The Collin County Observer

News, Analysis & Opinion for Collin County

Court releases Willis Grand Jury report

01/26/10

Permalink 12:51:40 pm, by bill Email , 459 words,   English (US)
Categories: Observer Opinions, Politics, Law, Crime & Punishment, Ethics

Court releases Willis Grand Jury report

Overruling an objection filed by the State's Attorney General, 416th District Court Judge Chris Oldner has released a copy of the Grand Jury report on the Greg Willis investigation by the Collin County District Attorney and the Texas Attorney General.

Last week The Observer wrote to Judge Oldner asking for a copy of the report, but the Attorney General objected, claiming that the report was a proceeding of the Grand Jury, and therefore secret.

In an email to the Collin County Observer, Judge Oldner wrote:

The Court OVERRULES the objection.
The requested report is attached to this e-mail.

Judge Chris Oldner

The Grand Jury's report is short and to the point. In 4 terse sentences it cleared Judge Greg Willis of any criminal wrongdoing.

Addressed to Judge Oldner on January 6, 2010, the report reads:

Re: Investigation of the Collin County Court at Law #6

We the undersigned members of the Grand Jury, having heard all the evidence presented in the investigation mentioned above, over a period of several weeks, have concluded:

1. No activity occurred in County Court at Law #6 that could in any way be construed as rising to the level of a felony.

2. No activity occurred in County Court at Law #6 that could in any way be construed as rising to the level of a misdemeanor.

3. While Judge Greg Willis may have run his court in a manner that is different than another judge may run theirs, that is not a crime and should not be viewed as one.

With this report the Grand Jury ends months of uncertainty regarding the political future of Judge Willis, who resigned his position as Judge of the Court at Law #6 to begin a run for the Republican nomination for District Attorney.

But the report will not end the speculation about why there was an investigation in the first place. Many have called the simultaneous Grand Jury investigations of Judge Willis and Judge Suzanne Wooten "political witch hunts" by District Attorney John Roach. We may never know the truth.

What we do know is that neither Judge Willis or Wooten was indicted. We know that one Assistant District Attorney was fired, and we know that the Texas Attorney General became involved with the Grand Jury after the District Attorney's office either recused itself or was forced to recuse itself.

As to the exact nature of the charges, or who was called to testify -- these facts are protected by Texas Law which, in order to protect the innocent, requires that all Grand Jury proceedings be held in secret.

Bill

====================

Notes:

The Grand Jury Report, Re:Investigation of the Collin County Court at Law #6

Attorney General objects to Observer's request for Willis Grand Jury Report, CCO, Jan. 25, 2010

Two local judges targets of grand jury investigations, CCO, November 19, 2009

PermalinkPermalink 12 comments

Comments, Pingbacks:

Comment from: Collin County Citizen [Visitor] Email
Congratulations, Bill. This is a victory for open government, and I had a feeling that Judge Older would do the right and legal thing.
PermalinkPermalink 01/26/10 @ 13:17
Comment from: COLLIN COUNTY ATTORNEY [Visitor] Email
Good reporting and thank you for this. Maybe after Greg Willis is elected as the DA, he will be able to let us know of his ordeal with this political witch hunt.

This was just an abuse of naked unbridled power. Maybe they won't try to indict him again - now that this is on the internet - because they can still try.
PermalinkPermalink 01/26/10 @ 13:55
Comment from: Republican Lady [Visitor] Email
I never once believed that Judge Willis or Judge Wooten did anything wrong!!! And A big thanks to the Texas Attorney General's office.
PermalinkPermalink 01/26/10 @ 14:02
Comment from: Pamela J. Lakatos [Visitor] Email
Thank you for your investigation. This is just one more example of the pattern of abuse of power this administration has engaged in during the last few years.

It is hard to convince anyone that a District Attorney’s Office will engage in disingenuous and reprehensible behavior to serve it’s own purposes.

The only way the voter’s will know is with persistent investigative reporting and the courageous actions of those both within and outside the system to uncover the abuse and expose it for everyone to see.

When it happens to citizens who have no power or voice, who it is so easy to dismiss, the abusers become even more blatant in their actions. They begin to believe they are invincible and that it is only their definition of right and wrong that is correct.

