Fort Worth suburb swears in council member with credit fraud, drug possession record
After Danielle Tucker was appointed to a vacant council seat Monday night, Watauga officials received an inquiry questioning her eligibility to hold office.
Tucker was charged and pleaded guilty to credit/debit card abuse in 2003, and she was sentenced to two years probation, according to Tarrant County court records. The case was closed in 2006 after a deferred adjudication probation term.
In 2018, Tucker was convicted of a misdemeanor offense of marijuana possession under two ounces, sentenced to 15 days in jail and fined $277.
Tucker was sworn in Thursday afternoon to the Watauga City Council Place 1.
Tucker hung up on a Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporter when she was questioned about her city council appointment and criminal cases.
When asked about Tucker’s appointment, Mayor Arthur Miner said, “Our city attorney has instructed all of us (council members) not to comment on this.”
City attorney George Hyde said in an interview that “The city doesn’t have any legal authority to disqualify her (Tucker) from serving on the city council. The city secretary does not have fact-finding authority.”
Hyde said Tucker meets the city charter’s requirements to hold office.
Watauga’s charter says that “a person wishing to serve on the city council shall have not been finally convicted of a felony offense or a misdemeanor offense involving moral turpitude from which the person had not been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disability. For purposes of this Home Rule Charter, a crime of moral turpitude shall mean a criminal offense involving fraud, deceit, dishonesty or a criminal offense that is inherently immoral.”
Tucker was appointed to replace Scott Prescher, who resigned in April after stating he could no longer work with the current council members.
Prescher and Tucker were also opponents in the Place 1 council race with the election originally scheduled for May 2 which was moved to November because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The city defended the appointment of Tucker to the council.
“It was the citizens of the City of Watauga who determined the qualifications for the Office of Councilmember through the voter adopted City Charter. The alleged criminal record of the person appointed does not disqualify that person from serving as a City Councilmember,” the city mentioned in a press release.
The statement indicates that the action by the city council was to fill the vacancy in Place 1 that was vacant as a result of the combination of COVID-19 delaying the election and the resignation of a councilmember.
“The person appointed was the only remaining eligible candidate and is not disqualified from serving in the office of City Councilmember”, the press release said.