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WEDNESDAY • OCTOBER 10, 2018
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Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 43 • No. 8
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By Theresa D. McClellan THERESA@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Eighteen days after State Rep. Ronald Eugene Reynolds entered the Montgomery County Jail as an inmate, prisoner number 232573 penned a letter to the Fort Bend Star in response to a reporter’s letter requesting a jailhouse interview. Reynolds’ letter, dated Sept. 25, blamed racism in Montgomery County for his being incarcerated and also answered multiple queries, including how he fought being discouraged, how he could still be a voice for constituents, and if he still believed in the crimi-
nal justice system. (Editor’s note: Reynolds’ complete letter can be read in the Opinion section on page 3.) Reynolds was asked why he decided to turn himself in for the misdemeanor crimes he was convicted of in 2015. Reynolds has continually sworn his innocence and exhausted his appeals to the convictions for barratry, which is commonly called ambulance chasing. Last November, a threepanel appellate court upheld the initial decision by Montgomery County jurors that he worked with a convicted felon to solicit clients for his law firm. Texas law states that attorneys cannot contact clients
within a 30-day period of an accident. The offense is punishable by up to a year in prison. As a result of the conviction, he was not allowed to practice law and eventually filed bankruptcy since he was barred from making a living as a lawyer. On Sept. 7 the Missouri City Democrat voluntarily revoked his appeal bond and turned himself in to the Montgomery County Courts. He was taken into custody and booked, photographed for a mug shot, and given a prisoner number and sentenced to a year in jail. “To put things in perspective, I was convicted of misdemeanor – Solicitation of Professional Employment, in
Booking photo of State Rep. Ron Reynolds.
Montgomery County. There is absolutely no evidence that I knowingly permitted Robert Valdez (the convicted felon) to contact accident cases within 30 days of an accident,” Reynolds states in the letter.
“To add insult to injury, I was sentenced to the maximum of 1 year in jail. Even though I had NO criminal record and a strong record of public service. While there are numerous Anglos convicted of violent felonies that receive probation and less time than me. It’s a fact that African American and Hispanics receive more harsh sentences and punishment than Anglos for the same crime,” Reynolds wrote. A cursory review by the Star of convicted Texas politicians found that Reynolds is not the first state legislator convicted of a crime. Former Texas House of Representatives Republican Joe Driver,
SEE REYNOLDS, PAGE 15
Senior Expo is today at Stafford Centre By Joe Southern JSOUTHERN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
The Fort Bend Star’s Fourth Annual Senior Expo takes place today, Oct. 10, at the Stafford Centre. The free event featuring speakers and vendors catering to senior citizens will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Several hundred people are expected to attend the expo, which will have talks by industry experts about healthcare, retirement living, and more. More than 50 vendors will have booths highlighting everything from health and wellness to senior housing, medical, dental, wealth, retirement, travel, entertainment, insurance and much more. There will also be free food, as the Fort Bend Star will be providing breakfast and lunch for guests. A special lineup of speakers has been announced. They include experts from Oyster Creek Senior Living (9:15-9:40 a.m.), Skin Cancer Specialists Dermatology (10-10:25 a.m.), Dr. John from Advanced Dentistry (10:45-11:10 a.m.), and Sugar Land Functional Medicine (11:30-11:55 a.m.). Attendees at the Sugar Land Functional Medicine talk will have lunch catered to them so they are not last in line for the lunch service. Also, there will be gift card drawings in each seminar that will include Vasos Bar-B-Que and RC’s Tex-Mex Kitchen, among others. The presenting sponsor of the Senior Expo is The Avenues of Fort Bend, formerly know as Oyster Creek Assisted Living. Platinum sponsors of the Senior Expo include Advanced Dentistry, Skin Cancer Specialists Dermatology, and Sugar Land Functional Medi-
cine. Gold sponsors include Capital Bank, WellCare Health Plans, Medi Plan/Max, University Place Adult Living Community, and Not Slippery When Wet. Among the vendors this year are ADT Home Security, Advanced Dentistry, Advise Insurance, Alert 360, Avant Therapy, LLC, Bioenergetic Works, Brazos Valley Schools Credit Union, Capital Bank, CapTel Outreach, Clear Captions, LLC, Dean Law Firm, Dignity Memorial Funeral Homes, Encompass Health Care, Fort Bend History Association, Freedom Homes-Wellspring at Tamarron, Fort Bend Music Center, Global Exchange, Golden Outlook, Green Mountain Energy, Harmatuk Health Advisors Group, Harris Carpet and Floors, HelloFresh, Integrated Pest Management, Lisa Sims – State Farm, Lone Star Glass, Loving Arms Senior Assistance, attorney Margie Connolly, Medi Plan/Max, Medwin Family Medicine & Rehab, Mind, Headache & Neurology, PLLC, Muscle Maker Grill, My Dental, Nightingale Interpreting Services, Inc., Not Slippery When Wet, Outback Steakhouse, Reach Stretch Studio, Oyster Creek Senior Care, Secure Your Legacy, Signature Hearing Balance, Skin Cancer Specialist, Sleep Number, Southern Journeys, St. Catherine of Sienna, Sterling Physical Therapy and Wellness, Sugar Land Functional Medicine, Sugar Land Skeeters, T-Mobile Greenway Plaza, TexanPlus, The Huntington at Sienna Ranch, United Health Care – Rita Wallace, University Place, UT Physicians, Walgreen’s Drug Store, and Wellcare Health Plans.
