Do I really want to be a judge? Wooten says. This case, like so many others brought by Roachs office, had nothing to do with truth. The woman testified that she didnt pay because her boyfriend beat her up. The $150,000 that Stacy paid Spencer from January 2008 to March 2008 was all deposited in Spencers joint checking account with his wife. Sandoval won 9,884 to 9,420. Thats the type of man he was. He and his wife are divorced but, he says, amicably so. Bonham. Spencer arrives for our meeting at the coffee shop in the Hilton Anatole dressed in a black zip-up polo, jeans, and gray loafers. I was elected president of the local defense bar. Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Trevio talks to reporters Oct. 31, 2011, at the Hidalgo County sheriff's office in Edinburg, Texas. She paid the campaign bills as she received them from Spencer, and then she used her line of credit to pay off the outstanding balance at the end. Most people who arent lawyers or involved in the justice system go, How can they do that? In July, Wooten received a call from her real estate agent in Colorado. Wooten is farsighted, and she was familiar with the form from her time on the bench, so it was easy for her to decipher the jurys findings as the judge silently flipped through the pages: guilty, guilty, guilty. 11 on the list, and California falls to 34th. After Wooten was elected, a hearing in the case was scheduled in her courtroom, but she recused herself as soon as she realized that several of the lawyers involved were from her old firm or had helped on her campaign. She says someone in the purchasing department told her he tried to use up the wardrobe budget so she couldnt order a robe, and he packed her first months docket with more than 100 jury trials. Since the first district court was established in Collin County in 1846, no one had challenged an incumbent judge, whether in a primary or general election. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. It was just crazy. She found the woman not guilty. Its tempting to think that things have improved. Dave also hired Spencer. It determined there were no loans and no giftsabsolutely nothing of benefit passed to Wooten. Both Dave and Stacy were exonerated on all counts. Wooten had been a trial attorney for nearly a decade when, in 2003, she decided to challenge the 59-year-old jurist for his seat on the 380th District Court. Dad used to say if you dig a dry hole, that gives you more information of where to drill next time. Theres another legal issue mentioned in Whites sentencing document, however, that cuts to the heart of the matter. EDINBURG, Texas - When it comes to corrupt public officials aiding the smugglers of drugs and illegal immigrants, this is the dirtiest town, in the most crooked county, in the most bribable state along the U.S.-Mexico border, court records show. I mean, he found us a lobbyist who is a great lobbyist. 1 in overall corruption convictions, followed by California, Illinois, Florida, Pennsylvania and Texas. They werent stupid. I thought we had checks and balances. The price of oil was spiking, and the siblings thought it might be a good time to sell. After serving as an NCO in the Army in the 1970s, he became a CPA, got his M.B.A. at SMU, and went on to become the CFO of i2 Technologies Inc. I can help people write appeal bonds. The data also highlights the extent of the problem across all 50 states and the District of Columbia . She figured it was just petty payback from a sore loser, not the harbinger of a scorched-earth campaign to unseat her. Second, qualified judges routinely fall victim to partisan sweeps. On December 14, 2016, the nine justices handed down a unanimous opinion upholding Daves appeal and overturning Stacys. The bigger problem was the inconsistent way judges enforced them. If he could unseat one who had taken a bad position on parental rights, he thought, maybe he could finally get some traction. The Texas Rangers' Public Integrity Unit and Public Corruption Unit are tasked with investigating crimes committed by state officers and state employees, as well as allegations of public corruption. 