Wylie: Writing to judge on city stationery cited; he calls it right thing

06:04 AM CDT on Wednesday, May 31, 2006

By TIARA M. ELLIS / The Dallas Morning News

Wylie Mayor John Mondy writes hundreds of letters of support for residents – those going off to college and the military, as well as a convicted sex offender hoping to avoid prison time.

The last is no different from the rest, Mr. Mondy said, because they are all people he believes have redeeming qualities and deserve his support.

But a handful of residents are upset that the mayor used city stationery last year to write a flattering letter to a judge for a Wylie man who admitted that he exposed himself to at least one boy on a school bus in 2003.

In the letter, Mr. Mondy hailed Morris David Roberts as a professional, churchgoing family man.

In court documents, a 14-year-old boy said he saw Mr. Roberts – naked – driving a pickup next to his school bus in San Antonio.

"I noticed a white man with short blond hair and wearing sun glasses. He was not wearing a shirt, no pants, and no underwear," the San Antonio boy, who is not being named because of his age, said in court documents brought to light by a Wylie woman.

"We were stopped for a couple of minutes and I saw him wave towards the bus."

Mr. Roberts, 45, pleaded guilty to the indecency with a child charge in February 2005 and received 10 years' probation, avoiding a possible two- to 10-year sentence. He could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Mr. Mondy said that people could question why he wrote the letter all they want and that he did what he felt was right.

"I write letters for folks that have ... made some mistakes along the way, and I believe there is some redeeming quality in them," Mr. Mondy said. "I'm going to help them. I don't do this at the drop of a hat.

"If we can't help people when they mess up, how are they supposed to get better?" he said.

Wylie City Attorney Richard Abernathy and City Manager Mark Roath did not return calls seeking comment Tuesday. It is not clear whether the city has a policy detailing when officials should use their titles.

Fred Moss, who teaches legal ethics at Southern Methodist University's Dedman School of Law, said Mr. Mondy's actions do not appear to be illegal.

"I don't see anything about it that is a crime. It's probably a lapse in judgment at best, or worst," Mr. Moss said. "It's a matter of something that he's doing personally. Therefore, he should probably not be using official stationery."

Gwendolyn Falls, 43, a Wylie resident, said she requested the court documents about the San Antonio case this month because she "was basically being nosy." She knew that Mr. Roberts was a registered sex offender and that he worked for council member M.G. "Red" Byboth, who won his Place 2 seat in May.

Mr. Byboth's moving company sometimes works with the mayor's disaster cleanup company, which is how the mayor knows Mr. Roberts.

Ms. Falls said she has no problem with the mayor helping someone. He just shouldn't use the city letterhead to do so, and not for sex offenders, Ms. Falls said.

"There are some things I am more than willing to give a second chance to. Then there are some things that are just stupid, like putting your child in harm's way," she said. "Why wasn't that letter on his company letterhead?"

Mr. Byboth also wrote a letter in February 2005 to the San Antonio judge in support of Mr. Roberts, using his company's stationery. That was before he was a council member. But he said his council seat would not change his stance on this case.

"He didn't touch anyone," Mr. Byboth said. "He is accused of driving naked. If I'm not mistaken, he went to a public defender, who convinced him to cop a plea. I'm not going to put a perv [pervert] on my payroll.

"I think this guy really doesn't deserve this. He has a wonderful wife and two kids. As long as he has worked for me, he has been a model employee."

Wylie resident Diane Culver said she worries that the city could be sued because of Mr. Mondy's actions, especially if Mr. Roberts were to commit another crime.

"He took the city and used the city to push a personal agenda. That's not what the office is intended for," she said. "And when he did that, he opened us up to a liability."

In the letter, Mr. Mondy points out Mr. Roberts' work with the Wylie High School band boosters and his selling concessions at sporting events. Ms. Falls said she has a son who works in the same concession stands that the mayor wrote about.

"I don't want him in that [concession] box with my kid or on the bus next to my kid," Ms. Falls said.

It is not clear when Mr. Roberts last worked a concession stand at a sporting event. Wylie school officials could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

But as part of his probation agreement, Mr. Roberts is not allowed to be in contact with unsupervised children, according to court documents.

Mr. Mondy said, "We all make dumb mistakes. I think when we make dumb mistakes we need someone to help us, to try to right us. I think that's what we do as Christians."

E-mail tellis@dallasnews.com