Pct. 3 constable candidate arrested for impersonating public servant

STOCK PHOTO

By Tony Farkas
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

A candidate for the San Jacinto County Precinct 2 constable’s position was arrested in January, a move that he is calling politically motivated.

Peter Sparta, a former deputy constable in Precinct 2, was arrested Jan. 11 by deputies of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office on a charge of impersonating a public servant, a third-degree felony.

The charges stem from an arrest warrant issued by Waller County Judge Carbett Duhon for an incident that occurred on Dec. 21, 2023, where Sparta allegedly detained a school bus driver who was on the morning pickup route.

The warrant states that the bus driver had just picked up a child when a light-colored vehicle with flashing red and blue lights pulled in behind the bus. The driver told police the man driving the vehicle came to the bus door and had a short conversation with her.

The warrant states the suspect claimed he worked for Harris County and told the driver he pulls behind buses to ensure the safety of the students. The warrant does not state whether the driver was told the suspect’s identity, only that he had a jacket with the word constable printed on the back.

However, Sparta said the arrest was motivated politically, particularly that it happened minutes before he was supposed to be in Coldspring for a Republican Party candidate event. He was in Montgomery County to pick up his daughter.

Related Articles

Burglary suspect arrested in Polk County

Charges dropped against constable candidate

He also said that he has never been to Waller County, and he was physically unable to drive.

“The alleged crime happened on Dec. 21, 2023, when I was on my ex-wife’s couch recuperating from an accident, which required me to be on painkillers and under a doctor’s order not to drive,” Sparta said. “I fell off a ladder on Dec. 19, was transported to a hospital in Cleveland and then to Memorial Hermann in The Woodlands.”

Additionally, on the date of the alleged incident, Sparta said he was driven by his daughter to the San Jacinto County Republican Party offices to determine ballot placing.

At the time of the arrest, Sparta said it was explained he was facing a felony charge; however, he has not been contacted by the investigating officer, the Waller County District Attorney, or anyone connected to the case.

He also said that his attempts to contact Duhon to schedule a probable cause hearing have been ignored, and requests by him and his attorney for the body camera file of the discussion with the driver has been met with silence.

Sparta said he has filed complaints with the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct, and should he get the evidence he requested, his intention is to file for malicious prosecution.

Requests for information from Waller County have not been answered.