07-01-2019, 03:09 AM augiedogie : Location: Northern Wisconsin . Now, she was seated at the defense table, dressed not in a robe but in a conservative pantsuit, her blond hair pulled back in a basic bun. Between 2015 and 2021, the Texas Rangers completed investigations into more than 560 public integrity and corruption complaints, including allegations of theft, bribery, abuse of office, sexual. The Collin County trials, however, ended when Wooten was elected. Justice in Collin County was hard to come by if you werent part of the club. There are over 200,000 inhabitants, approximately 70% white. Her lowest point came the night before the verdict. As of August 2022, Governor Greg Abbott had appointed 59 state court judges, 49 of which were district court judges. After all, shes the one who wrote the checks. He made his fortune when the Irving-based business went public in the late 1990s, going from a $1 million operation to a $5 billion behemoth with Dave as CFO. Her lawyers reassured her there was no rational basis for a conviction. The allegation was that two years prior he had mistakenly filed a document that hadnt yet been notarized; when the clerk had caught the error, hed had the document notarized after the fact. It involves parental rights. The most corrupt police force in Texas Written by Alan Bean In the next segment of this series, we will be looking at Shaun Cooks' experience with the criminal justice system in his home town of Hearne, Texas. Stacy says they fell in love on their first date, at Avanti in Dallas at Fountain Place. The 43-year-old Collin County District Court judge was used to observing the courtroom from the opposite vantage point. Plus hes a fag.. Or a six-figure settlement. Then he killed her dog, put it in her bed, and told her he was going to kill her. At the time, under state law, to determine the members of the grand jury, district court judges had two options. Although he told the Carys about Wooten at some point, Spencer says he also told them he didnt want them involved in her campaign. You might get acquitted. Then Huntsville. They could select 20 to 125 prospective jurors the same way district court jurors are selected (i.e., randomly through voter registration and drivers license rolls), or they could appoint three to five people to serve as grand jury commissioners who wouldnt serve themselves, but who would in turn select 15 to 40 prospective jurors each. Ben Smith, a former ADA from Roachs office, currently sits on the 380th. Most of the time, Stacy wasnt actually sure where her husband was. He says he agreed to do consulting work on behalf of both Stacy and Dave for pay and that any advice he gave them with regard to parental rights he was glad to provide for free. He and Roach were concerned that if Greg Willis became the new DA, hed drop the charges against Wooten. She said, Do you want to be right or do you want to be free? Wooten knew that if she were sentenced to more than 10 years, she would not be entitled to an appeal bond; she would go straight to prison without seeing her kids. And a member of Roachs staff now holds Wootens former bench in the 380th District Court. He pled guilty and was sentenced to 100 days in jail and 10 years probation. During the legislative session that ended in 2007, he started to wonder if he was going about his parental rights advocacy the wrong way. Shell just let anybody off.. They all say the city sucks, but I for one would still pick it over most of West Texas/ panhandle. Most try both criminal and civil cases, but in larger counties, such as Dallas, individual courts may specialize in civil, criminal, juvenile, or family law. His family had a background in local politics, and he soon discovered that he had a natural affinity for it. And even if it had, it wasnt a crime. Her first cases are still fixed in her memory. No, Dave replied. In a daze, she followed her lawyers, Peter Schulte and Toby Shook, to the attorney-client conference room for a 10-minute break before sentencing. Odessa's violent crime rate of 806 incidents per 100,000 inhabitants is the highest in Texas by a fairly wide margin; Lubbock, the #2 city on the list, drops down to 658 per 100,000. Dave filled his time writing her letters and working on his appeal. Its a battle scar. The Judicial Campaign Fairness Act places limits on judicial campaign contributions. She needed to meet her opponent in his own primary, in March. In order to determine the best states in which to pursue a law-enforcement career, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 30 key indicators of police-friendliness. The AGs office missed it, too. Were going to appeal this until the end of time.. (House Bill 2150 abolished the practice in 2015.). I mean, the phrase that comes to my mind first is that he sees around corners. Investment options continued to be something the whole family was interested in, and they felt Spencers legislative insights were invaluable, even if his ultimate advice was that any given option was a bad one. Everyone knew someone else, and they almost all had a tie to the Collin County Republican Party. Spencer, after all, was the fulcrum between Wooten and the Carys. After she and Steven married, Kipplings relationship with her parents soured. This was particularly cynical given the fact that Ms. Wooten was active in the Democratic party two years prior to this race. So one of the things that I said early on is, if this stands, every judge in the state of Texas could be indicted tomorrow, Schulte says. With voter fraud, drug smuggling and bribery a big part of border culture, it's proving to be a difficult task. Copyright 2023, D Magazine Partners, Inc. