The city of Wilmer has a population of about 3,500 and covers 6.3 square miles in southern Dallas County, just south of the city of Dallas. This suburban community is not a place you would expect to find a registered sex offender running for political office. But that is exactly what is happening.
James Brian Sliter, 42, is running for the office of mayor of Wilmer. He says his friends talked him into running for public office. But Sliter is a registered sex offender who is currently serving out a 10-year probation.
Back in 2004, Sliter arranged to have sex with what he thought was a 15 year-old girl. But when he showed up to consummate the illegal act, he was arrested by police. He had been caught in an internet "sting" operation.
You may ask how a registered sex offender who is currently on probation could be running for office. If he had been convicted of the offense, he couldn't. But he accepted a deferred adjudication and agreed to the 10-year probation (and agreed to register as a sex offender).
The deferred adjudication does not count as a conviction -- but rather a deferral of his trial for the crime. That means he can run for mayor, even though he is a registered sex offender on probation. Technically, he has not been convicted of a crime.
He may not have been technically convicted, but I can't believe the residents of Wilmer want a registered sex offender serving as their mayor -- especially one who must report regularly to a probation officer!
The election is set for May 10th, and Sliter has two opponents, including current mayor Don Hudson. We'll have to keep an eye on this one.
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