CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A trial date has been set for petition to remove Nueces County District Attorney Mark Gonzalez, he confirmed to 3NEWS on Wednesday.
The proceedings are scheduled to begin Sept. 25.
A petition to remove Gonzalez originally was filed in January by conservative leader Colby Wiltse, who is the executive director of the Nueces County chapter of County Citizens Defending Freedom USA.
Wiltse's original petition accused Gonzalez of blatantly disregarding the law he is sworn to uphold by mishandling cases, failing to pursue indictments, dismissing a significant number of cases -- both felony and misdemeanors -- and mismanaging his office.
The complaint was 119 pages long.
The petition was at risk of being thrown out if county attorney Jenny Dorsey didn't sign on. She did in February.
"We filed Friday asking the court to issue citation," she said at the time. "Other than that, I do not intend to comment on pending litigation."
Visiting judge David Peeples then asked Dorsey to refile the petition and narrow down the accusations before the complaint could move forward after Gonzalez's original attorney Christopher Gale argued some of the claims in Wiltse's original petition were politically motivated.
"He is making discretionary calls and there is nothing improper and anything that they are complaining about, except that maybe it's not their management style, maybe it's not the decisions they would want to make," Gale said.
Gonzalez and Gale have filed two separate motions to dismiss the case, but both have been thrown out.
The district attorney was asked to find new representation after appealing to county commissioners to pay for his defense during public comment in an April meeting.
Commissioners said they would not pay for Gale -- who Pct. 4 commissioner Brent Chesney pointed out has sued the county numerous times in the past -- and challenged Gonzalez to come up with three alternative choices.
"I don't know how you get paid by Nueces County and sue Nueces County. That's a hard one for me to swallow," Chesney said during the April meeting. "We don't hire Chris because Chris sues us."
Gonzalez's former first district attorney Matthew Manning is now acting as co-counsel alongside Gale.
"I'm still processing, you know, this whole situation, but my reaction is one of at least relief, you know," Gonzalez said late last month. "To know that I have a good, capable attorney that was provided by Nueces County to defend me, which I know Matt Manning, you know he's going to do a great job."