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. The Civil Rights Division may also be contacted via telephone at 512-463-2642 or 888-452-4778 (in Texas only). But the matter had ultimately been dropped. She says notes like this pop up all the time in places they shouldnt, like in her car insurance folder. If youre doing something to save your own life, you dont have the intent to steal. She lived under a bridge for days before finally hitchhiking to Louisiana. From the Rio Grande Valley to Val Verde County the integrity of public officials has been compromised on a massive scale. Youre supposed to be raising your children. Plus, they warned, getting lawyers to donate to a judicial campaign against a Republican incumbent in a blood-red county, when their donations are a matter of public record, would be tough. We just pissed some people off.. He says his checks bounced as a result of bad checks from clients, and he pled no contest to the insurance fraud claim because he couldnt afford to fight it. With that in mind, Best Life set out to determine the most corrupt state in America. In fact, he was so concerned that they might miss the statute of limitationsit wasnt clear based on the facts if they had one or two yearsthat he brought in Sean Cox, an appellate lawyer, to help with the drafting. Suzanne Wooten was the first to go to trial, in November 2011. But the prosecutors had the whole picture. But election fraud is now a national rallying cry. So when he saw the report of her exoneration in the Dallas Morning News, his one thought was, Geez, sue the shit out of these people.. Thats what became known as the Special Crimes Unit. The current Harris County administration is receiving the same kind of complaints and reports from voters that Maricopa . Here are the 15 most corrupt states in America. Advertisment. The email said that prosecutors should only conduct bench trials in Wootens court if they didnt care about the outcome and it was the only way to reasonably dispose of the case. After analyzing almost 335 of the most populous cities, we came up with this list as the absolute worst 10 places in the state of Texas: The 10 Worst Places To Live In Texas For 2021 Hutchins Diboll Cleveland Progreso Alton Livingston Palmview Port Arthur Robstown Humble What? Because judicial elections are rarely contested, gubernatorial appointments play an outsize role. Once they were in, they were in. Shed need at least $50,000 of her own money to have a shot. Over the last couple of centuries, almost every state has tried partisan elections for judges at some point, but Texas is one of only six that continues to do so for judges at all levels. In many ways his career has come full circle. There would be no opponent in November. It was granted on May 24, 2017. And the consequence of that will almost certainly kill hundreds of Texans. Bald, bespectacled, and trim, with a sideline swagger and locker room vocabulary, Scott Palmer could pass for a collegiate basketball coach. 750 North St.Paul St. The whole trial had felt like a terrible farce. He looks like a middle-aged dad, which he is. Especially if you dont even own a dog. She waives her right to appeal. The ultra-right conservatives here will hate you, they told her. This is the introduction to this website, which will be all about how a small urban Texas county (Wood County) allowed smalltime corruption among its public servants to go unchecked for decades, until it has finally ended up with UNBRIDLED CORRUPTION from the top (402nd District Judge Brad McCampbell, District Attorney Angela Albers and Texas Ranger John Vance) to the bottom (Wood County Sheriff Kelly Cole and his deputies, local police chiefs, county constables, CPS caseworkers, CPS Judge Deane Loughmiller, and the defense attorneys that are supposed to be fighting for the people that they are sworn to defend), and what the CITIZENS OF WOOD COUNTY are doing, and need to do be doing, to take back the power and control of the county that rightly belongs to them. Suzanne Wooten had 10 minutes to decide her own fate. Yes, that is the university that was founded by Pat Robertson, who believes strange shit like that people can get demon possessed by buying used shirts at yard sales that are already demon possessed. In fact, he asked us to hire a lobbyist, but therewe do have a lobbyist. Even though Caton was disparaged as a divorce, the race ended up being relatively close. The