Judge Confirms Trinidad Officers Withheld Key Facts From Court to Target Political Critic

In a letter dated June 8, 2026, Henderson County 392nd District Court Judge R. Scott McKee confirmed what GFA LAW has argued from the start: Sergeant Robert McCumsey and Investigator Cameron Beckham withheld critical facts from the court when they sought a warrant to prosecute Jennifer Combs over a Facebook post about Trinidad's water supply. The officers knew about citizen complaints, water quality concerns, and the full context of Mrs. Combs' statements. They disclosed none of it. Instead, they presented a stripped-down affidavit designed to manufacture probable cause for a politically motivated prosecution.

Mrs. Combs was arrested and charged with a felony for speaking publicly about her community's drinking water. A Henderson County grand jury refused to indict her in May 2026. Now a district judge has confirmed the warrant that launched that prosecution was built on an incomplete and misleading affidavit.

“Jennifer Combs did nothing wrong. She spoke up about a public health issue and was punished for it by officers who used the courts as a weapon. The judge saw through it. Now a federal jury will too.”

CJ Grisham, Senior Partner

Judge McKee has ordered that any future warrant from either officer will require a personal appearance under oath. That is an extraordinary sanction, and it reflects exactly how seriously the court views this misconduct.

GFA LAW has filed suit on behalf of Mrs. Combs in the Eastern District of Texas against the officers and the City of Trinidad under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, alleging First Amendment retaliation and malicious prosecution. Combs v. Gregory et al., No. 6:26-cv-235, is ongoing. Judge McKee is to be commended for refusing to allow his court to be used as an instrument of political punishment.