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Maher and Roades show differences in DA forum The two Democratic candidates for Wharton County District Attorney had a chance to talk to voters during a round table with media on KULP 1390 AM Wednesday. The forum, which gave candidates a chance to share their opinions about various issues facing the district attorney's office, featured John Roades and John C. Maher Jr. in a question-and-answer session from noon to 12:50 p.m. The first of the two events, held last week, featured Republican candidates for the job: incumbent DA Josh McCown and challenger Dawn Allison. Wharton Journal-Spectator Regional Editor Barry Halvorson and KULP News and Sports Director Bob Nason offered a series of questions while KULP General Manager Jerry Aulds served as moderator. modera- Each candidate was given the opportunity to make an opening and closing statement and all began with a quick explanation of their reasons for running. ex- Roades, an El Campo native and Wharton lawyer in private practice, cited his prior experience as a county attorney for 2 1/2 years and district attorney for a year and a half. "The district attorney's office is really in need of a change," he said. Maher said the upcoming race "is probably prob- the most important district attorney's election this county has ever had." The Beaumont native talked about growing up poor and his varied experiences including managing a home construction company in Houston prior to taking up the law. Choosing Cases Both candidates had much to say about the way the current district attorney selects and handles cases. Maher said he has the objectivity of an outsider, having lived in the county only 10 years. He brought up the Angela Nino case, prosecuted in 2002. Nino, 13, was killed in Lane City in a hit-and-run accident. Driver David Ray Polak was given probation in the case, which drew outrage from the Hispanic community. "In that case, a series of events occurred that never should've occurred," he said. "The Nino case was poorly handled." He also said "law enforcement has lost its faith" in McCown's administration. Roades said there "appears to be great inconsistencies" in the cases McCown chooses to prosecute. "The district attorney should be seeking justice," he said. He said he has issue with McCown operating his own narcotics task force. "The District Attorney, I believe, envisions himself as a police officer," Roades said. Party Politics Maher and Roades both said party affiliation should not, and in their experience does not, play a part in the justice system. "In the judicial system, anyone who would serve differently (due to party affiliation) ought not to be in office," Roades said. "Politics have no place in the courtroom or the district attorney's office," Maher said. He said he expects there will be a large voter turnout for primary election, in part due to a swell of interest in the presidential campaign. "I expect, locally and nationally, there will be tremendous turnout for both parties," Maher said. Roades said he wasn't sure what effect the large interest in Democratic Party races will have on Wharton County races. "Locally, party politics don't matter as much," he said, adding county politics seemed to be based more on the side of the Colorado River in which a voter resides. Narcotics Task Force Maher said while he thinks the officers in the District Attorney's Narcotics Task Force are "great people," he sees no increase in drug prosecutions as a result of the force's creation by McCown. "Is it worth putting your law enforcement in the line of fire" for probation or dismissals, he asked. He also said it is an "absolute conflict" of interest for McCown to lead the task force. "There's no way I can be a witness and a prosecutor at the same time," he said. Roades also felt the task force was worthwhile, but should not be headed by McCown. "It's certainly a conflict when you have a district attorney in the chain of command," he said, using the death of 17- year-old Daniel Castillo during a task force drug raid as an example. Castillo was killed during the raid by a Wharton Police officer who was subsequently no-billed by a grand jury. "The Castillo case is an example" of how things can go wrong with a DA-led task force, Roades said. "It's not even fair for law enforcement." Radio Station KULP 1390 in El Campo will re-air the round table interviews from 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday. Republican candidates will be aired first. |
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