Brad Benson, a candidate for a municipal council in Texas, was arrested and charged with child pornography only hours before the election.
On November 6, police detained a candidate for Place #4 on the city council of Granbury, Texas, which is situated near Fort Worth. Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds confirmed at a press conference that the man had been detained by the DA’s office the day before and charged with two related felonies. A bail hearing was scheduled.
Local media reported that Benson was apprehended after detectives from the Hood County District Attorney’s Office’s Child Exploitation Unit conducted a search warrant at his home.
The DA’s office stated that the search uncovered the illegal pornography in his possession.
According to the report, the District Attorney’s Office said they received assistance from other agencies in carrying out this search warrant. However, they were unable to elaborate at the time due to the ongoing nature of the inquiry into this matter.
Benson, a deputy fire marshal and businessman who is also a Granbury Fire Department volunteer, was arrested last Monday morning, according to a Facebook post by the Hood County Republican Party.
In their original statement, the county Republican Party acknowledged that they had little details to work with but speculated that Benson’s arrest might be tied to a crime.
As further information regarding the allegations against Benson became public, the Republican Party of Hood County (RPHC) withdrew its endorsement of him, but his name could not be removed from the November 7 ballot.
An RPHC spokeswoman stated in a November 6 statement that Crimes of this degree rip at the heart of society, and they condemn them. Conservative principles, family values, and the welfare of children are at the heart of the Republican Party’s platform. These atrocities go against everything the Republican Party stands for.
As stated in the bail report, Benson was arrested at his Watersedge neighborhood home.
