LAWYERS CROW ABOUT BEATING CC D.A., ONE LESS "LIKE"

By Juan Montoya
You won't find a press release of it in Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz's Facebook page.
Now will there be a press release about it in the DA's website written by Internet maven Melissa Landin.
But in the wake of a slam dunk of the DA's Office by a junior attorney on three child abuse cases, the Internet has been lit up by local attorneys crowing up the victory of one of their junior members over the DA's office investigators, Crime Victims Unit and prosecutors.
It is no secret that there have been numerous defections of seasoned prosecutors at the  beleaguered DA's office. Increasingly, the office has taken on the appearance of a political campaign, with supporters pointing to the number of "likes" on the page as a measure of the office's approval by the public.
The first announcement of the trashing came from proud daddy and local attorney Ed Stapleton who posted on his Facebook page that his daughter Sara had prevailed over the powers of the state defending her client on three indecency with a child charges.
A cascade of congrats from the local bar followed as they hailed her performance over the state.
Even Fruty Villarreal, a local conjunto musician of some renown chirped in about the "good defense" Stapleton had provided her client.
This must add insult to injury to Saenz since it was the DA himself who appeared before the Cameron County Commissioners Court to give Fruty a proclamation heralding his musical achievements.
Now, we don't know the details of the case involved, but it stands to reason that someone vetted the allegations, sifted through the evidence, interviewed the victims, and came to the conclusion that the child had been abused by the adult.
Could it be that there was no foundation to the charges as Sara Stapleton was able to convince a jury?
And if there was no basis for the allegations, how was it that investors, prosecutors and crime victims advocates in the DA's Office were led to believe there was?
On the darker side, if the difference in the verdict had to do with Sara Stapleton's prowess as an attorney and with the deficiency in the prosecutors and the evidence in the case, is there a possibility that the inadequacy of the DA's office is keeping this victim exposed to a dangerous, abusive environment?
Questions like this make the number of "likes" and "dislikes" on the DA's Office Facebook page seem trivial and insensitive.