FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas – A Fort Bend County grand jury returned an indictment against Judge KP George Thursday and now calls for his resignation are beginning to grow.
George was indicted on a Class A misdemeanor charge of misrepresenting the identity of a candidate, according to court records.
The charge stems from allegations of a coordinated social media imposture with his former chief of staff Taral Patel, who was arrested back in June for a felony charge of online misrepresentation for his role in the hoax.
Not long after the news of his indictment came out, at least two officials in Fort Bend County are now calling for George’s resignation as county judge.
Fort Bend County Precinct 1 Commissioner Vincent Morales called on George to resign and said he was extremely concerned about the business of the county government through this turn of events.
You can read Morales’ statement below:
“Today is a sobering and sad day in Fort Bend County. I am informed that after an investigation by the Texas Rangers was performed, that Fort Bend County District Attorney Brian Middleton has secured a grand jury indictment against our County Judge KP George. I believe that the facts of this investigation should be fully explored through the courts and our legal process,
I have faith in our District Attorney and in the state law enforcement officials to fairly conduct this process.
However - I remain extremely concerned about the business of our county government through this disturbing turn of events. And as a county commissioner - I have many questions as to the circumstances of this indictment. Specifically, how this relates to the county judge’s practice of using public funds for a security detail. I am also seeking additional information from the State of Texas about how this impacts the county judge’s role as a sworn member of the judiciary, as well as the statutory authority of the county judge as the head of our county’s emergency management. The safety of our citizens is a foremost priority for all members of our commissioners court [sic].
For these reasons, for my duty to provide resources for the safety of my constituents, and for my own concerns as a Fort Bend County resident - I hereby call for County Judge KP George to resign his office and to allow our commissioners court to peacefully continue the service and protection of our citizens.”
Fort Bend County Precinct 1 Constable Chad Norvell called the situation “deeply embarrassing” and said George should step down.
County Judge KP George should step down. This situation is deeply embarrassing, especially considering that Fort Bend County is among the largest in Texas. He has completely lost credibility. https://t.co/6eDEdNEyxL
— Constable Chad Norvell (@chad_norvell) September 26, 2024
“County Judge KP George should step down. This situation is deeply embarrassing, especially considering that Fort Bend County is among the largest in Texas. He has completely lost credibility,” Norvell said in a post on X.
Former Fort Bend County Precinct 4 Constable Trever Nehls, who ran for the Fort Bend County judge position in 2022 against the incumbent George, released this statement:
“Today’s indictment of FBC Judge KP George is not surprising to me. I felt throughout the entire 2022 campaign cycle that he was spreading hate and deceitful lies to manipulate voters. The great people of FBC deserve a County Judge who stands for integrity.”
Nehls released a longer statement Thursday evening:
Fort Bend County Treasurer Bill Rickert also released a statement calling for George to step down:
“As a resident of Fort Bend County and County Treasurer, I am deeply concerned about the “Fake Racism” scandal and indictments of County Judge KP George and his former Chief of Staff, Taral Patel, who is running for Commissioner of Precinct 3.
While everyone deserves a fair trial, the documented actions of these individuals have been deceptive and divisive, undermining the trust of our residents and damaging our county’s global reputation.
At a time when we need to attract commercial and industrial development to alleviate the property tax burden on our community, this scandal is hindering that progress.
Rather than providing transparency, both individuals have chosen to hire lawyers and remain silent, allowing the cloud of this controversy to linger over our county indefinitely. Our global reputation cannot be restored while KP George remains in office. I call for his immediate resignation and the reimbursement of taxpayer funds used for a security detail based on what we now know were fabricated allegations of racist threats.
I urge my fellow Fort Bend County elected officials, regardless of party affiliation, to join me in demanding accountability. Our county deserves leaders committed to integrity and transparency.”
Fort Bend County Precinct 4 Commissioner Dexter McCoy released the following statement:
“I share in my fellow residents’ concerns about these allegations and its effect on public trust and our ability to conduct the people’s business. Holding positions of public trust mandate that we hold ourselves to a higher standard, and today’s grand jury indictment demonstrates a clear breach of that standard. My office remains committed to serving the people of Fort Bend County as we navigate the long road ahead.”
Former Fort Bend County Judge Bob Hebert also released a statement, agreeing the George should step down:
“I concur with the Precinct 1 Commissioner Vincent Morales and Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers’ call for County Judge KP George to resign. His indictment for conspiracy with Tarel Patel to foster racial hatred for political gain in Fort Bend County is indefensible.
At the same time, I urge my fellow Republicans not to paint all Democrats with the same brush. Grady Prestage has served Precinct 2 for many years - honorably and skillfully. Grady helped me cross the aisle in Washington to gain bipartisan support for our multiple year effort to block a proposal to declare all levees in the USA to be unprotective - a move that would have raised flood insurance premiums by thousands of dollars for each home and business behind a levee. Over $100 Million in additional insurance costs per year. With Grady’s help, we were successful. Precinct 4 Commissioner Dexter McCoy went public (at some political risk) with a call for Patel to resign immediately after his indictment. I respect them both.
Repudiate Patel and George, certainly, but support all four of our current commissioners. They have policy differences, but they work together everyday to serve the public to the best of their ability.”
Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers spoke to KPRC 2′s Deven Clarke about the situation.
“I’m very shocked and disappointed that anyone would try to divide our community for personal gain,” he said. “I think it’s reprehensible, if these allegations are true I think KP George first of all, needs to apologize and then resign from office.”
Meyers also said if it turns out the death threats George claimed he was receiving was from himself, he needs to pay money back to the county for the extra security he requested.
“If it turns out that the death threats that he was receiving was coming from inside his own campaign and it appears that may be the case, then George needs to pay the money back that we spent on his unnecessary body guard and who acted as his chauffeur,” Meyers said.
