Caldwell County Judge Hoppy Haden today issued a statement following an announcement at the July 23 Commissioners Court regular meeting pertaining to pre-sale agreements involving individual landowners and a land acquisition company for potential data centers.
The county judge’s announcement included a statement by the judge that he and his neighbor, a former assistant attorney who represented the county on civil matters, had signed pre-sale agreements along with multiple other landowners to sell their personal land to a private company.
The assistant district attorney, Richard Sitton, is no longer employed by the county. Assistant district attorneys report to District Attorney Fred Weber.
Following the meeting, the county judge released the following statement:
A circulating report that Mr. Sitton was acting as my attorney on the transaction is false. I did not confer with any county staff prior to signing this pre-sale agreement, nor did I seek counsel from Mr. Sitton.
On July 21, Mr. Sitton and I each signed a pre-sales agreement as individual property owners with a land acquisition company for potential data centers. The following day, on July 22, I filed my affidavit of disclosure at the Caldwell County Clerk’s Office pursuant to Texas Local Government Code 171. I resubmitted it on July 23 after forgetting to fill in one blank on the affidavit.
I legally fulfilled what is required of elected officials by filing the disclosure immediately after signing the pre-sale agreement. I will abstain from any future discussions, votes or debates regarding any future development on this land or the company that is offering to purchasethe land.
Mr. Weber learned of the pre-sale agreement on Tuesday afternoon when Mr. Sitton informed his boss that the sale of his land was a possibility and that he would be unable to represent the county on any future civil matters related to that land. He said he would train another assistant DA to handle that task. Mr. Sitton was terminated the next day.
The pre-sale agreement is a preliminary step in a potential land sale. It gives the developer a chance to do their due diligence to make sure the land they want to buy is viable for their project. It also gives a private seller a chance to deny the sale at any point in the process.
Caldwell County has never had any conversations in any capacity with the company that entered into a pre-sale agreement with Mr. Sitton and myself.
There will be items on the agenda for the Aug. 13 regular meeting to discuss the future of my office and filling the vacancy in the assistant district attorney’s office. I have no plans to resign.
Gov. Greg Abbott on July 14 issued a disaster declaration for 59 Texas counties as severe storms continue to threaten the state, including Caldwell County.
Declarations of disaster are issued to unlock emergency funding, activate mutual aid, and grant local leaders special legal powers to manage threats. Without an official declaration, a local government cannot easily access higher-level resources.
According to the National Weather Service, heavy rainfall across Southwest, Central, and Southeast Texas is forecast through the end of the week, leading to increased risks of flash flooding. Multiple rounds of rainfall over the same communities as a result of this weather pattern are expected to cause dangerous conditions across these areas. Texans are encouraged to continue monitoring local weather forecast information and have emergency supplies readily available.
Highlights of discussions and action taken by commissioners at the regular July 9 regular meeting include:
- Voting to leave the burn ban off at the recommendation of Caldwell County’s Office of Emergency Management. The average for Caldwell County still remainsmore than 200 points below the threshold the metric for drought conditions. Residents are reminded to burn only natural brush.
- Approving the adopted 2027 Caldwell County Appraisal District Budget.
- Appointed local pecan growerTroy Swift to the South Central Texas Water Advisory Committee to succeed Tom Goynes as Caldwell County’s representative.
- Commissioners heard from representatives of a pair of proposed subdivision developments in the county. One proposed development – Trailview Heights – would consist of 1,326 lots on about 366 acres along State Park Road near its intersection with Westwood Road and Black Ankle Road. The other, tentatively named Orinda, would include 273 lots on about 111 acres on Young Lane.
Caldwell County is alerting residents and local businesses to phishing attempts involving fraudulent emails and invoices targeting active planning and permit applicants, informing them of application status and requesting fee payments.
These scam messages may appear to originate from a Caldwell County official or a county department, but they are not legitimate.
No Caldwell County office or department will ever request payment by wire transfer, nor will they ask you to reply to an email to receive payment instructions. These are attempts by bad actors to gain access to sensitive financial information. Official fees are collected only in person or through approved county payment platforms.
Please check the sender's email address. All official County email addresses end in "@co.caldwell.tx.us." Any message sent from a different domain should be treated as suspicious. Fraudulent emails may include documents displaying the County seal or formatting designed to appear official in an attempt to mislead recipients.
If you send an email informing you of the status of an application that requests payment:
Residents and businesses are strongly encouraged to verify the legitimacy of any payment request by contacting the department directly using verified contact information from the county’s official website. Do not rely on phone numbers or email addresses provided in suspicious communications.
When in doubt, individuals may visit the appropriate county department during regular business hours to confirm whether a billing request is valid.
Caldwell County Administrative offices are currently closed in observance of Independence Day. Offices will reopen Monday, July 6.