Ronald Dale "Ronnie" Earle (born February 23, 1942) is, until January 2009, the District Attorney for Travis County, Texas. He became nationally known for filing a lawsuit against parliamentary majority leader Tom DeLay in September 2005 for conspiring to break Texas's election law and/or to launder money. Earle sued other politicians, including Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and Country Representative Mike Martin, as well as Texas Attorney General Jim Mattox on charges of commercial kickbacks.
His case against Hutchinson and DeLay was unsuccessful; Hutchinson was found not guilty and DeLay's conviction was canceled on appeal about three years after the guilty verdict. The only success of Earle was with Mike Martin, although the false costs of perjury were reduced to a minor offense after bargaining the defense. In 1985, as Travis District Attorney, he accused Attorney General Jim Mattox of threatening Fulbright & amp; Jaworski municipal bond business except one of their lawyers stopped trying to question his sister Janice Mattox about bank loans. The loan was a problem in the lawsuit involving Mobil Oil Co. and Clinton Manges, a man and South Texas oil rancher who financially support Mattox, who was released after a lengthy trial. On one occasion, Earle sued herself for violation of election law after being absent from the one-day campaign fund submission deadline; he was fined $ 212.
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Biography
Early life
Earle was born in Fort Worth, Texas and grew up on a cattle ranch in Birdville, Tarrant County. He achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, earning money working as a lifeguard, playing soccer, and becoming the student council chair at Birdville High School, Haltom City, Texas.
After graduating from the University of Texas School of Law in 1967, Earle served as a city judge in Austin from 1969 to 1972. Earle was elected to the Texas Legislature as Democrat in 1972, serving until 1977. He was elected district attorney of Travis County at year 1976.
Earle has been married to his second wife, Twila Hugley Earle, for nearly three decades. With his first wife, Barbara, she has two children, Elisabeth and Jason Earle. He also has one stepchild, Nikki Rowling, and two grandchildren.
Career as District Attorney
Travis County Procuratorate Office investigates and prosecutes crimes related to Texas state government operations. Earle was elected a Democrat in the city of Austin. He is, and his successor is now, the only Democrat with state prosecution authority. In late 2007, Earle announced that he would not seek re-election to his post. His departure accelerated the race to fill his seat. Four Democrats, all his office employees, ran to a chair. In the main election held on March 4, 2008, no candidate received 50 per cent of the vote. The second round of voting was held between two top teams, and Rosemary Lehmberg - supported by Earle - won easily. He does not face Republican opponents in general elections. He took office in January 2009 and was the first female district lawyer in Travis County history.
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Investigation done by Earle
Investigations and indictments from Kay Bailey Hutchison
Earle filed a lawsuit against Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, then the Texas State Treasurer, for allegedly abusing a state phone and allegedly assaulting a staff member. Earle attempted to impose the indictment on the first day of trial - in fact, at the pre-trial hearing - after the judge in the case questioned the receipt of his evidence. The judge refused to allow it, ordered the jury to return the "innocent" verdict so that the charge could not be brought against him again.
Tom DeLay's investigation and indictment
For more than two years, Earle and eight separate grand jury investigated possible violations of Texas campaign finance laws in the 2002 state legislative election. Earle denied that his pursuit of DeLay was part of a partisan "fishing expedition". His investigation of two political action committees that spent $ 3.4 million on the 22 races of the Republic of Texas in the Republic focused on the political action committee established by DeLay, (Texas for the majority of the PAC Republic). During the investigation, DeLay charged that Earle was a "runaway state prosecutor" with a "long history of being vengeful and partisan". On September 28, 2005, the jury demanded DeLay for conspiring to violate Texas state election laws. Texas prohibits corporate contributions in state legislative competitions. The indictment alleges that the majority of Republicans of Texas, DeLay's PAC, received company contributions, laundered money through the Republican National Committee, and directed it to a favored Republican candidate in Texas. The presiding judge in this case, Pat Priest, a Democrat, eventually dismissed the suit and the Criminal Appeals Court upheld this decision in 2007.
Earle's second attempt to secure the indictment against DeLay failed. The grand jury returned "no bills" because there was not enough evidence. The jurors were asked that Earle looked angry at the "no bills" decision.
Earle finally received an indictment against DeLay from a third jury of Austin who had sat for several hours. The charges are on charges of conspiracy to launder money. DeLay's lawyer insists that the indictment is legally flawed, since the money laundered is defined in the Texas Penal Code as money earned in "the proceeds of criminal activity" . DeLay's defense emphasizes that corporate donations to political campaigns are normal legal business activities. Due to a House legislation requiring the party leader to step down if charged, the indictment requires DeLay to resign as Majority Leader. In a counter-complaint, DeLay's lawyer, Dick DeGuerin, filed a motion against DA Earle, accusing him of committing prosecution on DeLay's charges. DeGuerin asked for court permission to overthrow the grand jury.
DeLay filed a motion for a change of venue from the Travis County Democrats camp to Fort Bend County, where he lives. The motion was rejected by Judge Priest and the date of the hearing for October 2010 was set. On November 24, 2010, DeLay was convicted for money laundering. The conviction was overturned by the Third Appeal Court for the State of Texas in September 2013. The court found that "there is no evidence that [PAC] or RNSEC [the National Electoral Committee of the Republic] treats corporate funds as anything but what they are, corporate funds with limited use under campaign finance laws. " In his opinion, the court ruled that "... the evidence indicates that the defendant sought to comply with the Election of the Limitations of the code on the company's contribution. " just cancel the verdict, but take steps into full liberation.
