in-house CLE (yeah, that Rusty Hardin guy. What the hell does he know about trying a case?), or trying to push the moronic DWI Diversion Program off on the general public, the Roger Bridgwater I used to know ain't there anymore.
But Roger hit his all-time low yesterday.
During yesterday morning's weekly "Show and Tell" meeting (which is a regular update meeting attended by all Division chiefs, Bureau Chiefs and the Elected D.A.), he apparently went completely off the deep end. After being questioned on his rationale on decisions about Rusty Hardin, the diversion program, and the fact that more people learn about their Administration decisions from the paper than from the administrators, Bridgwater lashed out at none other than Donna Goode.
Now, before reading on, keep in mind that Donna Goode and I aren't exactly best friends. Although I liked her and respected her during my time at the Office, we were never particularly close nor did we work on any cases together. Earlier this year, she referred to the blog as being "toxic" (which actually cracked me up). I don't dislike her, but I doubt we will be going bowling any time soon.
But whether I'm friends with Donna or not, I respect her. She's a good lawyer and prosecutor who has devoted somewhere in the ballpark of 30 years to the Harris County District Attorney's Office. She was a Division Chief when I started with the Office, and prior to this morning, she was the Bureau Chief of Special Crimes (the position held by Kelly Siegler when Kelly left the Office).
After having the audacity to question Roger on some very valid questions regarding how he was running his Division, Roger blew up on her and some others in the room. He completely lost his cool and went after a lady who has worked there, literally, over 50 times longer than he has. He did his best to humiliate her in front of everyone in the room.
But he didn't stop there.
When the meeting was over, he decided to file a complaint against Donna with the Disciplinary Committee for her remarks during "Show and Tell".
The complaint he made against her? Insubordination.
Now, if you are keeping score at home, two questions should be coming to mind.
1. Um, when did the Office get a Disciplinary Committee? I thought if somebody did something bad that Lykos just called the Chronicle.
2. How exactly could Donna be "insubordinate" to Bridgwater when they are both Bureau Chiefs?
Well, I don't know the answer to Question # 2, but apparently since Lykos shot her mouth off on the Batson debacle, they have developed a Disciplinary Committee.
Guess who is on it! Well, that would be Patsy Lykos, Jim Leitner, Hannah Chow, John Barnhill, and um, oh yeah, Roger Bridgwater. Yes, the Gang Who Couldn't Shoot Straight has their own hit squad, and it is pretty much the entirety of the Gang Who Couldn't Shoot Straight.
As an added insult, somebody within the Gang decided to have Donna remotely locked out of utilizing her county computer. Jimmy Leitner was kind enough to offer Donna his computer if she would like to type a response to Bridgwater's complaint. She declined.
So this morning, Donna Goode, a career prosecutor took her retirement and left the building as a prosecutor for one last time. It was pretty much the only move left to her by the incestuous and low-rent Gang.
She was able to walk out of the CJC with class and with her head held high. I know she and I didn't always see eye to eye, but I wish her well, and I respect the hell out of her for leaving because of her principles.
Perhaps the D.A.'s Office could bring her back to give a CLE on character. Nah, Roger would rescind the invite.
So, today my opinion of Donna Goode has skyrocketed, while my opinion of Leitner and Bridgwater has pretty much bottomed out.
They are both, unquestionably bullies.
When Craig Goodhart got his notice of termination from Leitner and Bridgwater, he told them he was ashamed of them both. I think Craig was just slightly off on that assessment. Jim and Roger are who they are. They only have to answer to themselves at the end of the day, I suppose. They are more than welcome to be the bad guys.
I'm more ashamed of myself for ever thinking that either one of them were ever good guys.
61 comments:
Murray,
Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
"Lykos and Company" answer to no one; Brian Rogers and the Chronicle have been bought and paid for--whistle blowers will be silenced.
Rebuilding the office after their collective decimation will take several election cycles if Harris County is lucky. We are reaping the fruits of voter ignorance, misinformation and apathy.....and the crop is rotted.
I believe that everything happens for a reason and often times we need to hit rock bottom to appreciate what is important in life and worth fighting for.
