A Texas State Representative celebrated his re-election while still being incarcerated.
Democrat Ron Reynolds of Missouri City, Texas ran unopposed for re-election to District 27’s seat in the State Congress. Reynolds has held the seat since 2010.
According to a tweet by OccupyMedia, Reynolds and his fellow prisoners in Pod 2 of the Montgomery County Jail already had an impromptu victory celebration when the news came through.
"A re-election celebration is underway in Pod 2 of the Montgomery County Jail after inmate number 232573 claimed victory in Texas House District 27. That inmate is known as Rep. Ron Reynolds, D-Missouri City, to the people on the outside." https://t.co/cIflaNJOY1
— Occupy the Media (@OccupytheMediaX) November 7, 2018
Ambulance-Chasing
Reynolds might miss half his next term, though. He is currently serving a one-year sentence for five misdemeanor charges for improperly soliciting cases for his law firm, WFLA reported.
Reynolds was convicted in 2015 for hiring someone to do what used to be called “ambulance-chasing”—showing up at accident sites to solicit clients before they had time to think about their situation or their options.
Reynolds remained out of jail during his appeals process, and was booked on Sept. 7 to serve a one-year sentence—but because he committed only misdemeanor offenses, Reynolds was not required to resign his seat in the Texas Congress.
Reynolds will still be in jail when the 86th legislative session commences in January 2019. If he serves his full term, he may miss the entire year.
Time Off for Good Behavior
Montgomery County District Attorney Joel Daniels, the main prosecutor on Reynolds’ cases, said the Congressman could get out early if he maintains his record of good behavior.
“The sheriff can have him serve day-for-day, he can give him credit for two days for every day that he serves or three days,” said DA Daniels, according to The Epoch Times.
“It’s really just on the discretion of the sheriff and it depends on Mr. Reynolds’s behavior.”
Reynolds’s law license was suspended on May 2, 2016. The four-term state congressman could possibly be back in court—as an officer of the court—and back in the State House for the second half of his current term.
A Good Career Until …
According to his biography on the Texas House of Representatives website, Reynolds graduated magna cum laude from Texas Southern University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Affairs. He also served as an Adjunct Professor at that school’s College of Public Affairs.
Reynolds went on to earn a Doctorate of Jurisprudence from Texas Tech University School of Law.
A self-described “devout Christian,” Reynolds is a member of The Church Without Walls. He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree from the Pendleton Chapel Seminary School.
He is a former President of the both the NAACP Missouri City & Ft. Bend Vicinity Branch and of the Houston Lawyer’s Association.
Reynolds also served as an Associate Municipal Judge for The City of Houston.
When actively legislating, Representative Reynolds sits on the Elections and Environmental Regulation committees.
