Prosecutor of discredited Tulia drug arrests convicted of drunken driving, sentenced to jail

AP ^ | 6/11/03 | staff

[CFW]

Prosecutor of discredited Tulia drug arrests convicted of drunken driving, sentenced to jail By Associated Press, 6/11/2003 12:56 CARRIZOZO, N.M. (AP) The Texas district attorney who prosecuted many of the now-discredited 1999 Tulia drug arrests was found guilty of drunken driving and sentenced to two days in jail.

[razorback-bert]

But Judge Frank Wilson found him guilty

Atta boy, Frank!

[MrLeRoy]

Irony bump.

[jmc813]

WOD Ping

[Wolfie]

Gee, that's a shame.

[robertpaulsen]

Way to go, Frankie baby!

First, discredit Coleman. Then McEachern. The only one left to smear is Sheriff Larry Stewart.

How dare they arrest black people for dealing drugs! That'll show 'em who they're messin' with!

[MrLeRoy]

Then McEachern. The only one left to smear

So now a lawful DUI conviction is a "smear"? Angling for a job in Ted Kennedy's press office, are we?

[MrLeRoy]

THIS is what discredited Coleman:

In April, Tonya White proved she was in Oklahoma at the time she supposedly sold drugs to Coleman in Tulia. Bank records showed that White had made a deposit at her bank in Oklahoma the same day that Coleman said she sold drugs to him in Tulia. - http://www.lubbockonline.com/stories/072402/reg_0724020068.shtml

Bryant’s case, like virtually all of the cases in the sting, rested almost entirely on the testimony of undercover agent Tom Coleman. But Coleman’s physical description of Bryant in his report was nowhere near accurate, and the district attorney was forced to drop the charges - http://www.texasobserver.org/showArticle.asp?ArticleID=719

Another defendant, Billy Don Wafer, was able to prove — through employee time sheets and his boss's testimony — that he was working at the time he was alleged by Mr. Coleman to have been selling cocaine. - http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/723818/posts

[robertpaulsen]

That's only three. Charges were dropped on ten defendants for various and sundry reasons. Appears to me that the mistakes that were made were corrected.

And don't you dare imply that these people were innocent just because their charges were dropped. Coleman could have written down the incorrect time, date, or description. You don't know, I don't know.

But we do know that 28 defendants pleaded guilty. We do know that all 7 who went to trial were convicted, unanimously, by a jury of their peers. And that their appeals failed.

[robertpaulsen]

"So now a lawful DUI conviction is a "smear"?"

" The verdict Tuesday in a New Mexico court brings into question the professional future of district attorney Terry McEachern, officials said."

This happens all the time? Hell, if it did we wouldn't have any attorneys left in the system.

[MrLeRoy]

That's only three.

How many do you think it would take to discredit him?

Appears to me that the mistakes that were made were corrected.

How is that relevant to whether the mistake-maker is discredited?

[MrLeRoy]

" The verdict Tuesday in a New Mexico court brings into question the professional future of district attorney Terry McEachern, officials said."

This happens all the time? Hell, if it did we wouldn't have any attorneys left in the system.

I have no idea what you're trying to say. What does, or doesn't, happen all the time? And where's the smear?

[robertpaulsen]

"How is that relevant to whether the mistake-maker is discredited?"

You are the only one who is discrediting him based on the dismissed cases. That is the most idiotic thing you've posted to date, and that's saying a lot.

Prosecuting attorneys dismiss cases all the time for a variety of reasons. Using a dismissed case to discredit the investigator, or detective, or policeman is reprehensible and way beneath you.

[robertpaulsen]

How often is someone's professional future brought into question because of a single drunken driving conviction in some backwater town like Ruidoso, New Mexico?

Please. This guy jaywalks and his professional future will be "brought into question".

[vin-one]

But we do know that 28 defendants pleaded guilty. We do know that all 7 who went to trial were convicted, unanimously, by a jury of their peers. And that their appeals failed.

RP you don't know Jack and stop pretending that you do
this cop was crooked, and it could have been that he was a racist.
Maybe the 28 who plead guilty were offered a deal to not do time
hell If they offered me a deal to stay out of the can, even if innocent I might plea out.
Welcome to the real world.

[Doctor Stochastic]

And don't you dare imply that the District Attorney Terry McEachern was smeared because he was convicted of drunk driving. At least they had video tape and District Attorney Terry McEachern did admit to lying about drinking (OK, it's only about drunk driving not about sex.)

How did District Attorney Terry McEachern keep his license after refusing a breath test?

[robertpaulsen]

Smeared in the sense that they're making a big deal out of one drunken driving incident in a remote town where no one was hurt.

I have no doubt he's guilty. I just question how they're treating this as though he assassinated the Pope.

But hey, if that's the way the treat all public officials in Texas convicted of drunk driving, then I take back what I said. But somehow I doubt that, don't you?

[cinFLA]

How is that relevant to whether the mistake-maker is discredited?

Sort of like the whole medical mj thing has been discredited since it the child of Soros and his drug legalization strategy leading to more UN control, a new world order and total gun control.

[cinFLA]

Prosecuting attorneys dismiss cases all the time for a variety of reasons. Using a dismissed case to discredit the investigator, or detective, or policeman is reprehensible and way beneath you.

Of course MrLeroy cites only part of the story as he believes that the part where the 'big, bad prosecutor' weighs the amount of evidence, age, past history and total suspected involvement in whether to drop charges or prosecute. We all know that this is not credible informations since we know that the WOD is about putting as many as possible in the prisions so the prosecutors can get their kickbacks from those that build and run the prisons while also filling the quotas that John Ashcroft and George Bush set forth each month.

[cinFLA]

I came back to that other thread and tpaine and roscoe were at it. tpaine at his usual nasty self.