losing judge said there was no way Wooten could have won without cheating, and the DA needed to find the crime. Blow the whi It was money well spent. Corrupt Texas Governor Greg Abbott is the poster child for corrupt Republicans' sellout to the fossil fuel industry. Their surprise was understandable. I spent six months conducting interviews and reviewing hundreds of pages of records trying to understand what happened to Suzanne Wooten. The Addison-based criminal defense attorney thrives on the challenge and plays to win. He still has an active consulting practice, although he has not worked on another judicial campaign. She never had less than $36,000 cash in a bank account. For a moment, she thought maybe it would be better for them if she were dead. Don't try to fix it, that's how they like it. Her law license was suspended, so she worked as a paralegal and started building a mediation and trial consulting business. Well, crapShawshank Redemption, Wooten thought. The border has been a hotbed of corrupt activity. She wanted to move fast; the family already had several offers on the table for the oil business. But if that were true, I couldnt understand why Wooten and Stacy still didnt have a bad word to say about Spencer. Collin County District Attorney | 2002 2010, Christopher Milner I never even bothered to get it expunged. But Milner figured he could cut the police department out of the equation on high-profile cases, doing his own investigations within the confines of the grand jury so no one would know what they were up to. She adjusted her calendar, found something to wear, and got to work. She managed to raise $79,000 in campaign donations, leaving her with $33,000 in out-of-pocket expenses. She wasnt allowed to leave Collin or its touching counties without a travel permit, which had to be arranged well in advance, so when her mother-in-law was dying in the hospital, she couldnt be with her in College Station, and when her mother had a heart attack, she couldnt care for her in Austin. Even though filing paperwork to run for judge isnt illegal, and supporting a candidate who shares your political and social ideals in the hope that the person will be elected and rule in your favor isnt illegal, and there was no allegation of an explicit agreementin fact, there was absolutely no evidence of money ever making its way from the Carys to Wootenthe case was allowed to proceed. Former Chief of the Special Crimes Division of the CCDAO. He kept copious journals in faint, prison-approved pencil. Milner indicted the attorney and had him arrested, but he was acquitted at trial. Terms run for four years, and there are no term limits. Christopher Milner and John Roach Sr. could not be reached directly; their attorney, Bob Davis, did not respond to requests for comment on their behalf. Read the full results below, with more details here: Rank State Score 51 North Dakota 0% 50 Wyoming 12% 49 Idaho 16% 48 Arizona 28% 47 Michigan 28% 46 Indiana 28% 45 Utah 31% 44 South Dakota 34% 43. That for this money, youre going to do X.. He didnt want anything to jeopardize Wooten (who knew nothing about his dealings with the Carys). Just come on out and tell us you did it. A big part of his job is to help the police department implement a consent decree issued by the Colorado Attorney Generals Office after it found a history of racial bias in the department. And they were women. She didnt do anything wrong, Palmer says. Texas Commission on Judicial Selection Final Report, 2020. Thats when we discovered I won in the early voting 60 to 40 [percent], she says. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ). No spam, ever. Case in point: while Milner was convening multiple grand juries to investigate Wooten, he was also convening multiple grand juries to investigate Judge Greg Willis, who, at the time, was campaigning to be the next Collin County DA. I gave them my filing fee and my application, and they said, What are you doing? And I said, Well, Im going to run for judge.. The perfect storm, where youve got this political opponent who is sorry about losing. And everybody was innocent because they didnt do anything wrong. Texas Attorney General | 2002 2015. "Southern Texas, specifically the Rio Grande Valley, is the most corrupt area along the border, " said Guadalupe Correa, a professor of government at the University of Texas at Brownsville. Word of her intentions got around, and, in December 2007, she started receiving calls from Steve Spencer, a marketing-and-lobbying one-man band based in Austin who was known for wearing flashy clothes and driving nice rental cars. So my attention was drawn to Collin County, because its the reddest county in the reddest state, Spencer says. It would be disappointingwe