At an event this weekend, Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot was challenged on a number of his policies by attendees, and instead of answering questions, he blamed reporting by The Dallas Express.
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) 102 hosted an event entitled “Dallas Chorizo and Menudo” on Saturday, November 5. Numerous high-profile individuals were invited to speak, including Dallas ISD Superintendent Dr. Stephanie Elizalde, District Attorney John Creuzot, and Lauren Davis, Republican candidate for Dallas County judge.
According to reports from the event, attendees pressed Creuzot on a number of his policies as the county’s chief prosecutor, including his so-called theft amnesty policy in which theft of items worth $750 or less is not prosecuted if his office deems it was a ‘theft of necessity.’
Attendees also pressed Creuzot on his permissive stance on releasing criminals and arrested persons awaiting trial.
Rather than defending his policies, according to accounts from the event, Creuzot took the opportunity to blame reporting on his policies as the primary issue and specifically named The Dallas Express.
Attendees also challenged Creuzot’s assertion that crime was not an issue in Dallas County by highlighting the recent tragedy at Methodist Dallas Medical Center, where two maternity ward nurses were shot dead by Nestor Hernandez, a 30-year-old criminal who was out on bail despite multiple arrests.
In the wake of that tragic shooting, Creuzot absolved himself of any wrongdoing and pointed the finger at the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, which is a board appointed by the Governor of Texas.
However, Creuzot failed to mention that his office is given an opportunity to participate in all hearings of prospective parolees from Dallas County. Requests by The Dallas Express to Creuzot to determine if his office did participate and whether they recommended parole have yet to be answered.
Similar to his handling of the Hernandez parole issue, Creuzot’s representation of the reporting by The Dallas Express on his policies is the latest in a series of factually challenged statements that he has made. He specifically blamed The Dallas Express for ‘misrepresenting the facts’ concerning crime, yet The Dallas Express pulls its crime data from the City of Dallas website. He did not explain how the City of Dallas’ crime reports are allegedly erroneous.
One of the attendees noted Creuzot was “visibly rattled” when explaining away his policies and blaming The Dallas Express’s reporting for shining light on them.