2012 IS worth fighting for and if Kelly won't run again we WILL find someone of her caliber.
Good luck to all that are able to stay at the HCDAO and fight the good fight. And most importantly today, may God Bless Donna for standing up to the courage of her convictions.
It is another sad day for justice in Harris County.
During one of the required misd. training sessions which were absolutely pointless, uninspiring, and held in the middle of the night, Jim Leitner made a formal apology for all of the mistakes of the administration had made in the past 6 months. Clearly he was just apologizing so he could continue to make more. I knew Roger was sketchy when he first introduced himself to the misd. folks. He asked if anyone would be interested in creating a blog to rival this one which would be monitored by the administration.How repulsive -
Donna Goode is such a nice person -- she would always tell me hi in the elevators even though I was a pidly misd DA. I will greatly miss her, and this office has lost another great DA.
This travesty is second only to the Batson debacle in terms of serious bullshit. But hey, Lykos, Leitner, and Bridgwater have a plan. They will be the faculty advisors (I believe the only ones) at this year's baby DA's school where they can try to indoctrinate the newbies.
I worked with Donna back in the Holmes era and was always a little surprised by your not-so-high opinion of her. She really is "good people" as this episode bears out.
In the past, when people asked me about my background as a lawyer, I would proudly begin by telling them of my 11 years of service as an ADA in Harris County working for Johnny Holmes. After I left and Chuck took over, I found myself adding with emphasis "before Rosenthal." Now, I'm a little reluctant to mention it all lest they think I have some association with Lykos.
Ah the good old days, with Bert, the Jigmeister, Achmed, and the rest of the crew!
JB
Can you get a copy of the complaint and post it?
So Donna violated a rule in the non-existent operations manual? The rule where the Bureau Chief of Misdemeanor is superior to the Bureau Chief of Special Crimes. And I'm sure there was a memo to all staff naming all Bureau Chiefs,(brought in by her holiness) to the Disciplinary Committee.
Did you know that in the history of the DA's office, a Bureau Chief has never been fired before...ever. And now Donna, a less likely candidate I have never known, gets the axe for voicing her opinion? Where else in the world is that happening? Come to think of it, I do see some resemblance.
Welcome to the life after, Donna.
I heard that in one of the meetings Leitner had with various prosecutors after they screwed Donnelly Leitner said the reason the staff hadn't seen Lykos was because she was out in the community promoting the office. Do they realize how many people are now out there talking to their neighbors and friends about the bad decisions they are making? I mean Lykos only won by 4000 votes and I would venture to say that most ADA's got their friends and family to vote for her last time. Not so sure that will happen in 3 years.
I have been looking for good things to say about the new administration and this finally allows me to say, thank goodness we have Lykos. In Iran when someone questions the administration, para-military and guards attack and kill protesters, in the Lykos administration if someone questions the administration they get locked out of their computer and for all practical matter are terminated. Thank goodness we have Lykos and not Ahmadinejad
The Houston Chronicle will find a way to put a "good" spin on the events of today. Brian Rogers, the snake in the grass will no doubt put all the blame on Donna.
Donna is a class act.
Thanks Murray
Well, at least she avoided getting her composite picture taken.
I never knew Roger believed so strongly in separation of Church and State - meaning never let your supposed religious beliefs interfere with your government job. I have never seen a "christian" so consumed by jealousy, paranoia, pride, conceit, and total disregard for others. He is quite a "model" - to avoid. It is all about Roger.
The problem in getting rid of her in 2012 is that she is already out there raising money, and incumbents, no matter how bad they are, are hard to beat. WHo wil be able to run against her in the primary who will have the name id and the money to take her on? Because the chron is so far up her ass, casual voters do not know what is going on. What is also sad is that the other Republican elected officials are silent.
So, does she want her minions to address her as Frau Fuhrer or Madam Premier?
Lykos Khomeini has made her ruling. Leitner/Bridgwater Ahmadenejad are the thugs on the street enforcing the wishes of their ruler. I never thought I would reach for inspiration from Iran, but those demonstrating their showed remarkable courage. We need to take note. We need to stand up.
We must find opponents for her. At this point, we still have enough time to entrench an opponent with the republican base.
