Putman Defends Actions as Prosecutor

TYLER — Smith County district attorney candidate Jacob Putman held a news conference Monday to defend his practices as an assistant prosecutor in the county. An internal audit shows Putman had the most incorrect dismissals or reductions out of nine prosecutors from 2013 through 2017. According to KETK, Putman says the policies of the office have changed many times since 2012. Putman added that prosecutors thought they were authorized to reduce or dismiss cases if the dismissal was part of a plea in another case.

Putman says District Attorney Matt Bingham talked to him about that in an August 2016 meeting and that Bingham said he was going to check on the matter. After that, Putman says he was never reprimanded and never instructed to do things differently. Bingham is sticking by his earlier comments that instead of accepting responsibility, Putman is blaming others and falsely claiming confusion about office policies.