On December 4, Dallas television viewers saw first-hand Collin County prosecutor Chris Milner's raid on the office of Dallas County Sheriff Jim Bowles. Was it coincidence that the cameras were there well before the raid began?

Conveniently shot news video raises questions as to whether the raid was a genuine attempt to collect crucial evidence, or whether it was a publicity stunt cleverly staged in front of local news media.

The raid on the Sheriff's offices took place shortly before 10:00AM but select local news media crews began arriving well before then. According to sources, camera crews were set up, ready and filming Collin County officials as they entered the building from the parking garage.

Ideally placed cameras captured Mr. Milner's raid team as they walked down the hallway and made their entrance into the Sheriff's offices to serve the search warrant.

The timing of the news media's arrival, and the knowledge of exactly where Collin County officials would enter the building, when the officials would arrive, and their ultimate destination leaves many questions unanswered.

Which news outlets received advance notice of the supposedly surprise raid, and when were they told? What details were furnished that would have allowed television crews to have cameras pre-positioned to capture events as they unfolded?

Perhaps most important: who told them?

The raid, like any other search warrant, was supposedly served on the Sheriff without advance notice--and the details should have only been known to the judge, Chris Milner and the officials he selected to perform the raid.  Obviously, others outside the prosecutor's office were told details.

Allegations have emerged that instead of allowing Sheriff's department personnel to leave the building by the back door, Collin County officials forced Sheriff's Department employees to leave by way of the front door so as to pass by the news cameras. 

"They treated career deputy sheriff's, who have devoted their lives to law enforcement, as though they were nothing more than common criminals," said one source in the Sheriff's department. Footage from news cameras would seem to confirm this.

The raid shut down the administrative offices of the Dallas County Sheriff's Department for an entire day.

This is not the only instance of questionable timing involving Mr. Milner's investigation and the media.

Rather than serving a subpoena on Sheriff Bowles privately in his office, Collin County Investigator Rodney Neal, an employee of Mr. Milner's, instead chose a crowded press conference to serve the documents. Television cameras, once again, recorded the encounter.

Ironically, the press conference Mr. Neal chose was called by Sheriff Bowles to give assurances he would cooperate with the investigation.

After delivering the subpoenas, Mr. Neal stayed around and gave a statement on camera.

Before working for Collin County, Mr. Milner worked for the Dallas County District Attorney's office.  Former coworkers describe Mr. Milner as a talented, aggressive prosecutor who "leaves no stone unturned" in an investigation.  True to the description, Mr. Milner has subpoenaed documents from several entities across the State of Texas.

It was Mr. Milner's aggressive approach that, after the December 4 raid, drew the ire of Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price who accused Mr. Milner of turning the investigation into a "political witch hunt."

Mr. Milner has also come under fire recently for indicting several criminal defense attornies for falsifying court records.  Attorneys for some of those indicted say that the mistakes are not fraud, but rather common errors made on standardized forms [Read the story [1]].

"Instead of going after criminals, [Mr. Milner's tactics of] trying to make an example out of a lawyer for a mistake in a pleading, to me, is outrageous," said attorney Peter Barrett, a lawyer for one of those accused.

Some who know Mr. Milner say his political plans include a return to Dallas where he intends to run against Dallas County District Attorney Bill Hill.

This rumor, accompanied by media "convenient" events, has led to questions over whether Mr. Milner is conducting a genuine investigation over wrongdoing, or whether he is grandstanding for political purposes.