Iowa Colony mayoral candidate arrested for assault says victim is exaggerating

BRAZORIA COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- A mayoral candidate in Iowa Colony is now facing assault charges.

The incident happened on Wednesday, outside the Sterling Lakes Clubhouse in Iowa Colony, a city in Brazoria County near Manvel.

The victim told ABC13 he was shoved by the mayoral candidate over a dispute about petition signatures he was getting to oust him as president of their property owners' association.

The heated exchange was caught on camera.

A neighbor's video shows moments after the alleged assault took place between mayoral candidate Douglas Chumley and the victim outside the clubhouse.

"He came up here to be confrontational. He came out here specifically to target our neighbor," neighbor Andrea Jackson said.

Jackson, who has lived in the area for several years, told ABC13 that the issues with Chumley aren't new.

"Part of why the petition is being circulated now as opposed to November or January -- we tried to work through the mechanism of the POA board, but some recent behavior was displayed in some recent meetings," Iowa Colony Councilmember Timothy Varlack said.

The petition the victim was confronted over is a gathering of signatures asking Chumley to be removed as the president of the property owners' association.

On Thursday afternoon, he confirmed to ABC13 that he had been released from jail. Chumley says the man accusing him of assault asked him to come to the clubhouse on Wednesday to talk to him because he was over his accused "ego and stupidity."

Chumley says he did not hurt the man and feels he is exaggerating the situation.

Chumley tells Eyewitness News he looks forward to his day in court.

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