Count of State Rep. Mike Martin
On July 31, 1981 during the First Session called the Sixty-seventh Texas Legislature, Republican Representative Mike Martin, then Longview, was shot in the left arm outside his Austin trailer with 00-gotri. Immediately after the shooting, an unknown spokesperson from Earle's office released information to Austin American Statesman that they felt Martin was telling inconsistent stories to the police. They claimed he first said he did not know who did it; then he says it is a demon sect; in the end, he accused his political enemies. Martin responded to the leak by saying he was asked to give the police all the possibilities and said he did not know why the county attorney's office would say such things. Earle personally made a public announcement that Martin was working with the police and no one from his office released information that said otherwise to The Statesman . Earle formed a grand jury to see Martin's shooting and invited him to attend without issuing a summon.
Martin refused to appear by issuing a statement that he had given all the information he knew to officials. Gregg County District Attorney Rob Foster immediately arrested Martin for three years of assault charges. The allegations were immediately dismissed due to the deadline and lack of evidence. Upon release, Martin appeared in front of reporters and accused Gregg County officials of using their office to politically damage him. A day after being released on charges of assault, Martin volunteered to appear before Earle's main jury.
At that time he did not know that his first cousin, Charles Goff, had appeared before the grand jury and claimed to help Martin hold an event to advance Martin's political career. He claims Martin offered him a state job as a payment, despite Texas's strong nepotism law forbidding the employment of relatives. Goff has served a prison sentence and possessed three extraordinary warrant waivers pending at the time of his testimony; however, the grand jury keeps Martin's promise. After Martin's refusal of Goff's accusations before the grand jury, Earle filed false charges against new student parliamentarians. Martin pleaded not guilty and, a year later, bargained for defense with Earle by admitting accusations of false oaths relating to car rentals around the time of the shootings. Martin resigned from the Council seat on 22 April 1982 and resigned from the upcoming election. Martin filed several lawsuits against Earle, Foster, and Goff for civil rights violations. A federal judge dismissed the last case in June 1985 on the grounds that the prosecutor enjoyed a qualified immunity from a civil suit. Martin retained his innocence on Earle's accusations.
LaCresha Murray Case
In 1996, Earle sued 11-year-old LaCresha Murray for a massive murder involving two-year-old Jayla Belton - the youngest prosecution claim in Texas history. Earle's evidence rests on Murray's alleged confession, obtained by interrogation at a children's shelter in the absence of a lawyer or family member. Murray's case provoked some public protests from Earle's office and the Texas State Capitol from his detention in 1996 until his release in 1999, when the case was reviewed.
Murray was once again on trial and convicted of a deliberate injury to a child, receiving a 25-year sentence. In 2001, the 3rd Texas Court of Appeal reversed and returned his sentence after finding that his confession was obtained illegally. Furthermore, a liver tissue examination by a field pathologist showed that the injury occurred several hours earlier and was not so by Murray; and clothing worn by toddlers have no inevitable blood trail due to injury - showing clothes changed after toddlers were beaten.
Faced with evidence Earle finally dropped all charges against Murray. In 2002, a lawsuit was filed against the Travis County District Attorney Office and a number of other individuals and institutions, accusing Murray's family of being prosecuted for defamation, defamation, libel and slander, and suffering mental anguish. Racism allegations also appear in the lawsuit, indicating that Murray's family would be treated differently if they were white. Murray's outfit was dismissed; on November 28, 2005, the US Supreme Court refused to revive the lawsuit.
Maurice Pierce's Case
On December 6, 1991, four teenage girls were murdered at a local yoghurt shop in Austin. In 1999, Earle led the "Yogurt Shop Murders" case against suspect Maurice Pierce, who caused the grand jury to indict him on four counts of first-degree murder. Pierce was arrested, along with Robert Springsteen IV, Michael Scott, and Forrest Welborn, for the murder of four girls. Springsteen and Scott finally admitted the crime. Springsteen was sentenced to death and sentenced to death. Scott was sentenced and sentenced to life in prison.
Welborn was never charged with the crime. Pierce continued to maintain his innocence until his release, occurring three years after his arrest. The state can not use the recognition of Springsteen and Scott against Pierce, so, without acknowledgment, and only indirect evidence to relate it to a yoghurt shop, the country should try Pierce or free him. Earle freed him and dropped all charges on the grounds of lack of evidence. The case against Pierce remains open. On 24 December 2010, Pierce was shot dead by Austin police in an incident in which Pierce allegedly stabbed a police officer with the officer's knife.
Texas Election 2010
Immediately after Earle announced his resignation as District Attorney Travis County in December 2007, he began to be named as a candidate across the state. In the spring of 2009, Earle's name began to be mentioned specifically in context with the race for the Texas Attorney General or the Governor of Texas.
Earle says he is considering running one of two posts. On June 30, 2009, an Internet draft movement, DraftRonnie.com, was launched to urge Earle to run for Texas governor. The Ronnie Draft site and draft movement ended in September 2009, when Democrat Hank Gilbert entered the race for the Texas Governor. On December 18, 2009, Earle filed documents required to nominate a Texas Lieutenant Governor but was defeated in a Democratic primary by Linda Chavez-Thompson, a trade unionist. He, in turn, was defeated in an election by President David Dewhurst in power in November 2010.
References
External links
- the official Travis County District Attorney website; accessed November 18, 2014.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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