Wednesday, December 31, 1997
Deputy running for JP again
By ANTHONY WILSON Staff Writer
For the third time in seven years, Taylor County sheriff's
Deputy A.L. Deatherage is running for justice of the peace, announcing
another challenge of Sam Matta on Tuesday.
Unlike in 1990, Deatherage offered no criticism of Matta's
management of the Precinct 1 Place 2 seat. Matta easily defeated
the deputy that year, winning 64 percent of the vote.
"The voters are ready for a change," Deatherage said
Tuesday after filing his candidacy. "I'm presenting myself
for that change. I'm running for the office and not campaigning
against Mr. Matta.
"The ultimate goal is getting the Republican nomination.
This is the first step toward success. Defeat is all in the way
you look at it. I'm a little more experienced. I'll run on my
qualifications."
Matta, seeking his fourth full term, will square off with Deatherage
in the March GOP primary. With Friday's filing deadline looming,
no Democrat has declared an interest in the race.
An Abilene native, Deatherage is a 14-year veteran of the Taylor
County sheriff's office. He has served the past 10 years in the
fugitive warrants division, though much of his time has been spent
as a courtroom officer.
"You can't spend as many hours in a courtroom as I have
and not learn something," he said, pledging an "efficient,
fair and impartial" court.
Deatherage, 46, last ran for justice of the peace in 1994 in
a write-in race for the Precinct 1 Place 1 post. He finished a
distant third, garnering 919 votes to Rex Andrew's 9,198.
Three years prior, he won 36 percent of the vote against Matta
after accusing the incumbent of setting low bonds and being unavailable
too often to arraign criminal defendants.
Matta denied the first charge and charged that then-Sheriff
John Middleton prevented him from arraigning most defendants.
Middleton openly admitted the judge wasn't welcome at the county
jail.
Matta said he now enjoys a smooth working relationship with
Sheriff Jack Dieken.
Deatherage refused Tuesday to criticize the oft-controversial
Matta. Neither would he comment on a sexual harassment lawsuit
filed against the judge by a former clerk last month, saying only
that the charges are "very serious" and should be left
to the justice system to address.
Matta confessed surprise his challenger didn't renew previous
attacks.
"A good, clean campaign will be better for everybody,
including him," Matta said. "If anything would help
him it might be that.
"We're all beatable," he added. "To think no
one could beat me would be idiotic. But I feel very confident.
I'm looking forward to victory."
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Copyright ©1997,
Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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