After no contest plea, a Texas representative’s charges for impersonating a public servant are dismissed

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A Collin County district court dismissed charges against state Rep. Frederick Frazier on Friday after the McKinney Republican pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor charges of impersonating a public servant. The court also granted an early release from community supervision, which resulted in the dismissal as part of Frazier’s deferred adjudication.

In December, Frazier pleaded no contest to the two criminal charges, part of a plea agreement stemming from allegations he targeted his primary runoff opponent’s campaign signs over a year ago. Frazier accepted a year of probation and a maximum $4,000 fine for each offense.

Earlier this month, Frazier’s lawyer filed an application for early release and dismissal of charges. On Friday, Judge Jim Pruitt granted that request, a little over four months after Frazier entered the no contest plea. The order comes one month before Frazier’s primary runoff election against Keresa Richardson for a Republican-friendly seat in northern Collin County outside Dallas.

In December, while accepting Frazier’s no contest plea, Pruitt wrote, “Court finds that the evidence and Defendant’s plea substantiates the Defendant’s guilt of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt as charged in the indictment.”

He has separately pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of criminal mischief.

Frazier was indicted in June 2022, in which he was accused of impersonating a McKinney city code enforcement employee on two occasions instructing people to “remove campaign signage.”

The campaign signs belonged to his opponent in the 2022 Republican primary for House District 61, Paul Chabot. In his first run for the House, Frazier had the backing of former President Donald Trump. Chabot lost that race.

Chabot told The Texas Tribune that the judge’s order on Friday took him by surprise. He had intended to provide a victim impact statement at the end of the year, when Frazier was scheduled to complete his community supervision.

On Friday, Frazier announced on social media that the judge had dismissed his case. He said his legal troubles had given him appreciation for Trump, who is facing four criminal cases in which he is accused of election interference, mishandling classified documents and falsifying business records.

“I cannot compare my situation to Donald Trump’s, who has been hounded by radical Democrats with little or no proof,” Frazier said. “It gave me a small taste of what President Trump faces now.”

Frazier’s campaign did not return a request for comment as of Friday evening.

Frazier represents House District 61, a Republican-friendly seat in northern Collin County outside Dallas.

Gov. Greg Abbott backed Frazier during his reelection campaign as part of a blanket endorsement of dozens of House Republicans who sided with Abbott in favor of school vouchers.

Frazier is among the dozens of House Republicans that Attorney General Ken Paxton tried to defeat after the House impeached him on abuse-of-office allegations in May. The Senate acquitted Paxton in September.

Richardson, his opponent in the May 28 runoff, said his legal problems weren’t the reason she entered the race, but rather it was his performance in the Texas House that pushed her to challenge Frazier. Richardson won 40% of the votes; Frazier won 32% of the votes.

“We’ll let the people decide who they would rather have in the House,” Richardson told The Texas Tribune on Friday. “It’s up to the constituents.”

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