Angry Tarrant County residents accuse landowner of barring access to public land
In a quasi-rural corner of southwest Tarrant County, residents say a landowner has robbed them of their right to access a public waterway, while the landowner says the residents are trespassing on private property. Now, the dispute has grown so tense some fear it will lead to violence.
Pyramid Acres is a subdivision near the Tarrant/Parker county line, bordered by U.S. 377 on the north and wooded land to the south through which Bear Creek flows on its way to Lake Benbrook.
Dustin Harrington, a Pyramid Acres resident, said he moved to the area in large part because of its proximity to that creek, which he and his family used for recreation, as did other Pyramid Acres families. None of them own land along the creek, but the creek itself, as a navigable waterway, is considered public according to state law.
To get to Bear Creek, residents once walked down a path leading from the end of Pyramid Boulevard. There is a barrier at the end of the road and a sign that reads “County Property Ends,” as well as “No Trespassing” signs.
According to Harrington and others, the “No Trespassing” signs were posted at the behest of Nancy Rimmer, whose company, RNR Production Land and Cattle, owns dozens of properties in and around Pyramid Acres, including land between Pyramid Boulevard and Bear Creek.
In addition to the signs, Rimmer has put up surveillance cameras and hired armed guards, said Harrington, to ensure no one crosses her property to get to the creek. During one confrontation with residents, a security guard allegedly brandished a firearm, according to Harrington.
Rimmer is the widow of Roy Rimmer, a business associate of oil tycoon Cullen Davis who in 1976 was accused of shooting his estranged wife, Priscilla Davis, and of killing Priscilla’s boyfriend and her 12-year-old daughter from a previous marriage. A fourth victim, Gus Gavrel, was shot and was left paralyzed. Cullen Davis was acquitted after a high-profile trial.
Looking at a Tarrant County property map, the land Rimmer owns between Pyramid Boulevard and Bear Creek is bisected by a corridor of land that appears to be public right-of-way. But a spokesman for Rimmer provided the Star-Telegram with a letter from the county dated Oct. 18, 2024, stating there was no right of way reaching Bear Creek.
“As a result, the land beyond Pyramid Boulevard, including the unpaved strip leading toward Bear Creek, remains private property, and there is no authorized public access across it,” the spokesman said in an email.
Longtime Pyramid Acres resident Ken Peel told the Star-Telegram he believed that strip of land was set aside decades ago to extend Pyramid Boulevard to home sites on the other side of Bear Creek, but the project was scrapped.
The county property map and plats dedicated to the county in the 1970s show undeveloped home sites in the wooded areas bordering both sides of Bear Creek, which supports Peel’s belief. Those plats also show neighborhood streets in those areas that were dedicated to the county, which, Harrington believes, should still be considered public.
One of those streets, Truitt Drive, was dedicated to Tarrant County in 1972. It runs parallel to Bear Creek on the south end of the development. Platted home sites, which are private property, lie between Truitt Drive and the creek, but it stands to reason residents should be able to access the path of the unconstructed public roadway. Rimmer’s spokesman did not dispute that when asked about it.
No one from Tarrant County is willing to talk about the Pyramid Acres dispute publicly. The subdivision is in Precinct 2 under the jurisdiction of Commissioner Alisa Simmons, who did not respond to a request for comment. The area was previously part of Precinct 1, but when reached for comment, Commissioner Roderick Miles’ office declined to speak on the record, and instead referred the Star-Telegram to Joseph Jackson, the county engineer. Jackson hasn’t responded to multiple requests for comment from the Star-Telegram, though Harrington said he met with him.
Harrington is certain Rimmer is unlawfully barring access to public land, and he’s demanded that she stop doing so. Harrington said he’s contacting the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office, the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies to investigate.
One of the agencies is the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. A TPWD game warden met with Harrington, but when reached for comment, the warden referred the Star-Telegram to a department spokesperson. The spokesperson issued a statement but declined to get into the specifics of the Bear Creek dispute or discuss the game warden’s investigation.
“We are aware of conflicting information regarding Pyramid Acres off Bear Creek,” the statement read. “This is a civil matter between the county and the landowners.”
Harrington keeps going back to the fact that one of Rimmer’s properties that borders Bear Creek is listed in the county records as “Pyramid Acres Subdivision Bear Creek Park Site.” As he sees it, that land was set aside for a public park and should still be treated as such. However, the Star-Telegram could not locate documents showing that property had ever been dedicated to Tarrant County.
Rimmer’s spokesman said certain residents were given permission to cross private land to access Bear Creek years ago, but it was never allowed on a wide scale. He said the more recent crackdown on the alleged trespassing is the result of illegal dumping and property damage near the creek in addition to safety concerns.