LIVINGSTON – A Polk County District Court Judge has admitted in a letter to the Texas State Bar that she acted improperly while serving as an Assistant District Attorney.
Local 2 Investigates obtained a copy of the April 29, 2013 letter signed by Kaycee L. Jones, 411th Judicial District Judge.
The crux of the issue is a series of text messages Jones received from Elizabeth Coker, 258th Judicial District Judge, while Coker was on the bench during a trial.
Judges are not supposed to transmit secret information to either the prosecution or the defense during a trial.
Part of the letter signed by Jones reads:
"On August 8, 2012, I did receive a text message from Judge Coker that suggested a line of questioning in an Injury to a Child trial over which she was presiding and telling me to tell the trial prosecutor. I was not the trial prosecutor and had nothing to do with the investigation or prosecution of the case, but I was present in the courtroom for portions of the trial as an observer. When I received the text, I hand wrote the text verbatim and asked our investigator to deliver it to the prosecutor who was trying the case...
I deeply regret that I acted in this manner. It was wrong and I knew better."
The defendant was found not guilty, but citizens, professors, and the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association have raised questions about the incident and whether it has occurred before or since the 2012 incident.
In addition to the complaint against Jones, filed with the State Bar Association by a local attorney, Local 2 Investigates has learned that Polk County District Court Judge Elizabeth Coker's actions are being reviewed by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct.