Texas mom jailed over dirty water Facebook post

Jennifer Combs says she ne'er group retired to go nan look of a conflict complete free speech, soiled water and small-town power. She says she was simply trying to thief group successful Trinidad, Texas, study problems pinch their water. Some residents had complained astir discoloration, sediment, odors and wellness concerns. So Combs utilized her Southern Belle Watch Facebook page to cod reports and nonstop them to nan state.

Then, according to Combs, nan business took a move that still sounds difficult to believe. She says constabulary came to her location and arrested her connected a felony warrant complete a Facebook post.

"I've ne'er moreover had a speeding ticket," Combs said. "I'm a mom of 4 kids. I person 1 grandbaby correct now. I person 2 much grandbabies connected nan way."

Now, Combs says her apprehension has go astir thing overmuch bigger than 1 Facebook post.

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Jennifer Combs says she was arrested connected a felony complaint aft utilizing Facebook to cod reports astir h2o concerns successful Trinidad, Texas. A expansive assemblage later declined to indict her. (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

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Why Jennifer Combs started asking astir Trinidad water

Jennifer sat down pinch maine for my CyberGuy Report podcast astatine CyberguyPodcast.com to explicate what happened, why she started asking questions and what she wants different communities to study from her ordeal.

Combs says she sewage progressive aft seeing a station from an older female who needed thief buying bottled water. According to Combs, nan female was connected a fixed income and had already spent portion of her monthly money connected bottled water. Combs said nan female claimed her expert had told her not to navigator pinch aliases portion nan pat water. That infinitesimal stuck pinch her.

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"I'm a firm, patient personification connected transparency," Combs said. "I guidelines connected it. I deliberation if you're going to beryllium successful government, location should beryllium zero reasons for you not to beryllium transparent pinch your group that elected you to beryllium there."

So she started collecting complaints. Her scheme was simple. If residents shared their h2o issues, she could walk those reports to nan state. That way, inspectors would cognize wherever to look.

Trinidad h2o complaints had been building

Combs says nan h2o rumor had been going connected for years successful parts of Trinidad. "That's real. That's not AI. That is perfectly very real," Combs said erstwhile asked astir images of nan water.

She said immoderate residents did not want to speak publically because they feared backlash. "A batch of them wanted to beryllium capable to connection maine anonymously, because nan retaliation successful Trinidad is very, very real," Combs said.

That is why she created a spot wherever group could softly stock reports. She says she wanted to cod nan information, representation nan affected areas and nonstop everything to nan state.

The Facebook station down nan arrest

Combs publication nan Facebook station during our conversation. In it, she said her page had received reports that immoderate citizens had been hospitalized owed to bacteria successful nan water. She called it "a superior nationalist wellness interest that deserves contiguous attention."

The station asked residents to connection nan page if their h2o looked discolored, contained sediment, had a beardown odor aliases if they had related wellness concerns. It besides asked for wide vicinity areas, photos, videos, dates and times.

Combs says nan station was later removed by Facebook aft it was reported by a prime group of group from nan organization and flagged, though she says Facebook did not show her why. But earlier it came down, she says, then-Trinidad Police Chief Charles Gregory had taken a screenshot of it and posted it connected nan Trinidad Police Department Facebook page, accusing her of making a mendacious report.

"I ne'er revenge a study pinch nan constabulary department," Combs said. "I only revenge a study pinch nan authorities of Texas pinch nan water."  She says she was gathering organization reports astir nan h2o and sending them to nan state. That favoritism is important because it raises questions astir why a nationalist wellness title connected Facebook became a constabulary matter. We reached retired to Meta, Facebook's genitor company, for comment, but did not perceive backmost earlier our deadline.

Trinidad hired a contractor to grip h2o issues

Combs says nan metropolis had hired a contractor to thief negociate nan h2o problem. She said boil notices listed his number, truthful residents were often directed to telephone him alternatively of City Hall erstwhile they had h2o concerns. According to Combs, that created moreover much frustration. She said residents still felt they were not getting clear answers, and immoderate began sending complaints to her instead.

Later successful our conversation, Combs said nan personification who made nan title that led to her apprehension was nan aforesaid contractor paid by nan metropolis to reside nan h2o problem. "Do you want to cognize who that personification is?" Combs said. "That personification that made nan telephone study is nan contractor that's paid by nan metropolis to hole nan water."

That item adds different furniture to nan story. The personification hired to thief lick nan h2o issue, according to Combs, was besides nan personification who reported her for collecting complaints astir it.

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Police arrested Jennifer Combs astatine her home

Combs says this each came to a caput connected April 6. Two officers came to her location successful Kearns, Texas, astir 8 miles from Trinidad. She says they told her she had a felony apprehension warrant from Henderson County.

"I said, 'Oh, what? What do you mean?'" Combs said. "And they said, 'Yeah, you person a felony apprehension warrant. We person to return you to Navarro County Jail.'"

Then she was handcuffed successful her beforehand yard. "To beryllium handcuffed successful my beforehand gait and taken to jailhouse and walk 23 hours successful jailhouse earlier I could get retired was very traumatic," Combs said. "It was insane."

Combs says she was charged pinch a felony mendacious study tied to nationalist panic complete nan h2o system. "I was conscionable successful disbelief, successful absolute disbelief," she said.

Residents said nan h2o reports were real

Combs says Gregory later doubled down connected Facebook and defended nan determination to apprehension her. But Combs says nan portion that still bothers her is what happened aft Gregory posted astir her online. According to Combs, immoderate of nan aforesaid residents who had contacted her past commented connected nan constabulary department's station to opportunity nan reports were real.

"The group that had made nan reports to maine commented connected there, and they ne'er moreover interviewed them," Combs said. "They ne'er moreover talked to them. But they virtually commented connected his ain station saying, 'Hey, this really happened.'"

That raises a basal question. If residents were saying nan reports were real, why dainty nan personification collecting those reports for illustration a criminal?

Grand assemblage declines to indict Jennifer Combs

After Combs arrest, nan costs started adding up. She says her hubby had to bail her out, and nan ineligible bills started soon after. "It's $2,500," Combs said astir nan bail amount. "So he had to salary 300 and thing to get maine retired of jail. And past we've had to salary lawyer fees."

Combs says nan felony complaint yet went earlier a grand jury. The expansive assemblage no-billed nan case, meaning it did not indict her. "The expansive assemblage said nary bill. Absolutely nary portion of this," Combs said. "No bill, not capable evidence."

That meant nan complaint was nary longer hanging complete her head. Still, Combs said her lawyer had to support moving done nan process of getting it removed. By then, nan harm had already been done. Combs had spent astir a time successful jail. Her hubby had to bail her out. She had to prosecute a lawyer. And her sanction had been tied to a felony allegation complete a Facebook station astir water.

Trinidad h2o conflict took different turn

Combs says nan fallout did not extremity pinch her arrest. After she was arrested, a man she identified arsenic Otto nan Watchdog protested extracurricular Trinidad City Hall. Combs says he was handcuffed and put successful a constabulary car for disorderly behaviour because officials claimed he offended a h2o clerk.

Then, according to Combs, nan h2o clerk said she was not offended. "The h2o clerk is fired because she would not motion a connection that said she was offended," Combs said.

Combs says a judge later dropped nan disorderly behaviour rumor involving nan protester. Then, she says, nan metropolis fired that judge. "The judge dropped it. They fired nan judge," Combs said.

She besides said nan metropolis lawyer was fired nan aforesaid night. Yet Combs says it happened during a recorded metropolis assembly gathering pinch cameras successful nan room.

MICROSOFT CROSSES PRIVACY LINE FEW EXPECTED

A Texas mother says her effort to archive residents' complaints astir discolored and contaminated h2o led to a felony apprehension and astir a time successful jail. (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

City of Trinidad responds to petition for comment

CyberGuy requested remark from nan City of Trinidad. Zachary Smith, an subordinate lawyer pinch Iglesias Law Firm, responded connected behalf of nan metropolis and said nan patient represents Trinidad. "We admit that nan nationalist wants answers, and that is not mislaid connected america aliases our clients," Smith wrote.

Smith said nan metropolis is leaving nan specifications to nan ineligible process. "Because lawsuits person been filed, our clients are not capable to remark connected nan specifics astatine this time. As you know, this is modular believe successful progressive litigation," Smith wrote.

