Well, one thing has become obvious. A contributing factor as to why the Rogers case has been delayed 10 times in a row (maybe 11 if the February 20th trial gets delayed) is the dang-gum judge, rightly or wrongly, was indicted, convicted and is no longer a sitting judge for the 360th district court of Texas!
Here, Judge Wooten appears to be sporting a similar white bath robe as worn by the subject of this blog in his mug shot.
By now its old news..yet, here's the story from November 29th, 2011 by by
Dan Eakin of
Star Local News.
District Judge Suzanne Wooten was sentenced to 10 years probation and a $10,000 fine Monday after
having been convicted last week of bribery and other charges.
She also will be required to perform more than 1,000 hours of community service while on probation.
The jury arrived at 8:30 a.m. Monday, expecting to hear prosecutors
the next two days arguing what sentence she should receive, and the
defense arguing one day that the sentence should be less than what
prosecutors would be asking.
After waiting to be brought into the courtroom, the jury was informed
that, over the holidays, the state and defense had reached an agreement
on the sentence and the fine.
Visiting District Judge Kerry Russell agreed to the sentence on
condition that Wooten would acknowledge her guilt and waive the right to
appeal. After Wooten did so, the judge signed the necessary papers for
the conviction, sentence, and fine. The jury was then brought into the
courtroom, given an explanation and dismissed, with the judge thanking
the jurors for their service.
After hearing more than two weeks of testimony, the jury
convicted Wooten last week,
and the judge had set the sentencing phase to begin Monday morning.
With the agreement worked out between the state and the defense, the
sentencing phase became unnecessary.
Per the agreement, Wooten was sentenced to 10 years probation on each
of eight charges, to run concurrently, including six counts of bribery,
conspiring to engage in criminal activity and money laundering. She was
sentenced to five years probation for tampering with a government
record, also to run concurrently.
Following the signing of the agreement Monday, Wooten's attorney,
Peter Schulte, who defended Wooten along with Toby Shook, said, "We are
disappointed in the jury's verdict. However, Judge Wooten is ready to
move on with her life."
The agreement also makes Wooten immediately cease her duty as the
380th District Court judge. She had been suspended, receiving full pay,
while awaiting trial.
The next hurdle Wooten must overcome will likely be a hearing before
the state bar on whether she should be disbarred, meaning her license
would be taken away and she could no longer legally practice law in
Texas.
"The disbarment is not automatic," Schulte said. "She will have the right to be heard." Should she be disbarred, Wooten could still work as a mediator, a paralegal, or in other areas related to the practice of law.
Wooten holds a law degree from St. Mary's School of Law in San Antonio.
During the lengthy trial, the state alleged that David and Stacy Cary
had funneled six amounts totaling $150,000 into the checking account of
James Stephen Spencer, Wooten's campaign manager, to finance Wooten's
2008 campaign as bribes to get Wooten to rule in their favor in a
child-parent relations case.
Had Wooten taken the case, which she did not, she would have had to
rule on whether David Cary would have been required to pay his ex-wife,
Jennifer Cary, more than $400,000 in a divorce settlement.
Harry White, who with Adrienne McFarland prosecuted the Wooten case
as members of the Texas Attorney General's staff, promised that he would
also bring the Carys and Spencer to trial in relation to the same case.
Stacy Cary is expected to go on trial first, possibly in January. Spencer is expected to be tried next, and David Cary last.
