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Carla Wyatt, Harris County treasurer, right, is shown as her attorney Christopher Downey speaks to the media after a court appearance on her misdemeanor burglary charge in Houston Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. She is accused of breaking into another person\u2019s vehicle with intent to commit theft.<\/p>\n
Melissa Phillip\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Harris County Treasurer Carla Wyatt was cited Sept. 18 after she caused a four-vehicle crash on Interstate 45, according to a Texas Department of Transportation crash report.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The incident marks Wyatt\u2019s fourth run-in with the law since she took office at the start of 2023. The embattled Democrat was twice arrested for drunken driving, and in December was charged with burglary of a vehicle, though a grand jury later declined to indict her on that charge.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Commissioners are actively seeking to abolish Wyatt\u2019s position<\/a>, which critics consider antiquated, and voted earlier this year to strip her office of a key oversight role after an attempted fraud went undetected<\/a>. One state lawmaker said commissioners\u00a0 may get their wish if voters reelect Wyatt in November.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cThis will come down to what happens in the election,\u201d said state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston. \u201cIf she stays in the job, it will be effectively a signal for removal.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Wyatt\u2019s office did not respond to a request for comment Monday. In a Sept. 25 screening with the Houston Chronicle editorial board, Wyatt said her legal troubles have no impact on her professional ability.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cCar accidents happen every day,\u201d Wyatt said. \u201cAs far as my personal life is concerned, it has nothing to do with my ability to do my job.\u201d<\/p>\n PREVIOUS: Harris County Treasurer Carla Wyatt requests six-figure raise months after DWI charge<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n After the I-45 wreck, Houston Police Department officers cited Wyatt for failing to control her speed, but officers found no indication she was intoxicated, according to the report. Footage of the incident first shared by\u00a0KPRC 2 showed a Black Nissan Xterra aggressively changing lanes before rear ending another vehicle.\u00a0<\/p>\n A diagram of the crash included in the crash\u00a0report alleged Wyatt rear ended two additional vehicles before coming to a stop. No one was badly injured in the crash, according to the report.\u00a0<\/p>\n Wyatt was first charged with driving while intoxicated in December 2023. That charge was later dismissed after she completed a pretrial diversion program, despite twice violating the conditions of her bond<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Wyatt was charged again with drunken driving in May after she was found asleep at the wheel in Galveston County. That case is pending.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Efforts to abolish position ongoing<\/p>\n The crash happened just weeks after Wyatt submitted a salary grievance to a panel of residents convened to review elected official pay, asking that her salary be increased from roughly $130,000 to $305,000. During a hearing on the request in late August, county officials pointed to their ongoing efforts lobbying the Texas Legislature to abolish her position.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cThis is about the position. It’s not about the person,\u201d said Francis Nugent, deputy director of Intergovernmental and Global Affairs. \u201cThis is consistent with what a lot of other, particularly large, counties in the state have done. Tarrant County, Bexar County, Collin County, El Paso County have all amended the constitution to eliminate their treasurer’s office.\u201d<\/p>\n Abolishing the office would require two-thirds approval of both the Texas House and Senate, which would then allow the issue to appear before voters on the November 2027 ballot, Nugent said. A majority of voters statewide and in Harris County would need to approve the measure for the position to be abolished.\u00a0<\/p>\n