News & Press

Just days before Tuesday's primary, the Democratic candidates for county judge are making their final pitches
to voters, with each echoing themes of leadership, accountability and vision.

In the process, the race has become more contentious, with Dallas County Schools Board President Larry
Duncan accusing rival Clay Jenkins of being a carpetbagger from Ellis County with a history of supporting
Republicans.

Meanwhile, Jenkins continues to saturate Democratic voters with campaign mailers and phone calls. And he'sread more>

Three Dallas County deputy constables filed court papers late Thursday seeking the removal of embattled
Constable Jaime Cortes, already the subject of a county investigation, on the grounds that he abused his
office.

Deputies Guadalupe Frias, Lois Martin and Les Willie allege in a petition to remove Cortes that the constable
is guilty of misconduct, criminal conduct, retaliation, incompetence, official oppression and misuse of county
property.

Frias and Willie work for Cortes, while Martin is a…read more>

Three Dallas County deputy constables filed court papers late Thursday seeking the removal of embattled
Constable Jaime Cortes, already the subject of a county investigation, on the grounds that he abused his
office.

Deputies Guadalupe Frias, Lois Martin and Les Willie allege in a petition to remove Cortes that the constable
is guilty of misconduct, criminal conduct, retaliation, incompetence, official oppression and misuse of county
property.

Frias and Willie work for Cortes, while Martin is a…read more>

The Democratic candidates for Dallas County judge agree on one thing: A tax increase should be the last
resort for the county in confronting another dismal budget year.

Instead, the candidates say they would find new ways to squeeze money and cut spending. 

Last year, the county experienced a budget shortfall of more than $60 million, which resulted in mandated cuts in county departments.

The gloom is expected to continue, with county budget officials predicting a 9…read more>

Dallas County Constable Jaime Cortes, accused of corruption in a county-initiated investigation, filed court
papers Wednesday seeking the removal from office of his chief critic, County Judge Jim Foster.

Cortes' petition for removal alleging "gross misconduct and incompetency" was filed in Judge Gena
Slaughter's 191st Civil District Court.

Cortes said in the petition that Foster should be removed from office for orchestrating a conspiracy to break
into his office and illegally seize his computer data without…read more>

A majority of the Dallas County Commissioners Court said Tuesday that they want to restore civil protections
to deputy constables because an investigation has concluded deputies were subjected to abuses such as unfair firings, threats and intimidation.

Dallas County deputy constables had gained civil service protection in 1990, giving them due process to
appeal disciplinary actions and firings before a board of three county commissioners.

But in 2003, commissioners revoked that provision for deputy constables hired…read more>

Quite a flurry of print activity this weekend on our Dallas County constables,boosted by the confluence of the Danny Defenbaugh's report release early in the week and early voting beginning the next day.

Kevin Krause and Ed Timms had the Page One lead Sunday with a look at County Judge Jim Foster's quest to oust Constable Jaime Cortes through a fairly rare civil removal process. The same day, Gromer Jeffers had
the Metro cover lead with…read more>

If nothing else, Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins has a 92-page bound document that could provide fascinating bedtime reading. Nominally, it’s the first report from Danny Defenbaugh, a former FBI special agent, on transgressions by Precinct 5 Constable Jaime Cortes.

In reality, it’s a road map.

As Watkins is quick to point out, if anyone is going to investigate allegations that county constables broke the law, it’s going to be him and his office. By statute,…read more>

Dallas County Judge Jim Foster has called on District Attorney Craig Watkins to oust embattled Constable Jaime Cortes from office through a rarely used civil removal process in state law.

Foster and his allies on the Commissioners Court are seeking a way to respond to the results of an investigative report released last week that accused Cortes of bribery and other misdeeds.

read more>

An investigative report released Monday by Dallas County officials accuses Precinct 5 Constable Jaime
Cortes of abusing his office by accepting bribes from a towing company and by mistreating his employees.

Deputies were forced to campaign for Cortes on duty, contribute money to his campaign through the sale of
raffle tickets and work special security details for free, the report said. It said Cortes unfairly targeted
deputies for internal investigations and used off-duty work to punish…read more>

Requiring law enforcement officers to be law-abiding citizens themselves is a pretty basic expectation.

So, too, is Dallas County's prerequisite that deputy constables have a least one year of experience in law
enforcement.

But Howard Watson fell short on all counts. One of the most senior deputies hired by Dallas County
Constable Jaime Cortes had a long history of legal troubles and lacked even basic experience.
Cortes apparently didn't bother to look into Watson's background before…read more>

Doesn't it seem like only yesterday that Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price was telling everybody that County Judge Jim Foster was wacky? Now who wears the wacko jacket every week at commissioners court?

This week Price harangued Foster for wanting to direct the county's constables to carry out background checks on their deputies, after a Dallas Morning News story revealed that the recently arrested top deputy of Constable Jaime Cortes is, among other…read more>

Dallas County Judge Jim Foster said Tuesday he wants the Sheriff's Department to conduct detailed background checks on some deputy constables to make sure they are qualified for the job.

Foster said he wants to begin with Constable Jaime Cortes' Precinct 5 office. A lieutenant in that office – Howard Watson – remains in jail after being charged last month with nine felonies as part of a larger constable investigation.