AUSTIN (KXAN) — Attorneys representing an Austin police officer charged in connection with the city’s 2020 protests are asking a judge to dismiss the case, alleging Travis County prosecutors held secret meetings with city officials and concealed evidence that could have helped his defense.
Attorneys for Officer Chance Bretches filed a motion in Travis County district court arguing that the District Attorney’s Office violated constitutional due process requirements by failing to disclose negotiations with the city of Austin over potential criminal liability tied to police actions during the protests. Doug O’Connell is one of Bretches’ attorneys and called the situation “hugely concerning.”
“If that’s the case, we had an absolute right to be told about it,” O’Connell said. “The district attorney has had three years to produce this evidence, and instead of producing it, he hid it, and that’s absolutely illegal.”…