Catching the Crook
Steven F. Hotze is a medical doctor in Houston who makes Ron Paul look liberal and sane. He’s the evangelical minister of medicine. He practices a kind of magic medicine where no actual science is involved. When the COVID epidemic started he announced it was no worse than the flu and if you’d come to his wellness clinic you won’t get it.
When people staring dying, he countered with the well known and highly understated fact that some people die of the flu. He sells books and lotions and cures and all manner of crazy. But he keeps his medical license. He is a major rightwing political activist, too.
He was totally convince that Democrats were stealing elections. So, he started his own investigation. First he hires a retired cop named Mark Aguirre to snoop around.
Aguirre becomes convinced that there’s a guy hauling off ballots in an air conditioning repairman van. So, in mid December of 2020, he purposefully rear ends the guy at 5:00 am one morning, pulls a gun on him, makes a citizens arrest, and then proceeds to search the back of his van where, tada!, he finds air conditioning repairman tools.
Hotze funded the operation through his group called Liberty Center for God and Country, paying Aguirre — a disgraced former police captain fired in 2003 — more than $266,000 for his efforts.
Aguirre had arranged for some of his friends to drive up and witness this moment of rightwing glory, when an HPD officer pulled over to see what was going on. The driver is fine and most of the city almost drank every bar in town down to the last drop with spectacular schadenfreude. Of course the guy is suing and criminal charges were filed against Aguirre. You can read about the whole horrifying event here.
Hotze’s attorneys long have claimed Hotze was unaware of the encounter between Aguirre and the repairman until he saw it on the news after the episode.
But then, something pretty cool happened earlier this week. It became known that —
Two days before a private investigator looking into a voter fraud conspiracy theory smashed into an air conditioning repairman’s truck and pulled a gun on him, far-right activist Steven Hotze called then-U.S. Attorney Ryan Patrick and told him about the plans to have “a wreck,” court documents show.
The US Attorney recorded the call. Hotze was asking for US Marshalls to help with the stop. Hotze then went into detail about the rear ending and the US Attorney said he had another call and hung up.
Last Friday, a Harris County Grand Jury indicted Hotze on charges of unlawful restraint and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Another damning piece of information? Hotze wrote the check for $266,000 two days after this incident. So, ya know, he had to know about the rear ending when he wrote the check, right? Hell, it was all over the news.
How does a guy like Hotze get a medical degree and then a license to practice medicine? Is it that easy to do so you can just mimic everything needed that you don’t believe in? Or was he sane back then and then went insane?
His politics and conspiracy antics are one thing, but it is sobering to think of the people and children who could be under the care of someone this deranged.
1Here’s hoping that the HVAC guy gets about $50,000 from Aguirre and $50 million from Hotze. Then to make up for their losses, I hope Aguirre and Hotze both get 5 to 10 years from the State of Texas.
2Mark Aguirre is the former HPD police captain who was fired after carrying out a raid at a Kmart to prevent street racing that ended up arresting 425 people, many of whom were merely customers at the Kmart and a nearby Sonic. All of the arrests were later dismissed, and the both Aguirre and the city were hit with numerous lawsuits.
3I find it most interesting that various GOPers are saying, long after the fact, that they knew something bad was going to happen. We’ve had to hear all their apology tours on TV and now Lt. Dan’s son is added to the list. Money changed hands when crimes were committed and now these people need to pay citizens for their crimes.
4This is too much fun!
5And people listen to him and go to him to treat their maladies. Another right wingnut cult leader. I couldn’t open the Houston Chronicle article so am wondering if the ex HPD captain got charged with a crime besides being sued. Hope both the “doc” and will x cop get all they have coming to them. Jail and judgements with at least 6 zeros behind a big number.
6Steve from Beaverton (and any others that are paywalled): the HC article is dated December 2020. It has
“The ex-lawman, Mark A. Aguirre, 63, faces a felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon ….”
But surely they can add on an auto theft charge:
“The repairman said as the man later identified as Aguirre held him at gunpoint, additional vehicles arrived at the scene. Aguirre ordered a second person to search the victim’s truck, court documents state. Other people then drove the truck to a different location.”
I remember the Kmart “street-racing” incident. I’m sure the folks of Houston and Harris County are still paying for the lawsuites from it. Since cops never have to pay for their own law-breaking, that is.
7I am not a district attorney, but I have seen an actor playing one on television.
How about adding charges of criminal conspiracy and racketeering for both Aguirre and Hotze?
8Mr Hotze, being a silly boy (requiring clean diapers) ……..
9And all his douchebag facist buddies that showed up. They didn’t just happen to be driving by. It was planned.
10Conspired about, if you will. My first thought was to be surprised they didn’t have any fake ballots to plant on the guy.
But that woulda been to much like intelligent conspiring.
And much less like the kinda delusional, fanatical, batshit crazy conspiring that apparently took place.
I’d bet money that the most damaging evidence against these wannabe Gestapo agents is video from their own phones on Facebook.