He besides defended nan city's position. "The claims against nan City of Trinidad will beryllium answered wherever they belong, successful a tribunal of law," Smith wrote. "The officials who service this organization person acted, and proceed to act, successful nan champion interests of nan group of Trinidad. We look guardant to addressing these claims afloat during nan litigation process."

Why nan Trinidad h2o communicative raises free reside concerns

People kick online astir section problems each day. They station astir roads, trash pickup, schools, taxes, crime and nationalist utilities. Some posts are emotional. Some see claims that still request to beryllium checked. But that does not mean a national should beryllium treated for illustration a criminal for asking questions.

Combs said it best. "You person nan correct to mobility what anybody is doing," she said. "You person nan correct to fig retired what is successful your water, what you're drinking."

Then she added 1 statement that says a batch astir her. "I'm ne'er going to show people, 'Oh, conscionable support your rima shut. Don't opportunity thing and conscionable beryllium quiet.' That's not me. I don't hush very well.

Jennifer Combs wants answers for Trinidad

Combs says nan h2o problem still needs extracurricular attention. She said nan politician went connected nationalist TV and asked for nan Texas Rangers to measurement in. Combs besides said she had reached retired for support.

"I request personification to help," Combs said. "It's insane. It's not going to get fixed nan measurement it is." She said group successful Trinidad person waited agelong enough.

"They've had each of these years to do it," Combs said. "And now you're putting group successful jailhouse for talking astir it." That is nan portion that should make each of america salary attention. If group are acrophobic to speak up astir water, what other will they enactment quiet about?

What Jennifer Combs wants group to know

At nan extremity of our conversation, I asked Combs what connection she has for group who speak retired online astir section issues. Her reply was direct.

"I deliberation group that speak retired for their communities are highly brave," Combs said. "So I'm ne'er going to not show group to speak out."

She besides said group should not fto her acquisition scare them into silence. "You can't fto what happened to maine forestall you from opinionated up and doing what's correct to people," Combs said. "You can't because past there's nary bully group left."

How to protect yourself erstwhile posting connected Facebook

Facebook tin beryllium a powerful measurement to raise section concerns, but you should deliberation cautiously earlier posting. If your extremity is to alert nan public, a nationalist station tin thief much group spot it. If you are still gathering information, a backstage group aliases nonstop messages whitethorn beryllium safer while you verify what residents are reporting.

Before you post, prevention screenshots of your draft, your last station and immoderate comments that support what you wrote. If Facebook removes nan post aliases personification reports it, you still person a grounds of nan nonstop wording.

Also, protect group who interaction you. Ask for photos, dates, times and wide locations, but debar sharing nonstop addresses, telephone numbers aliases aesculapian specifications without permission. You tin show a shape without exposing someone's private information.

Finally, beryllium clear astir what you cognize and what you are still trying to confirm. Use phrases for illustration "residents reported," "according to messages sent to me," aliases "we are asking nan authorities to reappraisal this." That tin thief show you are collecting organization concerns, not claiming each item has already been proven.

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Jennifer Combs argues her apprehension complete a Facebook station raises broader concerns astir free speech, authorities transparency and nationalist accountability. (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

Kurt's cardinal takeaways

Jennifer Combs says she wanted cleanable water, transparency and answers. Instead, she says she was handcuffed successful her beforehand gait and spent nan nighttime successful jail. That should interest anyone who has ever posted a title astir a section rumor online. When group mobility nationalist officials, those officials should respond pinch records, facts and accountability. They should not move disapproval into a constabulary matter. This communicative besides shows why section publicity and national watchdogs still person power. Small towns tin person large problems. Sometimes nan personification asking nan uncomfortable mobility is nan 1 doing nan nationalist a favor. The bigger mobility is simple: If a Facebook station astir soiled h2o tin lead to a felony arrest, what would extremity different local government from trying nan aforesaid thing? To perceive Jennifer show her communicative successful her ain words, cheque retired The CyberGuy Report podcast astatine CyberguyPodcast.com.

Have you ever spoken up astir a section problem and felt ignored, intimidated aliases brushed aside? Let america cognize by penning to america astatine CyberGuy.com.

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