Dallas, TX

Dallas County adult probation director out of role amid state audit

Published

3 months ago

December 12, 2025

Dallas County adult probation director out of role amid state audit

Dallas County adult probation director Arnold Patrick “has transitioned out of his role” leading the department, according to an email his deputy sent to employees Friday.

The criminal district and county court judges who oversee the Community Supervision and Corrections Department director declined to comment on the nature of Patrick’s departure. Christina O’Neil, chief counsel for the judiciary, told The Dallas Morning News matters involving employees “are confidential and not subject to public dissemination.”

But Patrick’s departure comes as the department remains under a state investigation prompted by reporting from The News in October that uncovered how Patrick paid his state advocacy association colleague $45,100 in a contract to vet vendors despite the consultant acknowledging in an email he did not complete the work.

The audit by the Texas Board of Criminal Justice’s Office of Internal Auditor is still in process, according to director of communications Amanda Hernandez.

Patrick did not respond to a phone call or text message seeking comment. Marta Kang, deputy director of the adult probation department, is serving as acting director, according to the email she sent employees Friday.

“Please know that my focus will remain on collaboration, communication and ensuring we have what we need to succeed,” Kang wrote.

In January 2023, Patrick hired Austin-area lobbyist Eric Knustrom to screen and handle vendors doing business with the probation department while the two were also working together in a state advocacy association they created the year prior, emails obtained by The News show.

During the year of Knustrom’s contract with the probation department, he missed deadlines and did not perform core duties of the agreement, according to his December 2023 termination letter. Knustrom failed to review vendor applications, provide status updates or share outcomes of client complaints, the letter states.

Records show the probation department issued Knustrom five checks totaling $45,100 in 2023.

By early 2024, Knustrom had cashed only $12,300 worth of the checks.

In May 2024, five months after his contract ended, Patrick asked Knustrom if he was going to redeem the outstanding payments, emails show. Knustrom responded by acknowledging he did not perform all the work he was contracted to do and needed to make up for it.

“I’d like to cash the checks (bc I’m poor) but I want to come up with a statement of work that will allow me to provide actual services of actual value equal to that compensation for Dallas County. Sound fair?” Knustrom wrote.

Patrick encouraged him to cash the checks, even if the work performed wasn’t up to standards. He said the outstanding checks were causing an issue for the county.

“Cash them and then issue the statement before you spend it if that will work,” Patrick wrote. “If not, I need to cancel them.”

Knustrom declined to comment on Friday. In a previous interview, Knustrom said the work he performed was not “my A-game,” but he still fulfilled his duties by reviewing the department’s procurement process and creating a system to receive vendor complaints.

Patrick said in a previous interview that Knustrom performed work even though it wasn’t up to either of their standards.

Knustrom’s contract called for him to submit monthly invoices detailing the number of hours worked and a list of assignments completed each month. None of the 11 monthly invoices for $4,100 that Knustrom submitted include any detail about the work he performed.

Knustrom said his delay in cashing the outstanding checks was an oversight. He said he received one payment of $4,100 in October 2023 via electronic deposit and deposited two checks totaling $8,200 in April 2024 into his personal bank account.

In summer 2024, Knustrom said he tried to make a larger deposit but had problems setting up a business account at a bank. Then he forgot about the money until earlier this year when he needed a down payment for a car, Knustrom said. By then, the checks were outdated, so the probation department voided them and issued a new check for $32,800 in May, Kevin Camacho, a county auditor supervisor, previously confirmed.

Patrick and Knustrom’s work together dates back at least to 2021, when Knustrom was a lobbyist for the Texas Probation Association, which represents many of the state’s 123 probation departments.

In 2022, Patrick and two other probation directors created a spinoff group, East Texas Community Supervision Alliance, with Knustrom as its registered agent.

While working for Dallas County in 2023, Knustrom provided pro bono assistance to the East Texas alliance during that year’s legislative session. Emails show Knustrom conducted analysis of a bill supported by the alliance that would have required probation departments to return less money to the state every two years.

Knustrom also emailed a staffer of state Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, and unsuccessfully encouraged his office to back the bill. The bill later died in committee.

