A Tarrant County constable allegedly witnessed an executive from Lockheed Martin stealing a campaign sign on Saturday.
Constable Scott Bedford, who is campaigning for re-election as constable of Precinct 4, said he was poll greeting on February 24 at the White Settlement Library when he saw an individual walk over and take a campaign sign out of the ground.
“I see a blue SUV parked over here in the corner of the lot where all the signs were, and I see a guy get out and grab this sign, and on the sign, it stated, ‘Voted to impeach Ken Paxton,’ and had an arrow pointed [at the ‘Goldman for Congress’ sign],” Bedford explained to The Dallas Express.
Texas Rep. Craig Goldman (R-Fort Worth), who has served District 97 since winning election in 2012, voted in favor of the House bill to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton. Goldman is running to replace U.S. Rep Kay Granger (R-TX), who is retiring.
“The only reason that sign got my attention is because when I first read it, I thought it said, ‘Vote to impeach Ken Paxton,’” recalled Bedford.
Bedford was able to obtain photos of the suspect’s car as it drove away.
The constable confirmed that he spoke with Aaron James, a Republican precinct chair who placed the signs at the polling site that day and said that the signs were marked properly. James told DX that he and others have helped place the signs as “a reminder to anyone that witnessed the sham impeachment over the summer.”
“I was talking with my fellow poll greeter when Scott Bedford made us aware that someone had just made off with the sign. He asked if we wanted to notify the police, which we did. They came out and took our statements,” said James.
A theft charge was filed with the White Settlement Police Department. Bedford told The Dallas Express that he did not report the crime himself since he is currently running for re-election but did provide a witness statement to the police.
“I found out later that the guy was Eric Fox,” explained Bedford. “Somebody showed me a picture of Eric Fox, and I go, ‘That was the dude that was driving the car.’”
Federal Election Commission records show that Eric Fox donated $3,300 to Goldman’s campaign for the U.S. House on November 16, 2023. Goldman is running in Texas’ 12th Congressional District against candidates John O’Shea, Clint Dorris, Shellie Gardner, and Anne Henley.
Fox’s LinkedIn profile shows he is currently a director for Lockheed Martin, a global security and defense technology corporation.
Several social media influencers circulated the story on X. Journalist Merissa Hansen posted, “According to a report, a Constable witnessed the theft of the sign at a Polling location, and the thief turned out to be Eric Fox, head of government relations at Lockheed. A police report was filed.”
Veteran broadcaster and political analyst Chris Salcedo posted, “Has [Craig Goldman] condemned this theft and suppression of free speech?”
O’Shea, who is running against Goldman, told DX, “I do think it was a stupid thing to do,” referring to Fox’s alleged actions.
Neither Fox nor Goldman responded to The Dallas Express’ request for comment.
Tarrant County formed an election integrity task force in 2023. Dallas County has not as of 2024.