Charges dropped against Rains County judge

RAINS COUNTY – According to our news partner KETK charges have been dropped in a case where a Rains County judge was accused of tampering with a witness.

Rains County Justice of the Peace Robert Jenkins Franklin was arrested on two counts of official oppression and two counts of tampering with a witness in May, after he was accused of telling a defendant, “I heard you have a problem with me, boy. You take that deal, boy — or dead men can’t testify.”

Van Zandt County District Attorney Tonda Curry was assigned to serve in the case and she told KETK News that the charges against Franklin in this case were dropped because the evidence against him was enough for an indictment but later investigation called witnesses into question and she couldn’t prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.

According to Curry, the indictment against Franklin will officially be dropped once he completes a year of deferred adjudication that he recently received in a disorderly conduct/display of a firearm case.

Rains County Judge Linda Wallace was also indicted in this case. Curry told KETK News that Wallace didn’t take a plea deal so her part of the case will go to trial on Dec. 8.

The defendant who was allegedly threatened in this case, Coby Wiebe, currently has a federal lawsuit pending against Franklin and Wallace. The civil case has been administratively stayed until Franklin’s and Wallace’s criminal cases are concluded.

Franklin is also serving 12 months of deferred adjudication from an unrelated driving while intoxicated case.