Battle in La Marque after video surfaces of councilwoman’s son arrested UPDATE 12:43 PM- There was an error made in the story that has now been adjusted. Lowry did not want to embarrass Joshua Yancy. The ongoing political battle between La Marque Council Member Kimberly Yancy and outspoken critic Joseph Lowry escalated this week. Yancy claims the Galveston County District Attorney Jack Roady’s office improperly released La Marque police body and dash cam videos of her son’s July 4, 2022, DWI arrest to Lowry. He recently posted the videos to his social media account. For its part, Roady’s office says the release was in response to a valid open records request that required the video evidence release once a case has been adjudicated in court. Kimberly Yancy’s Son, Joshua Yancy was arrested for a DWI. Joshua Yancy, who was a first time offender, pled guilty and got 12 months of deferred community supervision. This sentence is common for one who has no prior DWI convictions. In a formal complaint against the Galveston County District Attorney’s Office, Yancy makes the claim that the release of video evidence of her son’s arrest was an example of the DA’s office “working hand in hand” with Lowry in a “harassing” effort of Yancy and other black leaders. “Your office is complicit in the harassing of my family and church since October 2021,” Yancy wrote in her complaint, which was also shared with local media outlets. She also called on a special prosecutor to review the DA’s handling of the case. Lowry said he had to go through the DA because the La Marque officials would not turn the video over. He said the City of La Marque wasted money and claimed “illegally hiding the video.” La Marque officials confirmed the video was withheld initially because the case was still in the courts. After the case was adjudicated, Lowry, along with others, including the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, sought the release of the video from the La Marque Police Department. The city sought a Texas Attorney General’s Opinion on what had to be redacted from the video. State law allows for redactions of records that contain private information not deemed to be accessible by public records. As of Oct. 6, the AG had not issued an opinion, city communications manager Joshua Pritchett said. Lowry said he did not want to embarrass Yancy’s son, but because Yancy introduced herself to the officer with her title as councilwoman. Lowry claims she did so to persuade the officer to make a different decision about arresting her son. That allegation is also why CLEAT is seeking the video. “I think it would be appropriate for a public apology from Kim Yancy to our police department for her actions that evening, Lowry said. For her part, the formal complaint touches on a more significant issue for Yancy. She remains convinced that her complaints to the District Attorney's office about Lowry’s “harassing and threatening” behavior over the years have fallen on deaf ears, and the office won’t take criminal action. “Galveston County DA’s office is playing plantation politics with us as we are not even brought in for questioning on the cases presented regarding actions by Joseph Lowry after numerous complaints,” Yancy wrote in her complaint. The ongoing feud between Yancy and Lowry has already been heard in a courtroom but in a civil court. Yancy and Lowry each signed off on what is called a Rule 11 agreement, which is a court-confirmed agreement between two parties in a disagreement. The agreement prevents both parties - Yancy and Lowry - from attacking or disparaging one another in public - including on social media.

Posted by i45NOW Joey at 2023-10-06 17:22:52 UTC