The latest salvo in a years-old dispute between Hays County Pct. 3 Constable Ray Helm and his former employee Gary Griffin came last week when two Central Texas district attorneys declined to prosecute Griffin on charges he was arrested on in January.
Helm had sought the warrants, which were signed in January by 453rd District Court Judge David Junkin. Junkin was appointed to his position in November 2018 by Governor Greg Abbott.
They had accused Griffin, who served more than 20 years as a constable in Williamson County, with misuse of official information, which is a 3rd degree felony, as well as tampering with governmental records, a state jail felony, abuse of official capacity, a Class A Misdemeanor and two counts of theft by a public servant, both Class B Misdemeanors.
Griffin turned himself in to authorities Jan. 9 and was released the same day on person recognizance bonds.
On March 10, both Hays County District Attorney Wes Mau and Caldwell County District Attorney Fred Weber sent letters advising that “based on the totality of the circumstances the State believes there is insufficient credible evidence to prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Helm had accused Griffin of stealing public records during the time he worked for Helm, whose office he joined in 2017. Griffin left the position in June of last year. After Griffin’s arrest, Mau sent the case to Weber, who also declined to prosecute. For his part, Griffin had accused Helm of falsifying records as well, specifically regarding a training session on the use of body cameras.
The situation came to a head in February, when Helm declined to answer questions about Griffin asked by a KXAN news crew at a forum in Wimberley for Republican candidates ahead of the March 3 primary election. The crews’ footage shows Helm dismissing reporter Jody Barr and then, at the forum’s conclusion, Darrell Ayers, who is an employee in Helm’s office, putting his hands on Barr’s chest and shoving him backwards.
Witnesses said Ayers also tripped the KXAN cameraman, causing him to fall forward and the heavy camera to hit forum attendee Michele Hart on the top of the head. Hart accused the news crew of assault, and Sheriff Gary Cutler said the Texas Rangers would be called in to investigate, since the incident involved someone in an elected official’s employ. However, it is unclear what happened.
Helm handily won the Republican primary. He faces no Democratic opposition on the November General Election. Junkin, former an attorney in Wimberley will face Democrat Sherri Tibbe, a former Hays County DA.