Knustrom said he did not register with the Texas Ethics Commission in 2023 to lobby for the alliance because the group did not pay him for his efforts and he did not meet with lawmakers on the alliance’s behalf. He said he was acting as a member of the group rather than its lobbyist.

By the 2025 legislative session, Knustrom was registered to officially lobby on behalf of the East Texas alliance but said the group still did not pay him.

At a legislative committee hearing on May 5, Knustrom registered on behalf of the alliance against a bill that passed and changed the approval process for probation departments’ budgets. Patrick was there and testified against the bill. The probation department issued Knustrom a replacement check for the stale 2023 payments the next week, the payment register shows.

Knustrom said while he was working with Patrick on the alliance’s issues, he also was trying to buy a new car and needed a down payment. That’s when he said he remembered his uncashed check from Dallas County’s probation department and asked Patrick to reissue the stale $32,800 payments from 2023.

Both Patrick and Knustrom previously said their work together with the East Texas Alliance was unrelated to Knustrom’s contract with Dallas County.

“One is not related to the other,” Patrick said, “but I acknowledge that it does look funny.”

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A look at Dallas Cowboys’ 2026 NFL draft picks after Osa Odighizuwa, Solomon Thomas trades

Published

4 hours ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

A look at Dallas Cowboys’ 2026 NFL draft picks after Osa Odighizuwa, Solomon Thomas trades

Entering Wednesday, the Cowboys had seven selections in the upcoming draft and no Day 2 picks going into the first day of the NFL League Year.

By the end of the business day, the Cowboys gained an extra draft pick — and it will be on Day 2.

Dallas traded defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa to San Francisco for a third-round pick, No. 92 overall. The team also traded defensive tackle Solomon Thomas to the Tennessee Titans and swapped seventh-round selections, moving from No. 225 to No. 218.

Dallas now has eight draft picks, three in the Top 100 and two fifth-round selections that are compensatory.

The biggest thing was getting a Day 2 pick.

The Cowboys originally had picks No. 12 and No. 20 in the first round and wouldn’t pick again until No. 112 in the fourth round.

Dallas gave up Day 2 picks (second and third rounds) in trades for Quinnen Williams (New York Jets) and George Pickens (Pittsburgh Steelers) last year.

Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones was determined to get back into the second or third rounds and moving Odighizuwa, a 2021 third-round selection, to the 49ers to get back into the second day of the draft has proven vital.

In recent years, the Cowboys have struggled to get good value with their second-round picks.

Taking a gamble on players coming off injury or with troubled backgrounds was something the Cowboys wanted to do in the second round.

Jones said at the NFL scouting combine that the team was no longer planning on doing that, considering the issues the defense had last season.

The third round has proved a little more successful. Cooper Beebe (2023) is a starting center and DeMarvion Overshown (2023) at linebacker is a reliable performer. Injuries, however, have slowed Overshown’s development in his brief time in the NFL.

Dallas is hopeful last year’s Day 2 picks, Donovan Ezeiruaku (second round) and Shavon Revel (third round), emerge as starters in 2026.

Revel recovered from knee surgery and played in seven games. Ezeiruaku played 17 games with nine starts at defensive end. Ezeiruaku, who underwent offseason hip surgery, will move to outside linebacker in the new 3-4 defensive scheme.

Also, the Cowboys have the ability to use one of their two first-round picks to move up in the draft or package the third-rounder acquired in the Odighizuwa trade to gain more picks.

Cowboys 2026 draft picks

Round	Overall
First round	No. 12
First round	No. 20
Third round	No. 92
Fourth round	No. 112
Fifth round	No. 152
Fifth round	No. 177*
Fifth round	No. 180*
Seventh round	No. 218
*Comp pick

Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

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Cowboys Team Doctor Played Role in Maxx Crosby-Ravens Trade Debacle

Published

16 hours ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

Cowboys Team Doctor Played Role in Maxx Crosby-Ravens Trade Debacle

The Dallas Cowboys were initially in the mix for Las Vegas Raiders superstar pass rusher Maxx Crosby ahead of NFL free agency, and were believed to be one of the finalists in trade talks. However, he was ultimately traded to the Baltimore Ravens for two first-round picks.

Now, the NFL world has been turned on its head with the Ravens deciding to pull out of the trade agreement with Las Vegas.

