A Collin County assistant district attorney who had agreed to join incoming McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna’s staff next month was indicted Tuesday on a charge of tampering with a governmental record.

Reyna, who can’t officially hire new assistants until he is sworn in Jan. 3, said Wednesday he and Collin County First Assistant District Attorney Greg Davis spoke Tuesday afternoon after a grand jury indicted Davis.

The pair agreed then to withdraw Reyna’s offer and Davis’ commitment to work for Reyna.

Incoming McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna withdrew his offer to a Collin County lawyer after the lawyer's indictment.
Rod Aydelotte / Tribune-Herald, file

Davis could not be reached for comment Wednesday in his office.

“He had agreed to come here to work, and with 32 years experience, he would have been able to bring a wealth of knowledge and experience with him,” Reyna said. “But you simply can’t bring somebody in under that type of situation.

“After checking with prosecutors in the current office and other prosecutors throughout the state, his credentials and his abilities well exceeded expectations. He is thought of highly by prosecutors throughout the state.”

Reyna said he was aware of investigations in Collin County, including one that resulted in the indictment of State District Judge Suzanne Wooten. The judge was investigated by the Collin County district attorney’s office.

The grand jury that indicted Davis was impaneled by Wooten.

Reyna said he was not aware of any investigation into Davis’ conduct and said he thinks Davis was unaware of it until his indictment.

“Nobody knew anything about that, and I think it is safe to say that, judging by his reaction in our phone conversation, that even Mr. Davis didn’t know about what was coming. He was shocked and surprised by the indictment,” he said.

Outgoing Collin County District Attorney John Roach defended Davis.

“Nothing has changed my mind about Greg Davis,” Roach told The Dallas Morning News. “He’s been an outstanding first assistant and enjoys a reputation of integrity among all of his peers.”

The indictment stems from an investigation by the district attorney’s office into the district clerk’s office, The Morning News reported.

Collin County prosecutors obtained felony indictments in July against Collin County District Clerk Patricia Crigger and five other supervisors for allegedly falsifying county records.

They are charged with altering time records to show district clerk employees were working when they were not.

Prosecutors say some employees took time off to work on Crigger’s Republican primary campaign, according to The Morning News report.

In October, the Collin County district attorney’s office asked to be recused from prosecuting the district clerk employees.

That court filing, signed by Davis, said the district attorney’s office also altered time records to indicate some employees were at work when they were not, The Morning News reported.

The document said about 40 district attorney employees were given paid time off since Jan. 2, 2003, when DA Roach took office. They received one to eight hours off as a reward for “meritorious conduct,” the filing said, as reported by The Morning News.

“The undersigned has found no evidence that any paid leave time was awarded for electioneering or political activity,” Davis wrote.

Bribery indictment

In October, a grand jury indicted Wooten and three others on six counts of bribery and one count of engaging in organized criminal activity.

Prosecutors allege Wooten accepted money to issue favorable rulings. The Morning News reported that she has denied any wrongdoing.

A week earlier, Roach, who did not seek re-election, announced he no longer would submit cases to the grand jury impaneled by Wooten.

The grand jury had requested a special prosecutor to investigate “possible criminal wrongdoing” in Roach’s office, according to The Morning News.

Reyna said this week he also has gained a commitment from another Collin County assistant district attorney, Michelle Voirin, to join his staff next month.

twitherspoon@wacotrib.com

757-5737

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