Embattled Texas Southern President’s Home Searched in Criminal Investigation

HOUSTON

Investigators looking into allegations of improper spending by the Texas Southern University president Priscilla Slade searched her home late last week.

Detectives from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office took pictures and documented the furniture and security system in the home of Slade, who is appealing her firing by the TSU board of regents.

The search focused on documents or receipts connected to the home’s landscaping or security system, says Slade’s attorney, Mike DeGeurin.

Prosecutors are preparing to present their findings to a grand jury, which will decide whether Slade should be charged with a crime, the Houston Chronicle.

An investigation by the school’s board of regents concluded Slade didn’t follow a university ban on using public money for private gain. The board alleges she improperly bought more than $260,000 in furniture, landscaping services and security equipment for her home.

Slade reimbursed TSU for a $138,159 landscaping bill but the school’s governing board voted to fire her earlier this year. No date has been set for a hearing on her appeal.

TSU officials have said they don’t plan to repossess furniture in Slade’s home until her firing becomes official.

Slade earned more than $340,000 last year, a figure that includes a $48,000 housing allowance.

Her house went on the market for more than $1.8 million earlier this month.

— Associated Press

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