Montgomery County Precinct 4 Commissioner Jim Clark indicted

Three members of the Montgomery County Commissioners Court were indicted in June. The commissioners were charged with Texas Open Meetings Act violations related to negotiations on the county’s road bond election in November.

County Judge Craig Doyal, Precinct 4 Commissioner Jim Clark, whose jurisdiction includes portions of Kingwood, Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley and political consultant Marc Davenport were indicted by a Montgomery County grand jury June 24, Doyal’s attorney John Choate said.

In addition, the State Commission on Judicial Conduct suspended Doyal without pay June 28. Riley and Clark do not fall under the commission’s jurisdiction, officials said.

“Over the course of the past several months, the grand jury considered the testimony of numerous individuals and evidence obtained from a variety of sources,” special prosecutor Chris Downey said. “They determined that probable cause exists to conclude that the three commissioners and Mr. Davenport violated provisions of the Texas Open Meetings Act.”

Doyal and the commissioners are accused of negotiating the Montgomery County road bond election with each other and the Texas Patriots PAC via email.

The act mandates a quorum—or majority—of elected officials of a governing body must deliberate matters in an open meeting after posting a public notice 72 hours in advance of the meeting, said Kelley Shannon, Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas executive director.

“For 30 years I have been involved in the public sector,” Doyal said. “I understand the open meetings laws. I did not violate the open meetings laws, nor did I conspire to violate open meetings laws.”

If convicted, the offense would be designated a Class B misdemeanor, which is punishable by 1-6 months in jail, a fine of up to $500; or both, according to the office of the attorney general’s website. Choate said Doyal, Riley and Clark could also be removed from office.