The last time DeMondre Montgomery ran for Dallas County Constable Precinct 3, he lost the primary by 61 votes.
Four months after that 2022 race, he attempted to buy constable license plates when he was not one, later pleading guilty to false identification as a police officer, according to court records.
Montgomery is running again, but if he wins the Democratic rematch against Constable Henry Curry on March 3, his criminal case could prevent him from remaining in office.
Texas law requires constables to become licensed peace officers with arresting authority within nine months of taking office. People with misdemeanors, including false ID as a police officer, are disqualified from obtaining a license for 10 years, according to state rules.
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If elected, Montgomery, 27, said he will pursue a legal workaround, but law enforcement experts say there is no cure for the disqualification, setting up his potential removal from office and a special election to replace him.
“He can probably still get elected, but becoming a peace officer in the appropriate timeframe? He doesn’t have the ability,” said Lee Santos, training manager for Central Texas Police Academy.
DeMondre Montgomery speaks at a Dallas City Council meeting on Nov. 12, 2025.
City of Dallas / City of Dallas
The race has become mired in legal questions that Curry, the incumbent, said could disrupt the office responsible for serving legal papers and acting as bailiffs in justice of the peace courts.
“It’s not about politics, it’s about integrity of the office,” Curry, 55, said.
Legal barriers
Montgomery pleaded guilty in October 2025 to the false identification charge after attempting to obtain the constable license plates in 2022 from the Ellis County Department of Motor Vehicles.
He received one-year deferred adjudication for the Class B misdemeanor, which bars people from obtaining a peace officer license for 10 years, according to Texas Commission on Law Enforcement spokesperson Gretchen Grisby.
The state commission has a waiver process, but applicants with misdemeanors cannot seek this exception until five years after being placed on community supervision, Grisby said.
That leaves Montgomery unable to apply for a waiver until October 2030, three years past his legal deadline to get a license if elected.
Montgomery declined to discuss his ability to remain in office. In a statement to The Dallas Morning News, he said he believes there are legal avenues around the licensing rules, like paths used by former peace officers and special investigators.
“This is not about power,” Montgomery said. “It is about reform, access and accountability.”
Santos, the police academy training manager, said none of Montgomery’s proposed alternatives apply because he would still need to meet minimum licensing requirements, including no misdemeanors.
Curry was first elected in 2022 after defeating Montgomery in the primary and then unseating the Republican incumbent in the general election. The precinct covers the north central part of the county.
Henry Curry / Henry Curry
Curry said he ran after two decades in law enforcement to help rebuild trust after a public corruption scandal 15 years ago brought down multiple constables.
“We don’t need anything bringing us to the past,” Curry said.
Curry’s challenge
In December, Curry sued the Dallas County Democratic Party. He said Montgomery was ineligible for the ballot over the licensing issue and residency questions tied to his Ellis County probation, but a judge rejected the effort.
Philip Kingston, Curry’s attorney, said the ruling only decided Montgomery’s eligibility to appear on the ballot, not to serve as a constable.
“There is no path,” Kingston said. “If he is elected, he will be removed from office within months.”
Montgomery’s campaign website also suggests he holds several law enforcement credentials he does not have, according to state databases, including jailer and mental health certifications and private security and investigator licenses.
Montgomery said his wording meant he previously held all of those roles, though the page only states one job was former.
Montgomery said he is running to improve transparency, strengthen community trust and ensure operations are efficient.
He worked as a part time clerk for former Smith County Constable Curtis Traylor-Harris for four months in 2021, according to county records.
That precinct later became the focus of criminal investigations, including Traylor-Harris’ conviction for theft while conducting an eviction.
Montgomery was charged with impersonating a public servant over allegedly acting as a law enforcement officer and conducting traffic stops, though one case was dropped and he was acquitted in the other.
Montgomery said he believed his actions were allowed because he had been sworn in as a reserve deputy without a peace officer license under a rarely used legal provision.
He has since sued Smith County, alleging civil rights violations and false arrest tied to those charges.
Montgomery said he assumed he was a reserve deputy when he tried to buy constable license plates in Ellis County in 2022. But he was not employed by Smith County in any capacity when he attempted to buy the plates.
“I have lived firsthand the consequences of broken systems including wrongful arrest, prosecution and institutional misconduct,” Montgomery said in his statement. “Instead of retreating, I chose to engage.”