DALLAS -- Mental health advocacy groups are calling for a petition seeking the removal of District Attorney Susan Hawk to be withdrawn.
In a letter obtained by News 8, the groups are asking the attorneys and the former high-ranking prosecutor who brought the petition to stop their efforts to remove Hawk from office.
"Susan Hawk recognized she was ill, sought treatment, did the hard work to recover and is now telling her story in hopes that she can help and inspire others to seek help," the letter said. "Your lawsuit furthers the stigma, discourages others from seeking help and works directly against the process we need on the issue of mental health."
Hawk has acknowledged that she suffers from major depressive disorder, a mood disorder that affects about 15 million people. Hawk returned to work earlier this month after being gone for more than two months.
The groups signing off on the letter are the National Alliance of Mental Illness, Mental Health America of Greater Dallas, National Association of Social Workers of Texas, the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Dallas, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Collin County.
"Your lawsuit, which is based on the past actions before Susan Hawk's treatment for depression, has no bearing on her current state post-treatment, and is only a clear attempt to publicly humiliate her," the letter said.
Leading the petition effort is Cindy Stormer, who, until her recent firing, was Hawk's administrative chief over the budget and finances. Stormer has accused Hawk of seeking to spend public money improperly. She also has gathered affidavits from other former employees about Hawk's erratic behavior on the job.
Attorneys for Stormer have cited Hawk's pattern of bizarre pattern of paranoid behavior since her election as reasons that she should not be allowed to remain in office. Stormer has alleged that Hawk asked her to spend public dollars in ways that were illegal and inappropriate.
In an interview with WFAA last week, Hawk admitted that she thought of killing herself back in July. She also acknowledged that she did have bouts of paranoia, but claimed it didn't affect her decision making.
One specific moment of paranoia she admitted to involved her former second-in-command, Bill Wirskye, who was fired back in March. Hawk accused Wirskye of using forfeiture funds to make a key to break into her home and steal a compromising photo.
Now, she says she doesn't believe he broke into her home and has since apologized. However, she stands by his dismissal, as well as several other controversial firings. Several of those fired employees have accused Hawk of paranoid behavior including accusations that she believed her phones had been bugged and her computers hacked. Some of the employees said they were let go without being offered any reason.
As DA, Hawk has the absolute authority to hire and fire employees in her office.
Attorneys for Stormer have said called for the immediate removal of Hawk under a local government code that cites elected officials may be removed from office due to incompetency and gross ignorance. He said they're also seeking access to Hawk's "medical background over the last year, and all of her care providers who provided care and treatment for her psychiatric disorder."
Critics of Hawk have said this is less about her mental illness and more about a pattern of lying and being less than honest. Hawk disappeared from the office work in late July, telling no one in the office where she was going. It wasn't until the media began reporting on disappearance that Hawk admitted she had left to seek treatment for mental illness. While running for DA, Hawk also lied about seeking treatment for prescription drug abuse.
