Back on May 9, 2025, I was in the public building Somervell County Annex in both the public records office and in the public office of the Somervell County admin. Somervell County Sheriff’s cops came up and told me that I was being criminally trespassed as a warning and to leave the (public) building. I asked why this was and the cop only knew that this came from Trey Brown, Somervell County Attorney and I was afterwards told by Somervell County Sheriff Alan West that Somervell County Judge Danny Chambers would have had to approve the trespass, which he did not do on paper. Jeff, the cop, had to have calls with Brown, so that he could explain to me WHY I was being trespassed; I had not even been in the building for 8-9 months, which Chambers acknowledged. Jeff finally indicated that
“According to the county attorney… trespasses for all private offices that have no recording allowed. If it’s a public area, you’re welcome to it. …. This is for all private offices that are posted no recording allowed”
I HAD, after speaking with West in August of 2024, gone in to record in a couple of offices with the full knowledge of the people therein, including a commissioner and the elections office. West told me that there was no law forbidding me from doing so, and that Texas is a one party recording state. That had been 9 months previously. Brown at that time would not cite any law that prevented me from doing so at that time, no public Somervell County Commissioners Court offices are marked as private (see open records request and answer onlink at left showing that the commissioners do not consider them *private* offices, just goofball Brown) , nor any penalties for not following the homemade sign he arbitrarily put up without any law citation. I imagine that he had been having his authority over baloney signs festering for 9 months and decided to try to *get* me when I eventually came back to the annex. Maybe he hoped to have the cops get me if I had gone in, as I sometimes do, to record the county commissioners meeting. Petty Little Incompetent Man and shame on Chambers being led by the nose by this goofus.
I asked how it was that the cops even knew I was in the building. It was court day (Friday) and I believe some of the cops, Chambers and Brown were on the north side of the building outside the court room. Jeff the cop told me that I had been seen on camera, so someone (perhaps Chambers secretary) saw me. It is NOT illegal for me to be in a public building, I had not EVER been warned not to step foot in a PUBLIC building or PUBLIC office, incidentally, but my guess is that the fact I had argued with him about his bogus recording signs he put up in the hallway had tweaked his pettiness.
On that same day, which was May 9, 2025, I did an open records request asking for the video from the hallways in the annex. THE ANNEX IS A PUBLIC BUILDING and I believe that no one who is in the hallway of a public building has any right to privacy, especially since being recorded. Trey Brown DID NOT WANT ME TO SEE THE PUBLIC HALLWAY RECORDINGS and asked the Texas Attorney General for a decision, citing that he wanted to prevent me from getting the footage because it’s a security issue. The way that he and Haley did the requests was goofy and unprofessional. At that point I just had to wait until the AG answered it to find out if I could get the video.
I called the AG office a few weeks ago (had no reference #) and was told that they had to give an answer by August 13, 2025. Waited and NO reply from Somervell County, so I wrote Michelle Reynolds (who had been copied on the emails as well for some odd reason-could it have been that Haley had no idea how to do a request to the AG so they asked Michelle to do it?), Brown and Haley on September 5, 2025
I would like to know if the Attorney General has responded to your request date July 11, 2025 regarding an open records decision from mine dated May 9, 2025. I had called the AG’s office in August and was told that their deadline was August 14, 2025. I have not received any additional information, assume Somervell County was contacted with a reply. If not, either way, I would like a reply about what the status of this OR Request is, if known. Again the ID number is 25-028238. If you have, as of this date, received no reply from the AG’s office, would like to know that as well.
Reply from Haley on Sept 8
I have been advised that IT is currently working to obtain a copy of the footage you have requested. Trey or myself will be in touch with updates as they become available.
Frankly, although I need to look it up, this sure doesn[t sound like the procedure Somervell County should be following.
