House Transportation Committee Chairman Joe Pickett apparently threw Representative Jonathan Stickland out of his committee tonight over an allegation that Stickland had falsely signed up witnesses for a bill, according to Tim Eaton of the Austin American-Statesman.
Pickett, D-El Paso, ultimately had one of the House sergeants escort a fuming Stickland, R-Bedford, from the committee room in the Capitol.
Before leaving Stickland asked Pickett what he was trying to prove and also said he hoped Pickett would apologize for his actions.
Pickett said before removing his colleague that he held Stickland responsible for organizing a scheme in which people were listed as witnesses, yet were not in Austin. Pickett made a telephone call from his seat in the committee room and allowed people present in the hearing to listen to a supposed witness say he was not at the Capitol.
Stickland’s House Bill142 to ban red light cameras was left pending.
There’s more in Eaton’s story, so be sure to access it.
We’ll endeavor to find out more tomorrow. Depending on how it was done, if Stickland did indeed falsify witness sign-ins, that potentially could be the crime of tampering with a government document.
UPDATE: The Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Bud Kennedy has shared a video of the incident.
