Trinidad City Council fires municipal judge who dropped charge against police protestor

TRINIDAD, Texas - Trinidad City Council members fired the city's municipal judge after she dismissed charges against a protestor, but the water issues the city has been experiencing were not discussed during Thursday's city council meeting.

Trinidad City Council meeting

What's New:

It was the first time Trinidad's city council had met since two people, Jennifer Combs and Winston Noles, were arrested for speaking about the water issues the city is experiencing.

Combs has since filed a lawsuit against the city, as have Alex Estrada and Colby Reyes, two former Trinidad employees who say they were wrongfully terminated in connection to Noles' protest.

C.J. Grisham, an attorney representing Combs, spoke directly to Trinidad Police Chief Charles Gregory, telling him: "You have dishonored your badge, this department, and every good officer who wears one."

Gregory, who made his first public comments since FOX 4 initially reported on the story, said he has "nothing to hide."

What they're saying:

"I don’t care anymore. I’ve kept my mouth shut for a long time now. News, are you listening? I want everybody to let me speak," Gregory said. "He made a comment on the news that he wanted the Texas Rangers to come in here and investigate — I welcome them because I have nothing to hide."

Gregory was referring to Trinidad Mayor Dennis Haws, who had previously suggested the Texas Rangers investigate the city's issues.

During the meeting, the city also voted to fire Municipal Judge Shellena Bivens, who had dropped the charge against Noles last week.

"I will reiterate to the whole world watching now. I’ve been a good judge," Bivens said. "A damn good judge, I believe, is what I told y’all last time. I’ve done nothing illegal, immoral, unethical."

Trinidad water issues

The water issues at the heart of this story that are still affecting Trinidad residents were not brought up at the meeting. 

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) confirmed to FOX 4 it received a complaint regarding the water quality in Trinidad, and that an investigation is ongoing.

The law firm representing Estrada and Consumer Wellness Center Labs are organizing free independent water testing for people on Trinidad's water supply as the TCEQ investigation continues.

The backstory:

The drama at the city council meeting comes after several weeks of arrests and lawsuits stemming from water quality concerns in Trinidad.

On May 20, FOX 4 reported that Combs was charged with felony false alarm by the Trinidad Police Department after making an April Facebook post concerning the city's water issues.

Her post stated that people had been hospitalized after drinking the city's water. Gregory responded by saying Combs’ post "creates fear, panic, or unnecessary emergency response within a community."

A Henderson County grand jury declined to indict Combs, who has since filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Trinidad and Gregory which alleges she was arrested in "an act of deliberate political retaliation."

One day after FOX 4's initial report, Noles protested outside Trinidad City Hall with a sign with expletives targeting "bad cops."

Noles was arrested and charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct for the sign. A municipal judge has since dismissed the charges against Noles.

On Wednesday, May 27, two former Trinidad employees filed a lawsuit against the city, claiming the city administrator fired them without cause.

Reyes, the former Trinidad Water Clerk, says in the lawsuit that she was fired because she "refused to lie" on behalf of Gregory and City Administrator Cynthia Dosier.

Reyes' lawsuit claims Gregory publicly fabricated a story that Reyes was frightened by Noles last week in order to arrest him, in which Reyes says she put in writing she was "never offended" by Noles.

What you can do:

Any residents using Trinidad's water who want to take part in free testing can email TrinidadWater@gfalaw.us for more information.