Court of Inquiry vs. Local Corruption, The Dean Kinder Case

The People, not the District Attorney, not the County Attorney, not the El Paso Police Department, not the Mayor, not City Council, or the FBI, but the People have struck a blow against local corruption. Last week after almost two years after having been arrested, former El Paso Police Union VP, Dean Kinder, was formally indicted for Aggravated Perjury by an El Paso Grand Jury. Dean Kinder was indicted for alleged perjurious testimony he gave in a trial brought forward by DA Jaime Esparza. The wheels of justice are slow, especially when the Police Department and a Police Chief and a Mayor and City Council and a county attorney and the District Attorney, Jaime Esparza, buck that wheel every inch of the way to protect their own.

But so far the People have plod on. Dean and his officer wife Diane Kinder got into a disgraceful, public argument at a police party now over four years ago. Tony Soto (who works at the Electric Co) and his wife Ana Soto, a police officer, who were both at the party, offered to take Diane Kinder home. When they drove up to the Kinder's house, Dean Kinder approached the car and there ensued a struggle. In the end, Dean Kinder filed felony assault charges against Mr.Soto who was indicted, arrested and taken to trial by Jaime Esparza. Mr. Soto always maintained that it was he who was visciously attacked by Dean Kinder and apparently the jury believed Mr. Soto over Dean Kinder because they found Tony Soto not guilty of the offense.

The Sotos, who had been sorely treated by the police department and the District Attorney's office, then went to local attorneys Ed and Maria Hernandez. Ed Hernandez wrote up their complaint and presented it as a criminal complaint to a then District Court Judge who reviewed it and signed off finding that there was probable cause to initiate a Court of Inquiry.

Court of Inquiry:
A court of inquiry is fancy term for a court led investigation into government corruption usually police and/or District Attorney corruption. A court of inquiry into the alleged perjury of the Kinders against the Sotos and the collusion at the Police Department was conducted by Judge Manny Alvarez from Dallas, TX. For almost two weeks, Judge Alvarez held hearings into the matter where all parties were entitled to an attorney who was was welcome to participate in the hearings. It was a two week probable cause hearing and Dean and Diane Kinder were well represented and also testified. Jaime Esparza's office, in the form of an employee, testified in defense of Esparza's wrongful prosecution of Mr. Soto.

Landmark Decision:
At the end of the hearings, Judge Manny Alvarez made the historical decision to issue arrest warrants. Judge Alavarez found that there was Probable Cause to believe that Dean and Diane Kinder had committed aggravated perjury. Judge Alvarez also made the comment that "the unprofessionalism of the El Paso Police Department should not go unnoted."

Chief Wiles and Mayor Cook:
Chief Wiles testified on behalf of the Kinders. He and Mayor Cook did not fire the Kinders who continue to come to court to testify and accuse citizens of crimes and to make cases. Mayor Cook has no problems with the Kinders accusing his constituents of crimes.

Chief Wiles' matrix:
Chief Wiles has a matrix under which officers are punished according to a grid so that everything is "even-handed." Lying is punishable by termination. What does one have to do as the former head of the union to get fired for lying? Or is the matrix only for the small fry?

Jaime Esparza:
DA Esparza spends his time defending the Kinders and telling the public that his office did nothing wrong by taking the case and trying to felonize and take away the freedom of Mr. Soto for a crime he did not commit. Esparza also spends his time acting like he is surprised that now two public bodies (Judge Alvarez after an exhaustive investigation and a grand jury) have found Probabale Cause that Dean Kinder perjured himself. Why is he so "surprised?"

The Duty of a Prosecutor:
A prosecutor, a District Attorney, is NEVER, EVER supposed to suborn perjury. Esparza should never have accepted the prosecution of the Soto case and when it became obvious what the Kinders were doing, he should have dismissed the case.

There is nothing more dangerous than a lying cop and a dishonest, corrupt District Attorney.

The People, through the courage and sacrifice of Ed and Maria Hernandez and the tenacity of the Sotos and the wisdom of our forefathers who created a tool like the Court of Inquiry, won this round against a corrupt government.