District attorney-elect Kim Ogg claims some of the 37 prosecutors she recently fired are trying to sabotage her administration.
Ogg says five victims have contacted her, saying people identifying themselves as prosecutors reportedly told them their cases were in jeopardy. Ogg suggests it’s criminal misuse of official information.
The victims involved reportedly include those in sex assault and murder cases. They reportedly said the people who contacted them identified themselves as prosecutors without giving a name.
“This stops now,” Ogg said during a press conference on Tuesday.
Prominent attorney Rusty Hardin on Tuesday defended prosecutors accused of sabotaging cases.
“It’s not true,” Hardin said. “If Kim had really investigated the way you would expect a prosecutor and newly-elected DA to do, she’d have found out.”
Hardin spoke for Nick Socias and Gretchen Flader, two prosecutors distraught and worried about their reputations.
Based on phone calls from victims, Ogg called out Socias and Flader.
The district attorney-elect said one victim claimed Socias did not warn her about a rapist’s release. Another accused Flader of giving bad information about a case.
Hardin showed KHOU 11 News Socias’ emails and Fladers’ text messages to victims to prove Ogg is wrong.
“I don’t understand why she keeps wanting to hammer these people she’s fired,” Hardin said. “We can move on. It’s a new day. So why are we doing this?”
Last week, Ogg fired 37 prosecutors, so their cases will be reassigned.
Prosecutor staff shake-ups happen. For instance, Travis County’s new district attorney just fired or reassigned 48 people.
Though fewer lost jobs in Harris County’s transition, our legal analyst said it is strange to see so much tension between outgoing and incoming administrations.
Anderson is not releasing a statement, but a spokesperson says notifying victims of a change of attorney is required by law.
Going forward, Ogg wields significant power answering only to the public and the law.