Shaneka Smith, Chief of Staff of KP George, arrested for drunk driving

Shaneka Smith, chief of staff for Fort Bend County Judge KP George, was arrested Tuesday night on a drunken driving charge, court records show. Smith has been George’s chief of staff since late 2022.

Smith was arrested around midnight in Harris County. Documents show her breath had an alcohol content of at least .15, nearly twice the legal limit of .08. She was released on $100 bail.

Smith could not immediately be reached for comment.

In a statement, George said he took the situation “very seriously.”

“The safety and trust of our community is our highest priority and we will continue to uphold the standards of integrity and accountability that our citizens expect of us,” he said.

Smith will make his first court appearance on Wednesday, July 3.

Smith’s arrest is the latest of several high-ranking regional politicians to be arrested recently. Kelli Johnson, a district judge in Harris County, was arrested on Tuesday for drunken driving.

Johnson’s representatives were not immediately available for comment. However, her attorney Christopher Tritico told Houston Public Media on Wednesday that she was not drunk, but had a “brief medical seizure.” According to Tritico, she voluntarily submitted to a breath test, which returned a result of 0.0.

Her court date is scheduled for July 2.

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