Incumbant TX DA on the hot seat for actions in 2006 abuse case

Thursday, 02 September 2010 00:00

Craig Watkins is a first-term DA in Dallas County. Amidst a campaign for a second term, his brief part in a child abuse case, while he was a criminal defense attorney in 2006, has come into question. The suspect was not arrested until 2007, after Watkins was elected.

Watkins has been asked about his role in aiding a 10-year-old girl to declare that she didn't want to pursue molestation charges against her stepfather. During the suspect's eventual trial, Watkins was subpoenaed by the prosecutors and the defense. The Dallas Morning News reports that during his testimony, he denied pressuring the girl to sign an affidavit of non-prosecution, (a statement which asks that no charges be filed or that filed charges be dismissed.) It is reported that after the girl disclosed, she then changed her story, and subsequently said she lied about the recantation.

Many in the legal community do find his action questionable, especially because of the girl's age and her situation. One, his election opponent, is quoted, saying "The very thought of bringing a 10-year-old into your office to sign an affidavit of non-prosecution in a sexual assault case in reprehensible."

Sharon Dolovich, a UCLA criminal law and legal ethics teacher is also quoted, saying Watkin's actions are questionable "to the extent that the defense attorney has strong reason to suspect that the recantation comes not form a true recantation, but instead the recantation comes from pressure from the defendant who is not in the room or the mother who is."

It is reported that Watkins often describes himself as "smart on crime" and is proud of his office's high conviction rate. Watkins has also received national attention for his work in freeing inmates who were innocent and wrongly convicted of a crime.

Last week the defendant was convicted and sentenced to 8 years for sexually abusing his stepdaughter; the abuse was reported as "rubbing her through her clothes."

For more details and to read the complete article from The Dallas Morning News, click here.
The article was written by Gromer Jeffers, Jr. and Jennifer Emily.

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