Trinidad Police Chief resigns after recent arrests prompt free speech concerns

TRINIDAD, Texas - The Chief of Police in a small Texas town has resigned after several recent arrests from his department have sparked free speech concerns.

Trinidad Police Chief Resigns

What we know:

Trinidad Police Chief Charles Gregory has resigned, FOX 4 has learned. Gregory's last day with the department will be June 19.

He and the Trinidad Police Department have put the town of fewer than 800 people in a national spotlight since their May arrest of Henderson County resident Jennifer Combs.

FOX 4 reported on May 20 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."

FOX 4 has not verified that anyone in Trinidad was hospitalized from drinking the city's water.

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, citizen journalist Winston Noles protested Combs' arrest outside Trinidad City Hall with a sign with expletives targeting "bad cops."

 Noles was arrested and charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct for the sign. The Trinidad Municipal Judge, Shellena Bivens, later dismissed the charge.

Gregory has declined interview requests from FOX 4, citing pending lawsuits.

"His actions aren’t appropriate"

What they're saying:

"Don’t punish people for asking questions. That’s not what we do," Combs told FOX 4's David Sentendrey after Gregory's resignation. 

"I would tell him to get his act together. I mean, he’s been in law enforcement long enough to know that his actions aren’t appropriate."

Combs told Sentendrey says the problem with the Trinidad Police Department goes deeper than just Gregory.

"It leaves his officers that depend on him for leadership in a bad situation to clean up the mess that they’re all now in and I don’t really think that that’s fair or valuable in leadership."

Her lawyer, C.J. Grisham with GFA Law, agrees. 

"My biggest concern now is are they going to promote one of these bad officers to take the chief’s place, and that’s not going to fix the problem," Grisham said.

"The lack of accountability is what stands out to me and this idea that we’re just going to keep doing whatever we want until I guess we’re told we can’t."

Trinidad Water Saga

Timeline:

Gregory's resignation comes after weeks of arrests, lawsuits, firings and more stemming from concerns over the City of Trinidad's water quality.

FOX 4 has continued to receive images of dirty and discolored water from the residents of Trinidad since Combs' arrest.

Trinidad officials have admitted the city has struggled to keep its water clean. Combs said the water "looks like the Trinity River."

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.

On Wednesday, May 27, Alex Estrada and Colby Reyes, 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 in order to arrest him, in which Reyes says she put in writing she was "never offended" by Noles.

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

At a May 28 Trinidad City Council meeting, Judge Bivens was fired as the city's municipal judge. The issue of water quality in Trinidad was never addressed.

Grisham spoke directly to Chief 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 had "nothing to hide" in relation to Combs and Noles' arrests.

Trinidad Mayor Dennis Haws suggested to Sentendrey that the Texas Rangers should investigate the city and its police department after the recent arrests and water issues have come to light.

Bivens is considering legal action against Trinidad, with her attorney saying her firing was unjust. "I’m a good judge. I’m a damn good judge," Bivens told Sentendrey.

Just last Wednesday, a family in Trinidad alleged that after showering with the city's water, their teenage daughter suffered a chemical burn.

"The doctors had come to the conclusion that what she had been exposed to was something from our water," Misty Logan, the teen's parent, told Sentendrey.

An attorney for the family provided a preliminary water test strip result that showed "dangerous" free chlorine levels in the Logan family's water.

It remains unclear if Trinidad's recent water treatment led to the Logans' daughter's rash.

A planned meeting for Thursday, June 4 to give an update on the city's attempts to fix their water quality issues was canceled. Mayor Haws said he did not receive a reason for the cancellation.

A small protest took place outside the planned meeting last Thursday.

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.

TexasCrime and Public Safety