Former Harris County prosecutor under scrutiny for unauthorized sweetheart plea deal
Sean Teare
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - Former Harris County Assistant District Attorney Sean Teare is under legal scrutiny by his ex-employer for delivering an extraordinarily lenient plea deal to a local defendant who fled the scene of a fatal collision.
According to legal filings, Teare on his last day of employment with HCDA, extended the offer of "pre-trial intervention" to Mansoor Ali Abbasi, who is under felony indictment for failure to stop and render aid after "he crashed his SUV into Dontrae Broussard" on December 12, 2020.
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Broussard’s injuries were fatal.
Court records indicate Abbasi fled the scene and later admitted to involvement in the crash after police tracked him down with the help of witnesses.
"This is not an appropriate case for pre-trial intervention, which is a path for dismissal and potential expungement," said David Mitcham, First Assistant Harris County District Attorney.
The case is the subject of a motion to revoke the offer of "pre-trial intervention" obtained by FOX 26.
"Teare himself had never personally handled the case in court. He was a supervisor, two levels removed from the lead trial prosecutor. Teare did not seek the necessary approval from the elected district attorney required to offer a pretrial intervention agreement on a fatality case. And Teare did not speak with the victim’s family….. The offer of such an agreement is unprecedented in a fatality case," said Assistant Harris County Attorney Vivian King in the motion.
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Teare, who served as lead prosecutor in HCDA’s Vehicular Crimes Division, resigned on February 10 and has since joined the Cogdell firm.
Court records indicate Teare tendered the pre-trial intervention agreement to Abbasi’s attorney Chip Lewis on February 24, 12 days after announcing on a local Houston-area television station his intention to run against incumbent District Attorney Kim Ogg.
King contends in the filing that Teare broke HCDAO’s ethical standards.
"Offering such an agreement violated the stated internal policy of the office regarding pre-trial intervention agreements and the office’s commitment and legal obligation to maintain communication with crime victims and their families."
"He did a good job as a division chief. I hope there is a rational explanation for this," said Mitcham.
The offer of pre-trial intervention was met with shock and anger by the victim’s mother.
"If Sean Teare had contacted me about his intention to offer a Pre-Trial Intervention on the above-listed case, I would have told him that a Pre-Trial Intervention is not an appropriate resolution for a criminal case that involved the tragic death of my only child," said Kryshunna Harris, Broussard's mother.