Most of the ethics charges against U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison were dismissed Tuesday by a judge who said the indictments were too vague.
Visiting Judge John Onion Jr. dismissed charges of official misconduct, tampering with evidence and tampering with government records, all stemming from her stint as state treasurer.The judge upheld one charge of misconduct and gave prosecutors 10 days to amend the indictments.
Hutchison, a Republican, sought dismissal of the charges, saying they were produced by a predominantly Democratic Travis County grand jury and a politically motivated county district attorney, Democrat Ronnie Earle.
The charges alleged she used state employees and state equipment for her personal benefit, then destroyed records as a cover-up.
Hutchison denied any wrongdoing.
She resigned as treasurer after defeating Democrat Bob Krueger in a June 5 special election for Lloyd Bentsen's Senate seat.