Patrick backs Galveston sheriff candidate who could lose his badge

HOUSTON – The Houston Chronicle reports that high-profile figures like Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Houston attorney Tony Buzbee are rallying behind a Galveston sheriff’s candidate who could lose his law enforcement officer’s license within two months of election and be forced out of office. Armed with an outsized war chest and a promise to “fight back against the liberal agenda,” Jimmy Fullen, a former Galveston County constable, defeated his opponent Ray Nolen, 57% to 43%, in the March primary, positioning him as the likely next sheriff in the Republican stronghold. That prospect, however, was thrown into jeopardy when the executive director of the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, the regulatory agency overseeing all officers in the state, recommended revoking Fullen’s license in June.

The TCOLE letter claims that on two occasions Fullen was untruthful in official documents about past incidents that cast him in a negative light, including being arrested twice, terminated from a job, disciplined at work and accused of discrimination. The Houston Chronicle independently confirmed these discrepancies based on records from Fullen’s former employers and other agencies. Fullen has since appealed the petition to revoke his license, and state regulators have scheduled an eight-hour hearing in January to make a final determination. Under Texas law, losing his license would disqualify Fullen from serving as sheriff, even if he has already won the election and been sworn into office. The looming uncertainty, however, has not deterred some of Texas’ most influential figures, along with a broad coalition of local Republican elected officials, from doubling down on their support for the Galveston candidate. Fullen said his legal team has advised him not to discuss the specifics of the allegations against him, as the case is still ongoing. He argued his broad appeal stems from his decades of service in law enforcement and active involvement in civic organizations, which has persuaded his supporters to overlook the two misdemeanor assault charges he faced in the 1980s.