Daily Progress, Jacksonville, TX

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January 11, 2006

Court date set for constable removal trial

By Hannah Buchanan

A Lake Palestine resident finally has her day in court in attempts to remove Pct. 3 Constable Randy Thompson.

“I don’t know what to say,” Josie Schoolcraft said. “I’m just thrilled to death.”

Schoolcraft requested a removal of officer hearing last Friday with the 369th District Court and received a letter dated Monday which set the court date for 9 a.m. on Jan. 30, with Judge Bascom Bentley III presiding.

Pct. 3 Justice of the Peace James Morris told the Daily Progress on Friday that Thompson has not shown up to work for weeks. He is considering contempt charges against Thompson for failure to serve the court as bailiff.

Morris also said Thompson told him he would resign on Jan 15, but, as of Tuesday, County Judge Chris Davis’ office had not received an official resignation letter from Thompson.

In the case The State of Texas and Schoolcraft v. Randall Lee Thompson, which was filed with that court on Dec. 12, Schoolcraft cites nine violations of Thompson’s sworn duties, which include failure to serve as bailiff; failure to return or process warrants; failure to serve any civil processes, including eviction notices; failure to impound animals; failure to submit a monthly report to the county commissioner’s court; and also failure to return repeated phone calls from residents.

Schoolcraft said Thompson, who also works full time as a Texas Department of Criminal Justice correctional officer, was not devoting enough time to his constable work.

Lynn Kelley, Pct. 1 constable, has been filling in for Thompson for approximately a month and a half, officials said.

Previously, Thompson had said Schoolcraft needs to make a complaint to commissioners court for not giving the constables adequate money for them to do their job, however, Pct. 3 Commissioner Moody Glass said the commissioners would welcome a request for additional money, if the commissioners were shown proper paper work.

In Cherokee County Commissioners Court on Monday, Glass mentioned only one constable, Kelley, was turning in a monthly constable log.

Thompson did not return phone calls before press time.

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