Texas man arrested in alleged threat against prosecutor

HOUSTON -- As hundreds attended the funeral and burial Friday of a North Texas prosecutor found gunned down with his wife last Saturday at their home near Forney, about 20 miles east of Dallas, officials said they had arrested a local man for threatening a prosecutor.

Robert Allan Miller, 52, of Terrell, was charged with making a terroristic threat and held at the Kaufman County jail on $1 million bond, Kaufman County Sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Justin Lewis told The Times.

WFAA reports that in the Facebook post allegedly written by Miller, he said that he “expect[s] that Assistant District Attorney Daniel Floyd will soon perish, bringing closure to an era of unacceptable practices and allowing Kaufman County residents to move forward with liberty and justice.”

The post alleges that local defendants are not given their day in court in Kaufman County and “actual guilt or innocence does not concern” county prosecutors.

In a Friday statement, sheriff’s officials said that while investigating the shooting, “a threat against the safety of an assistant district attorney was posted on a news website via Mr. Miller’s Facebook page. That threat was investigated, leading to the arrest of Mr. Miller at his residence.”

“No specific details of this investigation and arrest will be discussed at this time,” the statement said.

Kaufman County Dist. Atty. Mike McLelland, 63, and his wife, Cynthia, 65, were found dead less than two months after local prosecutor Mark Hasse, 57, was gunned down outside the Kaufman County Courthouse on Jan. 31.

The statement noted that “There is nothing to link Mr. Miller to the investigations of the murders of Mike and Cynthia McLelland or Mark Hasse.”

Another man from nearby Terrell, Nick Morale, was arrested this week for allegedly making threats against an official on the local Crime Stoppers tip line. Lewis said Morale also turned out not to be a suspect in the shootings.

While investigators must follow up on such threats, the statement noted that they drain valuable resources.

“Resources that need to be dedicated to the investigation of the homicides of Mike and Cynthia McLelland, as well as Mark Hasse, must be diverted to investigate the threats,” the statement said.

Nearly a week after the shooting, it’s not clear whether investigators have any solid leads. Eric Williams, a former Justice of the Peace in Kaufman, has said he was questioned in connection with the shootings, volunteered to take gunshot residue tests and turned over his phone. Lewis declined to answer questions about Williams earlier this week.

“Investigators are receiving tips on a consistent basis, and all of those tips are being investigated thoroughly,” the statement said.

The McLellands were buried Friday in the prosecutor’s hometown of Wortham, about 85 miles south of their home.

Among the funeral crowd were dozens of law enforcement officials from across the country who came to attend the service at First Baptist Church of Wortham, according to WFAA and the Associated Press. On Thursday, Kaufman County courthouse closed early and more than 2,000 people attended a public memorial closer to Forney at Sunnyvale First Baptist Church. The courthouse reopened Friday, officials said.

A $200,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the killer’s conviction, and the National District Attorneys Assn. was attempting to increase the amount Friday through donations.

“We hope to increase the reward to a level where someone will choose to come forward with information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved in the killings of these three fine people,” said the Alexandria, Va.-based association’s president, Michael Wright.

Local, state and federal investigators said at a Thursday news conference with Texas Gov. Rick Perry that they were still following up on tips and eager for more.

They posted pictures of the McLellands and Hasse along with information about the tip line on billboards in the Dallas area Thursday, and more were expected to go up soon across Texas and surrounding states on space donated by members of the Outdoor Advertising Assn. of Texas.

Lewis said investigators had no major announcements in connection with the case Friday.

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