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Humphrey PATEL ACCEPTS PLEA AGREEMENT pleads Former candidate apologizes to community guilty, removed from mayor’s office By Ken Fountain
KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Staff Reports L on g t i me K end let on Mayor Darryl Humphrey pleaded guilty April 14 and was convicted of the Class B Misdemeanor offense of refusal of officer to provide access to public information. Humphrey was removed from office by operation of law, while his remaining charges of abuse of official capacity were dismissed, according to a press release from the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office. Humphrey was originally charged with abuse of official capacity for allegedly subjecting a Kendleton RV park owner to unlawful water and sewer charges and for failing to comply with that same RV Park owner’s 2021 and 2022 requests for public information. In October 2024, Humphrey agreed to resign, pay restitution, and avoid a conviction. Humphrey paid $5,000 in restitution but refused to honor his agreement to resign, according to the release. He then tried to recover that payment, but the court denied his request and the park owner was allowed to keep the funds. Having breached the agreement, the case was scheduled for trial. During last week’s pretrial hearing, a week before trial was scheduled to begin, Humphrey pleaded guilty and waived appeal, ensuring closure for these cases. “Today the mayor voluntarily pled guilty, the court accepted his plea, the court convicted him of the offense. The mayor’s conviction resulted in his immediate removal from office by operation of law,” District Attorney Brian Middleton said in the release. “We wish the best for the community of Kendleton as it moves forward.” Refusal to Provide Public Information is punishable by up to 6 months in county jail and/or a fine up to $1,000. The case was prosecuted in the 240 th District Court before Presiding Judge Surendran Pattel.
Taral Patel, a former chief of staff to Fort Bend County Judge KP George, Biden White House staffer and unsuccessful candidate for county commissioner, pleaded guilty April 15 to two felony counts of misdemeanor misrepresentation of identity by a candidate in a plea agreement, according to a press release from the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office. Patel also agreed to a two-year pre-trial intervention to four felony charges of online impersonation. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss the other pending misdemeanor charges
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Taral Patel, former chief of staff to Fort Bend County KP George, last week accepted a plea agreement on several misdemeanor and felony charges. Here, he is seen walking to an early court appearance. File photo
GOING GREEN
Volunteers Elizabeth Villatoro, left, and Fayrouz Elgalad and Jennifer Ramirez of the City of Sugar Land’s Public Works Department hand information to Ann De Stefano during the city’s Community Earth Day Celebration at Sugar Land Town Square on Saturday. The event included interactive exhibits, vendor booths, recycling opportunities, games, and public art displays. Photo by Ken Fountain
GHP: Region saw continued population growth in ‘24 Staff Reports
Longtime Kendleton Mayor Darryl K. Humphrey, Sr., last week pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor office and was removed from office. Here, Humphrey is depicted at an event in August 2024. File photo
against Patel. The charges all relate to a “fake hate” social media and email campaign Patel engaged in, purportedly with the knowledge and participation of George. “In the plea, [Patel] admitted to committing the misdemeanors along with Fort Bend County Judge KP George,” the release states. George is currently appealing his indictment on a single misdemeanor count of misrepresentation of identity by a political candidate. On April 4, he was indicted separately on two felony counts of money laundering, in which prosecutors allege he illegally altered
Editor’s note: In its “Economy at a Glance” report for April, the Greater Houston Partnership – the regional chamber of commerce – examines the area’s population growth in 2024 and summarizes benchmark revisions to last year’s employment numbers.. The main body of the report, edited for style, is presented here with permission. Metro Houston added nearly 200,000 residents in 2024, bringing its population to 7.8 million people. That’s Houston’s largest increase on record and equates to a new resident every 2.7 minutes. Last year continued a trend of brisk growth, with the region adding over one million people during the previous decade. Population in the 10-county region now exceeds that of 37 states, along with Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.
Houston ranked second in the number of residents added in 2024 behind New York City. It added more residents than Los Angeles, Chicago, and Dallas/Fort Worth, even though they each have larger populations. At 2.5 percent, Houston also had the second-highest population growth rate among major metros, trailing only Orlando. It grew more than twice as quickly as the U.S. overall. While all of the top 20 largest metros recorded population increases, only Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, and Orlando saw their populations grow at a rate above 2.0 percent. Sources of Population Growth Houston’s gains came from two sources – natural increase and net migration. Natural increase reflects births minus deaths in the region. Net migration includes people who
moved into Houston minus those who moved out. Three-quarters of Houston’s gains came from migration and one-quarter from natural increase. The ratio has been stable over the last three years. But, over the long term, it does shift with the business cycle. Migration accounts for a larger share of growth when the region’s economy booms (as it has since the COVID-19 recovery) and a smaller share when it slows (as in 2017 and 2018). Net Migration Metro Houston ranked first in net
migration among all U.S. metros in 2024. Each of the top 20 largest metros had positive migration in 2024, i.e., more residents moving into them than out of them. Note: The geographic area referred to as “Houston,” “Houston Area” and “Metro Houston” is the ten-county Census designated metropolitan statistical area of Houston-PasadenaThe Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX. The ten counties are: Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, San Jacinto, and Waller. Find the full report at houston.org.