The Division Chief of the Vehicular Crimes section of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, Sean Teare, submitted his resignation Friday.
It appears that Teare will now challenge his soon-to-be former boss, District Attorney Kim Ogg, in the next primary.
“I have wanted to have that job for at least 15 years when I came in as an intern in my first year of law school. It felt like home,” Teare said during an exclusive interview with KPRC2 Investigates reporter Joel Eisenbaum.
Teare offered a revealing look at the state of the D.A.’s office hours after he submitted his resignation.
“There’s a morale issue. There’s... there’s a very big morale issue in the DA’s office,” Teare said.
In addition to whatever personnel problems may exist, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office is dealing with a massive backlog of cases, fueled by both Hurricane Harvey and the COVID-19 pandemic, Teare added.
In the Vehicular Crimes Division, Teare estimated there are 700 to 800 pending cases.
Teare will join a private law practice after he leaves his post in two weeks.
“If there’s ever a good time for an MVP, like Sean Teare, who in large part has been the public face of that office, and high profile cases, to leave, this is probably not that time. But I think that Sean has made a decision that I know he’s comfortable with,” KPRC 2 Legal Analyst Brian Wice said.
