Travis County DA: Low-Level Warrants to Remain Suspended at Least Another Month
The Travis County District Attorney expects that certain low-level felony warrants will remain suspended in Austin at least through July 15, and possibly beyond that, depending on the level of threat of COVID-19 to the jail population in the county.
Judges in Travis County, acting on the recommendation of Travis County DA Margaret Moore, suspended felony warrants for non-violent offenses on March 20.
Moore told Honest Austin that the order was extended through July 15, and could be extended again: “The judges will, no doubt, be considering the status of the threat in deciding whether and how long to extend.”
The order helps to limit the county’s jail population by preventing law enforcement from acting on warrant for certain felony offenses, including low-level drug dealing, credit card fraud, prostitution, theft of something worth between $2,500 and $30,000, and graffiti.
Even before the judges issued their order, County Sheriff Sally Hernandez had ordered her patrol deputies to “not work any pro-active enforcement, such as traffic, interdiction, warrant arrests, etc.,” according to a memo dated March 14.
Hernandez also ordered deputies not to respond to to calls for service “unless there is an active disturbance, or there is potential for injury to anyone involved.” All calls that do not meet this threshold are meant to be handled over the phone, the memo said.
“I understand these are extreme directives,” the sheriff wrote, while adding that they were necessary to protect the health of her deputies and the jail population.
Margaret Moore, the District Attorney, explained that her own involvement in the matter stemmed from a desire to assist Hernandez in controlling the spread of the virus. “I did recommend that the judges enter this Order,” she said. “I made that recommendation in order to assist the Sheriff in her efforts to keep COVID-19 from reaching the general jail population.”
Moore also noted that, in Travis County, almost every person charged with one of the listed offenses would be eligible for personal bond anyway, “so it seemed wise to avoid having them arrested for now.” Personal bond allows a person to go free after a magistration hearing, which happens after booking at the county jail.
Asked about when the public can expect the normal functions of the courts and law enforcement to resume, Moore stated, “I don’t think any of us have the ability to predict a return to what was normal operation.”
“We have worked with the judges, the District Clerk, and Court Administration to phase basic functions, using the technological methods we’ve developed to allow us to conduct proceedings remotely. We are continuously evaluating the impact our emergency measures are having on the system, and I believe we will continue to make adjustments in order to manage our caseloads and jail population in a way that balances public safety and public health objectives.”
As of June 22, there were three inmates in the County Jail who have tested positive for COVID-19, according to Kristen Dark, Public Information Officer for the Travis County Sheriff’s Office. In the past week, six Sheriff’s personnel also tested positive for the virus, including some correctional staff.
Originally published at https://www.honestaustin.com on June 23, 2020.
