Suspended Rains County Justice of Peace speaks out as felony charges face dismissal

RAINS COUNTY, Texas - The Rains County Justice of Peace has been in the spotlight for criminal charges, lawsuits and a lot of social media chatter. 

Now, he’s sitting down with us for the first time to answer questions on a wide range of topics.

What we know:

Rains County Justice of the Peace, Robert Jenkins Franklin, faced felony tampering with a witness charges. In November, special prosecutor Tonda Curry announced plans to drop charges.

A federal civil lawsuit is active, and it is all related to an alleged death-threat phone call in 2023. According to the lawsuit, Franklin called Coby Wiebe pressuring him to take a plea deal in a case handled by a different judge, allegedly saying: "I heard you have a problem with me, boy. You take that deal, boy. Or dead men can’t testify."

Franklin was asked about the call by FOX 4’s David Sentendrey.

Denying the "Dead men can't testify" call

What they're saying:

DAVID: Did you make that call? 

FRANKLIN: Absolutely not. 

DAVID: You never made that call? 

FRANKLIN: No. Let me clarify. I did call a phone number that was given to me to return a phone call. I never made that threat.

Franklin says someone claiming to be Wiebe’s family member called his office, left a number and he was returning that call. 

"I had no idea what his reasoning for calling was, but I was going to return his call," said Franklin.

So, it is not known what was said on that call, and to whom.  Two days after the call, Coby Wiebe took a plea deal for his felony. Ultimately, the conviction was tossed.

In February 2025, Wiebe took a lie detector test discussing the phone call and passed, according to his federal lawsuit.

When asked about the test, Franklin declined to comment.

DAVID: Would you like to speak on his claim that he passed a lie detector test and submitted that as evidence? 

FRANKLIN: I don’t think so. I’m not going to comment. I don’t think it’s relevant, and I don’t know the specifics behind that lie detector test. 

DAVID: Have you ever called Coby Wiebe for anything? 

FRANKLIN: No.

Polygraph and coercion allegations

Dig deeper:

Franklin was also facing misdemeanor official oppression charges for allegedly coercing a court clerk to falsify an affidavit related to this case.

DAVID: At any point did you coerce her to knowingly sign a false affidavit? 

FRANKLIN: Absolutely not.

DAVID: Where do you think that allegation stems from?

FRANKLIN: I don't know.

Link to County Judge Linda Wallace

After Franklin’s arrest, Rains County Judge Linda Wallace was also arrested for alleged involvement. 

Her criminal case was dismissed this month, but federal lawsuits claim Franklin and Wallace, "…would scheme behind closed doors to falsify evidence, intimidate a court clerk, and sabotage the truth-seeking function of the judiciary…"

DAVID: Was there ever any coordination, ever any phone call or anything made to Linda regarding Wiebe’s case? 

FRANKLIN: No. Absolutely not.

Courthouse weapons and jailhouse threats

Big picture view:

In November, as it was announced Franklin’s case would be dismissed for lack of evidence, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor firearms charge related to this photo taken inside the courthouse, brought to the court’s attention during the investigation.

"That gun had been in my office for several weeks," said Franklin. "I held it up and my wife said, "Oh, you look like you lost some weight. Hold that gun up again, I’m going to take a picture,’ so I did."

Video posted this month by the YouTube account Otto the Watchdog highlights Franklin’s DWI arrest in 2024. There’s a moment in jail footage in which Jenkins asks for the sheriff and makes threats. 

FOX 4 asked Jenkins if he was trying to get preferential treatment.

"You know I was going into a jail where I have magistrated every individual in this jail…," said Franklin. "Simply because my safety would’ve been a concern being in a jail where I’ve magistrated every individual in there."

DAVID: Is there anything you would want to address? Any hindsight things you should change?

FRANKLIN: Well, sure. I would not have been where I was. Sure, I pled guilty to it.

While the special prosecutor announced plans last month to drop Franklin’s charges related to the alleged death-threat phone call, Rains County courthouse officials say paperwork has not been completed.

Justice of Peace future

What's next:

Jenkins is still the elected justice of the peace, but suspended by the state commission on judicial conduct. If reinstated, he’s unsure if he’ll finish his term through 2026. He did not file for re-election but has not ruled out running for a different political office. 

Here’s what he has to say to those who say he’s not good for Rains County.

"The people that you’re talking about that say I’m a bad guy, those are very few people with real big keyboards and real loud voices," said Franklin.

Crime and Public SafetyVan Zandt CountyTexas