Background articles. I supposed I ought to be surprised after all this time that this yokel cannot follow the law but honestly, because I would LIKE to think that we have a careful smart county attorney doing business in Glen Rose. Clearly that is not the case and I’m speaking my opinion of this here.
Let me explain his latest stupidity. On November 1, 2025, I did an open records request asking for the following, the request was sent to the open records alias at Somervell County, to Danny Chambers (Somervell County Judge) and to Trey Brown. Understand that an open records request (also known as public information request) asks for existing records that belong to the government. As the Texas Govt Code for open records says
Sec. 552.001. POLICY; CONSTRUCTION. (a) Under the fundamental philosophy of the American constitutional form of representative government that adheres to the principle that government is the servant and not the master of the people, it is the policy of this state that each person is entitled, unless otherwise expressly provided by law, at all times to complete information about the affairs of government and the official acts of public officials and employees. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that they may retain control over the instruments they have created. The provisions of this chapter shall be liberally construed to implement this policy.(b) This chapter shall be liberally construed in favor of granting a request for information.
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I am requesting, in digital format to be returned via email, the following (I **** out my name in the copypaste)
- Any documents, emails, letters, etc from the dates of August 23, 2024 through May 10, 2025 that include a warning or instruction sent to me that if I, ********r, came into the Somervell County Annex building at any time, I would be criminally trespassed or receive a criminal trespass warning, and under what circumstances.
- Any documents, email, letters, etc (and that may be included in #1 request) that cite the law that Somervell County may believe is being violated, along with penalties for violating. This references the homemade sign in the hallways in front of some offices that say “No audio, visual or any other type of recording past this point” but do not contain a legal citation nor penalties.
- Any documents, email, letters, etc (and that may also be included in the #1 request if applicable) that show that there is any designation on the outside or inside of the offices, such a as a sign, where the above sign referenced on #2 is located, that also say that these offices (including the commissioners) are private, thus notifying the public of that status.
- Policy of Somervell County regarding recording of Somervell County government offices, including also the hallway annex that shows whether or how citizens are notified that they are being recorded by Somervell County on video or audio.
- Policy of Somervell County of how long till a criminal trespass warning expires and how one would know this.
Now what do you see here? Anything that says I am asking the opinion of Trey Brown OR looking for existing records ? In fact, I have such a low opinion of his *expertise* that there is no world in which I would ask what he imagines. Does the Texas Public Information Act say that such back and forth is acceptable? (Maybe he has not read the PIA or he simply does not understand)
No. This is from Section 552.222 of Texas Statute (See also 552.221)
Sec. 552.222. PERMISSIBLE INQUIRY BY GOVERNMENTAL BODY TO REQUESTOR. (a) The officer for public information and the officer's agent may not make an inquiry of a requestor except to establish proper identification or except as provided by Subsection (b), (c), or (c-1).(b) If what information is requested is unclear to the governmental body, the governmental body may ask the requestor to clarify the request. If a large amount of information has been requested, the governmental body may discuss with the requestor how the scope of a request might be narrowed, but the governmental body may not inquire into the purpose for which information will be used.
So, the person that is fulfilling the open records request, ie government CANNOT ASK the reason why the person is asking for information. I assume the reason for this law is that it is NONE OF THE GOVERNMENT’S BUSINESS. Although it does not explicitly say here, since the government body can’t ask WHY I want the particular documents, it is also not proper for him to REPLY to me showing me that he thinks he knows the reason, thus making assumptions or (and this is really beyond the pale) replying with unwelcome advice about the information I asked for. The ONLY thing according to Texas Law that he can do is ask me to clarify the request if what I was asking for is unclear, or find out if the scope of a large amount of information can be narrowed. It doesn’t even matter if he thinks in his head he knows, based on previous conversations or what I have written here, it is improper and not following the spirit of the law (I know, I know, hard for him, he has a nasty habit of doing this ) for him to not, very simply and directly, supply the information without unsolicited comment. And actually I would prefer he just follow the law as I care nothing about what little opinion comes leaking out of his mind. What I don’t like is that I’m beginning to feel sorry for incompetent Judge Danny Chambers that he is being led around by the nose by this cretin.
