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Patel being investigated for impersonating Fort Bend judge By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
A legal filing sheds light onto new potential charges against Taral Patel, the Democratic candidate for Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Commissioner, involving the alleged online impersonation of a Fort Bend County district judge. In an application for a search warrant filed on Friday and obtained by the Fort Bend Star, an investigator with the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office states that based on
information she obtained, Patel created a Facebook account in the name of 240th District Court Judge Surrendran Pattel and used it to create a false one-on-chat with the judge to show that the judge “had hostility toward Taral Patel and Fort Bend County Judge KP George.” “Patel” and “Pattel” are variations of a common surname among South Asians and people of South Asian descent. Both men are of Indian descent (as is George), but are not related. Patel, the Precinct 3 candidate,
formerly served as George’s chief of staff before taking roles in the Biden Administration. Patel had already been arrested and charged in June with felony and misdemeanor counts of online impersonation and misrepresentation relating to allegedly creating another false Facebook account, under the name “Antonio Scalywag” and using a photo of another county resident, in order to post false, racist messages about himself and others related to the campaign.
In the new filing, Evett Kelly, an investigator in the Public Integrity Division of the district attorney’s office, restates how the original investigation of Patel began when Andy Meyers, the Republican incumbent in the Precinct 3 race, asked for an investigation into the identities of people who had purportedly posted attacks on Patel based on his Indian heritage and Hindu faith. Patel had used these purported filing in a press release and campaign materials which drew much media attention (including
in the Fort Bend Star). Before the July 4 holiday, several media outlets reported on the new application for a search warrant involving the alleged impersonation of Pattell, the judge. But the Friday filing, obtained exclusively by the Fort Bend Star, provides new details on that alleged impersonation. In the 25-page search warrant application, Kelly states that she saw that “Antonio Scalywag” had
SEE PATEL PAGE 2
Taral Patel, the Democratic candidate for Precinct 3 Commissioner, is being investigated for potential new charges of online impersonation of a judge. Taral Patel campaign photo
Army veterans says military discipline helps in his TSTC studies
James Norman is a second semester student in the Welding Technology program at TSTC’s Fort Bend County campus in Rosenberg. Photo courtesy Texas State Technical College
Community Reports Many veterans find transitioning back to civilian life to be difficult, a feeling that James Norman knows all too well. Having served in the U.S. Army for 20 years, Norman is no stranger to the physical and mental challenges that can come with military ser-
vice. Still, he has found ways to keep moving forward. “I left the Army in 2014 and began working in the oil fields (around Houston),” he said. “I was lucky to have the support of my family, parents and wife, every step of the way.” His time in the oil fields sparked his interest in welding. A resident of West
Columbia and later Needville, he would take I-69 every day to work. On his commute he would pass by Texas State Technical College’s then-new campus in Rosenberg. “I knew welding was what I wanted to do and I saw TSTC had a program for it,” Norman said. “The school, the veteran’s association
here, the instructors, it has all been great.” Norman and his wife are looking to move to Rosenberg so he can be closer to school and she to her work. Upon graduation, he wants to set up a small welding business in the area. “The discipline I learned in the military has helped me in enduring the hardships of
life,” he said. “For veterans just getting out, I would say to find a good counselor and think about going to school. It has been a big help to me.” TSTC offers Welding Technology at all 11 of its campuses. An Associate of Applied Science degree and several certificates of completion in various specializations are available,
depending on campus location. The program is part of TSTC’s Money-Back Guarantee, which refunds a participating graduate’s tuition if he or she has not found a job in their field within six months of graduation. For more information, visit tstc.edu/mbg.