Remember, KELLY WON THE FIRST PRIMARY. It can be done. We need to find the right person. We can get the funding.
Anon 9:01 obviously never took Con Law.
Does anyone else see the humor in the fact that this administration started the mental health group?
Wow! That is a lot of experience walking out the door.
Good luck, Ms. Goode.
Tex
What I find intersting about the meeting is that we were told that we need to get over the loss. Gee, it seems Roger needs to get over the loss. He lost too. Right?
Seriously, many of us find Roger to be quite girly for a baptist activist... but we shouldn't go there....
At some point in time somoeone will get through to these retards. In the meantime, stop protecting Jim and his personal history. I believe it is relevant at this point. Stop protecting and defending Roger as you have. This has truely become a regime that you never expected. Please let the public know who these people really are. I have been posting this info regularly but you refuse to print it.
"I would venture to say that most ADA's got their friends and family to vote for her last time. Not so sure that will happen in 3 years."
June 24, 2009 5:58 PM
Trust me. I did NOT have my family and friends vote for Lykos. I knew better and if others had looked at her record of horrible behavior and not been stuck on political labels we wouldn't be in this boat now. Was the other guy the best potential DA ever? No. Was he a better option then this crazy lady we are stuck with now? I'm going to go with yes because I can't imagine it being any worse.
Donna was a very nice person. She always had positive things to say and she knew how to build you up, not just tear you down.
Also, I would like to point out that while Donna was in charge of training for misd ADA's the majority of the trainings were CLEs. Since this new group has been in charge CLEs have been few and far between. Do they realize that CLE is required by the state bar? Sitting around listening to someone talk about something for the 3rd straight week is really no fun. We should at least be getting CLE while we are suffering through these things.
The best training we've had this year was given by Rusty Hardin and look at how they reacted to that. Our most recent training was useful and good. The instructor better watch out.
Working at the DA's Office lately seems to be a lot like being a contestant on Survivor. The main differences being that the tribal council that votes you off the show is a lot less fair, and appear to be the only ones who have "immunity".
well no love loss for donna anyway she is about as silly and stupid as the elected one.
You'd better find a good Democrat candidate again too. Obama will be running again in 4 years and we may see another record turnout for Democrats. It would be wise to get a good candidate for both parties. Anyone would be better than Lycos!
Good God, let it go! You don’t work there anymore! (apparently for good reason too)
Hmmm. I wonder WTF might be lurking in the closets of Patricia's lieutenants besides brown shirts and riding crops. How hard would it be to do a little investigating ourselves. I'll bet outing Roger would take him down a notch or two....the Troll might even toss her boy under the bus if his behavior sufficiently offended the intolerant blue hair army. Some national media outlet might be very interested in the juice.
For those of you that have been denigrating Donna let me tell you something. Donna has been trying desperately to survive. She regurgitated the company line to the troops figuring that it had to get better, and apparently voiced her true opinion in a staff meeting where she thought it would do some good. Her only crime was naivete.
Frankly, I know that "they" have been looking for a reason to knock her off after isolating her from any decision or policy making function consistent with a bureau chief's historical job.
Obviously, they had no reason, but have manufactured one. Don't you guys see a pattern yet?
Donna has always been a class act and great trial lawyer, who wanted the best for the office, consistent with her beliefs that a good office is best for the citizens of HC.
One of the things that disturbs me the most is the enforced estrangement of Special Crimes from law enforcement. That relationship was, for me, a career long cultivation that did a great deal of good. And any of you that were a part of that, know it to be true. It was a relationship envied by law enforcement agencies across the state.
All of you horrified ex's can email me at dadcob@centurytel.net and we can start something for 2012. I'll write the first check. BTW who are you JB? Thanks Murray for creating this medium, we would be deaf and dumb to the problems without it.
jig (cob)
and all Chuck did was send racist and pornographic emails on his county computer, bang his secretary, commit aggravated perjury in a Federal Court, violate a Federal Court order, be a total and complete arrogant buffoon and blame it all on prescription medication.......THANKS for being such a selfish idiot CHUCKSTER and for wearing your WWJD wristband--look what He did!!!!! The sins of the Chuckster are now ours.
