Destroyed Evidence Ruins Dozens Of Harris County Drug Cases
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HOUSTON (AP) - A deputy constable's destruction of evidence has prompted the Harris County District Attorney's Office to dismiss 90 pending misdemeanor and felony drug cases.
The DA's office is reviewing another 35 non-drug-related cases to determine if any of those also must be dismissed, according to an email from Dick Bax, the DA's general counsel.
DA's spokesman Jeff McShan confirmed the authenticity of the email to the Houston Chronicle, which had obtained the document. McShan said there would be no further comment, however.
Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman says one of his deputies destroyed the evidence in January while making room in the department's overcrowded property room.
Herman says the matter came to his attention in late March or early April. He said he has fired the deputy.
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