HARRIS COUNTY DA KIM OGG: TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN

In the race for Harris County DA, the by far better candidate's chances are slim to none.

By Howie Katz

David Jennings, publisher of Big Jolly Times, received the following communication from Kim Ogg who is seeking reelection as DA:

Dear Friends,

When I first decided to run for District Attorney, I knew that difficult decisions would be part of the job. Pursuing evidence-based prosecution to ensure equal application of the law to everyone necessarily shut the “back door” at the DA’s Office to special interest groups like the police unions. It was this “back door” that allowed police to avoid accountability for officer-involved shootings for decades.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Houston Police Officer’s Union is my opponent’s employer and that the organization is defending the Houston Police officers currently charged with murder and corruption. Their attacks on me, my office, and our work are all directed at unseating the only District Attorney in the history of Harris County who has successfully sought indictments and prosecuted 33 police officers for misconduct.

• Harris County deputy charged with sexually assaulting woman in March
• Texas grand jury indicts deputy, husband in death of man
• HPD officer among 5 charged with illegal gambling
• Harris County grand jury returns indictments against former HPD cop
• 6 former HPD officers, including Gerald Goines and Steven Bryant, face 15 new felonies linked to botched Harding Street raid
• Former Texas deputy constable accused of raping woman while on duty, in uniform

Corruption corrodes the system and endangers the lives of honest, hard-working law enforcement officers. It destroys community trust and ultimately, democracy. When I chose the campaign slogan: EQUAL JUSTICE FOR ALL, I knew what I was getting into–now I need your help to see this through into a second term as District Attorney.

For those of you who have contributed before, please accept my humble and heartfelt thanks for your continued support. For those of you who have not, please contribute any amount you can right now, and let’s finish the job.

Kim Ogg,
Harris County District Attorney

That is one side of the coin.  Here is the other side of the coin from a Dolcefino Consulting press release:

THE REVOLVING DOOR OF ROBBERY IN HARRIS COUNTY

Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg’s office let hundreds of dangerous armed robbers get back on the streets and the results should not be shocking to crime victims. More robberies – even murder.

A Dolcefino Consulting investigation shows that since January 1, 2017, Ogg’s office allowed more than 330 criminals convicted of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon to get a plea deal that gave them deferred adjudication – a get out of jail free card.

“What’s wrong with the system?” asks Ken Webster of LaPorte. “People that have committed violent crimes there are not even getting prosecuted. And those that do – half the time they get let out. And yeah, my case was a classic example.”

Webster is one of thousands of Harris County residents that are victims of a violent crime. In 2017, using a cell phone selling scam, an armed robber held a gun to Webster’s wife’s head and demanded money. Webster shot and killed that robber, but his accomplice and getaway driver, Frederick Gibson, was given deferred adjudication in a plea deal the District Attorney could have stopped.

Frederick Gibson was arrested as part of a multi-state jewelry robbery ring in Louisiana this year, but that is not the only consequence of this soft on crime justice. In April of 2020, Gibson was charged with the murder of a customer at a Houston pawn shop. Houston musician Austin Thomerson had gone to the pawn shop to search for musical instruments but had a permit to carry a weapon. Thomerson paid the price when he tried to stop Gibson and the other robber.

Vincent Canady is another one of the aggravated robbers given a second chance to commit crime. He stole a car with a 16- month old baby in it. Luckily, the baby was rescued and unharmed.

Our review of thousands of deferred adjudication sentences make it clear our get out of jail free card court system is a failure. Thirty five percent of those convicted robbers have already gotten back in trouble. We traced at least 16 of the convicted armed robbers to 21 new robberies. Those are just the robberies that they have been caught committing.

Dolcefino Consulting has already traced dozens of murders to criminals released on deferred adjudication. Ogg has also allowed the release of some of violent family criminals.

“The numbers do not lie. Houstonians are being robbed and murdered and the District Attorney has blood on her hands,” says Wayne Dolcefino, President of Dolcefino Consulting. “Sure we have elected some judges who are endangering law abiding folks, but NO violent criminal should get a deal. Period. Let juries deal with them.”

NOTE: When Ogg was running for DA, I warned people this would happen. Unfortunately, Harris County is a heavily Democrat dominated county and Ogg's Republican opponent Mary Nan Huffman’s chances are slim to none.