I received my first letter of refusal in third grade. Her name was Tanya. Or Tonya. She had brown hair, and something about her left my 8-year-old self smitten. I put pen to paper and poured my heart out.

“I like you,” the letter read. “Do you like me back?”

As I unfolded her reply, there it was. My letter of refusal. An unmistakable circle of despair encircled the word “no.” (I had left two options for her to circle.)

Flash forward 28 years, and I received a very different letter of refusal. This one had little to do with a playground fling and much to do with a criminal charge of harassment. An intake lawyer with the Tarrant County District Attorney’s office had issued this ignominious decision to someone. Let’s call her Patsy. On January 9, Patsy was given the gist of this letter.

And that would have been the end of it were it not for personal connections and influence. As children, letters of refusal mean just that: refusal. As adults, other factors come into play. Several months after the January rejection of Patsy’s efforts, I received a call from a peace officer.

“Ask for a copy of the Letter of Refusal,” I was warned.

The phone call was free legal advice from a concerned public servant who witnessed obstruction of justice committed by members of the DA’s office. I took the advice seriously. Something about this letter would undermine the DA’s efforts to disrupt an ongoing civil case against the wishes of a well-connected family. I queried FWPD. According to FWPD’s case investigation and preparation guidelines, which I obtained, “This refusal must be kept by the detective along with all reports.”

FWPD’s response was that they never received this document. The DA’s office can’t seem to find it. One Attorney General complaint later, The case of the Mysterious Missing Letter of Refusal goes on, but for not much longer. I have several legal remedies for this problem. Stay tuned. 

Update: U.S. Representative Kay Granger has notified me that her office “was able to forward your concerns to the FBI for their review. Please note that the FBI may reach out to you directly.”