Dallas prosecutor fired after berating Uber driver
A Dallas County prosecutor was fired after her foul-mouthed and threatening tirade against an Uber driver was shared on social media.
The Uber driver called police and there are questions about whether the assistant district attorney got preferential treatment.
The incident happened late Friday night after 26-year-old Uber driver Shaun Platt says he picked up a woman passenger outside Capitol Pub on Henderson Avenue in Old East Dallas who was headed to a residence in Uptown.
Platt says 32-year-old Jody Warner, who was a Dallas County assistant DA, appeared to be intoxicated.
From there, the stories diverge.
Platt says Warner got angry and told him to deviate from the directions on his GPS. He said she repeatedly used her position at the DA's office to threaten him, talking about the people she knew and that she hoped the police get after him. That is part of the audio recording Platt made after he called 911.
Platt says he repeatedly asked Warner to get out of his vehicle but she refused, even accusing him of kidnapping her. He says he posted the audio to his Facebook page, feeling he'd been wronged by Warner's behavior. He then took it down after getting threats and negative feedback.
Dallas attorney Pete Schulte does not represent Warner, but he says he’s a friend of hers and has spoken to her.
"She's embarrassed,” Schulte said. “She's wishing she had chosen different words and hadn't used the language she used."
Schulte says Warner felt threatened after Platt drove by her street and that she never touched him or slapped his shoulder as Platt alleged in a Facebook post. Schulte says she told Warner she was an Assistant DA because she felt threatened.
There is no question that Platt eventually called 911.
Warner can also be heard in the audio recording accusing Pratt of kidnapping her, claiming it is a felony.
Platt says an officer arrived and talked with him briefly. He said the officer conferred with Warner and then drove her home.
Dallas police released a statement about the officer's decision to drive Warner home. They concluded “the officer's involvement was within departmental policies and procedures. No criminal charges filed relating to this incident."
In a statement, DA Faith Johnson says Warner is not facing criminal charges, but her behavior is contrary to the office's core principle of integrity and will not be tolerated. Johnson concluded her statement announcing the termination by saying she hopes the public can see beyond this incident.
"To fire her in this situation I think is wrong,” Schulte said.
Warner declined to comment about the incident. She had been employed as a Dallas County prosecutor for six years in the Crimes Against Children Unit.
Platt told FOX 4 it wasn't his intention for Warner to be fired, but he did feel like she should at least apologize.
Schulte and others raised questions about if Platt violated Uber policy by releasing information about a customer. Uber only said it they are looking into the incident.