George turned himself into the county jail the evening of Sept. 26 and was released on a $1,000 personal recognizance bond, Wesley Wittig, second assistant district attorney for Fort Bend County, said in an email.
The overview
The Fort Bend County District Attorney's Public Integrity Division expanded its ongoing investigation into Taral Patel—George's former chief of staff and Democratic Precinct 3 commissioner candidate—to include George, DA's office officials said in a Sept. 27 statement.
Patel was indicted Sept. 3 on several counts of online impersonation and misinterpretation of identity, according to arrest records. Patel is accused of creating a false Facebook profile to attack himself, George and others.
The DA's office conducted a search warrant into George's communication devices Sept. 18, and George was indicted Sept. 26 by the Fort Bend County Grand Jury, according to court records.
"Though the investigation remains ongoing, the District Attorney’s Office presented one Class A misdemeanor charge of misrepresentation of identity, found in the Texas Election Code, to the Grand Jury, who subsequently indicted Mr. George as a party to the offense for which Taral Patel was indicted," DA's office officials said in the statement.
Quote of note
In a written statement Sept. 26, George said he’s “disappointed” by the charges but “confident that when all the facts are presented, justice will prevail.” He also addressed calls for his resignation, saying he has “no intention of stepping down.” George was first elected to serve as county judge in November 2018.
“My focus remains on serving the people of Fort Bend County, as I was elected to do,” he said. “My office and staff will continue working tirelessly on behalf of our residents, ensuring that the county’s business moves forward without interruption. I look forward to clearing my name and continuing the important work entrusted to me by the voters.”
What they’re saying
County Treasurer Bill Rickert called for George to step down as county judge in a statement Sept. 26.
“Our global reputation cannot be restored while KP George remains in office,” he said. “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.”
What else
The court records are once again available on Fort Bend County’s online court record system. Wittig said the county clerk’s office mistakenly made the charge public before legally allowed, as indictments are supposed to be sealed by law until an arrest has been made. This led to the documents being resealed until George's arrest the evening of Sept. 26.
The clerk's office didn't immediately return a request for comment by press time.
