Saturday, March 7, 2009

Beware the bogeyman

Every district attorney's office has its own bogeyman. In Harris County it's driving while intoxicated. The DA's policy is never to reduce a DWI. The prosecutors are told to try 'em or dump 'em.

In Galveston County, the bogeyman is prostitution. A first offense will net you 30 days, a second offense gets you 60 days and a third costs you 90 days. Probation is not offered to anyone who has a prior conviction - for anything.

It doesn't matter if you have no place to live because you've run away from your biological father who's a registered sex offender because he raped your older sister. It doesn't matter if you were molested and abused by him. It doesn't matter if the officer approached you and asked you how much for oral sex.

The Galveston County DA's Office won't think twice about reducing a DWI to obstruction of a highway or reckless driving - even with a high breath test, but don't bother asking them for some compassion or understanding if you represent an accused prostitute.

3 comments:

Mark Bennett said...

Give me a prostitution case to try to a jury any day. Jesus himself wrote that punishment argument, 2000 years ago.

Anonymous said...

I've always said in the barrel of all police officers, it may be difficult to find a bad one. But, in the barrel of the narcs (uh, narcotics officers) and DWI task force officers - throw them in a barrel & I'll bet you can't find an honest one in the bunch. Why should they reduce in Harris County when they have the HPD Task Force - the most trained and practiced group of cops ever! Heck, they don't even need an ADA to put on the case & sometime forget to ask for the next dang question!

Anonymous said...

BTW, I would have posted with my blogger name so you could all write me nasty responses but I cannot remember my dang password & I'm not ready to give up yet. So, find me in a another way to give me a tongue lashing.