There are questions for outgoing Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson after KHOU 11 News learned she dismissed a DWI charge against prominent Houston attorney Tony Buzbee.
Some are wondering if it's a case of the rich and connected getting special treatment.
At the end of March, Houston Police spotted Buzbee's Mercedes SUV weaving through traffic in the 3100 block of Westheimer Road. An officer pulled him over near River Oaks Boulevard and took him to jail on suspicion of driving drunk.
According to court documents and the district attorney's office, Buzbee entered a pre-trial intervention program for first-time offenders -- a program that's supposed to take a year to complete. But outgoing DA Devon Anderson signed off, stating that Buzbee completed the program more than eight months after he was pulled over.
"From the outside looking in it does not look like he was treated like the average DWI person that's treated in Harris County," said Herman Martinez of the Martinez Law Firm, who handles more than 100 DWI cases per year. "The fact that he was arrested in late March and finished a pre-trial intervention by the end of the year is uncommon in Harris County."
District Attorney Devon Anderson told KHOU 11 News in a statement that dismissing Buzbee's case was the right thing to do.
The statement continued, "He qualified for pre-trial intervention and completed all the requirements typically mandated for a first offender DWI defendant."
Experts agree though something about this case does not add up.
"I don't want a client saying, 'Well, Mr. Buzbee got treated this way why can't I be treated this way?'" Martinez said.
Buzbee is one of the top trial lawyers in the country. He's represented former Governor Rick Perry in an abuse of power case. He's won hundreds of millions for families after the Deepwater Horizon Spill in the Gulf of Mexico and has hosted then presidential candidate Donald Trump for a fundraiser at his River Oaks home.
Buzbee has yet to return our emails seeking comment. His lawyers said they don't comment on cases.