Galveston Co. judge enters guilty plea, resigns from bench

GALVESTON - A Galveston County judge mired in legal troubles has step down from the bench.

Galveston County Court-at-Law No. 3 Judge Christopher Dupuy resigned Sept. 19 from the position he ascended to by way of the November 2010 elections.

The move came as the 42-year-old Dupuy entered a guilty plea to two misdemeanors as a trade-off to probation.

He was accused of perjury and abuse of official capacity.

As part of the plea deal, he is barred from running for public office for two years.

Months prior to appearing before Harris County 177th Criminal District Court Judge Ryan Patrick while serving time in the Galveston County Jail for contempt, Dupuy was the focal point of allegations that he used the judgeship for personal gain, bullied attorneys, and plotted to kill his ex-wife and whisk their two children away with a woman who claimed to be his fiancée to New Zealand.

He was sued in June in an effort to be removed, and the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct suspended him without pay.

Attorney Kerri M. Foley of Friendswood succeeded Dupuy as judge.

Dupuy's resignation is effective at 5 p.m., Sept. 20.