I hate to sound like an apologist for Lykos. I most certainly am not. She is a moron. I have worked in and around the Harris County Court system for over 25 years. I didn't like her when she was an elected judge. I didn't like her as a visiting judge. I don't like her as District Attorney. She has no business being involved in the criminal justice system and just about anyone who has ever worked in the Harris County CJ system would agree.
That being said, I think Jim and Roger are two extremely talented attorneys. I have seen both of them in trial, and I was absolutely impressed at their skill in communicating complex issues to juries. I would venture to guess that they are both extremely frustrated in their new roles. I bet they would much rather be trying cases than doing administrative work, and some of that frustration has begun to show. Just because you're an excellent attorney doesn't mean you'll make a good manager. I spoke with Roger several weeks ago when he came back, and he seemed somewhat frustrated. I don't know if it's because he was out for awhile or if it was because he realized he wasn't happy doing what he was know doing. Either way, Roger and Jim are good people, out of their comfort zone, working for a tyrant.
Do they realize how many people are now out there talking to their neighbors and friends about the bad decisions they are making? I mean Lykos only won by 4000 votes and I would venture to say that most ADA's got their friends and family to vote for her last time. Not so sure that will happen in 3 years.
This is a completely inaccurate analysis of how she got to be in office.
Surely the DA's did the same for the Republican judges, and they almost all lost. The only ones who didn't had names that were whiter than the Democrats running, and to say that didn't play a role is cognitive dissonence at its best. So, all things being equal, she should have lost if all the down ballot votes would have been the same, or at the best won by a thin margin, like the Republican judges down the ballot did.
But things weren't equal, because her opponent was a known liar and crony of Mayor Brown, who is responsible for the state of the HPD crime lab.
If there had been a different Democrat, Lykos would have lost. If turnout is as high next time as last time, Lykos will lose to a Democrat. The Republican Party is constantly alienating the more rational thinking moderates and is chasing its tail going after its base despite the fact that their base would vote for them anyway.
As a HCDAO alum(thankfully, under JBH), I am just horrified by the apalling conduct of this new administration. I've described my addiction to your blog like watching a train wreck--I can't seem to turn away.
But in actuality, this is much worse than watching a train wreck...this is like watching my family home burn to the ground.
Thank you for your blog and insight, Murray.
I think I'll get out my "Kelly Siegler for DA" T-shirt now. It's time to show the troll how to run the office that she's managed to completely obliterate in six short months. What in the hell else is she going to ruin before she kicks off or is kicked out?
I wonder exactly what happened in that meeting and afterwards. We have definitely not been told both sides of the story or even one side by a first hand account. Donna was a great prosecutor. She also was a very funny and at times sarcastic person. We don't know how she brought up the subject of critisizing Roger Bridgewater's recent decisions or what was said afterwards. We aren't entirely sure why she decided to quit but perhaps it was because she didn't like those recent decisions. There is much missing here. What we do have is a writer with an ax to grind against the current administration of the DA's office. My advice to readers is to withold judgement.
Mr. Newman,
As a baby prosecutor I never really had the opportunity to get to know you personally. But I and many of us in misd. greatly appreciate getting to know you through your blog.
I wanted to be a prosecutor, not a politician, for as long as I can remember. So much has changed so fast. Our office is falling apart. If there was something positive we could all look forward to and work for to salvage the integrity of the office I truly believe that morale would improve and the camaraderie would get us through all this so that we could do the jobs we all dreamed about to the best of our abilities.
This is very selfish of me, but if you were to initiate an exploratory campaign effort to see who is a viable candidate to rebuild the office, I am confident that many former and current prosecutors would band together in that effort. Many of us could endure 3.5 yrs if we knew there was a serious candidate to replace what we are now stuck with. That's a long time for our candidate to raise money and Judge Lykos will have a hard time defending her extraordinary incompetence no matter how much money she raises. Also, if we could put a serious candidate out there early on in response to all this we cold divert a lot of funds to our camp that the Judge might have otherwise gotten. I fully understand your reluctance to do this given your current situation but appreciate any consideration of the idea. Regardless, thank you so much for all the support you have given us.
anon 7:43am
It seems that no one will be working there much longer at this rate. I am glad to see someone print the truth about the disturbibg things that go on under the goofy bitch.
