GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas — UPDATE 7/3/24: Charges against a Harris County judge have been dismissed, according to court documents.
Judge Frank Aguilar had been charged with assault causing bodily injury to a family member, but in a motion filed on Wednesday, the Galveston District Attorney's Office said that while probable cause exists, there wasn't enough evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, so the case was dismissed.
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Below is original reporting from February 2024.
A Harris County district court judge has been suspended with pay after being accused of assaulting a woman on New Year's Eve at his Galveston home.
Frank Aguilar has been charged with assault of a family member causing bodily injury after authorities said he punched a woman in the face several times and stepped on her neck and chest, choking her with his foot.
What happened
According to court documents, Aguilar threw a party and was drinking alcohol with the victim as well as some people who rented a downstairs room at his Galveston house. The victim got into an argument with another woman at the party, and Aguilar got upset, according to court documents. She reportedly told investigators that he started cussing her out and followed her upstairs, where the assault happened.
Police said the victim had blood coming from her nose and red marks on her neck. They also discovered a welt on the back of her head.
When Aguilar was interviewed at the scene, he said he didn't know how the victim was injured, according to court documents.
Aguilar was arrested and taken to the Galveston County Jail.
In the weeks following, prosecutors with the Harris County District Attorney's Office have asked district court Judge Frank Aguilar to recuse himself in cases involving seven different defendants, according to the DA's Office.
The DA's Office said the cases requested all involve family violence. Aguilar reportedly refused to recuse himself in those cases, sending the issue to administrative Judge Susan Brown. It's unclear when Brown will decide on Aguilar's recusal.
According to records, Aguilar oversaw some high-profile cases in Harris County.