Former DA charged with child sexual assault dies

4-5-2007 Texas:
The former district attorney for Brown and Mills counties who last year was charged with molesting a child in Williamson County has died, possibly from an overdose of over-the-counter medication, officials said.

Sky Sudderth died at a Fort Worth hospital Tuesday, the same day a hearing had been scheduled in Williamson County to set his trial date. He faced up to life in prison if convicted.

The Comanche Police Department said officers were called to a location on Highway 36 early Monday morning after Sudderth had allegedly taken an overdose of over-the-counter medication, the Abilene Reporter-News reported in its online edition Wednesday.

Sudderth, 40, whose address was listed in Comanche, was taken to Comanche Community Hospital by ambulance and later was taken to Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth, where he fell into a coma and died Tuesday.

Police in Comanche, about 95 miles southwest of Fort Worth, are still investigating Sudderth's death. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office said results were pending from an autopsy performed Wednesday.

Williamson County District Attorney John Bradley said that two weeks ago his office received DNA results related to Sudderth's case, in which he was charged with assaulting a 7-year-old girl in June in Leander, about 20 miles northwest of Austin.

"The DNA results made our case bulletproof against him," Bradley told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Bradley said he informed Sudderth's attorney, Patricia Cummings of Round Rock. She did not immediately return a call to the AP seeking comment Wednesday.

Sudderth was arrested in June in Williamson County and charged with sexual assault of a child. In August, he was indicted on nine counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and one count of tampering with physical evidence. Sudderth was released after posting a $500,000 bond in November.

The charges against Sudderth will be dropped after Williamson County receives a copy of his death certificate, Bradley said.

Sudderth was district attorney for Brown and Mills counties in West Texas from 2001-04. He resigned after he was indicted on several charges, including tampering with and fabricating physical evidence regarding a case in which he made a plea bargain with a sex offender. Those charges were dismissed after he resigned. ..more.. by KRIS TV



Ex-DA died from ethylene glycol
5-1-2007 Texas:

FORT WORTH -- A former district attorney who had been charged with sexual assault of a child died from ingesting chemicals found in antifreeze, the Tarrant County medical examiner has reported.

Sky Sudderth, 40, the former district attorney for Brown and Mills counties, died April 3 of ethylene glycol intoxication, according to the medical examiner's report. Investigators have not said how the chemical got into his body, the Abilene Reporter-News reported Monday.

Ethylene glycol is commonly found in antifreeze and de-icing solutions. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, exposure to large amounts of ethylene glycol can damage the kidneys and heart and cause death.

Sudderth's death happened the day a hearing was scheduled in Williamson County to set his trial date. He was accused of sexually assaulting a 7-year-old girl.

Sudderth was district attorney for Brown and Mills counties in West Texas from 2001 to 2004. He resigned after he was indicted on several charges, including tampering with and fabricating physical evidence regarding a case in which he made a plea bargain with a sex offender. Those charges were dismissed after he resigned. ..more.. by Associated Press