CRIMINALIZATION
Justice Repeatedly Delayed Is Justice Repeatedly Denied
Devonte Amerson, waiting. Photo by Ursula Rogers. In March of 2018, San Marcos police officers traveled to Houston, Texas, to arrest Cyrus Gray and Devonte Amerson. According to them, the two young men had taken part in the 2016 robbery that ended with the shooting...
Watching the Watchers: The Hope of a Conviction Integrity Unit in Hays County
What percentage of criminal cases result in wrongful convictions? According to the Georgia Innocence Project, studies show that the percentage lies somewhere between 4 and 6% of cases.
Fired from Tax Office, “Very Rude” Caldwell Co Republican Now Hopes to Lead It
This November, Caldwell County voters will select their next Tax Assessor-Collector with the incumbent Darla Law retiring. The position importantly oversees the registration, titling, and transferring of all motor vehicles, including handicap placards.
Son of Hays Co District Judge – Twice Accused of Violence This Year – A Major Player in RFK Jr.’s Presidential Campaign
A contractor with ties to Hays County is working with the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. presidential campaign in what The New York Times described as a “central role” in ballot-access efforts – and he has been arrested for assault twice this year.
Plight of San Marcos Teen Accused of Murder Highlights Benefit of a Conviction Integrity Unit in Hays Co
The author visiting Bobby Harper at the Stiles Unit of the so-called Texas Dept. of Justice in Beaumont last November. Photo courtesy of Ruah Ministries. In the late hours of Oct. 8, 1998, Mohammad Yunus, a convenience store clerk, was killed in a robbery at a Conoco...
A Killer’s Paltry Punishment: Just Part of a Tragedy in Martindale
Terry Turner was released from the Caldwell County Jail on May 8. Turner gained notoriety in 2021 after shooting and killing an unarmed man, Adil Dghoughi, who had become lost on his way home in the middle of the night and had pulled into Turner’s driveway to use his...
Disgraced Detective Shatters the Life of a Buda Teen
Elmo and Eli Zapata at the family’s body shop in Lockhart, photographed in May 2024 by Ursula Rogers A little after 6 p.m. on May 30, 2022, several people were lounging by the pool at the Arba San Marcos apartment complex – among them, Hays County Sheriff’s Office...
Local Politics of Marijuana: Reducing Police Interactions, Electing Democrats to County Seats
Mano Amiga Action participants rejoice at decisive triumph in Nov 2022 Could cannabis – long derided by critics as a drug that induces laziness – in fact be the largest catalyst of electoral politics in Caldwell and Hays counties the past few years? Evidence suggests...
Why We Should End Cash Bail in Hays County
Let’s start with this graph above, from the Hays County jail dashboard. This is a graph of people being held at the Hays County Jail. Notice that about 75% of the jail residents are awaiting trial. On average, they’re stuck in jail for about 2-3 months. ...