Fort Bend County chief deputy district clerk Haroon Mughal has been arrested in Texas and charged with alleged family-violence assault and interfering with an emergency request for assistance.
Mughal was detained after deputies were called to a home near FM 1464 and Old Richmond Road, close to the Black Hawk Country Club in Sugar Land, following a report that someone had entered the property before the emergency call was disconnected.
Court documents state that officers spoke to several family members who appeared frightened and said they were the only people inside. Deputies suspected another person was present and, after receiving permission to enter, found Mughal inside the house.
During the investigation, a family member told authorities that Mughal had struck her on the left arm with an open hand. She also said she had tried to give emergency services the address, but that Mughal ended the call.
The same woman allegedly told officers that Mughal had assaulted her before and “assaults her a lot”, according to the court documents. The claims have not been tested in court.
Mughal was taken to Fort Bend County Jail and his bond was set at $5,000.
He is listed by the Fort Bend County District Clerk’s Office as a chief deputy responsible for jury services, passports and outreach. The county says he has worked in the office for more than two decades.
Fort Bend County District Clerk Beverley McGrew Walker said all employees were treated equally under administrative policy and stressed that Mughal was presumed innocent unless found guilty by a jury.
“It is important that whatever process is undertaken in this case, that it be conducted with transparency and according to policy,” she said, adding that she would make no further comment to ensure fairness because her office administers the jury system.
