Dallas County constable with felony record may win re-election to old job
When former Dallas County Constable Derick Evans was convicted in connection with an illegal raffle to raise money for his campaign, many thought that would be the end of his political aspirations.
But Evans won’t go quietly away. He’s on the March 4 Democratic Primary ballot for his old job, and some say he has a good chance of winning despite his felony record.
His only opponent is Cleo Steele, a former justice of the peace who county commissioners appointed in 2012 to replace Evans when a judge suspended him from office following his conviction on organized crime charges. There is no Republican challenger.
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But if Evans wins, it would be the first time in recent memory that Dallas County voters chose someone with a felony record for office. Evans would remain suspended — and unpaid — pending the final outcome of appeals of his conviction, according to the Dallas County district attorney’s office.
County commissioners would have to re-appoint Steele, or appoint someone else, to run the office until Evans’ appeals are exhausted, no matter how far those appeals go, the DA’s Office said. That could take an additional four years or more. And those who were victimized by Evans would still be without closure.
More at http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/local-politics/20140224-constable-with-felony-record-may-win-re-election-to-old-job.ece .