Former Goodrich Mayor Pleads Guilty to Tampering, LIVINGSTON, November 27, 2017 - Former Goodrich mayor Jeremy Wayne Harper pled guilty today in the 411th District Court of Polk County to the State Jail Felony offense of Tampering with a Government Record. Harper was sentenced by Judge Tom Brown to serve two years in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice state jail facility however Harper’s sentence was suspended for a period of five years and Harper was placed on community supervision. Harper was also assessed a $2000 fine and required to perform 120 hours community service. According to Polk County Criminal District Attorney Lee Hon, the charge against Harper stemmed from a sworn representation that Harper made on his 2015 application for a place on the Goodrich Mayoral election ballot where Harper swore under oath that he had never before been convicted of a felony offense. During a 2016 investigation by the Polk County Sheriff’s Department into a claim that Harper was using electricity from the Goodrich City Hall in conjunction with the construction of his own private residence, it was discovered that Harper had previously been convicted of felony Issuance of a Worthless Check in 1994 in Rapides Parish, Louisiana and felony Theft of Greater than $500 in value in 1997 in Natchitoches, Louisiana. According to Hon, a subsequent investigation in December of last year also revealed that Harper had obtained City of Goodrich water and sewage services at his personal residence without paying a required installation fee. The Sheriff’s Department investigation also led to an allegation that Harper, in his official capacity as mayor, had caused road materials belonging to the City of Goodrich to be delivered to a private driveway. “The takeaway from the this unfortunate situation involving former mayor Harper, is that we expect public servants to be transparent and accountable in their actions. The public has a right to expect honesty and integrity on the part of their elected officials. The citizens of Goodrich are certainly entitled to that,” Hon stated.
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