HOUSTON – With Election Day just a week away, the County Commissioner Precinct 3 contest is one race capturing significant attention in Fort Bend County.
This high-stakes race involves incumbent Andy Meyers facing off against Taral Patel, a candidate under intense scrutiny due to serious criminal legal issues.
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Criminal Charges Against Patel
Taral Patel, who previously served as Fort Bend County Judge KP George’s Chief of Staff, faces nine criminal charges related to his campaign activities. These include five misdemeanors and four felonies, with allegations such as misrepresenting the identity of a candidate.
It’s the same charge George faces related to the pseudonym “Antonio Scalywag.”
At the time of George’s arrest, KPRC 2′s Corley Peel asked him, “Do you think that your constituents should still trust you?”
He responded, “I don’t have any comment at this time.”
Campaign Under Scrutiny
In one of his campaign ads, Patel emphasized his previous role as George’s Chief of Staff. He promised to build a police substation in certain communities.
However, Fort Bend County Sheriff Eric Fagan pointed out that this is outside the scope of a county commissioner’s role.
“As a commissioner, they can’t build a police substation. That’s a municipality. County deals with county officers like deputies and constables -- that’s an annex,” Sheriff Fagan said.
When asked by KPRC 2 Investigates Mario Diaz whether this was misinformation or a mistake, Fagan replied, “You can call it misinformation.”
If elected, Patel would represent the same county that is prosecuting him. Attorney Angela Weltin, who has experience prosecuting public corruption cases, expressed concern over the political implications of this.
“If he wins, he will be, presumably, in charge of those same individuals in his county, some of which have been a part of the grand jury to indict him,” Weltin said.
If convicted of the felonies he faces, and Patel wins his race, our sources say he will be forced to resign immediately. This brings questions as to what a commissioner can do while trying to prove their innocence.
Not the first time for Fort Bend voters
In 2018, residents of Fort Bend County faced a similar situation when State Representative Ron Reynolds was re-elected while serving time in a Montgomery County Jail.
