Christopher Dupuy was in charge of a family law court in Galveston County. He pleaded guilty on Thursday to misdemeanor perjury and abuse of office in a deal that ended a court fight that landed him in jail for contempt and earned him a May suspension by a judicial ethics panel after his arrest.
State District Judge Ryan Patrick of Houston, who had cited Dupuy for contempt on Aug. 28 for violating a gag order, sentenced Dupuy to 10 days of time served for perjury and 20 days of time served on the abuse count.
Dupuy must remain jailed until Sunday and serve two years of probation. He cannot run for office during that time, but the convictions will be dropped from his record if he satisfies the terms of his probation.
"You brought an incredible dishonor to yourself, your name and this profession," Patrick said as Dupuy stood before him in green jail clothing and sandals. "Anybody who reads or knows about this case makes our job as judges harder because of what you did."
Dupuy was indicted in May on eight counts accusing him of retaliating against his ex-wife's attorney in a divorce case. That was after an attorney filed a lawsuit to remove him from office, accusing Dupuy of retaliating against attorneys and threatening the district clerk while trying to interfere in his own divorce case.
Last month, Patrick had dismissed all counts against Dupuy except for two felony aggravated perjury counts and two misdemeanor counts of abuse of official capacity.
Dupuy hesitated during his Thursday plea hearing before admitting his guilt.
"You put yourself in this position," Patrick said. "You just added one more reason we've all become the butt of jokes, particularly here in Galveston."
However, Dupuy's defense attorney urged compassion for his client.
"Dupuy is not a monster. He's just a guy who lost his temper," said Adam Brown.
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