Ex-Houston officer accused of attack in bogus fraud claim

By Juan A. Lozano / Associated Press

HOUSTON — A former Houston police captain had been charged with attack on Tuesday after operating a guy from the road and keeping him at gunpoint in order to show exactly just what authorities have actually known as a bogus voter fraudulence scheme.

Mark Aguirre advertised that an ac unit repairman had been the mastermind of the giant voter fraudulence scheme. Aguirre said the man’s truck had been filled up with fraudulent ballots as he went their SUV involved with it on Oct. 19, in accordance with authorities.

“The defendant reported (the motorist) has around seven hundred and fifty thousand mail that is fraudulent and is utilizing Hispanic young ones to signal the ballots considering that the children’s fingerprints wouldn’t normally come in any databases,” according to an arrest affidavit.

Aguirre told police he plus some friends put up a “command post” at a Marriott hotel in residential district Houston and carried out 24-hour surveillance on the repairman for four times, in accordance with the affidavit. He stated then went the man’s vehicle off the street, pointed a weapon onto the ground and put a knee on his back, the affidavit said at him, forced him.

Police whom taken care of immediately the event searched the truck and discovered just atmosphere fitness components and tools, authorities stated. Authorities failed to name the truckdriver, who had been not harmed.

“A long investigation … determined allegations of election fraudulence had been unfounded with no proof of unlawful ballots had been found,” Houston police said.

Aguirre told a police during the scene, “I just hope you’re a patriot,” in line with the affidavit.

Lt. Wayne Rubio because of the Texas Attorney General’s Office later told police that Aguirre had expected their workplace to conduct a traffic end for their research when Rubio stated he couldn’t do this, Aguirre said he’d take action himself and “make a citizen’s arrest,” in line with the affidavit.

Aguirre, 63, is faced with aggravated assault with a weapon that is deadly. Court public records didn’t list a lawyer for Aguirre.

If convicted, Aguirre faces as much as 20 years in jail. Police have never identified any kind of suspects.

Police say Aguirre ended up being compensated $266,400 by Houston-based Liberty Center for Jesus and Country, a nonprofit company that is run by GOP celebration activist Dr. Steven Hotze.

A conservative energy broker, Hotze unsuccessfully sued to avoid the expansion of very very early voting in Texas because of this election that is year’s. He also sued officials in Harris County, where Houston is based, to limit in-person and absentee voting, making allegations without evidence that Democrats had been engaged in “ballot harvesting” by collecting votes from folks who are homeless or senior.

Allegations by President Donald Trump among others of massive voter fraudulence have already been refuted by several judges, state election officials, an supply of their own administration’s Homeland safety Department and Attorney General William Barr.

Hotze had been additionally section of a combined team of people whom unsuccessfully attempted to challenge the legality of drive-thru voting in Harris County.

Jared Woodfill, a legal professional for Hotze, stated Liberty Center had used aguirre’s ongoing business and around 20 detectives who had been looking at allegations of voter fraudulence through the election.

Woodfill said he does not know if Aguirre ended up being taking care of the research during the time of the assault that is alleged but that Liberty https://datingrating.net/farmersonly-review Center doesn’t approve of these strategies.

“We could not endorse that, saying get pull somebody over, put a weapon as much as their head while making them start up their truck,” he stated.

Woodfill said he could be “surprised in the event that allegations had been real. That appears away from character for just about any regarding the individuals who could be working under Liberty Center.”

Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg stated Aguirre’s actions “crossed the line from dirty politics to payment of the violent criminal activity.”

“We are happy nobody ended up being killed,” Ogg stated. “His alleged research had been backward through the begin — first alleging a criminal activity had taken place after which attempting to show it just happened.”

Aguirre ended up being fired through the Houston Police Department in 2003 after having a raid that is botched which almost 300 individuals were arrested in a crackdown on illegal road race. Most who have been arrested are not associated with road race and costs had been dropped. Aguirre had been acquitted and tried on five counts of official oppression.