Gun rights activist threatens to sue after dispute at Tarrant County Commissioners Court
A gun rights activist who was briefly detained after a dispute with sheriff’s deputies at the Jan. 14 meeting of the Tarrant County Commissioners Court is demanding hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages.
C.J. Grisham, a criminal defense and civil rights lawyer from Temple, said he plans to sue the county if the commissioners do not adequately respond by Feb. 14.
The altercation began when a deputy Grisham said he knows personally asked if he was “packing” after he went to the restroom and was trying to re-enter the commissioners court, Grisham said.
“I said, ‘Of course, Chief, you know that I’m always packing,’ and he’s like, ‘Well you’re not going in there,’” Grisham said. “His whole attitude changed. And I was like, ‘The hell I’m not.’”
Grisham made for the door, but the deputy grabbed his arm to stop him, he said. Voices were raised, attracting the attention of those in the court, and attendees piled out into the lobby to record the argument.
Grisham, a retired federal counterintelligence special agent, argued that he had the right to carry a firearm in the commissioners court due to his status as a former law enforcement officer. Sheriff’s deputies detained him in handcuffs for around 40 minutes, he said, before allowing him to leave the premises.
He cited federal law that classifies him as a former federal law enforcement officer and state law exempting those classified as such from laws that prohibit carrying firearms in government buildings like the commissioners court.
“I’m one of three army jobs that meets the definition of retired federal law enforcement,” Grisham said.
During the altercation, self-described law enforcement watchdog Manuel Mata, of Fort Worth, was arrested after arguing with officers. Both Grisham and Mata can be heard shouting expletives at officers in video of the dispute. Grisham said deputies “assaulted” them both.
Grisham, who has represented Mata in past cases, said Mata’s language did not violate any laws.
“That’s protected speech, no matter what,” he said, adding that the deputies involved created and escalated a situation that they should have tried to control with restraint.
Mata was not available for comment.
Grisham did not share the demand letter, also called a notice of intent to sue, with the Star-Telegram, but said it seeks $150,000 for himself “in restitution for general damages because I tried everything I could to cease the conduct prior to the arrest in good faith.”
Grisham said he was placed under arrest, but not charged with a crime.
The letter also seeks $150,000 for Mata “for general damages for the blatant violations of his rights and malicious prosecution.”
Mata has filmed police in “some embarrassing situations where they’ve done things wrong,” Grisham said, and his arrest was meant as retaliation for his watchdog advocacy.
Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Robbie Hoy said the video taken of the altercation shows that deputies did not assault anyone in their attempt to maintain decorum at the commissioners court.
“Our deputies have an obligation to keep the public safe,” Hoy said in an email. “When that protocol is violated, proper measure, up to and including arrests, can be made. The allegation we arrest anyone out of retaliation is absurd. When someone disrupts a public meeting, (Sheriff’s Office) Deputies have full authority to arrest those responsible.”
The Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office confirmed receipt of Grisham’s letter, but said the office does “not discuss litigation matters.”
Grisham is no stranger to run-ins with law enforcement over his right to bear arms. He founded the organization Open Carry Texas in 2013 after being arrested in Temple while carrying a loaded AR-15 rifle on a hike with his son.
He and other Second Amendment activists attended the Jan. 14 session to join calls for accountability in the county jail and the resignation of Sheriff Bill Waybourn in response to the death of fellow Libertarian Mason Yancy in the jail in December.
“I’m about as right wing as they come,” Grisham said, though he did note the differences between his political beliefs and those of some Republicans, such as his support for same sex marriage and drug legalization.
“I’ve got some leftist tendencies, but the fact that they’re turning a guy like me, who’s prior law enforcement, who generally has a good relationship with cops, as long as they’re not violating my rights … if you’re turning people like me, it’s no wonder law enforcement is losing support,” he said.
This story was originally published January 22, 2025 at 3:24 PM.
