KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — A now-former Kaufman County Precinct 2 Constable's Office deputy was arrested and charged with public intoxication for allegedly attempting to urinate in a stranger's home while intoxicated, according to police.
KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — A now-former Kaufman County Precinct 2 Constable's Office deputy was arrested and charged with public intoxication for allegedly attempting to urinate in a stranger's home while intoxicated, according to police.
The incident occurred in front of the stranger's child, according to a police report obtained by inForney.com.
On Saturday, December 9, 2023, the Rains County Sheriff's Office responded to a residence in the 1000 block of Rains County Road 1495 in the Emory, Texas, area for an individual who had "unlawfully entered a private residence without effective consent," states the report.
There, the responding Rains County Sheriff's Office deputy observed the homeowner restraining an individual on the front porch who was partially clothed — wearing only a top and underwear, no pants.
According to the homeowner, he and his wife were in a back room watching TV around 11: 15 p.m. when one of their children advised them that an unknown male was inside their residence.
"The homeowner located the unknown male individual in his kitchen and described him to be a white male with no pants, attempting to urinate on the kitchen wall," continued the report. "The homeowner quickly grabbed the male individual, dragged him outside to the front porch, and held him down until law enforcement arrived on scene."
28-year-old Austin Barber, who was employed at the time by Kaufman County Precinct 2 Constable's Office and is the son of Precinct 3 Commissioner Terry Barber, was placed under arrest and charged with public intoxication.
"At approximately 2330 hours, Mr. Barber was placed into custody for public intoxication at the discretion of the homeowners, who decided not to file charges for criminal trespass or other appropriate criminal charges," continued the report.
According to the responding deputy, Barber had a strong smell of alcohol, appeared to be confused, slurred his speech, and did not know where he was or how he got there at the time of the incident.
Barber was later booked into the Rains County Jail on the charge.
Texas Commission on Law Enforcement records, obtained by inForney.com last week, indicate Barber's service end date with the Kaufman County Precinct 2 Constable's Office was January 2, 2024.
Kaufman County Precinct 2 Constable Jason Johnson says, upon being notified of the arrest, requested assistance from the Kaufman County Sheriff's Office to provide an independent and impartial internal affairs investigation of the arrest — separate from the criminal investigation in Rains County.
As soon as the investigation concluded, and per departmental and Kaufman County procedures, Johnson says Barber was terminated with a dishonorable discharge.
"We hold our law enforcement personnel to the highest standard, we are not above the law," Johnson told inForney.com. "We will maintain that professionalism as long as I'm in office."
According to TCOLE, Barber previously worked as a jailer in Van Zandt County for about a month in late 2016, became a jailer in Kaufman County for approximately 5 years and 8 months, and was a peace officer with the Kaufman County Sheriff's Office for nearly 4 years before joining the Precinct 2 Constable's Office on August 25, 2022.
Additional charges may be pending in the case, law enforcement sources tell inForney.com.