RESIGNATION FOLLOWING ARREST, CITES HEALTH REASONS

Late Monday afternoon, Jasper County Pct. 6 constable Fred Peters
tendered his resignation from office to Jasper County officials.

Peters signed the resignation, which is effective Aug. 1, in the
Hardin County Jail and was witnessed Jasper County Sheriff's
Investigator Larry Folmar.

Folmar presented the resignation letter to Jasper County
commissioners. The letter stated that Peters was resigned for "health reasons."

Peters' resignation comes on the heels of a petition being filed in
the District Court calling for Peters removal from office.

The petition contained 80 signatures from Pct. 6 residents who
requested Peters' removal from office for the following reasons:

- -- Neglect of duty - No home telephone or any contact with Jasper
County Sheriff's office for several months

- -- Arrested Feb. 1, 2006 for theft by check

- -- Arrested June 27, 2006 for public intoxication

- -- Arrested July 5, 2006 for delivery of drugs on and off the job

According to District Judge Joe Bob Golden, the petition was
forwarded to Administering Judge Olen Underwood in Conroe, for him to
make a decision on the matter.

Underwood will preside over a hearing on the petition Friday at 10:30
a.m. in the District courtroom. County officials appointed District
Attorney Ted Walker to argue the case for the county on the petition.

Jasper County Sheriff Ronnie McBride has supporting the effort to
have Peters removed from his constable's post.

"This is a disgrace to law enforcement," McBride said. "For what
(Peters) has done, he needs to be prosecuted just like anybody else.

"We have a heck of a drug problem in Jasper County and here we have
one of our officers involved in it," McBride said.

Peters' arrests in 2006 are not his first brush with being on the
wrong side of law enforcement.

According to the Jasper County Sheriff's Department, Peters was
convicted in December 1983 of delivery of marijuana in Hardin County.

According to the Hardin County district clerk's office, the charge
was reduced to possession, a Class A misdemeanor.

In light of Peters' resignation, the now vacant post will be placed
on the November ballot. Democrat and Republican parties will have
until Aug. 29 to nominate candidates to run for the final two years
of Peters' term.

Independent candidates have until Aug. 25 to present their intention
to seek the office to County Judge Joe Folk.