I will be working hard toward getting someone new in the next election. Door to door if need be.
Anon 558:
Do not confuse Lykos' community travels "promoting the DA's office" with her real agenda which is promoting Judge Pat Lykos.
Lykos may not be worth a shit as an administrator, a prosecutor or even a human being but she is a professional campaigner and the incumbent. Lykos' tenure will be one big re-election campaign effort. The day to day functions of the office are inconsequential to her--what happens in our little court house world is far removed from the general electorate and Political Pat knows just that.
So without big name recognition from the prosecutor world like a Rusty Hardin or a Kelly Siegler who is also willing to not only raise big league money but also spend exorbitant time away from their busy schedules; Lykos will win again in 2012.
The big question is: why would Kelly or Rusty even consider it at this point and how can we change either of their minds?
What is it about wee man jimminy cricket and roger that you have not been printing, acc'd to anon 11:43?
As an out of county prosecutor, it bothers me immensely to see the apparent decline in the standing and reputation of the Harris County DA's office. At one time, that office was the flagship DA's office in the state. Under Carol Vance and Johnny Holmes, the office consistently achieved national recognition for its many successes. The office was a respected voice within the Texas District and County Attorney's Association and at the Legislature.
Undoubtedly, the decline began with Rosenthal but at least Chuck had the good judgment to surround himself with competent and professional administrators. Not that there weren't problems, but to my understanding, morale was still high and prosecutors were pretty much left to do their jobs without micromanagement and political scrutiny. Granted, Chuck's lack of good judgment in his personal affairs ultimately led to the current situation but that is, as they say, "water under the bridge." The fact of the matter is that Lykos inherited a quality organization with many talented and respected prosecutors--folks whose sole mission in life was to protect the citizens of Harris County and bring offenders to justice. Now, for whatever reason, much of that talent is being lost and morale is apparantly falling. At the end of the day, that sort of intraoffice upheaval reflects poorly on the administration.
To me the Harris County DA has an informal responsibility to other prosecutors in the state to set a good example. With the resources available to that agency, the successes and failures of that office influence the public perception of us all.
Right now, it seems that all of the news coming out of Harris County DA's office is bad. That is certainly reflected by the departure of so many qualified assistants who were respected professionally far beyond the borders of Harris County. It is my hope that the current administration might "right the ship" soon and restore the respect and good name of an office that used to be a bright and shining star in Texas prosecution. Otherwise, I'm afraid the fallout will exend far beyond the confines of the Harris County Criminal Justice Center.
re: Anonymous said...
I wonder exactly what happened in that meeting and afterwards. We have definitely not been told both sides of the story or even one side by a first hand account. Donna was a great prosecutor. She also was a very funny and at times sarcastic person. We don't know how she brought up the subject of critisizing Roger Bridgewater's recent decisions or what was said afterwards. We aren't entirely sure why she decided to quit but perhaps it was because she didn't like those recent decisions. There is much missing here. What we do have is a writer with an ax to grind against the current administration of the DA's office. My advice to readers is to withold judgement.
June 25, 2009 1:26 PM
F.U.B.A.R. RESPONSE:
DONNA GOODE IS THE BEST COMPLEX ORGANIZED CRIME PAPER FRAUD LAWYER THAT OFFICE HAS EVER HAD - BAR NONE! I used to criticize this blog for being a one trick poney but this time it is apparent to me that when Roger had his surgery they removed his heart and most of his brain.
HORRIBLE, JUST HORRIBLE - ROCK BOTTOM TIME!!!!!
Thank you for your informative blog. As bad as things are in law enforcement in the Harris County area, the problems I have seen pale in comparison to this mess. It is possible the DA's office will be completely destroyed at this rate, and the barbarians will be that much further inside the gate than they are. Every time I go down to Intake or call for charges I am impressed by the professionalism of the staff, and it is absolutely heinous for them to suffer this abuse. The Harris County Republican Party had better take note.
