Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins told County Judge Jim Foster that he was finally serious about investigating alleged misconduct by two constables when the county's special investigator was called to testify in October before a grand jury.

"But," the Dallas Morning News reports that, "Foster said he now believes that it was a ploy to find out what the investigator, Danny Defenbaugh, was up to so Watkins could try to stop the investigation with a rstraining order. Watkins' public integrity unit was responsible for the subpoenas."

Defenbaugh has been investigating the employment practices of constables Derick Evans and Jaime Cortes since September, as disclosed by county officials.

A little over a week ago, D.A. Watkins had filed for a restraining order and injunction against the county. He ordered a halt to the investigation by using information from the grand jury testimony. A hearing has not yet been set.

According to the Morning News, "Foster said it's clear now that the grand jury testimony helped the D.A.'s office put together a case for the requested restraining order to halt the investigation. In court documents, Watkins accused the county of improperly conducting a criminal investigation which he said only his office can conduct."

Judge Foster, a Democrat, said, "I think it's a shame that they wasted the time of all those grand jury members."

D.A. Watkins, a fellow Democrat, would not confirm or deny the existence of a criminal probe. Yet, his court filings and sources in his department claim a constable investigation is underway.

To read the entire article from the Dallas Morning News, link here:

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