Campaign for Congressional candidate Mike Siegel disputes account of worker's arrest

A campaign staffer for Mike Siegel, the Democrat challenging Republican U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul was arrested Wednesday while delivering a letter to the Waller County Courthouse, the Waller County Sheriff 's Department confirmed Thursday.

Jacob Aronowitz, a field director with the campaign institution.

The university does not have a single address for the students, and it is recommended that the university address 100 or 700 University Drive, when registering to vote – but these addresses are in different precincts , the Houston Chronicle reported. The 700 University Drive addresses a different precinct than the campus, and Waller County Elections Administrator Christy Eason said Tuesday – the last day to register -address forms before the election.

Aronowitz was at the county courthouse Eason's announcement. According to a speech spokesperson, Aronowitz took a picture of the letter that was included in the letter. In an interview with The Texas Tribune, Waller County Sheriff Captain Manny Zamora said the clerk was "disturbed" and called courthouse security.

"He had been told to leave him, and he said," That's what we were responding to, "Zamora said.

He said Aronowitz was arrested with failure to identify, a Class C misdemeanor. Under the Penal Code, a person may be unable to identify if he "intentionally refuses to give his name, residence address, or date of birth to a peace officer. is a fine of up to $ 500.

But the Siegel campaign and Aronowitz's lawyer, Sylvia Cedillo, said he did identify himself.

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Aronowitz was detained, arrested and interviewed by Sheriff's Department, Zamora said. Cedillo said she was told that Aronowitz was being held on a "48-hour investigative hold" but that it was released two hours later. Cedillo said Aronowitz's short date is Nov. 8. Aronowitz declined to be interviewed.

Siegel said he overheard a police officer ask Aronowitz what is his party affiliated with. He called the encounter "an abuse of power."

Zamora said party affiliation did not play a role in the arrest.

"We do not base any arrest decision or investigation decision on any kind of philosophical, party, or ideological, even spiritual or religious affiliation," Zamora said. "That's not what we do."

Waller County and Prairie View A & M students have historically been at odds over voting rights. In 1979, a voting rights case involving Prairie View A & M went to the U.S. Supreme Court, which upheld students' rights to register to vote at their college address. In 2004, despite the Supreme Court ruling, Waller County district attorney Oliver Kitzman said Prairie View A & M students ineligible to vote because they did not meet state residency requirements – though he later backed down. The campus did not get a polling place until 2013.

"You have to remember the context," Siegel said. "This is a country which has been repeatedly found to be burdening the right to vote."

Disclosure: Prairie View A & M University has been a supporter of the Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.