HOUSTON – The charges against the judge accused of unlawfully arresting former TV journalist Wayne Dolcefino have been dropped, according to the Fort Bend District Attorney.
On Tuesday, KPRC2 reported that Harris County Judge Darrell Jordan was charged with official oppression stemming from an incident involving Dolcefino two years ago.
On Friday evening, the Fort Bend District Attorney released the following statement regarding the charges:
“The Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office has filed a motion to dismiss the official oppression charges a Harris County grand jury returned earlier this week against Harris County Judge Darrell Jordan. Fort Bend was asked to handle the case once Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg recused her office from the prosecution.”
“After a thorough investigation into allegations of criminal conduct against Darrell Jordan, an elected official, we presented this matter to a grand jury for their consideration. It is important to present cases implicating public integrity to the grand jury, particularly when there is some evidence to support the allegation, because they are representatives of the public. Moreover, it provides due process to the accused and transparency to the public,” said Fort Bend County District Attorney Brian Middleton. “We respect the grand jury’s decision which was consistent with their legal burden of finding probable cause. However, prosecutors have the duty to prove a charge beyond a reasonable doubt, which is a much higher standard than probable cause. And if we believe we cannot prove a charge beyond a reasonable doubt, we have an ethical obligation to dismiss the prosecution.”
What happened?
In June 2020, Judge Jordan held Dolcefino in contempt of court and had him thrown in jail after accusing him of interrupting court proceedings, with Jordan claiming Dolcefino demanded to interview the judge.
Video later came out that Dolcefino had recorded with a pen camera at the time, showing the confrontation lasted only two minutes, with Dolcefino wanting to know why a request for documents wasn’t being acknowledged.
Dolcefino said he believes Jordan sentenced him to three days in jail in retaliation for investigating a Harris County commissioner and his wife, and that the judge wanted to make a spectacle out of him.