http://www.kfdm.com/news/south-32833-investigation-tampering.html

Sheriff's Office launches South Park tampering investigation

July 13, 2009 - 5:56 PM
Jessica Holloway

   BEAUMONT- The Jefferson County District Clerk has requested the sheriff investigate what she calls the mis-handling of court documents. Lolita Ramos says she wants the sheriff to find out who deceived the clerk's office and broke the law.

     Jessica Holloway reports, the incident involves a document related to the possible demolition of South Park Middle School.

    "This is is where civil work is done," said Lolita Ramos.

    The district clerk says it's always been done this way.

    "It's worked well for us all these years this table has stood strong but times have changed," Lolita Ramos.

    Clerks put citations on this table and in this basket for attorneys or their runners to pickup.

    "I've asked the sheriff to investigate it. I'd like to know who's in possession of those citations," said Ramos.

    Attorney Mike Getz is representing the Beaumont Heritage Society in a fight against the Beaumont Independent School District to save South Park High School.

    He filed a temporary restraining order with the Clerk's office to halt demolition.

    His private process server was supposed to pick up the citation and serve it to the school district but that didn't happen.

    "This young man they did not know. They didn't ask him for this name, rather they asked if he represented Mr. Getz or John Fielder. He replies yes," said Ramos.

    Someone from BISD's law office picked up the document instead.

    "Control of government property and paperwork is against the law. That's tampering with government documents," said Ramos.

    Getz says it may have been a mistake, but it's a strange mistake, because he says attorneys should know the rules.

    The clerk has asked the sheriff's office to get to the bottom of it. She says something like this has never happened in all her time as a public servant.

    "There are certain accepted things we've done in all that time but now we'll change," said Ramos.

    Lolita Ramos says her office will now change protocol. Everyone who picks up documents will have to sign in. The documents have since been re-filed and served to the school district.

    We spoke to BISD's attorney by phone. Melody Chappell says, "A mistake was made but we don't have a reason to delay in any way. It was my runner, a college student who didn't even know who the attorney on the other side was," said Melody Chappell.

    "We just heard about the temporary restraining order on the news and wanted a copy of the petition," said Chappell, adding "We didn't expect to get the original copy of the citation."

    The hearing to decide whether the temporary restriaing order will become an injunction has be re-set for July 28th in Judge Milton Sheffield's Court.