Harris Co. Attorney to testify before grand jury investigating possible wrongdoing inside Victor Trevino's office

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- There's a surprise in that criminal probe of Victor Trevino's constables office.

Through our sources, 13 Undercover has learned the grand jury has now subpoenaed the testimony of another high-ranking public official. It's Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan. He's been told to appear Friday morning under oath. What we don't know is what the grand jury wants to ask the guy elected to be the county's ethics watchdog.

Just last week, 13 Undercover had tough questions for the County Attorney Vince Ryan.

"Is the end game protecting Victor Trevino?" we asked Ryan.

"Of course not," he said.

Now sources tell us the grand jury probing the constable has questions for Mr. Ryan too.

"The bottom line is you ran for public office as the ethics watchdog for this county," we told Ryan.

"I think the ethics are being much more cautiously observed by county officials," he said.

But we've been fighting for months for the voters' right to know.

Documents we have show Ryan's office had about reports of mismanagement and possible criminal wrongdoing in Precinct 6 months before the May primary. There was even a final internal investigative report done by this county lawyer for Vince Ryan. But the watchdog won't make it public. Trust me, we've tried to get it.

"You issue your Doug Ray document in its entirety and let the public see everything Vince Ryan knew before the election, that he didn't think the voters had a right to see," we told Ryan.

"I think that would be inappropriate," Ryan said.

"Really?" we said.

"Yes it would."

"You could do it tomorrow," we said.

Emails from Ryan's office acknowledge at least some of the revelations could be "the source of high embarrassment" and "black eyes for the justice system."

Ryan says he has a right to keep what he learned a secret because he's the county's lawyer, even from the county judge. Trevino was re-elected in May. Now it's Ryan who faces voters in November.

"He covered up wrongdoing that he was aware of and chose to look the other way. Instead of being the watchdog that he should be, he's a lapdog," said Robert Talton, Ryan's opponent in the November election.

We don't know from our sources if Ryan has been told to bring the report he won't show you to show them. The county attorney says his office has done a lot to clean up the constables' operations; he has given some records to the DA but not the final report of his investigation.

Just last week it was Constable Trevino on the hot seat.

"Do you expect for there to be an indictment?" we asked attorney Chip Lewis.

"I don't think the grand jury will see anything on the lines of Constable Trevino personally enriching himself, but as they are still working through the process, we are not going to to comment on the issues before them," Lewis said.

We also know from the courthouse that a grand jury subpoena for a sitting county attorney is very rare. We will be watching the developments for you Friday morning.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more 13 Undercover »

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DA Lykos subpoenaed to testify before grand jury

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Her office has been under investigation for months, and now the Harris County District Attorney herself is called to testify before a grand jury.

A grand jury investigating possible wrongdoing within the DA's Office has officially subpoenaed DA Pat Lykos. The probe centers around problems with the Houston Police Department's DWI testing vans.

The DA's Office will neither confirm nor deny that there's been a subpoena issued. They say that due to the secrecy of the grand jury proceedings, they can't talk about it. But we do know that the DA has been subpoenaed and that some time in the next few weeks, she will be testifying.

This is an ongoing grand jury investigation that's already seen some of the DA's top assistants take the stand. At question are the DA's use of so-called BAT vans used in drunk driving cases, and whether the DA's Office knew of flaws with those testing vans without informing defense attorneys of those potential problems.

Back in March, 13 Undercover's Wayne Dolcefino first reported about maintenance problems with those mobile testing units. DA Pat Lykos told Eyewitness News in October that she was unaware of any problems with the BAT vans, that she had issue with HPD and asked that the Department of Public Safety take over administration of those vans.

"I want the Texas Department of Public Safety to supervise the technicians so that we can be assured that everything is done according to protocol," Lykos said in October 2011.

Now she'll be talking to a grand jury.

"Very unusual. I don't know of another case where a DA has been called by a grand jury to testify in a criminal matter," said KTRK Legal Analyst Joel Androphy.

He says it's not only unusual, but it's also potentially dangerous for the DA to have to answer questions about what she did or didn't know then, and does or doesn't know now.

"Here, a prosecutor is being called to testify to a grand jury that is investigating her office. So, you know, she, number one, could tell everything that she knows, but, two, she runs the risk of incriminating herself," Androphy said.

Lykos could choose to plead the Fifth, but Androphy says that would be akin to political suicide.

You can read more about what led to this grand jury investigation by clicking on the Related Links in the box on the upper left-hand side of this story.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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