David Dewhurst Calls Police To Try & Free Relative
story updated 1:04 a.m.
ALLEN (CBSDFW.COM) - Did the Lieutenant Governor of Texas try to use his title to persuade local police after a relative was arrested?
The Allen Police Department says the case was handled just like any other case.
On August 3rd, four hours after Ellen Bevers was arrested at an Allen grocery store for allegedly shoplifting more than $50 worth of items, the Allen Police Department received a call from Bevers' uncle -- Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst.
In an audio recording of the phone call CBS 11 News obtained from the Allen Police Department, Dewhurst could be heard saying, "This is David Dewhurst, the Lieutenant Governor of the State of Texas, and I want to talk to your senior officer who is there at your department right now."
- Listen to audio from David Dewhurst call
911 call made by Texas Lieutenant Governor
Dewhurst told the sergeant on the phone Bevers is "one of the sweetest women in the world" and ask what he can do to prevent her from spending a night in jail.
"What I would like to do is if you would explain to me, sergeant, what I would need to do to arrange for getting her out of jail this evening," said Dewhurst over the phone. "You can proceed with whatever you think is proper."
The sergeant explained to Dewhurst the charge was a class B misdemeanor, and Bevers would be transferred to the Collin County Sheriff's Office to be arraigned.
Dewhurst then could be heard asking for the county judge's cell phone number.
The sergeant did not give it to him.
"What do I need to do to not circumvent anything, follow the law, because this is ridiculous," Dewhurst told the officer.
The Allen Police Department said Dewhurst did not receive any special treatment nor, according to the department, did Dewhurst cross any lines.
"He didn't threaten anybody. He didn't demand anything. He didn't ask for anything that was above and beyond what a normal citizen would," said Sgt. Jon Felty with the Allen Police Department.
A spokesperson for the Lt Governor's office released the following statement Wednesday night:
"David acted as a concerned family member in an attempt to acquire information on how to post bail for his niece while reiterating multiple times in the full conversation that law-enforcement follow their normal protocols and procedures."
CBS 11′s Senior Investigative Producer Jack Douglas Jr., can be reached via email at jdouglas@cbs.com.
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