Former Ferris city attorney trial gets underway

ELLIS COUNTY – The trial for local attorney Michael Halla from Lancaster began in Ellis County Court this week after a jury was selected early last week for the trial.

Halla was arrested by the Texas Department of Public Safety and charged with two counts of manslaughter, a 2nd degree felony in January 2023.

His bail was set at $100,000.

He bonded out the following day.

According to DPS documents, Halla was operating a 2020 Ford Explorer that struck and killed 36-year-old Edward Beltran, and his 5-year-old son Ethan Beltran, both of Ferris.

He was reported traveling at 93 miles per hour when he struck the pedestrians crossing the road.

After a thorough and comprehensive investigation conducted by the Texas Department of Public Safety, with the assistance of the Ellis County and District Attorney’s Office and the Ferris Police Department, Texas State Troopers arrested Halla.

The Ellis County Press reported Halla was on his way to a Ferris city council meeting at the time of the accident.

Ferris City Council voted in a meeting the next Monday morning to indefinitely suspend legal services with the former city attorney.