Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Commissioner, Precinct 4 candidate Grant Wood made an announcement during Tuesday night’s chamber-sponsored candidates forum that isn’t often made at such gatherings: that the incumbent he is seeking to unseat is under criminal investigation.
On Wednesday, Precinct 3 Constable Randy Ellis confirmed that he has opened an investigation into whether Dave Eagle lives in the precinct he represents.
Ellis said that seven people have filed complaints asking him to investigate Eagle. He said he assumes that the leak about the probe came from one of the complainants.
Last April, a seven-page petition calling for an investigation by out-of-county authorities into whether Eagle committed fraud by claiming to live in a mobile home in Oak Trail Shores was submitted to the county during a meeting of the Hood County Commissioners Court.
At the time, Eagle told the HCN in an email that the allegation was “nothing more than political theater.”
Court members were unsure as to whether they had the authority to call for an investigation. There was discussion that a lawsuit filed in district court was likely more appropriate.
In the ensuing months, no lawsuit was filed and no investigation was publicly announced.
Ellis provided a written statement to the Hood County News. It stated, in part:
“Let me start off by saying that I should not have this case. The head of the department with the resources to handle this type of case refused to take it. I was advised by one of my complainants that the department head refused this case because he didn’t want to upset any of the commissioners while trying to get raises for his department.
“My office will never refuse to look into criminal or civil complaints, as I swore an oath to uphold the law regardless of political implications. It is my duty to look into all criminal allegations without prejudice, so that’s what I intend to do. However, it does take my office substantially longer to investigate criminal cases, as I am a department of one and have Constable Duties that must be attended to on a daily basis. A department my size also lacks the resources of the larger departments that should be investigating criminal cases like this.”
Although Ellis declined to provide further details, he told the HCN that the department he referenced in his statement was the Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Roger Deeds told the HCN in an email that he spoke to the district attorney and was advised that such a case would be handled by the Texas Rangers.
Eagle claims to reside at 2615 Hillside Dr., which is in Precinct 4. He has a homestead exemption with the appraisal district and that address is listed on his voter registration.
He cited that same address on a line labeled “PERMANENT RESIDENCE ADDRESS” when he filed paperwork last November to seek re-election.
At the time he submitted that paperwork, laws regarding residency requirements had been clarified and loopholes closed.
Eagle owns two businesses in Lipan, which is in Precinct 1.
At the time he first ran for office in 2018, the Precinct 1 term on the Commissioners Court was not expiring, but the seat for Precinct 4 was on the ballot.
At Tuesday night’s candidates forum, Eagle said that he had “proved” all of his residency requirements and had given that information to the county attorney.
Referring to previous competitors for the Precinct 4 seat, Eagle stated, “This residency mantra is nothing but rumor mill gossip perpetuated by a small group of political malcontents who really ought to go find a 12-step group and get over me beating them.”
