New Details on Investigation in Real County
Texas Tribune Accesses Warrant Information
Just a single item this morning:
While our attention was elsewhere, the Texas Tribune got ahold of the warrant information and details about the Texas Rangers’ investigation into the Real County Sheriff’s Office.
It is pertinent to Operation Lone Star, as there are allegations that cash money and a pickup was improperly taken away, possibly even stolen, from illegal aliens. We use the phrase “improperly taken away,” where some might insist on the word stolen. It’s perhaps an illustration of our naive nature to want to make the distinction. Some might feel justified in calling us badge-lickers for doing so.
Ultimately however, it must be noted that so far, Rangers have made no arrests or brought formal charges against anyone. It is unquestionably a bad look for a small county, but while we must hold those we endow with badges, guns, and the power to lock people up in cages to higher standards, the presumption of innocence should also apply equally.
The Tribune’s article is here: https://www.texastribune.org/2022/01/10/real-county-sheriff-investigation/
It’s another typically thorough performance by reporter Jolie McCullough and the rest of the staff at the Tribune, which is unabashed in its progressive outlook, but is generally objective in its news coverage.
As the Tribune points out, property seizure laws in Texas are already roundly criticized in some circles. And, federal versions of such laws are probably due for plenty of criticism as well. Witness this recent article in the New York Times about some poor guy that had to go through hell after the Feds took his life savings and falsely accused him of waltzing around with drug money in his pockets. As it happens, the man who worked as a shoe shiner, was on his way to purchase a tow truck with cash to support a side business as a scrapper. He apparently panicked when questioned by three DEA agents, and falsely claimed to be a retired cop.
So, what you have there is a guy literally living the American Dream. “Pulling himself up by his bootstraps,” as it were, getting a jackboot to the throat, and basically demonstrating a common human failing of being willing to tell any kind of a ridiculous tale, if it’ll make the jackboot lift off the neck just a little bit.
It is gross and disgusting to contemplate, and perhaps an indication of somewhere the War on Drugs needs some reigning in— where generous cash seizure laws threaten to pervert the process. Or perhaps in some cases already have.
The sad truth is— the cost of recovering monies seized in this fashion will usually exceed its value, making it difficult for regular folks to do anything about it. As one former President might tweet: “Many such cases. Sad.”
Getting back to Real County and Sheriff Nathan Johnson, one hopes that our recent past examination of the raid and investigation is correct and these seizures are the result of a wrongheaded mis-application of the law, and not some kind of malicious exercise in taking money from poor people who have little enough to begin with.
If you missed it, see our previous coverage here:
It is entirely possible that the state will decide not to file charges for lack of ability to prove them beyond a reasonable doubt, and the Real County Sheriff’s Office will continue on as is, minus some policy changes. And local voters in Real County may decide that overall, they’re good with the situation and vote to re-elect Sheriff Johnson for some time to come— happy with his performance in all other areas of the job.
In short, the Sheriff may survive this matter politically and legally, even if an investigation doesn’t turn up some manner of evidence that excuses matters entirely.
Stranger things have happened.
Find time to ask us about an official corruption case we once covered, that involved a Federal Judge declaring a certain star witness was “a menace to society.” Most folks following it thought there would be a slam dunk at trial. The whole affair seemed so shady. But no. Jurors left the federal prosecutors with egg all over their faces.
If the law, and trials at court were a sports ball— it would have to be something like a football, and not a basketball. A basketball is round— regularly curved. When bounced and interacted with, it reacts in a regular, predictable fashion. We all would like to think the law behaves in a similar way, and many times it does. But, like a football, there are some sharp ends and odd points. And it can take freaky weird bounces, even when there are no thumbs on the scales.
As always, thanks for reading. If you aren’t already following Ms. McCullough on twitter, we invite you to do so, as we will be doing shortly. If we had, we would’ve caught her coverage of this matter sooner. Please remember, any opinions expressed here, when paired with a $5 dollar bill, might get you a Starbucks in a community that actually has a Starbucks. Said opinions are entirely our own, and not an expression of Kinney County policy.