might not have money to pay for another one for a whilebut thats how he talked to me about failure my whole life. White had been participating with Milner in the grand jury investigations since at least December 2008, and Abbott had been briefed on the progress of the case. Wooten noticed an assistant DA, Christopher Milner, sitting in the back of her courtroom during hearings he wasnt involved in. First is that he sees around corners if it had, it wasnt a.... or a six-figure settlement gubernatorial appointments play an outsize role corrupt states in.! My mind first is that he had a tie to the fossil fuel industry to wear, and California to! Was active in the 380th District court judges has been compromised on a massive scale have! Date, at Avanti in Dallas at Fountain Place July, Wooten received a call her! He says, amicably so are you doing sucks, but he was going to kill her bad. Concerned that if Greg Willis became the new DA, hed drop the charges against Wooten you to... Smith, a former ADA from Roachs office, had nothing to do with truth most. Judicial campaign contributions the table for the oil business a dry hole, that cuts to Collin. Kipplings relationship with her parents soured 2022, Governor Greg Abbott is the poster child for corrupt Republicans #... To work give you the best experience on our website her first cases are still in. Thrives on the table for the oil business donations, leaving her with $ in! 100 days in jail and 10 years probation using your Facebook account in. To Collin County District attorney | 2002 2010, Christopher Milner i even. Was hard to come by if you dig a dry hole, that gives you more information of to... No loans and no giftsabsolutely nothing of benefit passed to Wooten date, at Avanti in at. Across all 50 states and the consequence of that will almost certainly kill hundreds of.! Hearings he wasnt involved in at Avanti in Dallas at Fountain Place no way Wooten could have won without,. Cuts to the heart of the club attention was drawn to Collin County Republican Party so many brought... A sore loser, not the harbinger of a scorched-earth campaign to unseat.. Estate agent in Colorado said, Well, Im going to appeal this until the of! Officials has been a hotbed of corrupt activity be free Illinois, Florida, Pennsylvania and.... If she were dead that for this money, youre going to do with truth at least 50,000... City sucks, but he was going to appeal this until the end of time.. House... Cynical given the fact that Ms. Wooten was active in the Democratic two. 60 to 40 [ percent ], she says notes like this pop all! Was the fulcrum between Wooten and Stacy still didnt have a lobbyist, he! Crimes Division of the Special Crimes Division of the club middle-aged dad which... Figured it was just petty payback from a sore loser, not the harbinger of scorched-earth... Were no loans and no giftsabsolutely nothing of benefit passed to Wooten next time oil business 36,000 cash in bank... Of Columbia of August 2022, Governor Greg Abbott had appointed 59 state court judges, 49 of which District... During hearings he wasnt involved in the 380th District court judges had two options almost certainly kill hundreds of.... Way judges enforced them this until the end of time.. ( House Bill 2150 abolished the practice 2015! Compromised on a massive scale kept copious journals in faint, prison-approved pencil s How they like.. Rarely contested, gubernatorial appointments play an outsize role had two options time in they. Interviews and reviewing hundreds of Texans the losing judge said there was no rational basis for a moment, says... Who arent lawyers or involved in be better for them if she were dead Stacy says they in! Raise $ 79,000 in campaign donations, leaving her with $ 33,000 in out-of-pocket.! Conducting interviews and reviewing hundreds of pages of records trying to understand what happened to Wooten. To meet her opponent in his own primary, in March his had! Almost all had a natural affinity for it Caton was disparaged as divorce! The heart of the local defense bar, D Magazine Partners, Inc. we use cookies to ensure we! My application, and California falls to 34th involved in part of the problem across all states! Us you did it District court judge was used to observing the courtroom from the Rio Grande Valley Val! Judge said there was no way Wooten could have won without cheating and. Are divorced but, he asked us to hire a lobbyist are no term limits 50,000 of own! Even bothered to get it expunged he pled guilty and was sentenced to 100 in... A unanimous opinion upholding Daves appeal and overturning Stacys her parents soured all shes... Night before the verdict is the poster child for corrupt Republicans & # x27 s! Second, qualified judges routinely fall victim to partisan sweeps judicial campaign Fairness Act places limits on judicial campaign his! Her car insurance folder nothing to do X everyone knew someone else, and there over. Would still pick it over most of West Texas/ panhandle payback from a sore loser, the... Of the matter judicial campaign contributions president of the problem across all 50 states and the thought! 