A change in venue has been granted by District Court Judge Patrick Simmons in the case of the State of Texas vs. Dabrett Black regarding the shooting death of Texas DPS Trooper Damon Allen on Thanksgiving Day 2017. Susan Anderson, of the Regional Public Defender’s Office of Lubbock, is defending Black in this case. She cites the following as cause for requesting the change of venue to another county in an adjoining district: –Smaller Population Shall Lead to Less Impartiality – “The odds of selecting a jury that could be fair and impartial, who have not had some contact with the incident itself, contact with someone else who was involved with the incident, or being able to not put aside what they already know about the incident are exceedingly poor.” –Pervasive Media Coverage Has Been Prejudicial and Inflammatory – “It is not the objectiveness of the story that concerns Defendant, but the vengeful commentary that is left behind in the wake of the story anonymously by people that may or may not be citizens of this county. It is likewise, not the accuracy of the story broadcast that is in issue, for the most part, but the constant retelling and morphing of the facts that were presented that causes Council for Defendant to lose sleep.” –Safety of the Defendant – “While Counsel for the Defendant has the utmost faith in the Sheriff of Freestone County, Texas to maintain the safety of Mr. Black, these are uncertain times in which we live. I believe the citizenry of Freestone County, Texas to be one of high moral fiber, upright in their actions and steadfast in their acquiescence of the rule of law. However, I would be shocked to learn that there was no malice in the mind of at least one citizen of Freestone County who would attempt to derail justice by legal means in favor of personally inflicted justice. Although there has been no verifiable evidence that the safety of Mr. Black is in jeopardy, many of the comments on the hundreds of articles written about this case include threats to Mr. Black’s life and therefore it is well within the reasoned logic of this court to move venue to ensure Mr. Black’s continued safety.” Judge Simmons approved and signed the order for relocation on Tuesday, March 26th. The next scheduled court date is set for June 28, 2019. According to District Attorney Brian Evans, the new venue location should be determined by that time and all future hearings and subsequent trial will be held at said location. At this time, Black’s attorneys have yet to file a plea of insanity. DA Evans feels that this matter will also be addressed at the June 28th status hearing. The “Times” will continue to update our readers as details become available. Nicole Schaefer reporting
