Prosecutor removed from Cheney case

RAYMONDVILLE, Texas — A judge removed a South Texas prosecutor from cases related to Vice President Dick Cheney, a state senator and a private prison group Wednesday, calling the district attorney biased and ordering Texas Rangers to escort him to his office so he could hand over case files.

Presiding Judge Manuel Banales ordered outgoing prosecutor Juan Angel Guerra to stop work on cases related to already dismissed indictments against Cheney, state Sen. Eddie Lucio and The GEO Group. Attorneys for Lucio and The GEO Group argued that Guerra's comments to the media condemning their clients, identifying grand jury witnesses and suggesting the judge was part of a conspiracy denied their clients due process.

The 3 1/2-hour hearing, during which Guerra rejected the judge's authority and refused to answer questions under oath, ended much the way the first hearing on the cases began last month — with an appearance from the Texas Rangers. Last month, Banales sent Rangers to look for Guerra when he did not appear in court after the indictments were returned. Wednesday he told the Rangers to accompany Guerra to his office to relinquish the files in those cases.

Banales said the only reason he did not hold Guerra in contempt was to deny the prosecutor "any dignity whatsoever" after the disrespect he showed the court.

Follow the story at the Chron.com
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