GUADALUPE COUNTY, Texas – The husband of the Guadalupe County District Clerk turned himself in to law enforcement authorities Thursday, days after a grand jury indicted him on two felony theft-related counts.
Josh Balk, 40, was indicted Sept. 5 after a lengthy investigation by the Texas Attorney General's Office.
The state handled the investigation, which included criminal allegations against Balk in Hays, Comal, and Guadalupe counties, due to a number of conflicts of interest.
Balk is the husband of Guadalupe County District Clerk Linda Balk.
He faces second-degree felony charges of misapplication of fiduciary property between $150,000 and $300,000 and theft of property between $150,000 and $300,000.
A copy of the two-count indictment obtained Thursday by the KSAT 12 Defenders states that Josh Balk victimized at least 15 people, mostly small business owners, dating back to February 2017.
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An investigation from the Defenders in January showed that Linda Balk accepted more than $30,000 in campaign contributions from her husband's construction company even as he hurtled toward bankruptcy last year.
Multiple people came forward to law enforcement claiming that Josh Balk accepted money to complete construction projects, then abandoned the jobs and failed to pay subcontractors who performed work for him.
Guadalupe County campaign contribution records for Linda Balk indicate that Balk Construction Services made several contributions to her campaign within days of Josh Balk taking draws from a construction loan for a home build in Comal County.
The person who hired Josh Balk for that project was listed among his victims, according to his indictment.
In all, from November 2017 to April 2018, Balk Construction Services made 11 contributions to Linda Balk's campaign totaling $30,143.27.
The dates of the contributions are within the window Josh Balk has been accused of criminal wrongdoing.
Linda Balk, who was elected to the countywide position in a runoff in May 2018, declined a request to be interviewed for this story.
Her stamp appears on her husband's indictment paperwork.
Linda Balk released the following statement Thursday afternoon:
Mr. Dillon Collier
The charges filed against my husband are frivolous, without merit, and politically motivated. There are those in Guadalupe County who believe that if you can't win at the ballot box you should have free reign to misuse the criminal system and court system to achieve their political aims and that is the case here. While my husband's business and my role as the District Clerk of Guadalupe County are totally separate, I stand by my husband and have no doubt that he will be exonerated. I appreciate so much the hundreds of people who see this for exactly what it is and who have told me they are standing firmly at my side as my family fights back against this grave injustice.
Linda Balk said she does not intend to resign her position.