Accuser says deal shows good ol boy system
Ratcliffs accuser told plea agreement was for the benefit of the city
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Disappointment is the only way to describe his reaction to former Sheriff Michael Ratcliff’s plea.
The man, who accused the former sheriff of forcing him to have sexual relations with him when he was a teen, got an early dose of disappointment a month ago when special prosecutor Terry McDonald and Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. John Schlinger met with him about the plea.
The man, who the Advocate is not identifying because he was a minor when the case started and it involved a sexual assault, said he was not consulted on the plea but was told what was going to happen.
Why the plea? One reason, he was told, was “for the sake of Victoria.”
The accuser, who is now 25, was further told a plea would avoid prolonged court proceedings, which may have made him look worse or humiliate him.
“I’m not humiliated because of something someone else did,” he said. “It further goes to show the good ol’ boy system in Victoria,” he said.
The only thing he could do was write a letter expressing his anger and frustration with how things were done.
“It’s nothing I didn’t expect from Victoria,” he said. “The message of today: It’s OK to do these types of things.”
The accuser is currently in a correctional facility near San Antonio for violating his probation on a drug charge. He was on furlough from the center to attend Thursday’s proceedings.
He admitted to leading a lawless lifestyle but said he is paying for his crimes, unlike Ratcliff.
“I’ve paid costs. I feel like he got treated differently,” he said.
The court proceeding was the first time he had seen Ratcliff in about four years, he said. He sat in the back of the courtroom with employees of Hope of South Texas, whom he credits with helping him and standing by his side throughout the investigation and court ordeal.
The man said it is time for him to move on with his life.
“I am able to put it behind me, no more nightmares and stress,” he said.
He’s not sure what he will do for a job once he gets out of the corrections center in about five months, but said he has no intention of going back in.
“But I have to focus on getting the help I need where I am at,” he said. “I am taking it a day at a time, trying to live sober and clean.”
If there was any good out of Thursday’s proceedings, he said, it was gaining some respect for the sheriff’s office he lost after the events of 1997.
“The deputies were nice and told me they were glad I was standing up,” he said before the proceedings. “And they escorted me out the back to not get swarmed by everyone out front.”
If there was any fear that came from the proceedings, it was the possibility of not getting a chance to speak at sentencing because Ratcliff was not pleading to a sexual assault offense.
“I am hoping I still can do that,” he said. “So I can tell him in the right way that he messed up my life.”
Bj Lewis is a reporter for the Advocate. Contact him at 361-580-6535 or bjlewis@vicad.com.
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silentlamb, actually the story was as follows:
July 5, 2008 at 5:08 p.m.*********************
Tyler exercised good judgment February 09, 2008 - 6:40 p.m.
Good judgment. Victoria District Attorney Stephen Tyler acted wisely Thursday in asking a judge to appoint a special prosecutor in the Michael Ratcliff case. Tyler told the judge he thought he could be called as a witness in the case against Ratcliff, his former chief of staff.Tyler hired Ratcliff in December 2006. Ten months later, Ratcliff was indicted on aggravated sexual assault of a teenage boy. The accuser in the case says the assaults occurred while Ratcliff served as Victoria County sheriff.The public rightly wants to see this case openly and thoroughly investigated and prosecuted. If Tyler stayed as the prosecutor of the case, he was in a no-win situation. No conviction would be severe enough to satisfy a suspicious public. An acquittal would have people clamoring for the district attorney’s head.Instead, visiting Judge Mark Luitjen of San Antonio will appoint a special prosecutor who has no ties to this judicial system. Given Ratcliff’s longtime tenure as sheriff, that’s a critical step toward restoring the public’s confidence.The new prosecutor will have a heavy burden, but at least he’ll be starting with what this sensational case needs.A clean slate.
If your claim is true maybe the Advocate can ask the Judge who picked the prosecutor, or better yet, ask the prosecutor if he had ever heard of Tyler before he was selected.
Your accusations of "conspiracy" and "cover-up" are as much unfounded as those of David Smith.
Well lets see all 55 comments of what the people of the 4th largest city in the nation thinks (Houston Texas)
http://www.chron.com/disp/commnts.mpl...
July 5, 2008 at 2:21 a.m.
July 4, 2008 at 11:59 p.m.I would say the victim benefited from the system as well. He cut a deal. Was that wrong?
Lock'em all up. I don't care. But to quote this guy about a good ole' boy system is just silly time.
I totally agree with you, tstorm!
July 4, 2008 at 9:59 p.m.I had this same argument with silentlamb on a different string. I too am glad that someone is stepping up to take down the system that has been in place way too long in Victoria.
July 4, 2008 at 9:35 p.m.well, tstorm, The February 8, 2008 VA states that Luitjen gave Tyler two weeks to offer a recommendation for prosecutor. Tyler recommended McDonald to Luitjen. Your DA, Tyler played a major role in this. Thank Tyler for his personal participation and recommendation.
July 4, 2008 at 8:25 p.m.for the sake of Victoria...what a ridiculous thing to say. More accurately would be to say for the sake of those still in office. The only remedy is to vote out all incumbents next election. Send them a message!
July 4, 2008 at 2:05 p.m.