Workforce Commish Sides With Fired Deputy Constable. Which Is Why Dallas County Is Suing.

By Robert Wilonsky Fri., Dec. 16 2011 at 12:40 PM

Photos by Patrick Michels

The Holy Trinity, when they broke the news that some deputy constables hadn't been doing their jobs, or so they claimed

Back in May, you may recall, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins and commissioners John Wiley Price and Maurine Dickey went before the media to deeply, sincerely and profoundly apologize to all those citizens who may have been evicted without a heads-up in recent years. After a five-month internal audit, the county had discovered that some 25 deputy constables said they served papers when they in fact had not, which the county discovered with the assistance of GPS units in the deputies' rides. By early June, the county said it had fired some 28 deputy constables, without naming names.

But a filing at the Dallas County courthouse reveals one: Terry Braziel, who ran as a Democrat against incumbent Ben Adamcik for Precinct 3 constable just last year. The reason for the suit: The Texas Workforce Commission believes the county didn't have good reason to fire Braziel and signed off on his claim for unemployment compensation benefits.

The county insists that Braziel, for whom messages have been left, was fired for two reasons: "Global positioning records ... showed Braziel to be elsewhere at the same times that he swore to a justice of the peace court that he was serving process," and his daily reports revealed "he never went to the locations at the dates and times where he swore he was." And so he was terminated on June 3. At which point Braziel filed his comp claim at the TWC, which initially OK'd it since "it was determined Braziel's discharge was not for misconduct."

The county says it appealed to a TWC tribunal, which ruled to deny the payment. Braziel then kicked his claim further up the ladder, to the full commission, which concluded "that Dallas County's global positioning data was not accurate and that Braziel was acting as he was trained instructed," according to the county's own suit (and that is not a typo). The county believes that decision was "arbitrary and capricious"; hence, the lawsuit filed this week. It follows. Dallas County v Texas Workforce Commission

We Recommend

TeeBee

Understand, each and every deputies does his or her job. There were no complains on Deputy Braziel and he was to testify against Constable Evans..Deputy Braziel worked for the Constables Office since Oct 2002, and has had NO Complains (working in civil, traffic and anywhere ordered/directed to work)..Constable Evans and his side kick Asst. Chief(F.B) of Pct.1 started collecting GPS data around Sept.2010 and ran to the commissioners court with a lie. Dallas County would never tell you that the GPS systems were not a Active GPS system or it was placed in vehicles to inform DC if a vehicle go outside of Dallas County.

DuckDuckGoose

Maurine Dickey looks like that Frisco chiropractor in his four mugshots, sporting the classic 'towel around the neck' fashion.

lsle31

lsle62

lsle17

lsle93

Watching South Detroit

They should just wipe Dallas county govt - constables, commissioners, staff, - everyone - and start over from scratch. Its either incompetence or corruption - never just doing the job they are being paid to do.

Gabe

When you say wipe Dallas county govt...are you comparing the County to a hard drive, a windshield, or a baby's bottom?

lsle41

phlpn.es/829r8s

Facebook User

Speaking from experience, this lawsuit will be more expensive than the cost of the unemployment claim. Our company won an initial claim against an employee, we won his appeal, but in his second appeal we didn't receive a return call from the TWC and they gave him a default judgement against us. My option was to file suit. The filing fees any my lawyers retainer was going to be more than simply moving on and paying the claim.

Lolotehe

I still think she looks like Mon Mothma in that outfit.

Uncle Owen

True. Perhaps many Bothans died to bring us this information.

Robert Wilonsky

I have been told this is still an ongoing investigation, and calls have been referred to the Dallas County District's Office.

ScottsMerkin

shouldnt they have been arrested and jailed for contempt of court and perjury?

Ed D.

Say, why weren't any of these deputies prosecuted for their crimes? I bet a criminal convention would sure go a long way in proving "misconduct" to the TWC.

Robert Wilonsky

I have asked county spokesperson Maria Arita for an explanation.