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Charges dismissed against Trinidad water protestors
A Henderson County grand jury and a municipal judge have dismissed all charges against two citizen journalists arrested in Trinidad, Texas, following public outcry over the city's ongoing water issues and First Amendment rights.
TRINIDAD, Texas - A grand jury has now declined to indict a woman arrested over a Facebook post about water concerns in the City of Trinidad.
This was a quick decision by a grand jury, as the woman is one of two arrests related to the water controversy that will not be moving forward.
Charges dropped against local water protesters
What we know:
Citizen journalist Winston Noles goes by the name Otto the Watchdog.
Last week, Noles' 80,000 YouTube subscribers had live access of his arrest for holding up a sign outside the Trinidad Police Department.
Facebook post sparks public health debate
The backstory:
On Wednesday, FOX 4 shared an exclusive interview with Jennifer Combs, a citizen journalist arrested for a Facebook post, reading, "We have received reports that some citizens have been hospitalized due to bacteria in the water. This is a serious public health concern that deserves immediate attention."
FOX 4 has received images from residents of deeply discolored water.
City leaders admit there’s a water issue that’s been going on for years, but Chief of Police Charles Gregory says no one has been hospitalized and in a social media post of his own said Combs’ post "creates fear, panic, or unnecessary emergency response within a community."
The police department charged her with felony false alarm or report.
Combs, who says she was simply trying to investigate, maintains people have reported hospitalization, and the mayor says he’s at least seen social media posts claiming the same.
Woman files lawsuit after arrest for Facebook post concerning Trinidad water supply issues
A Facebook post about problems with the City of Trinidad's water quality led to the arrest of a Henderson County resident, who says she's filed a lawsuit against the city and called the arrest "political retaliation."
First Amendment protest in Trinidad
What they're saying:
"So I came out to Trinidad because I found out that the Chief of Police had arrested a lady for making a Facebook post," said Noles.
He protested Combs’ arrest with a sign we cannot show on television, reading, "*expletive* bad cops."
"We are in a crisis with the First Amendment right now," said Noles. "I don’t like the bad part of law enforcement. I like good cops."
18-minutes into Noles’ livestream, he was arrested and charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct for the sign.
"What they did to me was so clearly unconstitutional that any reasonable officer should’ve known better," said Noles.
Trinidad City Hall abruptly closes
Dig deeper:
On Thursday, however, Trinidad’s municipal judge said Noles’ case is being dismissed, and a Henderson County Grand Jury no-billed Combs’ case, meaning it’s dismissed due to a lack of evidence.
Now, for unknown reasons, Trinidad’s City Hall is now closed until next Tuesday, while many continue to ask what exactly is going on with the water?
What's next:
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality confirms to FOX 4 that an investigation into the city’s water is ongoing.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by FOX 4's David Sentendrey.