VOL 11 No. 51
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FORT BEND FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2018
P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623
Official newspaper of Fort Bend County & Missouri City
New DA plans to improve public County Commissioner Meyers’ charity donates $150,000 to Non-Profits perception, have best trial attorneys By SESHADRI KUMAR Brian Middleton will succeed John Healey as Fort Bend County District Attorney on Jan. 1, 2019. Healey retires after 26 years as DA. Though Middleton, 46, swept into office along with fellow Democrats in the November election, setting a record, he is no stranger to the Fort Bend Courthouse or the justice system. Middleton once worked under Healey as an assistant district attorney and has even supported Healey’s re-election in the past. In fact, Healey’s retirement was a major factor in his decision to run for this office. Middleton’s father was a federal attorney and, watching his career, Middleton was inspired to become an attorney himself. Further, Middleton had a disdain for bullies since his school days. His sister is also an attorney. Middleton comes with a dual advantage of being both a prosecutor and a defense attorney. He was also employed as a municipal prosecutor for the City of Meadows Place, City of Wallis, and the City of Jersey Village, a Judge for the City of Jacinto City and an adjunct professor at Thurgood Marshall School of Law. Middleton was born in Houston. He is married to Coretta Middleton and has three children. He is a 1990 graduate of Lamar High School in Houston, Texas. Middleton received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of Houston in 1994. Middleton graduated from Thurgood Marshall School of Law with honors in 1997 and was licensed to practice
Middleton law the same year. Upon graduation from law school, Middleton began his legal career at the Office of the Attorney General of Texas, Habeas Corpus Division where he represented the Director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in Federal Court regarding lawsuits filed by Texas inmates. Though the prosecutor and the defense attorney may appear to be adversaries in the courtroom, Middleton says the mission of both is to seek justice. A defense attorney tries to protect the rights of the defendant and seeks to mitigate the punishment, while the prosecutor tries to get the maximum punishment for the convict, Middleton said. The dual role has another advantage in that if a defense attorney falls short in protecting his or her client’s rights, the prosecutor has to rectify it through the court system. Otherwise, the conviction, if obtained, may be set aside as tainted. There are many safeguards now in place to prevent such instances, Middleton said. As an insider in the DA’s office, one may not have an objective view and may miss drawbacks and gaps, Middleton said. He could fill
the gaps now based on his defense experience. ‘To have the best trial attorneys is my goal,” Middleton said. He has asked all current prosecutors to submit their resumes for review and he does not anticipate any major shakeup in the administration. Middleton is also contemplating some policy changes. Standard pre-trial diversion, which is practiced in most major counties, should be formally expanded in Fort Bend County, he said. First time offenders get an opportunity in this system. If they fail the system, they will face prosecution again, and there is no risk, Middleton said. Middleton also would like to establish a civil rights division and public integrity division in Fort Bend county. Another significant improvement he plans to introduce will deal with preauthorization and have a 24hour intake division. In this process, law enforcement officials will have instant guidance on filing charges at the time of arrests. Currently, charges are filed a few days or even a week or two later and in cases where the DA declines to file charges, the person would have been in jail or posted bond for no reason. The idea here is to improve the quality of arrests and not deter arrests, he said. Finally, Middleton wants to improve the public perception about law enforcement so that the public will have confidence and faith in the system. Middleton says he will not rush to introduce the changes but will do it over time since it will cost money.
Missouri City City Council recognized Junior Tennis players Kendall Wu, Pratik Sahajwan, Jastine Escamos, Jasmine Escamos and Aly Ham for winning the 2018 United States Tennis Association (USTA) Fall Sectional Championship at the Monday, Dec. 3 council meeting. Far right is Mayor Allen Owen. To his right, Jason S. Mangum, director, Missouri City, Recreation and tennis center.
Katy Christian Ministries . Back Row L-R : Jeff Cannon (Fort Bend Charities), Commissioner Meyers, Debbie Roesler (Accounting and Human Resources Manager), Kathrine Patterson, (Director of Community Relations), Patti Lacy. Front Row L-R: Lila Smith(Fort Bend Charities), Luz Soto, Carolyn Chandler, Walt Sass(Fort Bend Charities), Becce Slinkard, Jay Morris(Fort Bend Charities). Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers recently presented three $50,000 checks to local organizations on behalf of his charity, Fort Bend Charities, Inc., a 501(c) (3) entity that provides financial support to non-profits in Fort Bend County benefitting those in our community who are struggling to provide for themselves and their families. Through generous donations, and special events like the annual
Fort Bend Ranchers’ Ball, Fort Bend Charities Inc. has raised over one million dollars since its inception in 2003. The 2018 Fort Bend Ranchers’ Ball held on Saturday October 20 at Safari Texas Ranch brought in over $350,000 allowing Fort Bend Charities to increase donation amounts to each of the following non-profits: • Katy Christian Ministries, a Social Service non-profit focused on assisting the most
vulnerable residents in the Katy/ West Houston, Fulshear & Simonton areas with a variety of social services, including a food pantry. • Simonton Christian Academy, a Pre-Kindergarten – 5th Grade private school focused on providing an outstanding, faith-based educational experience to the youth of Simonton, Texas. See CHARITY, Page 3
Sugar Land Employee of the Year Credited for Exemplary Leadership Sugar Land City Manager Allen Bogard recently named Firefighter/Paramedic Warren Phillips as employee of the year during the 2018 Employee Banquet. The city’s employee of the year is selected from a group of champion employees who are nominated by their peers based on organizational values that include open and honest communications, accountability, multicultural, people first and superior service. “We had an unprecedented number of winners this year. 38 amazing champions to choose from, and it was a tough decision,” said City Manager Allen Bogard. “While Warren has only been with the city since 2013, he displays a passion for superior service. He is a U.S. Army veteran who led a group of soldiers and marines in combat operations and helps ensure that our city remains safer than ever before.” Phillips is one of two Sugar Land Fire-EMS Department employees who serve on the West Fort Bend Regional SWAT team. He spearheaded two major projects last year, including a mass casualty evaluation for SWAT and an intra-department active shooter policy. His leadership in the creation of medical plans for SWAT
Bogard (L-R) named Phillips named Employee of the Year at the 2018 Employee Banquet. includes direct communication with Memorial Hermann Life Flight to determine landing zones and stand-by periods. His planning expertise also includes work with trauma centers to identify multiple contingencies
for medical emergencies. In addition, Phillips worked with Sugar Land-Ironman Sports Medicine Institute to implement a “Tactical Athlete See CITY Page 3