points of appeal in my criminal conviction of 2 counts of fleeing arrest with a deadly weapon

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  • 8/7/2019 Points of appeal in my criminal conviction of 2 counts of fleeing arrest with a deadly weapon

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    On Mar 25, 2011, at 2:37 PM, Shirley Pigott MD

    wrote:

    Hi Jerry,

    I brought up the fact that there was no mens rea in a pre-trial motion before you

    took over; my intention was to flee to safety; I never denied the actus reus. The

    court erred in failing to rule on the motion; the Court erred again when it made no

    explanation to the jury of the two components which must be present for a crime

    to have occurred - the actus reus and the mens rea.

    I brought up the fact that the DA withheld what I thought would have been

    exculpatory evidence - the first 20 seconds of the DPS video, which would haveshown why I was so frightened. It would have shown Officer Ochoa at my rear

    bumper, his lights and siren on, tailgating me at 74 mph, having blocked me in

    on three sides. He later testified that I 'broke the law' by leaving the highway

    and moving to the left shoulder. The court erred in not clarifying that no law was

    broken.

    I moved to compel the prosecutor to produce a complete version of the video

    beginning when it was triggered to start by the turning on of the lights and siren.

    The Court granted my motion, but the DA refused to comply with a direct order.I then made an open records request, but in what was an incredulous lie, I

    was told by DPS General Counsel Jennifer Cohen reported that the video had

    been 'turned over' to the Wharton County DA, in violation of DPS policy. Policy

    requires keeping a copy in the archives. My next motion was to hold the DA in

    contempt of court for refusing to comply with a direct order. The Court erred

    again in denying my motion.

    You and I both alleged prosecutorial misconduct, which the court erred by

    allowing repeatedly and which was exemplified many times over. It started withthe DA threatening a felony indictment unless I agreed to the seizure of my car.

    Believing I was constitutionally protected from such malfeasance, I refused.

    Three months after the event which led to my arrest, after repeated threats, I

    was indicted for two counts of fleeing arrest with a deadly weapon (the car). The

    DA needed to cover up the fact that Terronez had shattered my window with his

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    heavy flashlight. I needed to have my evidence preserved and I don't understand

    why that didn't happen.

    Six months after the precipitating event, DA Josh McCown succeeded

    in 'indicting a hamburger'. He re-convened a Grand Jury and somehowpersuaded them to grant him a superseding indictment of "aggravated assault of

    a law enforcement officer in the line of duty with a deadly weapon, the car I was

    driving." The explanation he gave to my lawyer was that I had accused Terronez

    and Ochoa of perjury, use of excessive force, and other malfeasance.

    Several hours before the Grand Jury rendered the first indictment, having been

    told, I believe by a church elder, "Shirley's going to lose her medical license, go

    to prison, and bankrupt your family," my husband climbed into a dumpster behind

    my medical office and took a fatal overdose of fluoxetine and zolpidem.

    I am not sure whether it was brought up that there was a Verizon tower less

    than a mile from the stop, but I made five attempts to call my husband, but had

    no cell phone service. What those facts implied about the use of electronic

    blocking equipment was probably not brought out at trial. It was relevant to my

    allegations of being stalked by law enforcement, but you agreed to a motion in

    limine, without my knowledge or consent, which excluded testimony about my

    allegations of racketeering. Please find a way to bring it up in the oral argument

    in appeal.

    Please find a way to bring up that I drove directly into the path of the speeding

    18-wheeler Terronez was facing only after he shattered my car window, causing

    me to do it. It is significant that Terronez was crouching behind my car, hiding

    from Ochoa's camera when he assaulted me initially using excessive force.

    It is reasonable for a 'somewhat elderly female' to have been terrified under

    those circumstances. You shouldn't have difficulty considering the major point

    of appeal was the state's failure to make reasonable accommodations for my

    previously stable bipolar disorder and PTSD. In modern times, when personswith psychiatric diagnoses have civil rights, a law enforcement officer should

    be skilled in his ability to defuse a tense situation, not to escalate it. I careful

    explained why I was frightened; a reasonable non-criminal explanation for my

    flight from the scene, lacking a mens rea, should have been sought; their failure

    to do so violated DPS policy. This can all be tied in to the state's failure to make

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    reasonable accommodation for my disability; in medicine, we assume the worst

    until it has been ruled out. Doing so requires a higher level of diagnostic acumen

    and theoretically results in fewer errors. Although he had no way of knowing

    about my diagnoses, as the senior officer on the scene, he could have been

    expected to have the where-with-all do deal with any situation he created.

    Please succeed in bringing all these points into the oral argument, in the unlikely

    event we must continue an appeal.

    --

    Shirley Pigott MD

    Texas Medical Board Watch

    Texas Phoenix 007

    361-894-6464 home361-652-9474 cell

    Exposure of the corruption of the Texas Medical Board is the most important

    thing I've ever done in medicine. It has the potential to save more lives and

    right more wrongs than anything I could ever have done in 30 years of medical

    practice. It has become my ongoing mission. I will never give up.