Peter T. Leach, Senior Editor | Dec 13, 2011 3:55PM EST
Port of Houston Authority CEO Alec Dreyer has been cleared of all criminal allegations regarding vessel misuse and tampering with government documents.
Harris County District Attorney Patricia Lykos’ office lead the investigation, alleging that Dreyer had misused the port authority vessel Sam Houston and changed government documents to cover it up.
Despite being cleared, Dreyer said he will not seek reappointment to his position. “I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished,” he said in a statement on Monday. “This experience, however, has shown me that the political arena is not where I want to be. I have decided not to seek reappointment, but rather to go back to the business world. I’m happy to serve until a replacement is found.”
Dreyer, a former electric power executive, had been accused of using the Sam Houston to entertain friends, at the expense of taxpayers and altering spreadsheets to hide the misuse of the vessel.
He told The Journal of Commerce last June that the charges were politically motivated by some port authority commissioners.
In a letter from Bill Moore, chief of the DA’s Public Integrity Division, the DA’s office states that it found no criminal conduct.
Dreyer had requested the DA’s investigation, he said, in the hopes of clearing his name.
“I feel it is vitally important for the public to know the truth,” he said. “I came to the Port of Houston to apply my business experience in public service. We’ve achieved a great deal in my time here, most notably by helping this port prepare for significant growth coming as a result of the expansion of the Panama Canal and the ongoing demographic shift to the Texas triangle.”
Contact Peter T. Leach at pleach@joc.com.