TX: Convicted sex offender allowed to remain in Arlington mayoral race

[dallasnews.com – 2/28/21]

Arlington officials say a convicted sex offender can remain on the ballot for mayor after another candidates filed a complaint.

Jerry Warden filed for the Arlington mayoral race on Feb. 11, joining seven other residents seeking to become the city’s 27th mayor. Mayor Jeff Williams is serving his third and final term, and is not eligible to run again for the position due to Arlington term limit laws.

Warden holds a lifetime listing on the Texas Public Sex Offenders Registry after being convicted in 1996 on charges of kidnapping and sexually abusing a 24-year-old woman. Warden ended up serving a 15-year prison sentence, according to sex offender registry documents.

Jim Ross, another Arlington mayoral candidate, filed a inquiry with the city secretary’s office on Feb. 22, about Warden’s eligibility for the race. Under Texas Election Code, a candidate with a prior felony is only eligible for an election if they have been pardoned or had their full citizenship rights restored.

In response to Ross’ inquiry, city secretary Alex Busken said in a memo, that Texas Election Code limits his office’s authority to declare a candidate ineligible. A candidate can only be determined ineligible due to their application or the documents presented with the inquiry.

Busken stated that Ross had provided a document showing Warden’s listing on the Texas Public Sex Offender Registry and that the document conclusively established that Warden had been convicted of a felony. But, this document did not conclusively establish if Warden had received a pardon or had his citizenship rights restored, Busken wrote.

Therefore, Ross’ inquiry does not reveal that Warden is ineligible for the election.

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If the registrant’s opponent(s) are THAT concerned about his eligibility to run for office, it makes me wonder what skeletons are in their closets. Further, if they can’t beat a registrant in an election, what does that say about them?

At least this person is not having the government try to stop him. When I was asked by the local businesses community to run for city council, I explained I was in the registry and on deferred adjudication for soliciting a 15 year old female on the internet (a sting operation) and best if I don’t run for office.

They supported me and still wanted me to run for office to fight corruption and said they also wanted someone young and with a college degree in the council (no elected official had a college degree). I put my name on the ballot for mayor.

The city administrator then stalked
my house and followed everyone leaving my house including my parents, sent the police and others to stalk some of my supporters and the mayor pro-tem sent his Mexican drug tenant rental tenents to also stalk my house. In the police department it was overhead that they planned to pull me over and plant drugs in my car.

I lived 300 feet from the city limits so avoided going into town. Also every day when leaving for work I put powder on top of the door and on the door threshold and when I came home would check to see if the police broke in. If broken in, the plan was to have my supporters would comb my house for drugs, put in a plastic bag so my fingerprints would be on nothing, take to my parents house in another city, spend the night there, and then go to the local FBI office.

After two informal pills showed I might win, elected officials and the city administrator were scared shutlesd because under state law, if mayor, I have the power to issue subpoenas and come after the corrupt officials.

The community supported me and filled city hall when there never were more than 6 people at all the city council meetings I attended. And the police chief and the whole small police force were in attendance when never more than one police officer in attendance.

Even ex mayors and ex police officers told tv and print media they supported me in fighting the corruption.

Then mayor pro-tem was overhead telling the city administrator, don’t worry, he will be out of the race tommorow. Tommorow was the day of my next scheduled county probation appointment. But this was the only different appointment I ever had because it also included a sheriff department employee

The county sheriff and probation department threatened harm to my children and threatened to file false charges against me and have me put in prison if I didn’t drop out of the mayor’s race.

So for the sake of my children, with the help of a journalist friend, a publicly announced I was dropping out of the race. But under state law, it was too late.

The evidence collected by this friend and myself seem to point to the most powerful county commissioner in the county of more than a million people and who had been investigated by the FBI twice, as the person behind this action against me. My subpoena power if won and my already on TV and media calling for government investigations into corruption would have included this person.

Even though I dropped out of the race, the county filed false charges against me and a false arrest warrant. My attorney told me the county admitted to the judge what they did so the judge did not revoke my deferred adjudication and send me to prison.

During the mayoral race I made known to the public all the corrupt acts that were brought to my attention by this investigate journalist as well others. Under state law it was too late to drop off the ballot. Because I told the public I dopped out, I lost most all my votes, but still got enough votes to keep the most corrupt mayoral candidate from winning and got him fired from city administratir. The public was so pissed off they forced the winning incumbent mayor to resign. And because of me making public some of the corruption, the mayor pro-tem lost office, first time in 50 years not in office. And the public forced three others out of office.

Years later, this same police chief and staff at the direction of a different city administrator, had the police break into my house, steal multiple items with my DNA and stole and damaged about a $1,000 in retaliation for me finding more corruption.

After going to the FBI, who were already investigating gov officials in the area, were interested, but I chose not to return with details. Instead I told the city I went to the FBI and they are interested in knowing why the city broke into my house. After that, the city left me alone. And I did get recouped for my breaking losses.

My attorney and I counted more than 20 felonies and misdemeanors against me by people in government m they were scared shitless because being caught and prosrcuted.

Even a state attorney was pushing me to go to the US Department of Justice. I just turned the other cheek, moved on. Also the county was already under investigation by the US Justice Dept for a different issue and being on deferred adjudication, even if I comply with sentence, I could be sent to prison, and the county commissioner had too much pull with my county judge.

The FBI took notice. Because of nmy situation and my journalist friend feeding information in combination with a large city government findings, the FBI started an investigation into the local governments in the area,vthe county and the large real estate development in the area. And the county commissioner was right in the middle of that investigation.

Under Texas Election code, if one had a criminal convintion, then one is not eligible to run for public office. So if sent to prison or put on probation in Texas, one had a conviction. This man is clearly not eligible to run for public office pet statue. Do not know why he bothered with a ballot application. In Texas, if one is on deferred adjudication, as long as not revoked, one had no conviction. And if one has successfully completed deferred adjudication and the judge dismisses the charges, one has no conviction.

When I look at what’s going on in government around the country, I just want to throw up at the amount of corruption and no accountability on both sides of the aisle. I rather have a registrant run than an politician who make toxic waste less toxic.