Posted 1/17/2006 05:34:00 PM by Douglas

Sometimes stupid DWI laws have a different effect. Instead of throwing generally law-abiding people in jail to the tune of several thousand dollars, they can bring about change to the landscape of public service. That is, if the public can find adequate representation.

A woman who wants a Panhandle district attorney to pay with his job for a drunken driving collision with her daughter can't persuade any lawyers to help, and her complaint could get tossed out next month, she said Monday.

Since last fall, Betty Holland has been trying to unseat District Attorney Clay Ballman through a seldom-used Texas statute that allows jurors to remove county officials for intoxication.

Ballman is the top prosecutor for Hutchinson County and its northern neighbor, Hansford County.

"You call the attorney, and they want your name and a receptionist wants to know what you need, and you tell them," said Holland, of Borger. "Basically, they don't want the case, or they say the lawyer's (schedule is) full and can't take the case."

Holland said she has tried to hire more than 15 lawyers in the region.

One attorney acknowledged fear of reprisals the next time he worked in the courthouse, she said.

Others complained it would take too much of their time to bone up on Chapter 87 of the Local Government Code.

This guy needs to go down. DWI (much less, fleeing the scene of an accident after you hit a 17 year old girl) is a crime in and of itself. How the hell could this guy even prosecute any more DWI cases if these facts are made public? And before anyone reads yesterday's posts and tries to paint a thick coat of hypocrisy on my standings on DWI laws, here's where I come out:

• Driving home from the bar when no other laws are broken? Legal
• Fleeing the scene of an accident that you caused? Illegal already, but shouldn't be more so if alcohol is involved.
• Being able to keep your job as a D.A. after you're convicted of any of the previous? Yeah, that's a no-brainer. Dude, you need to learn how to weld.

I don't know how I missed this in the Amarillo Globe News, but I did. So here's the summary. [sadly, registration required. try bugmenot.com first.] Here's the chronology of this sorted case:

• DA jailed on felony charge May 14, 2005
• Corrections May 15, 2005
• Ballman to face more charges May 17, 2005
• 84th District attorney faces DWI charge June 23, 2005
• Ballman to spend 3 days in jail July 23, 2005
• Prosecutor faces removal October 5, 2005

Sleep tight, Ballman. Just think: Next time, someone will stick a needle in your arm!