Beaumont ISD can't take the land its convicted electrical contractor handed over because of liens
Pleasure Island property that former Beaumont ISD electrical contractor Calvin Walker was ordered to turn over to the Texas school district carries liens and unpaid taxes, a judge said on Nov. 6, and the district has declined to take it. Walker still owes about $1.15 million in restitution.
At a status hearing in Jefferson County's Criminal District Court, Judge John Stevens said he had understood the Pleasure Island land to be free and clear and had only recently learned of liens and claims against it, KFDM reported. Walker's attorney, Jonathan Landers, said he understood the district would not take the land because of the liens and the unpaid taxes. A probation office staff member told the court Walker had a payment agreement with the tax office, but his receipts did not show the amount due.
Stevens said he does not want to saddle the district with more problems and may order the land handed back to Walker so he can sort out the debts on it himself. The judge also told Walker not to interrupt the court after Walker cut in while Stevens was speaking.
A jury in Stevens' court convicted Walker in 2019 on six counts tied to defrauding Beaumont ISD, after a 2014 indictment accusing him of obtaining district money through a fraudulent document. His sentence was 180 days in jail plus a decade of probation, and he was ordered to repay about $1.2 million. In May 2025 Stevens revoked the probation and imposed a 9.5-year prison term; Walker remains out on bond during his appeal. By an Aug. 7 hearing he had paid about $18,000, and Stevens said repayment at that pace would take about 100 years. The defense put the amount the district is pursuing at about $1.172 million.
Why it matters: A conviction does not put money back in an owner's account. Public owners should audit contractor billing as it comes in, and anyone taking land in place of cash should run a title and tax search before accepting the deed.