Commissioners order special meeting after sheriff reports 157 cases the county attorney declined to accept

Dimmit County’s sheriff told the commissioners Dec. 8 that his office had a backlog of criminal matters after the county attorney reportedly declined to accept investigator‑prepared case files unless the sheriff presented them personally. The court was told the practice dated to May 2025 and that about 157 cases could therefore be dismissed, a figure the sheriff and commissioners described as alarming.

Commissioners said the situation threatens victims who waited for filings and could imperil grant eligibility tied to a 90% submission/prosecution metric. The sheriff explained that his office has investigators who ordinarily prepare cases for filing but that the county attorney placed a note on the office desk directing staff not to accept cases from investigators unless they came from the sheriff personally.

Commissioners pressed for a practical fix and discussed convening the sheriff, investigators and county attorney together to create a checklist and steps to ensure investigators’ cases conform to the DA’s filing requirements. A number of commissioners suggested training and agreed a special meeting should be scheduled for an in‑person resolution.

The court voted to hold a special meeting to address the case‑acceptance process; no unilateral changes to filing policy were made at the Dec. 8 session. Commissioners emphasized victims deserve timely answers and asked staff to arrange the special session with the county attorney and sheriff present.