Texas Republican Charged With offering Favors For Sex in Child Custody Case

David Shirell Whitmire Booking photo / KPRC 2 video

Texas Republican County Commissioner David Shirell Whitmire, who holds the highest position in Liberty County, has been arrested and charged with trying to obtain sex from a child's mother who was desperate for help in a child custody case.

He allegedly told a mother that he would ensure she kept custody of her child if she had sex with him.

The Liberty County commissioner is now facing serious criminal charges, accused of using his public office to solicit sex and exploit a woman desperate for help with a child custody case, according to newly obtained court documents.

Precinct 3 Commissioner David Shirell Whitmire, who drew attention earlier this year for mocking animal advocates, was indicted by a Liberty County grand jury on three counts: sexual assault, official oppression, and solicitation of prostitution, according to court documents obtained by KPRC 2.

This as the Texas Republican led Senate advances a bathroom bill targeting transgender people claiming without a shred of evidence that it will somehow protect women and children in public places.

Texas Senate Advances Bathroom Bill Targeting Trans People

Protesters rally in favor of transgender rights at the Texas Capitol, on July 21, 2017. Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune

Texas Senate Republicans advanced a bill Wednesday banning transgender people from single sex multiple occupancy spaces in emergency shelters, county hospitals, libraries, and restrooms in state and city county-owned buildings.

Senate bill SB 240, inexplicitly dubbed the "Texas Women's Privacy Act", closely resembles the state's first attempt to pass a bathroom bill in 2017, which was opposed by mayors, police chiefs, and teachers' unions.

The difference between then and now has nothing to do with transgender people and everything to do with the radicalization of the legislative branch and the resulting animus the Texas GOP has towards the transgender community.

When State Sen. Nathan Johnson (D-Dallas) questioned the bill's author, State Sen Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston) about the need for the bill Middleton could not provide an answer.

"Do you have any evidence that men are committing crimes in women's restrooms?" Johnson asked Middleton.

Middleton retorted, "We know it's fundamentally not right to have a man go into a woman's restroom."

"That's not my question. You've said it a bunch of times. My question is, do you have any data?" Johnson asked.

Middleton did not.

SB240 is insidious legislation that makes no mention of transgender people, ergo the phrasing of Sen. Nathan Johnson's question.

@cbsaustin

Revived 'bathroom bill' and several other anti-trans bills await debate at Texas Capitol

♬ original sound - CBS Austin

The Senate bill only needs one more vote, then it will be sent to the House, that has an identical bill HB 239, with nearly every republican representative as a co-signer.