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Funny story about Rod Ponton, the "Zoom cat lawyer" that everyone's talking about today.
I reported on him in 2014, when he was a local prosecutor used the power of his office — and roped in federal law enforcement — to harass a former lover. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/09/style/cat-lawyer-zoom.html
I reported on him in 2014, when he was a local prosecutor used the power of his office — and roped in federal law enforcement — to harass a former lover. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/09/style/cat-lawyer-zoom.html
I had read about a violent, militarized raid on a small Texas college town's head shop.
The shop's owner was forced to sign an incriminating statement before she could post bond. https://reason.com/video/2014/10/21/the-purple-zone-raid-how-the-dea-got-the/
The shop's owner was forced to sign an incriminating statement before she could post bond. https://reason.com/video/2014/10/21/the-purple-zone-raid-how-the-dea-got-the/
I spent months reporting out this story as a written feature and a video doc — every stone overturned was creepier than the last.
I went down to Texas, where Ponton said he would give me an interview, before reneging. But it was a small town and everyone knew what happened.
I went down to Texas, where Ponton said he would give me an interview, before reneging. But it was a small town and everyone knew what happened.
TL;dr: Ponton was briefly sexually involved with the woman who ran the head shop. (He denies this.)
During his time as DA, local and federal cops repeatedly tried to bust her for selling illegal synthetic marijuana (they never found any).
During his time as DA, local and federal cops repeatedly tried to bust her for selling illegal synthetic marijuana (they never found any).
Alpine, Texas is a border town — home to many Border Patrol, DEA, and FBI agents. It's also home to Sul Ross University — a college that focuses on careers in law enforcement.
Suffice to say, the Jewish woman running a head shop was...controversial.
https://www.sulross.edu/law-enforcement-academy
Suffice to say, the Jewish woman running a head shop was...controversial.
https://www.sulross.edu/law-enforcement-academy
When the Obama administration was staging a "day of raids" to nab synthetic marijuana sellers who were funneling money to Middle Eastern terrorists, somehow they ended up raiding this Jewish woman's head shop — guns drawn, "SWAT-team style."
Witnesses said they were personally intimidated by Ponton over social media posts describing the raid.
A local reporter told me she was personally scolded by Ponton for her coverage of the raid — and her editors wrote their own pro-law enforcement followups, using *her* byline.
A local reporter told me she was personally scolded by Ponton for her coverage of the raid — and her editors wrote their own pro-law enforcement followups, using *her* byline.
The story goes on and on with badness. But you can watch the doc here and judge for yourself:
Deleted this because Alpine is *not* a border town, though its *relative* proximity to the border means the DEA and Border Patrol treat it as part of High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. There is also a border checkpoint just outside of town.
