Constable deputy accuses Lina Hidalgo of ‘disrespect’ at deputy's funeral

A Harris County Precinct 5 sergeant accused County Judge Lina Hidalgo of being disruptive at a funeral for a deputy earlier this week. Sgt. Roy Guinn in a video posted to YouTube by the Michael Berry Show said Hidalgo was standing in the wrong place during an outdoor procession and refused to move when he asked her. Guinn also said Hidalgo also disrupted the proceedings when she attempted to speak with Constable Ted Heap, Guinn’s boss. The edited video, which had been viewed more than 86,000 times by Friday evening, depicts a few moments before the service for Precinct 5 Corporal Charles Galloway began Tuesday. Guinn said Hidalgo’s actions were disrespectful to the slain deputy, who was killed Jan. 23 during a traffic stop.

“Rather than honoring his sacrifice, you chose to disgrace yourself by hijacking his services for your own purpose,” Guinn said in the video. Heap, a Republican, declined to comment. Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who also attended the funeral, said in a Twitter post Friday “this video is 100% accurate” and described Hidalgo’s behavior as “disgraceful.” Hidalgo spokesman Rafael Lemaitre said in a statement that the county judge would “not engage in the same type of smear campaigns and cruel political games” started by Patrick or others. “As this video so clearly shows, women — and particularly women of color — in workplaces across America are still living in a time where many still find it appropriate to tell them to ‘stay in their place,’ regardless of their duty or responsibilities,” Lemaitre said. “That’s just not something Judge Hidalgo has ever acquiesced to.” Former Houston Mayor Annise Parker came to Hidalgo’s defense. “As the highest ranking Harris County official at the funeral of a slain Harris County public safety officer, Judge Hidalgo is expected — by long standing protocol — to be at the front of the ceremony as the representative of the county he served,” she said on Twitter. Hidalgo frequently is at odds with the county’s constables, especially the Republicans, who have said they believe the Democratic majority on Commissioners Court has insufficiently funded law enforcement agencies.