Juvenile Official Suspected Of Smuggling

Just last month, Governor Rick Perry appointed Catherine Evans, a former Dallas County juvenile court judge, to be the ombudsman for the Texas Youth Commission. The ombudsman's job is to be the representative of the incarcerated youth of the Texas Youth Commission (TYC) and make sure the rights of those youth are not being violated.

But after only a month on the job, Ms. Evans has already got herself in serious trouble. She was caught trying to enter the Crockett TYC facility with a weapon. Her office admits in a recent report that the also successfully entered a Beaumont TYC facility near the end of September with a weapon, prescription drugs and $300 in cash (all are prohibited).

This is serious. It is a felony offense to enter a TYC facility with contraband such as this. Any other TYC employee that tried to do this, would have been fired and charged with a criminal offense. So far, the agency just says Ms. Evans is being investigated. While she is temporarily barred from entering any TYC facility, she can still go in to her office and is still drawing her state salary.

It's beginning to look like she's going to try to claim she was just checking on security at the facilities. That story is ridiculous. It is not her job to check facility security. And the law doesn't say you can't smuggle items into a facility unless you're checking security procedures. It just says it's a crime to enter a TYC facility with contraband or weapons.

Evans violated Texas law. She should be terminated from her job and charged with a crime (just like any other TYC employee). But don't be surprised if Perry steps in to save his appointee. There is a campaign going on, and that is more important to Perry than truth or justice.