Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, September 28, 1993                   TAG: 9309280061
SECTION: NATL/INTL                    PAGE: A-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: AUSTIN, TEXAS                                LENGTH: Medium

SENATOR IS CHARGED WITH MISCONDUCT

Hutchison, a Republican, was accused along with two aides of using her treasurer's office for personal use and destroying records as part of a cover-up.

She denied any wrongdoing and called the charges the product of a politically motivated investigation by Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, a Democrat.

Hutchison, 50, defeated appointed Democratic Sen. Bob Krueger in a June 5 special election for U.S. Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen's former seat. She is Texas' first woman senator.

Days later, a grand jury began looking into misconduct allegations.

The indictments accuse her of using state employees, facilities, equipment and supplies for "her personal benefit" and of destroying computer records from the treasury.

Also indicted were Michael Barron, former deputy state treasurer, and David Criss, the agency's planning director.

Barron was charged with official misconduct, tampering with governmental records and tampering with physical evidence. Criss was charged with official misconduct.

Hutchison is allowed to remain in the Senate while she fights the charges.

Texas GOP Executive Director Karen Hughes called the charges politically motivated.

"I am sickened but frankly not surprised that a grand jury made up of Democrat primary voters is trying to win through the judicial process what they were unable to win in the last election," she said.

The grand jury's foreman, Saadi Ferris, countered that "the grand jury has deliberated on each and every occasion with independence of politics and political persuasion."

Earle's office raided the treasury June 10 and issued more than a dozen subpoenas for current and former agency workers. More than 30 former treasury aides and Hutchison campaign operatives went before the grand jury.

Earle said the investigation began when he received information that crucial evidence was being destroyed at the treasury.

Hutchison has said that because she would be at the top of the state's Republican ticket in 1994, Democrats were stooping to the lowest level to keep her from leading a strong GOP showing next fall.