A felon who was out of jail on at least $400,000 in bonds for crimes including attempted capital murder killed a man Friday at a central Oak Cliff drug house, police say.
The felon, Michael Wyatt, 28, had been free on bail for offenses dating back three years. He pleaded guilty in the 2004 attempted capital murder case but was still awaiting sentencing more than a year and a half later when he was arrested after an officer said he tried to take a gun from him in January.
Two days later, he was out on bail again.
Police say Mr. Wyatt's case is an example of how problems with jail overcrowding and the way judges set bail hamper their attempts to control crime.
"What's most concerning, in spite of having very, very serious charges against him, that those bonds are not revoked and he continued to be on the streets," Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle said.
... "Due to the circumstances of this particular case, an unfortunate error was made," Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins said in a written statement. "However, we are seeking proper funding and staffing for this office to minimize and eliminate errors like this in the future, and we will seek justice in this case moving forward."
Mr. Wyatt was one of the criminals whom police officials had been pointing to as a poster child for how repeat offenders affect the crime rate. Even before Friday's killing, Dallas police had assembled a two-page timeline of his criminal history and planned to educate prosecutors, judges and county commissioners on the effects of the revolving-door system.
... Police say that while Mr. Wyatt was out on bail, he continued a career of crime. In September 2006, he was arrested on a suspicion of possession a controlled substance in Dallas. He was again released on bail.
... In late January, police records say Senior Cpl. Michael Dominguez tried to arrest Mr. Wyatt on a cocaine dealing charge in South Dallas. During a struggle with Cpl. Dominguez, Mr. Wyatt tried to take the officer's gun, police say. The gun went off during the struggle, records state.
... Officials at the Dallas County district attorney's office couldn't immediately explain why Mr. Wyatt's bail was not revoked.
"The Dallas County district attorney's office has seven drug court prosecutors who at any given time are handling as many as 500 cases and when a district attorney's office is inadequately funded and understaffed, it translates into not having the proper resources in place to monitor the activities of defendants once they have made bond," Mr. Watkins said in his statement.
... County officials responding to severe overcrowding have given public assurances that offenders who are being released are not the worst criminals. But Chief Kunkle said many of the released offenders are likely to have long criminal records and are the same repeat offenders Dallas officers have been working hard to keep behind bars.
Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price said Mr. Wyatt would not have met the definition of a low-level, nonviolent offender. He said that he understands the chief's concerns but that their hand is forced by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards to reduce jail population.
... "I understand their concern; the problem is we have finite capacity," Mr. Price said.
... "Repeat offenders account for a very high percentage of the crime going on a community, particularly low-level crime such as house burglaries, car thefts, prostitution," said Robert Taylor, chairman of the criminal justice department at the University of North Texas.
"We know that if we put those people in jail, they're not committing those crimes. If they're let out, we see rises in our crime rate amongst those types of crimes."
On Monday afternoon, Mr. Wyatt turned himself in to police on an arrest warrant for capital murder in connection with Friday's case, in which Lavasher Fuller, 24, was shot to death and another man was wounded at the Oak Cliff drug house. ...
The felon, Michael Wyatt, 28, had been free on bail for offenses dating back three years. He pleaded guilty in the 2004 attempted capital murder case but was still awaiting sentencing more than a year and a half later when he was arrested after an officer said he tried to take a gun from him in January.
Two days later, he was out on bail again.
Police say Mr. Wyatt's case is an example of how problems with jail overcrowding and the way judges set bail hamper their attempts to control crime.
"What's most concerning, in spite of having very, very serious charges against him, that those bonds are not revoked and he continued to be on the streets," Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle said.
... "Due to the circumstances of this particular case, an unfortunate error was made," Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins said in a written statement. "However, we are seeking proper funding and staffing for this office to minimize and eliminate errors like this in the future, and we will seek justice in this case moving forward."
Mr. Wyatt was one of the criminals whom police officials had been pointing to as a poster child for how repeat offenders affect the crime rate. Even before Friday's killing, Dallas police had assembled a two-page timeline of his criminal history and planned to educate prosecutors, judges and county commissioners on the effects of the revolving-door system.
... Police say that while Mr. Wyatt was out on bail, he continued a career of crime. In September 2006, he was arrested on a suspicion of possession a controlled substance in Dallas. He was again released on bail.
... In late January, police records say Senior Cpl. Michael Dominguez tried to arrest Mr. Wyatt on a cocaine dealing charge in South Dallas. During a struggle with Cpl. Dominguez, Mr. Wyatt tried to take the officer's gun, police say. The gun went off during the struggle, records state.
... Officials at the Dallas County district attorney's office couldn't immediately explain why Mr. Wyatt's bail was not revoked.
"The Dallas County district attorney's office has seven drug court prosecutors who at any given time are handling as many as 500 cases and when a district attorney's office is inadequately funded and understaffed, it translates into not having the proper resources in place to monitor the activities of defendants once they have made bond," Mr. Watkins said in his statement.
... County officials responding to severe overcrowding have given public assurances that offenders who are being released are not the worst criminals. But Chief Kunkle said many of the released offenders are likely to have long criminal records and are the same repeat offenders Dallas officers have been working hard to keep behind bars.
Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price said Mr. Wyatt would not have met the definition of a low-level, nonviolent offender. He said that he understands the chief's concerns but that their hand is forced by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards to reduce jail population.
... "I understand their concern; the problem is we have finite capacity," Mr. Price said.
... "Repeat offenders account for a very high percentage of the crime going on a community, particularly low-level crime such as house burglaries, car thefts, prostitution," said Robert Taylor, chairman of the criminal justice department at the University of North Texas.
"We know that if we put those people in jail, they're not committing those crimes. If they're let out, we see rises in our crime rate amongst those types of crimes."
On Monday afternoon, Mr. Wyatt turned himself in to police on an arrest warrant for capital murder in connection with Friday's case, in which Lavasher Fuller, 24, was shot to death and another man was wounded at the Oak Cliff drug house. ...
