Director resigns, admits lying

Friday, Sept. 27, 2002 | 11:12 a.m.

AUSTIN, Texas -- The director of the Texas Lottery abruptly resigned Thursday, two days after admitting she lied about the circumstances surrounding the investigation of a commissioner accused of improper sexual conduct.

The controversy stems from the state's investigation of Walter Criner, a Texas Lottery commissioner appointed by Gov. Rick Perry last year.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram first reported in March that a female Lottery employee in Houston had accused Criner of making inappropriate sexual comments and bruising her arm and wrist during a lunchtime meeting in February. A state investigation determined that the commissioner had breached the employee's "personal space" but committed no offense.

Criner resigned Feb. 27, but news of it did not leak out until three weeks later. At the time, Cloud said she knew nothing about the investigation and had never discussed it with the governor's office, which typically handles such issues.

On Tuesday, Cloud told a legislative panel that she was aware of the Criner incident shortly after it happened, and did, in fact, discuss it with the governor's office. She said she lied about it initially because of the "sensitivity" surrounding the issue.