I STILL did not know what the AG said, no one from Somervell County had bothered to tell me, so I asked for a copy of the AG’s decision, which as of this moment, I still have nor received from Somervell County. I looked on the Texas AG’s site and there is a database of opinions. Found it
So, did Somervell County Attorney Trey Brown have a good case to prevent me from receiving, through my open records request, video from the public hallway? (which was narrowed down to the time frame when Somervell County Sheriff’s Dept gave me a criminal trespass warning, in my opinion, QUITE WRONGLY? Nope, the AG, hilariously in my book, told Brown that he has to give me the information, basically, because he did NOT follow the law regarding timelines and information. Here’s the ruling
Here’s what the letter says or you can read the pdf above
Post Office Box 12548, Austin, Texas 78711-2548 • (512) 463-2100 • www.texasattorneygeneral.gov
August 13, 2025
Mr. Trey Brown
Somervell County Attorney
Somervell County
102 Northeast Vine Street
Glen Rose, Texas 76943
OR2025-029135
Dear Mr. Brown:
You ask whether certain information is subject to required public disclosure under the
Public Information Act (the “Act”), chapter 552 of the Government Code. Your request
was assigned ID# 25-028238.
Somervell County (the “county”) received a request for video recordings and
communications pertaining to a specified incident. You state you have released some
information. You claim the remaining requested information is excepted from disclosure
under section 552.101 of the Government Code. We have considered the exception you
claim.
We must address the county’s obligations under the Act. Pursuant to section 552.301(e), a
governmental body is required to submit to this office within fifteen business days of
receiving an open records request (1) written comments stating the reasons why the claimed
exceptions apply that would allow the information to be withheld, (2) a copy of the written
request for information, (3) a signed statement or sufficient evidence showing the date the
governmental body received the written request, and (4) a copy of the specific information
requested or representative samples, labeled to indicate which exceptions apply to which
parts of the documents. Gov’t Code § 552.301 (e). As of the date of this letter, you have
failed to submit a copy of the specific information requested. Consequently, we find the
county failed to comply with section 552.301 of the Government Code.
Pursuant to section 552.302 of the Government Code, a governmental body’s failure to
comply with the procedural requirements of section 552.301 results in the legal
presumption that the requested information is public and must be released unless there is a
compelling reason to withhold the information from disclosure. See id. § 552.30Mr. Trey Brown – Page 2
Simmons v. Kuzmich, 166 S.W.3d 342, 350 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2005, no pet.);
Hancock v. State Bd. of Ins., 797 S.W.2d 379, 381 (Tex. App.—Austin 1990, no writ).
Although the county raises exceptions to disclosure, because you have not submitted the
requested information for our review, we have no basis for finding any of the information
excepted from disclosure. Thus, we have no choice but to order the requested information
released pursuant to section 552.302. If you believe the information may not lawfully be
released, you must challenge this ruling in court pursuant to section 552.324 of the
Government Code.
This letter ruling is limited to the particular information at issue in this request and limited
to the facts as presented to us; therefore, this ruling must not be relied upon as a previous
determination regarding any other information or any other circumstances.
This ruling triggers important deadlines regarding the rights and responsibilities of the
governmental body and of the requestor. For more information concerning those rights and
responsibilities, please visit our website at https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/open-
government/members-public/what-expect-after-ruling-issued or call the OAG’s Open
Government Hotline, toll free, at (877) 673-6839. Questions concerning the allowable
charges for providing public information under the Public Information Act may be directed
to the Cost Rules Administrator of the OAG, toll free, at (888) 672-6787.
Sincerely,
Joseph Hoggatt
Assistant Attorney General
Open Records Division
JWH/mo
Ref: ID# 25-028238
c: Requestor
I, in this instance, am the requestor. Have I been told ANYTHING about this aside from when I asked BECAUSE I was not told anything? Nope. Also, therehow nebulous is the “IT is looking at it”-they are supposed to get this info for me “Promptly”
Responsibilities for the Governmental Body
When a governmental body receives its letter ruling from the ORD, the governmental body must:
- Promptly release the requested information to you if the ruling states to release the information, or
- Notify you when and where the requested public information will be provided to you, or
- Notify you when and where the requested public information will be made available for your inspection, or
- Notify you of the governmental body’s intent to challenge the letter ruling in a District Court in Travis County, Texas. A governmental body has 30 calendar days to challenge a ruling in district court. But less than 1% of letter rulings are challenged in court.
The ORD will not release the requested records to you. Records will be released to you by the governmental body.
If a governmental body does not release records to you in a timely manner, you may file an informal complaint with our office. As the requestor, you may file a writ of mandamus under section 552.321 of the Government Code to ask a court to order the requested information released.
Anyway, the upshot is that Trey Brown tried to hide the video footage and prevent me from getting a copy of it AND the Texas Attorney Generals office has told him to cough it up. I am now waiting for him to actually follow the law and procedures that the AG sets out.