Anon 4:28,
Elevating Little Jimmy Leitner to the status of Jiminey Cricket is libelous. Jiminey Cricket was Pinocchio's conscious guiding him through moral dilemma's so that he would choose good over evil. Leitneresque values are precisely what Jiminey Cricket protected Pinocchio from.
AHCL,
Is there any time restraint as to when a candidate for Harris County DA can start raising money for their campaign? I know it's too early to file but I don't think it's too early to formally organize and start raising funds and awareness in the community to counter the Judge's war chest and misinformation.
Anon 10:25,
Jim and Roger are both adults and each should act like it.
As for your excuse that their behavior has been altered by tyrannical rule; I would argue that first off , they both knowingly chose their respective positions with their eyes wide open and secondly, that adversity reveals one's character it does not create it.
Perception on how a person will act in a position of power and leadership is often is often a far cry from the reality....Jim and Roger are prime examples. You were not alone in your misjudgment of these two characters.
outraged is back and rage judicata is gone.......life is getting better
As a former HC ADA (under Holmes and Rosenthal) I am also deeply saddened and troubled by this latest news. It is most definitely ROCK BOTTOM. I so desperately want to call up a reputable news source to get the real story out there so people will now what is going on. I wonder if Senator Poe reads this blog and I wonder what he is thinking???
I am with jigmeister and others- we are going to put our money were our mouth is and start preparing for 2012. I think we need to look beyond Kelly...I think we need someone who is disconnected from what occured in this last election cycle and with the Rosenthal administration. Perhaps a former HCDA prosecutor or a former AUSA.
Man.. Donna Goode gone? What next? When will it all end?
outraged is back and rage judicata is gone.......life is getting better
BOO!
2:41, learn who your damn senators and congressmen are. Geez.
Catalina -
I am a current ADA who doesn't know your or Jig, but I am 100% with you. Pat is not nearly as unbeatable as so many say. She is a fraud. This fraud can be exposed if we act early...like now. If we find a solid candidate early enough, that candidate can start the groundwork needed.
Although most of us prosecutors don't make enough money to fund a candidate on our own, we sure as hell know people. Our fellow prosecutors collectively have many connections to funds. Personally, although I have little money, I have many politically active friends who do.
We need an organized front. Pat must go.
Holy crap, Rage,
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually missed you.
Welcome back.
What really bothers me the most is that the office is full of people that want nothing more than to be professional, be the best lawyer they can be and to go home at night and hold their heads high. Why don't they realize how fortunate they are to have people, even if they disagree on some issues, that want to do the right thing?
A candidate cannot raise funds until 210 days prior to a primary election, so in this case, sometime in June 2011. And you guys had better back a Dem, no way a Repub will take Harris in 2012 with the way the population is shifting, ask Dr. Murray.
I'm like a crazy ass possessive Armenian ex-girlfriend who was jealous and possessive as hell, but amazing in the sack. You don't miss us, until we're gone.
Just wanted to ruin that guys day, I'm not really back.
This is sad news. I was in the DA's office in the 1980s and worked with Donna. She is what they call "good people" in my book. I was afraid this type of crap was going to happen when and if Lykos won the election. Her court back in my day was a Siberia that prosecutors dreaded being assigned to. The docket was a backed up shambles and everyone, staff, DAs, defense attorneys were always on pins and needles hoping something didn't set her off. This is just a real shame.
It makes me very sad to see Donna Goode leave the office. I use to be in investigator for her in the Special Crimes bureau and she was a GREAT lady. I recall many cases that she worked her tail off for the people of this great city and state. Especially during the investigation of the kidnapping and murder of Laura Smither. She always had a photo of that little girl in her office. She was awsome. Harris County has lost a great and experienced prosecutor.
Eeyore,
I saw Sec.253.153 and it seems to refer only to judicial offices and not specific-purpose committees. Did you find it somewhere else, or does that section somehow apply for some other reason? Anyone got ideas? Certainly we better do it right.
I have been gone a long time but I began my career with HCDAO back in 1998...the Holmes days....back when people were so proud to walk into the office and prosecutors were respected and had prosecutorial discretion....
I since have moved to Dallas where the same kind of crap is happening the DCDAO...a place where I also worked...
