Woman files lawsuit after arrest for Facebook post concerning Trinidad water supply issues

Fox 4 ^ | May 20, 2026 | David Sentendrey and Carter Freemon

[Morgana]

TRINIDAD, Texas - A Facebook post about problems with the city of Trinidad's water quality led to the arrest of a resident, who now says she's filed a lawsuit against the city for what she calls a "political retaliation" arrest.

What we know:

Police in the City of Trinidad, located in Henderson County around an hour south-east of Dallas, arrested Jennifer Combs on May 8 and charged her with felony false alarm or report.

Her arrest stems from a Facebook post she made on her ‘Southern Belle Watch' account, where she claimed that the city's water issues had led to hospitalizations due to bacteria.

The post, in part, reads:

"We have received reports that some citizens have been hospitalized due to bacteria in the water. This is a serious public health concern that deserves immediate attention. If your water looks discolored, contains sediment, has a strong odor, or you have experienced related health issues, please send us a message. We are gathering information and reporting findings to the state."

The Trinidad Police Department, in an Apr. 6 Facebook post of their own, said Combs wrote "false information that creates fear, panic, or unnecessary emergency response within a community."

A May 10 post from Trinidad Police Chief Charles Gregory doubled down on the decision to arrest Combs.

Gregory claimed the case was "cut and dry," and Combs' claims about hospitalizations "are simply false and have only caused unnecessary fear and confusion in our community."

[dfwgator]

[algore]

The sheriff claimed that her claim was untrue “

she claimed that the city’s water issues had led to hospitalizations due to bacteria.”

this is what confuses me, sheriff seems to say she claimed it led to her hospitalization and it did not, so she was basically yelling fire in a crowded theater.

so if she did not claim it was her, and it is provable that there were hospitalizations from this than she needs to hope that “qualified immunity” does not apply,
and not for the directors of the water dist either.

[Robert357]

So this is what criminal activity now looks like. So much for the First Amendment in Texas. I guess asking questions is no longer allowed. I hope that the city has a lot of financial reserves to payout when the lawsuits are settled.

“......”We have received reports that some citizens have been hospitalized due to bacteria in the water. This is a serious public health concern that deserves immediate attention. If your water looks discolored, contains sediment, has a strong odor, or you have experienced related health issues, please send us a message. We are gathering information and reporting findings to the state.......”

[brookwood]

“I have received reports that there is a fire in the theater...”
Yes a crowded theater.