Harris County judge suspended with pay after Galveston assault charge
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- Harris County Judge Frank Aguilar has been suspended with pay after his charge in Galveston for family violence.
In the order signed Wednesday evening, the State Commission on Judicial Conduct suspended Aguilar, citing the information section of the criminal complaint stemming from the Dec. 31, 2023 incident.
According to a redacted probable cause affidavit, Aguilar, who presides over the 228th District Court in Harris County, caused bodily injury to his girlfriend by striking her "in the face and head with a closed fist multiple times' and by putting his foot on her "head and chest area."
The incident happened at his home in Galveston at about 1:30 a.m. on New Year's Eve. The affidavit said alcohol was involved.
Since then, his girlfriend has denied the allegations to ABC13 and in an affidavit filed in Galveston County, as pointed out Thursday by Aguilar's defense attorney, Mark Diaz, who had no additional comment.
The commission's suspension order will be in effect, it states, until Aguilar's charge is dismissed or until he is acquitted.
The order comes after prosecutors requested Aguilar to recuse himself in seven family violence cases. He denied the motions and referred the requests to an administrative judge.
In a statement, Amanda Cain, the Communications Director for the Administrative Office of the District Courts said:
"In light of the decision by the Texas Commission of Judicial Conduct to suspend Judge Frank Aguilar from overseeing the 228th Criminal District Court, the Administrative Office of the Harris County State District Courts has been working diligently, along with the Eleventh Administrative Regional Judge Susan Brown, to ensure dockets and daily court operations remain uninterrupted. We have no comment regarding Judge Aguilar's suspension or pending legal matters."
In 2010, while a Harris County Magistrate, Aguilar was found not guilty of assaulting a previous girlfriend.
Currently, he is out of jail on a $1,500 bond.
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