A newly uncovered police report shows that last year, a burglar entered the home of Wendy Davis, the Texas Democratic nominee for governor, while she slept and came face-to-face with her boyfriend, former Austin mayor Will Wynn, before stealing Davis’s SUV.
Though the incident occurred on April 13, 2013, and the burglar, 24-year-old Donnell Dickerson, was sentenced to eight years in prison in January, the case was not reported by the media until NBC DFW obtained the police report through an Open Records Act request.
Wynn, who is also a member of the group Mayor’s Against Illegal Guns, walked in on Dickerson, whose rap sheet already included theft charges.
Dickerson said, “I must be in the wrong house,” then headed toward the garage and drove off in Davis’s 2012 Chevy Tahoe.
But Dickerson came back to the scene while Wynn was explaining the encounter to police, who had just arrived.
Davis, who is currently a state senator, testified at Dickerson’s trial in January.
He pleaded guilty to burglary and car theft.
Dickerson’s attorney, Mamie Johnson, told NBC DFW that her client was worried that Davis’s political clout would harm his case.
“He was disappointed because he felt like it might cause him problems,” Johnson told NBC DFW. “Anytime it involves a public official, one would have to be concerned.”
The Texas news station pointed to several oddities in the case.
“The campaign never publicized the incident or Davis’s court appearance and reporters never learned of it at the time,” noted NBC DFW, which also said that the police report refers to Davis only as “W. Davis” and listed her address incorrectly.
The Davis campaign did not respond directly when asked if Davis wanted to keep the case out of the news, NBC DFW reports.
“The prosecution of this matter is now complete and she urges everyone to take every precaution to ensure their families are safe,” said a statement from the Davis campaign, according to NBC DFW.