Lamar CISD Superintendent Thomas Randle.
Fort Bend ISD Superintendent Charles Dupre.
Stafford MSD Superintendent Robert Bostic.
Superintendents report on the State of Schools By Joe Southern JSOUTHERN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Three local school superintendents gave their yearly report to the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce Wednesday at the Safari Texas Ranch during the chamber’s 11th annual State of the Schools luncheon. More than 500 people packed into the facility to hear Thomas Randle of Lamar CISD, Charles Dupre of Fort Bend ISD, and Robert Bostic of Stafford MSD talk about the accomplishments and plans for their respective districts. The following are summaries from each report:
Thomas Randle, Lamar CISD With 33,500 students, 4,900 employees, and a budget of $295 million, “We’re the number seventh fastest growing school district in the state of Texas,” Randle said. “We added over 1,000 students this past year.” “By 2022 we’re projected to have over 44,000 students. By 2027, over 55,000 students in Lamar CISD. We have over 41,000 new homes in the next decade that’s going to be built in our school district. We’re going to need 12 new elementary schools over the next decade. If you’re in the construction business, stay close! There’s a lot of work to be done,” he said.
Randle said that since 2003, voters have approved more than $1.3 billion in bonds, with the most recent being $445 million last year. Plans are under way for construction of High School No. 6, Middle School No. 6, three elementary schools, an alternative learning center, plus facility and technology upgrades and new buses. He said the new high school will be built in the booming area around Brazos Town Center. He said the district is a 5 Star school district and they are striving to model character traits at all levels. He said they will not ignore or ratio-
SEE SCHOOLS, PAGE 9
Classic Chili Challenge benefits first responders From staff reports FOR THE FORT BEND STAR
The 8th annual Classic Chili Challenge is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 13, and will once again benefit all Fort Bend County first responders. To sweeten the deal this year, a Dessert Bake Off has been added to the community event. “We are very excited about the addition of a bake off,” said Classic Chevy Sugar Land Operations Director
Jerry Parks. Classic Chevrolet in Sugar Land hosts the event each year. “Call today for a booth and a chance to win serious bragging rights,” Parks said. “Just like with the chili, we will be awarding a trophy to both our Crowd Favorite and our Judge’s Choice, chosen by honorary judges: the Johnson Development marketing team. For schools and churches, we are waiving the bake off $100 entry fee. We just ask that you bring extra cakes,
cookies and pies we can sell to benefit our Fort Bend County first responders.” For those who make a mean bowl of the official “state food” of Texas, the Chili Challenge is your challenge. “We’ve moved the Chili Challenge to the fall, hoping for some ‘chilly’ weather,” said Classic Chevy Sugar Land owner Jeff Sebastian. Chili categories include Texas Chili, Spicy Chili, Bean
SEE CHILI, PAGE15
Get free tickets! The Fort Bend Star has an exclusive deal for its readers to receive up to five free admission tickets to the 8th annual Classic Chili Challenge benefitting Fort Bend County’s first responders. The event will take place Oct. 13 from 4-8 p.m. at Classic Chevrolet. To receive the free admission tickets, call Classic Chevrolet Operations Manager Jerry Parks at 832-689-4421 and tell him the Fort Bend Star sent you.
Election profiles Fort Bend County court-at-law judge candidates This week the Fort Bend Star takes a look at the candidates in the contested races for county court-at-law judges No. 3, 4, 5, and 6 in the Nov. 6 election. In County Court-at-Law No.
1, Republican Chris Morales is running unopposed. The same goes for Republican Jeffrey A. McMeans in County Court-at-Law No. 2. In County Court-at-Law No. 3, Republican Tri-
cia Krenek faces Democrat Juli Mathew. The County Court-at-Law No. 4 race pits Democrat Toni Wallace against Republican Amy Mitchell. The County Court-at-Law No. 5 race has
Republican Harold Kennedy against Democrat Teana Watson. In the County Court-at-Law No. 6 contest, Democrat Sherman Hatton Jr. faces Republican Dean Hrbacek.
Judge, County Court at Law No. 3 Name: Juli Mathew Political party: Democrat Age: 42 City of residence: Sugar Land Education: Juris
Judge, County Court at Law No. 3 Name: Tricia Krenek Political party: Republican Age: 40 City of residence: Fulshear
Judge, County Court at Law No. 4 Name: Amy Mitchell Political party: Republican Age: 57 City of residence: Sugar Land
Judge, County Court at Law No. 4 Name: Toni Wallace Political party: Democrat Age: 42 City of residence: Rosenberg
Judge, County Court at Law No. 5 Name: Harold Kennedy Political party: Republican Age: 63 City of residence: Pleak
Judge, County Court at Law No. 5 Name: Teana Watson Political party: Democrat Age: 54 City of residence: Sugar Land
Judge, County Court at Law No. 6 Name: Dean Hrbacek Political Party: Republican Age: 59 City of residence: Sugar Land
Judge, County Court at Law No. 6 Name: Sherman Hatton Jr. Political party: Democrat Age: 40 City of residence: Richmond
SEE MATHEW, P. 11
SEE KRENEK, P. 16
SEE MITCHELL, P. 16
SEE WALLACE, P. 11
SEE KENNEDY, P. 12
SEE WATSON, P. 12
SEE HRBACEK, P. 12
SEE HATTON, P. 12