Fort Worth woman sentenced for disrupting Tarrant County Commissioners Court
A Fort Worth woman convicted of disrupting the Tarrant County Commissioners Court while making a speech about profanity was sentenced to 18-months probation Tuesday.
Carolyn Rodriguez, 61, was escorted out of the Jan. 28 meeting after she used profanity to speak out against about a new decorum policy that prohibits profanity.
Prosecutors asked the jury to give Rodriguez the maximum sentence of a year in jail and a $4,000 fine.
Rodriguez’s defense attorneys asked the jury for one day in jail and a dollar fine for each use of a swear word.
If Rodriguez violates her probation, she’ll be sentenced to 270 days in jail and a $2,000 fine.
In addition to probation, Tarrant County Criminal Court Judge Brian Bolton ordered Rodriguez to not attend Commissioners Court meetings duringher probation.
In making his argument during the punishment phase, Assistant District Attorney Lloyd Whelchel read a copy of Rodriguez’s December 2024 conviction for interfering with public duties.
Rodriguez’s attorney Mark Streiff countered that the state had waived the resisting arrest charge, and that the December case is being appealed.
He then called Rodriguez to speak in her own defense.
Rodriguez apologized to the jury for making them go through the trial, but said her actions were motivated by activism and not self promotion.
She said she and other activists had filmed things that have made a difference and shed a light on police misconduct.
“We’re bringing awareness. Why are are we the bad guys?” she asked the jury.
At the time of the Jan. 28 meeting, Rodriguez said she thought she was doing the right thing.
She acknowledged using swear words, but said it was done to make a point about free speech, and wasn’t directed at the commissioners.
Rodriguez also acknowledged her shouting while being arrested was disruptive, but said she was shouting because she thought it was an unlawful arrest.
She pointed to her legal research to argue she thought she was protected by the First Amendment, but acknowledged her interpretation could have been flawed.
Rodriguez also addressed the prosecution’s assertion that her motivation was social media likes and views.
“Yes, I want views, because I want to bring change,” she said, asserting she only made $12,000 from her videos in 2024.
On cross examination, Whelchel introduced a document claiming to show Rodriguez abruptly resigned from a teaching position in the Fort Worth school district in February 2018.
She testified she’d been a teacher for roughly 20 years, and still had her teaching credential.
The document alleged Rodriguez resigned instead of being fired as the result of an investigation, however, she disputed document’s findings saying she was never told of any investigation and had quit two months earlier.
Rodriguez’s lawyer, Mark Streiff, also objected to the document, arguing it’s findings couldn’t be corroborated.
Whelchel argued in his closing statement the document showed Rodriguez’s character.
She resigned immediately after a 20 year career, he said.
In his closing remarks, Streiff argued that Rodriguez’s January disruption wasn’t violent or harmful.
He compared it to kids having to contribute to a swear jar for foul language, and recounted how 4-year-old daughter forces him to make those same contributions for what he called “potty words.”
He questioned why Rodriguez would serve jail time for foul language.
Whelchel countered that Rodriguez’s disruption was part of a pattern of behavior.
He noted she served only one day in jail after a 2019 incident in which she entered a county building and pulled up her YouTube channel on a computer.
“This is who she is. She’s never going to stop,” Whelchel said.
He argued the punishment needs to send a message about the conduct of character we expect of our fellow citizens in their dealings with public servants.
“Imagine dealing with her in your job,” Whelchel said to the jury. “We need a break from her.”.
Streiff said they plan to appeal the verdict.
After post-trial conversations with jurors, Streiff’s co-counsel James Chiles said there appeared to be confusion about how to apply the law in this case.
The jurors agreed Rodriguez’s delay was minimal, Chiles said.
Where there was confusion was about whether her shouting while being arrested really caused a hindrance.
Streiff said they plan to appeal the case. He said this case is about more than just Rodriguez. It’s about the rights of all Tarrant County residents, he said.
This story was originally published June 17, 2025 at 1:45 PM.
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