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Harris County Grand Jury Declines To Indict Treasurer Carla Wyatt

The ruling shifts focus to prosecutors’ rare use of a secret grand jury for a misdemeanor.

Overview

  • A Harris County grand jury returned a no bill on Wednesday, ending the misdemeanor burglary-of-a-vehicle case.
  • Prosecutors moved the case from a public probable-cause hearing to a closed grand jury review, which is uncommon for misdemeanors.
  • The district attorney’s office defended using a citizen panel for cases involving elected officials after walking back a claim that such misdemeanor reviews are routine.
  • Wyatt was arrested in December after witnesses said she entered an unlocked minivan outside a Houston restaurant and looked through items inside, according to records.
  • County commissioners in February stripped her office of a fraud-alert duty and voted to pursue abolishing the treasurer’s office, a step that would need approval from the Texas Legislature and voters.