The people who would have benefited if these investigations had achieved their goal will continue to insinuate that there were problems, that these are not exonerations. In this way both have achieved partial success. The mud has been slung and the stain will always be there. That is the way of these things. Sometimes I think it is the ultimate purpose.

Now if we could only right the wrongs that are perpetrated on the disadvantaged, the disenfranchised and the mentally challenged who come in contact with this place every day, we might actually make the world a better place. Of course, these people do not have the ability to motivate anyone to really care about their problems or the abuses that they have suffered at the mercy of a system that has no effective checks and balances to reign in a corrupt prosecutorial system.

Keep up the Good Work
PermalinkPermalink 01/26/10 @ 14:17
Comment from: Philip W. Moore, Jr. [Visitor] Email · http://www.pwm-law.com
Vindication, indeed! I hope that the pettiness ends once Greg Willis is elected.
PermalinkPermalink 01/26/10 @ 16:19
Comment from: anon [Visitor]
Reading between the lines, this is one angry, offended Grand Jury which did not agree with the way this was handled.

More than this, the wording of this report is contrived and artificial in appearance. Was this really the Grand Jury report or was this something forced by Judges Oldner or Rusch as the previous and current Local Administrative Judges. Is anyone aware if this was really the report or was there a real report issued earlier and rejected by the judges?

Also, where is the report on the Wooten investigation? Apparently, the Grand Jury has been dismissed so there should be a report, either Bill or No Bill. The only other explanation would be that the District Attorney realized there was going to be a No Bill so he dismissed the Grand Jury before they could vote on the matter. These would be good questions to ask judges Oldner and Rusch.
PermalinkPermalink 01/26/10 @ 16:27
Comment from: anon [Visitor]
Perhaps we need to revisit this whole concept about secret juries. I don't believe secrecy is possible in Collin County and secrecy always allows for reprehensible behavior from those in power.

This would not have happened if everything was out in the open as is consistent with a democracy.
PermalinkPermalink 01/26/10 @ 17:35
Comment from: Tony Vitz [Visitor] Email
Looking forward to the Roach Regime being over on March 2nd. There is no place for a bully in positions of power. I feel for the Willis family, judge Wooten, Piper McCraw, and many others that have had to endure the abuse. I can only imagine what it must have been like. Thanks for being strong enough to hang in and stand up against oppression. This will be a turning point for Collin County politics. We understand more fully now what it really means to serve others and, regardless of the words used, what it doesn't mean or look like.
PermalinkPermalink 01/27/10 @ 06:37
Comment from: Tony Vitz [Visitor] Email
And before I leave it with you-- Anyone who stood by silent, over the years, ought to be ashamed. In fact, I am ashamed for not standing up in the past for good people like Deric Walpole. But, the truth is, I was scared and I didn't think it involved me. I was wrong.
It isn't too late to stand up now.
PermalinkPermalink 01/27/10 @ 07:21
Comment from: kim vitz [Visitor] Email
Thanks to Judge Oldner for releasing the records. Greg Willis is a good man who deserves vindication and I find it tuly sad that he and his family had to undeservedly endure this "process". But, in the end, I know that God's will shall always prevail. Thank you Greg, for hanging in there and fighting for what you believe in and for never giving up. The people of Collin County need you now more than ever. You are the man who can restore honor and integrity to this County. I look forward to it.
PermalinkPermalink 01/27/10 @ 08:56
Comment from: Be Fair [Visitor] Email
Dear anon..I like your idealism and I believe Oldner did the right thing.But don't harbor the illusion that Rusch will ever do the right thing.He is and will continue to be a career prosecuter even from the bench.If you don't believe this ask yourself why the Roach administration(Milner etal) shopped the warrant on Keith Gore's office to Rusch?Rusch is incapable of being fair and will continue to make arbitrary decisions as long as Collin County voters tolerate those actions.Kudos to judge Oldner for doing the right thing.
PermalinkPermalink 01/27/10 @ 13:22
Comment from: anon [Visitor]
Be Fair

Perhaps it is Rusch. I don't know. However, I do believe this was not the report the Grand Jury gave based on the odd wording. I also believe that there should be a report on the Wooten investigation but it looks like the Grand Jury was dismissed before it could issue a report which is irregular and unfair to Wooten.

Any way you slice it, it looks likea judge misbehaved (and I don't mean Willis and Wooten).
PermalinkPermalink 02/01/10 @ 19:32

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The Collin County Observer

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