MCKINNEY, Texas — The above video initially aired on March 31, 2022.
A GOP State House of Representatives candidate has turned himself in after being indicted by a grand jury on charges of impersonating a public servant, a third-degree felony.
The candidate, Fred Frazier, is accused of impersonating a code enforcement officer to get rid of his primary opponent's campaign signs while in the throes of a tight primary runoff in February.
Frazier is a former McKinney council member and had until Friday been an active member of the Dallas Police Department assigned to the Marshal Fugitive Task Force. Sources with the Dallas Police Department confirmed to WFAA that Frazier has been placed on administrative leave in the wake of his turning himself in.
Frazier -- with the public support of former President Donald Trump, Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and state House Speaker Dade Phelan -- won his Republican primary runoff in May, defeating Paul Chabot with 64 percent of the vote.
His attorney, Robert Rogers, released a statement denying the charges against his client.
"Fred Frazier has been a dedicated public servant for 27 years," Rogers wrote.
"As a police officer, he has arrested hundreds and hundreds of violent felons. This accusation that a public servant impersonated another public servant with less power and responsibilities defies logic and will not hold up in court."
Frazier's campaign also responded with a quote:
"Last month, Paul Chabot lost the primary runoff by a margin of 27 points. It was the fifth time he has lost an election. Now, Chabot is trying to overturn the results of that election by bringing trumped-up complaints to law enforcement and testifying before a grand jury. Frederick Frazier is looking forward to having the opportunity to defend himself in court, where we are confident that jurors will see through Chabot's lies in the same way that voters have five times before."
An investigation into Frazier was first launched by the Texas Rangers after Chabot filed a police report in McKinney following the theft of some of his campaign signs.
Chabot told WFAA at the time that he was surprised to receive a call from a manager of a Walmart located off of Virginia Parkway in McKinney.
The store manager, per Chabot, said that someone had been in the store and, after identifying themselves as a code compliance officer with the City of McKinney, asked that Walmart call Chabot's camp to remove Chabot's campaign signs near the business because they were supposedly out of compliance.
Chabot told WFAA he believed his signs were in compliance, and that he went to McKinney City Hall to confirm as much with the city manager upon hearing the complaint.
"The city manager told me that no code compliance officer was ever sent to the Walmart, and said my signs were fine," Chabot said.
Two days later, Chabot said a four-foot-by-eight-foot campaign sign of his was stolen at the Walmart, at which point he proceeded to file a police report about the theft and the alleged code compliance officer.
House District 61 was previously known as House District 70. It makes up a large part of Collin County, including parts of McKinney and Frisco.
Frazier faces Democrat Sheena King in the upcoming November election.