Latino group calls for assistant DA’s firing
LULAC says prosecutor who allegedly asked if Mexican victim was ‘illegal’ is a ‘menace’
Two days after police accused an assistant district attorney of refusing to file charges in a case because he suspected the Mexican victim was “illegal,” elected officials, law enforcement unions and the League of United Latin
American Citizens are calling for the prosecutor’s termination.
Hours after police went public with their allegations on Tuesday, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office announced that prosecutor John Denholm was transferred from the intake division to the special crime bureau, pending an investigation.
“The assistant district attorney who failed to file charges for this crime shouldn’t be reassigned, he should be fired because he is a racist and menace to the Hispanic community,” LULAC National President Domingo Garcia said in a statement.
Late last week, a Houston police officer spotted a man at the
Joint Processing Center calling for help and pointing at 44-yearold Karl Bonner, who was getting booked on drunken driving charges. Bonner was allegedly holding his erect penis as he grabbed the man next to him and pulled him closer, union officials said.
When the officer called the district attorney’s office to ask about an attempted sexual assault charge, Denholm allegedly asked whether the victim was “illegal.”
The officer said he didn’t think it mattered, according to the union.
But police say Denholm asked whether the victim had a driver’s license. When the officer said he’d found only a Mexican consulate ID card, Denholm allegedly refused to press charges. Records show Bonner was charged with felony attempted sexual assault days later, after other prosecutors reviewed the case.
“Our policy is for prosecutors to consider only relevant information when determining whether criminal charges are warranted,” the district attorney’s office said in a statement. “It is improper for them to consider such matters as immigration status, race, gender or orientation.”
One state lawmaker said he was “baffled” by the incident, and Houston Police
Officers Union president Joe Gamaldi said he planned to bring it up at the next Harris County Commissioners Court meeting to demand action.
Denholm did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
The lieutenant-turnedattorney spent 27 years working for the Harris County Sheriff’s Office before leaving to practice family law. He launched his career as a prosecutor in 2017, but has since butted heads with police and sheriff
’s deputies who say he’s too reluctant to file charges.
“He historically has been challenging to law enforcement and refuses to accept solid charges,” said David Cuevas, president of the Harris County Deputies Organization. In light of the latest incident, Cuevas said, “He should be fired immediately.”
“The HPOU is outraged,” the union said in its statement. “Harris County does not need a person with those views working in the
District Attorney’s Office. We believe the behavior of John Denholm harms the relationship between police and the Hispanic community.”
State Rep. Gene Wu, DHouston, a former Harris County prosecutor himself, advocated for his termination on Twitter.
“Denholm must go,” he wrote. Later, in an interview, he said he was baffled by the attorney’s alleged line of questions, saying he initially thought it was “a joke” when he heard.
Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis called the matter “unconscionable” and suggested Denholm should resign, adding that he hoped the district attorney would investigate thoroughly.
“If he is guilty of the things that he has been accused, I don’t know how the public can have confidence in his ability to do his work,” he said. “But … I believe in innocent until proven guilty.”