Elections

Suspicious man outside Ken Paxton’s election watch party in Dallas identified

Police detained a man shortly before 6 p.m. on March 3 outside the Marriott Dallas Uptown, where U.S. Senate Republican candidate Ken Paxton’s election night watch party was scheduled to take place.
Police detained a man shortly before 6 p.m. on March 3 outside the Marriott Dallas Uptown, where U.S. Senate Republican candidate Ken Paxton’s election night watch party was scheduled to take place. rroyster@star-telegram.com

The man arrested outside a Dallas hotel where Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s election night watch party was being held was there to make a delivery to a hotel employee, Dallas police said in a statement.

The department identified the man as Eric Simon, 27, and confirmed he works for a delivery service. Dallas police said Simon would be booked into the Dallas City Marshal’s Office, but did not release details. The city Marshall’s Office handles Class C misdemeanor cases.

Dallas police were notified of a suspicious individual at 5:16 p.m. Tuesday, according to a statement from the department. The man left the area in a blue sedan that did not have license plates on it.

The man was pulled over by officers and arrested for traffic violations, police said. While inspecting the vehicle, officers found ammunition, according to Dallas police.

The man was taken to Jack Evans Police Headquarters for further investigation, after which investigators determined he was only making a delivery. He is accused of having a vehicle without a license plate and failure to identify himself.

The New York Times reported that hotel workers said the man wore a camouflage face mask, sunglasses, a hat and gloves as he stood outside the Marriott Dallas Uptown.

Paxton is headed to a runoff election with incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn after they were the top two vote getters in Tuesday’s Republican primary, but neither got more than 50% of the vote.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

This story was originally published March 3, 2026 at 7:08 PM.

Rachel Royster
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Rachel Royster is a news and government reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, specifically focused on Tarrant County. She joined the newsroom after interning at the Austin American-Statesman, the Waco Tribune-Herald and Capital Community News in DC. A Houston native and Baylor grad, Rachel enjoys traveling, reading and being outside. She welcomes any and all news tips to her email.
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