On Tuesday night, NFL insider Adam Schefter was among the experts discussing what went wrong between the Raiders and Ravens, revealing that Cowboys team physician Dr. Daniel Cooper, one of the premier knee specialists, played a role in the Ravens’ evaluation of Crosby.

Schefter discussed how Dr. Cooper was among the doctors who reviewed scans on Crosby’s knee, which ultimately spooked the Ravens and triggered the end of the deal.

Dallas Cowboys team physician Dr. Daniel Cooper on the sidelines before a game against the Baltimore Ravens at AT&T Stadium. | Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images

“The Baltimore Ravens essentially failed him on their physical, and my understanding is there were multiple doctors that reviewed his MRI scans,” Schefter said. “There were doctors that examined him, including Dr. Daniel Cooper, the Dallas Cowboys doctor that performed surgery on Patrick Mahomes and Malik Nabers.

“Many teams and players rely on Dr. Cooper’s expertise, and Dr. Cooper was one of the doctors who reviewed the images where the Ravens then felt compelled to back out of this trade.”

It’s hard not to connect the dots that Dr. Cooper’s involvement in the medical review of Crosby led to the team deciding against re-engaging in trade discussions. Though that could change, currently, the Cowboys are expected to move forward with Pro Bowl EDGE Rashan Gary, who the team agreed to acquire from the Green Bay Packers for a 2027 fourth-round pick on the first day of legal tampering.

It will be interesting to continue monitoring the situation and its fallout, which has left the Raiders in a terrible position.

Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby on the field before a game against the Denver Broncos at Allegiant Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

But, with the Raiders now forced to re-examine the money they committed to free agents on Wednesday evening, they may have to pull out of one of their own agreements, which could open the door for the Cowboys to reopen their pursuit of a linebacker like Nakobe Dean or Quay Walker.

The 2026 NFL calendar year officially begins on Wednesday, March 11, at 4:00 p.m. ET, so get your popcorn ready, because it’s going to be a wild ride.

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Maxx Crosby-Ravens Trade Dead, Opening Perfect Cowboys Opportunity

Published

1 day ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Maxx Crosby-Ravens Trade Dead, Opening Perfect Cowboys Opportunity

Dallas Cowboys Nation’s hopes of landing superstar pass rusher Maxx Crosby were dashed last weekend when it was announced that he was being traded to the Baltimore Ravens. However, less than 24 hours before the new year, the trade has fallen apart.

On Tuesday night, the Las Vegas Raiders announced that the Ravens have backed out of the trade.

“The Baltimore Ravens have backed out of our trade agreement for Maxx Crosby,” the statement read. “We will have no further comment at this time.”

The news sends a major ripple for the league, with the Crosby sweepstakes once again open. Before his trade to the Ravens, the Cowboys were considered one of the teams closely monitoring the situation and a team that made a legitimate offer for Crosby.

Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby leaves the field following a game against the Denver Broncos at Allegiant Stadium. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

At this time, there is no word on why the trade between Las Vegas and Baltimore fell through. When the trade was first reported, the Raiders were set to receive a 2026 and 2027 first-round pick from the Ravens.

Now, his future is in limbo. Before he was traded to the Ravens, it was believed that the Cowboys, Chicago Bears, and Los Angeles Rams were the top candidates to land him. In fact, the Cowboys were “considered runner-ups” in the sweepstakes.

Dallas’ Original Trade Offer

Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby reacts during the second half at SoFi Stadium. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Cowboys initially offered the No. 12 overall pick in the 2026 draft, a 2027 second-round pick, and an unnamed veteran player.

“Dallas kept a hard line throughout. The franchise wasn’t willing to part with two first-round picks, hoping its 12th pick in April’s draft, plus a future second-rounder, would be enough to entice Las Vegas. Dallas was also willing to package a veteran player to sweeten the deal, but Vegas wasn’t interested in that. The Raiders prioritized picks,” Fowler wrote.

Last season, Crosby recorded 73 total tackles, 28 tackles for a loss, 20 quarterback hits, 10 sacks, two forced fumbles, and an interception.

We’ll have to see if Dallas ends up being his new home, now that the team has a second chance to make something special happen, but there will be some serious competition. The 2026 NFL calendar year officially begins on Wednesday, March 11, at 4:00 p.m. ET.