Last week, Texas Scorecard revealed allegations made concerning Navarro County District Attorney Will Dixon by his former assistant.
Andrew Wolf, a longtime assistant district attorney who became first assistant and Dixon’s second-in-command in February of last year, claimed—among other allegations—that his former boss told him to take it easy on certain attorneys in order to help Dixon’s election.
Now Dixon and Will Thompson, his opponent in the upcoming Republican primary, have provided statements on the situation.
Will Dixon:
I promised Governor Abbott’s team that I would emphasize professionalism and civility. At the beginning of my tenure, I met with Andrew Wolf and set out my expectations that he act civilly with defense counsel and professionally in the courtroom. Nevertheless, Wolf received several warnings for his outbursts the following months.
I told Wolf on numerous occasions to be nice to others. Prosecutors must do things the right way. The ends don’t justify the means. Any implication that I wanted Wolf to not faithfully fulfill his duties for personal political reasons is absurd.
Enoch Basnett was recruited to the office by my opponent when he was the interim District Attorney. Wolf treated Basnett horribly. I would receive reports from people in the court how Wolf had demeaned Basnett in front of the judge and defense attorneys. Wolf petitioned me to fire or demote Basnett. The fact that Basnett is a Democrat didn’t enter into the equation; I didn’t even know Basnett was a Democrat until months after he was hired. I’m a conservative Republican, but I value Basnett’s contributions to the office. Democrats will vote in their own primary. Wolf’s petition was denied.
Another disgruntled ex-employee has relentlessly propagated false rumors about our office on Facebook. After listening to one employee tell me how hurtful it was that Wolf was engaging with that former employee on Facebook, I spoke to him confidentially, explaining that his social media interactions were causing morale problems.
In the end, I requested Wolf resign because he continually refused to act professionally. Since his departure, he has told people that he plans to return to Navarro County if my opponent is elected, and Wolf bashes me to whoever will listen to aid in that endeavor.
The courthouse has become a much more pleasant and professional place to work since Wolf’s departure.
Will Thompson:
Andrew Wolf and I served together under Lowell Thompson for 7 years, and I always found Mr. Wolf to be a man of high integrity and intellect. The observations made by Andrew Wolf have been echoed to me by several other people, including at least two long-standing police officers, so this doesn’t seem to be an isolated incident. Mr. Wolf is now the fourth employee who served admirably under Lowell Thompson for years to be fired by Mr. Dixon for allegedly intolerable behavior problems.
Dixon, however, maintained that three people—including Thompson—were asked to leave the district attorney’s office when he took over.
“Mr. Wolf’s disciplinary history is well documented. The public is free to request those records. The public is also welcome to speak with employees of the courthouse or local defense attorneys who will verify Mr. Wolf’s unprofessional behavior,” he added.
The Republican primary election will take place on March 3, 2020.