All I can say is WTF???? My God help us all if this is what is happening to our "Justice" system!!! After 12 years I have completely left prosecution and can only look and listen in disbelief at what is happening....LET US ALL PRAY THAT THERE ARE SOME STRONG PROSECUTORS WHO WILL HANG IN THERE AND WAIT OUT THIS MADNESS THAT IS HAPPENING!!!
I knew Donna Goode and actually worked on a case with her and I don't care what anyone says about her...there is not a smarter or more caring attorney/person who seeks justice out there!!! What a huge freaking loss to Harris County. And that is just one of the many greats they have let walk out of that office.
Hey, but don't feel bad as Dallas has the same thing and at least Harris County has not yet turned into a Defense Firm whose only concern is bashing all former prosecutors and also has a section that is dedicated to letting criminals go free.....
One last question: maybe I missed something but if all DNA testing for convicted felons turns out in their favor and lets them out of prison....why don't we have the same thing going on at the front door of the system...if the DNA matches, well then instant prison it is!!!! Oh yeah, I forgot, we have double standards now in the system.
Well anyway, my heart goes out to all remaining prosecutors in both Dallas and Houston...hang in there and do us proud!!!!
Hey, but don't feel bad as Dallas has the same thing and at least Harris County has not yet turned into a Defense Firm whose only concern is bashing all former prosecutors and also has a section that is dedicated to letting criminals go free.....
This shows that you're a prosecutor that doesn't care about justice, just closed cases. Dallas is setting dozens of wrongfully convicted people free, and you call that being a defense firm? The people who allowed those convictions to occur should go to jail.
Imagine how many we'd be freeing in Houston if the DA's hadn't intentionally destroyed the DNA in storage.
Catalina Booth,
To group Kelly and Rosenthal together as a "culture of corruption" was the campaign BS of Lykos that you have bought into.
Kelly would have been a world class DA and everyone knows it and many feared it.
I for one hope Kelly does decide to rebuild the DA's office in 2012.
Pat cannot hide from her horrendous record (and we're just 6 mos into her reign) and the old Republican guard will no longer be able to justify attendance at tea time sociables as qualifications to be DA.
As for Harris County becoming democratic in 2012; the office of DA transcends political affiliation at the voting booth. Those democrats that don't vote strait party ticket most often want justice and accountability in law enforcement. That voter block will be the deciding factor in a general election. Kelly would win handily in a general election. The issue is how to overcome voter apathy in the Republican primary and runoff.
In light of the sham Lykos has perpetrated even the hard core Republican women's groups may wake up to the reality of Pat's arrogance and incompetence.
2:53,
I am ashamed to say that I voted for Pat 3 times for DA(primry,runoff,general).I was fooled for over 30 years.I will support Kelly Seigler with you next time.I just can't believe it.
I really don't know why anyone is surprised by the chaos that is occuring in the office. When you elect a politican and not a Prosecutor to be the "top prosecutor" this is what you get. It's like going to a dentist for brain surgery.
As a former HCADA and contempoary of Donna Goode, I was shocked to hear about her being forced to resign. Maybe I shouldn't be shocked based on what has happened to other ADA's that I know, and what I know based on my personal experiences with Lykos. It blows me away how cavalier the powers that be at the office treat those with decades of prior service. I also know of several others who have been treated like crap. Donna and I were never friends or socialized together, but I know her as an excellent lawyer and supremely dedicated public servant. Good luck to her in the future.
anon 9:03 is a typical prosecutor. How dare Dallas let those people out of prison just because those pesky DNA test results exonerate them? I mean after all, just because they didn't do that particular crime, they damn sure did something else that they didn't get caught for, right? And its just irresponsible to be letting people out of prison on a technicality (INNOCENCE!). Thank God that Harris County has the foresight to start destroying evidence as soon as possible, because we damn sure don't want that crap happening here. We have had too many let go already thanks to HPD. That crap needs to be nipped in the bud!
Just ran across this post, i watched Donna Goode very casually send a note to the judge. That note was a request for a 10 year sentence for a innocent human. I can only hope that luck/karma one day find its way home.
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