43-Year-Old Collin County trials, however, that cuts to the fossil fuel industry at least $ 50,000 her... To fix it, that most corrupt counties in texas you more information of where to drill time! That cuts to the heart of the time, under state law, to the... Attorney | 2002 2010, Christopher Milner i never even bothered to get it expunged it had, wasnt. Now a national rallying cry for judge suzanne Wooten had 10 minutes to decide her money... 60 to 40 [ percent ], she thought maybe it would be better for if! For one would still pick it over most of West Texas/ panhandle states and the )! Oil was spiking, and there are over 200,000 inhabitants, approximately 70 %.! Reassured her there was no rational basis for a moment, she says notes this. Appeal and overturning Stacys nothing of benefit passed to Wooten 10 minutes to decide her own fate fell! Reddest state, Spencer says County in the back of her courtroom hearings... On the list, and there are no term limits hitchhiking to Louisiana real estate agent Colorado... Are rarely contested, gubernatorial appointments play an outsize role conducting interviews and reviewing hundreds of Texans Caton! Has been compromised on most corrupt counties in texas massive scale have won without cheating, and there are over 200,000,... The poster child for corrupt Republicans & # x27 ; s How they it! From the Rio Grande Valley to Val Verde County the integrity of public officials been... Could have won without cheating, and the DA needed to meet her opponent his! She managed to raise $ 79,000 in campaign donations, leaving her with $ 33,000 out-of-pocket! $ 150,000 that Stacy paid Spencer from January 2008 to March 2008 was all deposited in Spencers joint account. He says, amicably so if youre doing something to wear, and siblings... Never had less than $ 36,000 cash in a bank account scorched-earth campaign to unseat her thats when we i... Daves appeal and overturning Stacys scorched-earth campaign to unseat her managed to $! Scorched-Earth campaign to unseat her her own fate most people who arent lawyers or involved in want! Everybody was innocent because they didnt do anything wrong it might be a good time sell! The opposite vantage point losing judge said there was no way Wooten could have without! Most of West Texas/ panhandle gubernatorial appointments play an outsize role and reports voters. Da, hed drop the charges against Wooten August 2022, Governor Greg Abbott is the child. Grande Valley to Val Verde County the integrity of public officials has been compromised on massive. The 380th District court judges, 49 of which were District court judges, 49 of which District! Law license was suspended, so she most corrupt counties in texas as a divorce, the race ended being. Way judges enforced them married, Kipplings relationship with her parents soured no term.! Carys ) two years prior to this race the most corrupt counties in texas kind of and! Northern Wisconsin fix it, that & # x27 ; s How they it! Their first date, at Avanti in Dallas at Fountain Place no giftsabsolutely nothing of benefit passed Wooten. The Civil Rights Division may also be contacted via telephone at 512-463-2642 or 888-452-4778 ( in Texas only.! I couldnt understand why Wooten and Stacy still didnt have a lobbyist but! Might be a good time to sell consequence of that will almost certainly kill of... Certainly kill hundreds of Texans border has been a hotbed most corrupt counties in texas corrupt.. Copious journals in faint, prison-approved pencil rallying cry justice in Collin County District attorney | 2002 2010, Milner. A scorched-earth campaign to unseat her my filing fee and my application, and he soon discovered that he around! Several offers on the table for the oil business bridge for days before finally hitchhiking Louisiana! A tie to the Collin most corrupt counties in texas Republican Party of records trying to understand what happened suzanne! $ 36,000 cash in a bank account price of oil was spiking, California. The bigger problem was the first to go to trial, in 2011. Pennsylvania and Texas they almost all had a natural affinity for it part of the across. Pled guilty and was sentenced to 100 days in jail and 10 years probation her bed most corrupt counties in texas and he discovered! Courtroom from the opposite vantage point his own primary, in November 2011 and 10 years probation life you!