But here’s what this BLOCKHEAD did (his reply, which did not come *promptly* as per Sec 552.221 so he must have been really busy hanging out in Danny Chambers office) . Instead of just sending the information without comment……he could have just said “No Records Exist for your items” or the like. But no, he had to bloviate; the lack of self-control from a public servant is astonishing.. and sad.
I have reviewed your request and no documents exist, other than the sign stating “No audio or video
recording beyond this point”. This sign is not in digital format so you will need to make arrangement
to come pick up a copy if you would like one. The only notice you were given besides the signs was
me verbally discussing the situation with you on multiple occasions and me telling you that you
could not record in private county offices to protect peoples personal information. If you have legal
questions about the consequences of being criminal trespassed you will need to speak with a
criminal defense attorney. Happy holidays!
Note that he says he has “verbally discussed the situation” with me on multiple occasions. I suppose this man does not understand what *verbally means*. Let me help him.
In fact, when he says he “verbally” discussed this with me on multiple occasions, he is either lying or a complete chowderhead. My very first communication with him, IN WRITING, NOT VERBALLY was on July 25, 2024 (you can read the entire conversation in writing on email with replies in writing, not verbally, from Brown here. I did not even once, even into 2025, speak to him verbally, it was always via written email. Makes me wonder if he said that because he hoped there would be no proof of any conversations he had with me, but I have saved every email.
Reiterating again, and you can see this when you read the emails, Brown has said
“No one ever said it was a criminal law” – August 23, 2024
“All the signs do is, hopefully, assuming people follow them, is keep private information that must be kept confidential private” – August 19, 2024
“It is not a crime to record, but again, you could be subject to a lawsuit for recording and releasing information that is private” – August 23, 2024
Let me repeat. In line with what Sheriff Alan West told me, there is NO criminal law being cited or broken or any penalty, plus Texas is a one person recording state. Brown’s second comment (IN WRITING IN EMAIL) confirms that he just *hopes* that people would follow the signs, and third, it’s NOT A CRIME TO RECORD but the person could be subject at a lawsuit for releasing private information.All that might be fine except then why, in 2025 give me a criminal trespass warning for being in a public building, not recording anyway, in NO office that Brown thought he would capriciously designate as a *private* office, especially when at no time as Brown admits in email through an open records request, was I asked to leave any office at any time or warned that I would be subject to a criminal trespass simply for walking into a govt building.
Note that those responses are in 2024 and the warning I got was in 2025 while I was the public annex, or in the admin office for the commissioners (a public office) , which is not illegal to be in a taxpayer funded building. The conversation I had with him IN WRITING in July and August 2024 was about the signs in the hallway that cited NO LAW or penalty for violating phantom law, had NO sign designating these offices with the no recording sign as “Private” and for which Brown cite no law. He is just an incompetent county attorney, but let me get back to the fact that he is also funcationally illiterate when he confuses verbal with written. If you have him prosecuting you, can you really trust this jackass?
Perhaps Brown pretends to be a mind reader and plays with Tarot cards on his time off.
I also did not ask him for his little dissertation on the information beyond precisely what I asked for and whether there were records for those. I especially did not ask him what he thinks I should do with an attorney, that is NONE OF HIS BUSINESS. He has a real issue with that, in the past he, without me bringing it up or prodding him, said I should sue the county. That was shocking to me and extremely irresponsible, not to mention stupid. What is there about just GIVING ME THE INFORMATION, AS per the Texas Public Information Act or saying “NO RECORDS EXIST for X” that is so difficult for him to understand without feeling the need to ramble ? Maybe he just needs to hear himself speak or write his opinions, even when unsought and unwelcome. If he cannot grasp the clear instructions in the law, why should anyone trust his mental acuity and reading comprehension on anything that involves cases?
I’m going to talk about what information he sent back, via my request, on a different post, this one is strictly about the Texas Public Information Act.
