The Case of Bad Water
Texas shuts down Trinidad police department in North Texas
September 15, 2026 by Richard Ray Fox 4 News
A small North Texas town already under fire over its water, its city government and the arrests of people criticizing local officials has now been dealt an extraordinary blow:
The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement has ordered the Trinidad Police Department in Henderson County to disband after an investigation concluded that the agency “failed to meet minimum standards” and was unable to provide evidence that it provided a public benefit to the community.
The decision is the latest chapter in months of turmoil in Trinidad, a town of fewer than 1,000 people about 75 miles southeast of Dallas.
Much of the controversy began with complaints about the city’s water system.
In May, Trinidad police arrested resident Jennifer Combs after a Facebook post on her page warned about bacteria in the city’s water and suggested people had been hospitalized. Then-Police Chief Charles Gregory said the hospitalization claim was false and had unnecessarily frightened residents.
Combs spent a night in jail and was charged with the felony offense of making a false alarm or report.
The charge was later dropped.
Then the case took another turn.
A Henderson County judge concluded that two Trinidad officers had withheld relevant facts when seeking a warrant in the Combs investigation — including information concerning citizen complaints and water-quality concerns. The judge subsequently required those officers to personally appear before him when seeking future warrants.
Meanwhile, state environmental regulators did identify problems with Trinidad’s water system requiring corrective action — although that does not establish that every claim in Combs’ original Facebook post was accurate. And Combs wasn’t the only controversial arrest.
The day after she was jailed, police arrested a man protesting outside City Hall with a profane anti-police sign. His disorderly-conduct charge was also eventually dropped.
By August, Henderson County’s district attorney and county attorney had seen enough. Both offices announced they would no longer accept cases solely investigated or filed by Trinidad police and requested a state audit of the department. The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office began taking a larger role in policing the town.
Now we know what that audit found.
Investigators determined the department lacked basic resources, including bulletproof vests and an evidence room, and was missing nearly two dozen required policies covering such fundamental areas as use of force, active shooters, vehicle pursuits and professional conduct.
The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office will take over law-enforcement responsibilities while Trinidad decides what comes next. The Texas Rangers are also investigating matters involving city and police officials arising from the controversies.
Former Chief Gregory resigned after a grand jury declined to indict Combs. Combs has since filed a federal lawsuit alleging her arrest was retaliation for criticizing local government — an allegation that remains to be decided in court.
For a town that has spent months fighting over dirty water, citizen complaints, controversial arrests and questions about its city government, the state’s latest finding may be the most remarkable yet:
Texas regulators concluded Trinidad’s police department couldn’t demonstrate that it was providing a public benefit — and ordered it shut down.
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SDF Law Firm successfully defends defends independent reporter Jennifer Combs.
September 15, 2026 By KLTV News 7 GFA Law Firm of CJ Grisham and Ryan Franeschina
Henderson County judge Scott McKee 392 district court says officers withheld facts in controversial water quality arrest.
“While a magistrate need not be presented with every fact known to investigators, a magistrate is entitled to rely upon affiants to provide a fair and complete presentation of material facts so that the Court may independently evaluate probable cause,” McKee wrote. “Material omissions can be as misleading to the probable cause determination as affirmative misrepresentations.”
Defense Attorney Franceschina says that McKee signed a search warrant for information from Facebook, while a Justice of the Peace signed the warrant for Comb’s arrest.
“Later, when he reviewed the arrest warrant and found that there was a lot of stuff that wasn’t presented, that was something he found very concerning,” said Franceschina.
“Jennifer Combs did nothing wrong,” wrote defense Attorney CJ Grisham in a release from GFA Law. “She spoke up about a public health issue and was punished for it by officers who used the courts as a weapon. The judge saw through it. Now a federal jury will too.”
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