Entitled Democrat lawmaker who's been arrested three times while in office demands enormous six-figure salary increase that'll take her pay to $250,000

By JOE HUTCHISON, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER and STEPHEN M. LEPORE, US SENIOR REPORTER Published: 18:28, 20 August 2026 | Updated: 18:28, 20 August 2026 A Texas Democrat who has been arrested three times while in office is seeking a six-figure salary raise.  Harris County Treasurer Carla Wyatt has requested $250,000 'or more' according to a formal salary grievance filed with the county and seen by the Houston Chronicle. The increase, if approved, would be equivalent to a 79 percent raise on her current salary of just over $139,500. It was filed as part of an annual process that lets elected members ask a committee for a raise, her request will be considered today.  According to the grievance, seen by the outlet, Wyatt said she was asking for 'an amount that fairly and appropriately reflects the statutory responsibilities, fiduciary obligations, scope of authority, workload, and level of accountability associated with the office of Harris County Treasurer.' The request comes after her office was stripped of some of its financial oversight powers in an ongoing effort to abolish her position entirely, the outlet reported.  Wyatt made the request while a drink driving case against her works its way though the legal system.  Police in Galveston said that they approached a car flagged by a concerned onlooker during a patrol in May, only to find the female driver, Wyatt, 'to be asleep.' Wyatt has requested $250,000 'or more' according to a formal salary grievance filed with the county It comes on the back of her arrest in Galveston County in May of this year for allegedly drunk driving An officer woke Wyatt up and asked her where she was, to which she responded that she was 'in Heaven.' After repeated attempts to get the treasurer to say where she was and where she was going, she finally said she was in Houston, trying to get to Galveston for a conference the next morning. At one point, Wyatt admitted to having one glass of wine that evening, before eventually changing her story to two glasses. The arresting officers said they 'smelled the odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting' from Wyatt. Wyatt also sat on the rear bumper of her car to remain upright, the officer said, according to police documents obtained by ABC13. She eventually failed a field sobriety test and was arrested for driving while intoxicated. Wyatt was immediately taken to the Galveston County jail but has since been released, according to jail records. The increase, if approved, would be a minimum of a 79 percent raise on her current salary of just over $139,500  'We are looking forward to obtaining all of the available discovery in this case and investigating the basis for this arrest. Dr. Wyatt denies that she committed any criminal act whatsoever,' Wyatt's attorney, Christopher Downey, said in a statement. In 2023, Wyatt was arrested and charged with a DWI for driving nearly double the legal blood alcohol limit. Wyatt agreed to, in exchange for dropping those charges, to go through a court-issued program. Last year, Wyatt was arrested and charged with burglary of a vehicle. Harris told prosecutors she had been checked for a 'mini stroke' and a grand jury declined to indict her.