June 20, 2014
Former Bastrop County Deputy Daniel Willis has retained my services to represent him in his criminal case stemming from the shooting of Yvette Smith on February 15, 2014 in Bastrop County. Mr. Willis, who has always been driven to a career in law enforcement, was surprised to say the least when he was arrested without incident on June 19th. Mr. Willis had continued to work at the Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office during the investigation; so to say he was shocked by an indictment being returned for “Murder” is an understatement.
I am disheartened and stunned that a grand jury chose to indict Mr. Willis for the offense of Murder. Mr. Willis was doing what he took an oath to do – protecting the citizens of Bastrop County. This indictment sends a chilling effect to the law enforcement community at large that you better think twice before pulling your gun to protect yourself or others from an immediate, armed threat because you could end up being a victim of a misinformed grand jury.
Mr. Willis was not given the opportunity to testify at the grand jury and the case was presented entirely from the viewpoint of the prosecutor. Mr. Willis is looking forward to a trial where he can confront and challenge the evidence against him and present his own evidence to clear his name. I look forward to fighting this fight with Mr. Willis, not only on his behalf, but also on the behalf of all of our fine men and women of law enforcement who risk their lives each day to protect us.
Robert M. McCabe
Attorney for Daniel Willis
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