Dallas County DA Craig Watkins Says He Was Too Sick to Testify in His Misconduct Case

A hearing to determine if Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins committed prosecutorial misconduct was postponed today after Watkins refused to appear in court. The allegations were brought by attorneys of Al Hill III, who was charged with mortgage fraud by the DA's office shortly before a legal dispute with...

By Luke Darby

February 14, 2013

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A hearing to determine if Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins committed prosecutorial misconduct was postponed today after Watkins refused to appear in court.

The allegations were brought by attorneys of Al Hill III, who was charged with mortgage fraud by the DA's office shortly before a legal dispute with Dallas attorney and major Watkins donor Lisa Blue was set to go to trial. It was a political favor, Hill's attorneys argued.

Watkins was subpoenaed to appear today before District Judge Lena Levario but was MIA when time came to take the stand. It took more than half an hour to figure out where he was: working in his courthouse office, but too sick to testify.

All this came after the DA's lawyer, Russell Wilson, objected to calling any witnesses at all, and claimed that equal protection didn't apply to Hill because he (a straight white man) didn't fall into any protected classes.

Levario's response to these motions: "I don't see a point but to disrupt these proceedings."

Levario, head in her hands and clearly exasperated, said that she would treat Watkins like any other witness and accommodate his illness. She ordered the court to reconvene on March 7th.

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