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Jan. 1, 2007: Stephen Tyler takes office as district attorney.
May 2007: Bruce Ure takes office as Victoria City police chief.
May 2007: Tyler tries Victoria Police Officer Carlos Javier Echeverry on charges of sexually harassing a woman he stopped while on duty. Echeverry is acquitted of charges.
July 2007: Tyler unsuccessfully pressures a state agency to revoke Echeverry’s peace officer license.
August 2007: Ure releases documents to the Advocate to support his claim that Tyler is declining too many cases. Tyler says declined cases often lack sufficient evidence to prosecute.
A short time later, former City Attorney David Smith claims Tyler used derogatory language toward officers and victims noted in the declined cases.
Oct. 25, 2007: Michael Lewis Ratcliff, a member of Tyler’s staff and former Victoria County sheriff, is indicted on charges of aggravated sexual assault of a teenage boy. On the same day, Smith alleges Tyler was part of a cover-up to keep Ratcliff from being indicted, which Tyler denied.
Oct. 25, 2007: Sgt. Ralph Buentello, of the Victoria Police Department, is subpoenaed to a grand jury hearing and is asked to bring all paperwork regarding police investigations into Ratcliff.
Oct. 28, 2007: Advocate publishes story titled “Who knew what and when?” In the story, Smith expresses concerns about the district attorney’s handling of the Ratcliff investigation.
Oct. 29, 2007: Grand jury subpoenas issued to the reporter of the Oct. 28 story, Gabe Semenza. Subpoenas also served on Ure, Sheriff T. Michael O’Connor and Smith.
Jan. 11, 2008: DA, police and sheriff's department agree to mediation to settle dispute about how cases are being handled.
May 12, 2008: DA agrees to release case-disposition records the Advocate requested in August after law enforcement complained about Tyler’s handling of them.
Sunday: The Advocate publishes a story analyzing the 615 case-decline reports and posts all online.
Tuesday: Grand jury indicts Ure and Smith.
July 2: Ratcliff scheduled to make next court appearance on sexual assault charge.
Glossary of legal terms:Grand Jury: Investigates alleged crimes, examines evidence, and issues indictments if they believe enough evidence exists for a trial to proceed. Locally, grand juries are comprised of Victoria County residents. These residents determine whether there is probable cause to believe a crime was committed. The grand jury acts as a check on the prosecutorial power of the state.Indictment: A formal accusation of a felony, issued by a grand jury based upon a proposed charge, witness testimony and other evidence presented by the district attorney. It is the grand jury's determination that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial.Subpoena: An order directed to an individual commanding him or her to appear in court to testify or produce documents in a pending lawsuit. The power to subpoena a person is granted to officers of the court, such as clerks of courts, attorneys and judges. Source: definitions.uslegal.com