The Brazoria County Swamp
The jailing of Kevin Henry, a Brazoria County watchdog, has now appeared to backfire on his critics.
And the judge in the case is facing growing scrutiny.
The Brazoria County Swamp
I’ve been arrested for contempt of court before.
“According to court documents, Dolcefino went up to the judge as he sat on the bench and demanded to interview him.”
For daring to question a judge about corruption.
”The judge finally threatened to have him arrested to which Dolcefino allegedly replied ‘Do what you have to do.’”
I even made the local news in my fancy orange jail jumpsuit and shackles.
It was total bullshit. The case was thrown out, after our hidden camera proved the judge wasn’t telling the truth.
A grand jury even indicted him.
”As we all know there’s been a lot of debate lately about freedom of speech and I’m sure you are not shocked to hear I’m a big fan of the first amendment. They don’t call it numero uno for nothing,” Wayne Dolcefino told the camera.
That’s why we are investigative a free speech playing out in Angleton, Texas.
”They trampled all over my civil rights. This is just the beginning, I’m not stopping. I’m not done calling out the corruption around here,” Kevin Henry said.
Texas lawman Kevin Henry now owns a media company called Texpose Media…get it?
Diving deep into the murky waters of corruption in Brazoria County, he says.
Henry ran for sheriff last year against incumbent Bo Stallman. Henry lost.
”Kevin Henry is probably one of my biggest fans, he does like to say my name a lot,” Bo Stallman said.
Henry is part of a growing breed of citizens who watchdog their government online.
He only has about six thousand followers on Facebook.
But he’s now facing an expensive first amendment legal battle that is trying to silence him.
When we showed up in court the other day, we never imagined that Brazoria county District Judge Greg Hill was actually going to put Henry in jail for supposedly violating a court order to take down some of the posts.
Even though he already had, the judge threw the book at Henry. Thirty days in jail.
”I can’t even express how speechless I am about what the judge has done in this case,” Jeff Diamant said.
”Jeff Diamant is also a lawyer for us. But we are used to these first amendment battles. They are expensive,” Dolcefino told the camera.
Kevin Henry isn’t.
“It is a violation of every fundamental due process right that makes up out jurisprudence system basic first year law school fundamental jurisprudence,” Diamant said.
Henry is being sued for defamation by this guy: Derrick Dees.
A local political powerbroker in Angleton who claims his reputation has been ruined forever.
In part because he’s a close friend of the Brazoria County Sheriff.
”Me and Derrick, we’re back to high school. We went to high school together so I’ve known him for a long time and we acre close friends,” Stallman said.
In his lawsuit, Dees claims Henry is a sore loser since he lost the election and has been on a rampage ever since seeking to discredit the sheriff and his friends, like Dees.
”We’re going to tell you why Mr. Dees thinks Mr. Henry ruined his reputation so badly in a minute. But first, the beginning of this story. It was last October during the sheriff’s campaign and this video posted on Facebook,” Dolcefino told the camera.
”And i wanted to let you guys know that I am not the one who is under investigation by the Texas Rangers for indecent exposure,” Henry said.
The only other guy running was the sheriff, so you could do the math.
The local newspaper “The Facts” slammed Henry days later in an editorial.
“There is no proof Henry’s allegations have any merit,” called them flimsy, unfounded.
But we see no evidence The Facts ever got the facts after that, but the alleged victim? She acted.
Two days after that editorial, the Office Manager at this medical clinic filed a formal police report with the Angleton police department.
Claiming months before the sheriff had done just that, exposed his apparently elongated penis to her.
We’ve got a copy of that police report, turns out the sheriff has seen it too.
”I am aware of an allegation, yes,” Stallman said.
”Have you seen the police report?” Dolcefino asked.
”Filed from what agency?” Stallman asked.
”Angleton police,” Dolcefino said.
”I have seen this, yes I have,” Stallman said.
The alleged victim at the medical clinic said she was “shocked and uncomfortable” by what the sheriff did.
She did not want the Angleton police to proceed with a criminal investigation but she wanted to document what she says happened.
”Ok, so here’s your chance, was she lying?” Dolcefino asked.
”Again, what I’m telling you—“ Stallman said.
”I know you appreciate victims,” Dolcefino said.
”I do. So if she felt like something happened here, I will tell you that I have never exposed myself and I never had and I absolutely never will,” Stallman said.
But Stallman confirms something else that Henry told the newspaper back then.
That the Texas Rangers were on the case, they denied it to the newspaper back then, but the sheriff confirms their investigation.
”I’m very glad they looked into these allegations and the did a thorough job and ultimately it was unfounded,” Stallman said.
But what kind of investigation into alleged indecency doesn’t include an interview with the person accused of doing it.
”Did they ever interview you?” Dolcefino asked.
”They never did,” Stallman said.
”So how could it have been thorough? No offense,” Dolcefino asked.
Henry posted that Stallman was being protected by what he called “The County Swamp.” That half the town was drinking the cool aid mixed by the local district attorney.
A few folks in town may already heard this story.
But in court papers dees may have exposed himself to a lot more questions than if he hadn’t filed suit in the first place.
He claims Henry and others were passing around a story of another sex related allegation.
That the sheriff and Dees had supposedly given alcohol to a 17-year-old girl and then raped her in an apartment above the restaurant, the Dirty South.
Dees Properties LLC is the owner of the property.
”It’s completely frivolous as you know, it can’t be any more false than anything else that you’ve seen in there,” Stallman said.
”So you haven’t done anything inappropriate with women?” Dolcefino asked.
“Not at all, not at all,” Stallman said.
But it was another Henry Facebook post in September that must have really pissed Dees off, cause him emotion and financial damage, irreparable harm to his reputation.
Here it is.
”Why does everyone keep telling me to look into Derrick Dees,” Henry wrote, “Tons of messages and pretty big allegations.”
”For him to say people are raising allegations especially when he doesn’t go into the content of them is fundamentally protected speech,” Diamant said.
Henry Had invited Dees to come on his podcast to talk about it. Doesn’t the Dees’ lawsuit confirms there were allegations being made in the first place?
”If you spent a lifetime building your reputation and that was undone by one person posting something on Facebook who actually made no allegations whatsoever then you never had a reputation or if you did, it certainly wasn’t a good one to begin with,” Diamant said.
Henry had been ordered to remove the posts and he did so six days later, but after he had hired a lawyer.
”You’re punishing somebody for taking the time to go out and find a lawyer and understand what their rights were,” Diamant said.
Tell that to the Judge.
”But should this local district judge have even handled this case in the first place, or is he part of what Henry calls ‘The Swamp’?” Dolcefino told the camera.
It may not be a big deal that the judge and his wife are Facebook friends with Derrick Dees’ wife.
Angela Dees is the county treasurer.
They sure look like they are chums, campaigning together, smiling for the camera.
That’s her in the courtroom hallway the other day.
And Henry is facing a judge who has his arm around Dees in this photo we have. They seem to be pretty friendly too. Does that equal justice to you?
”Judges in Texas aren’t required to recuse themselves just because of campaign contributions, even friendship, but I’ve always said that judges have an obligation to disclose their relationship to all the parties in court. And that did not happen here,” Dolcefino told the camera.
Judge Hill used to a be a councilman in Pearland. He had an unsuccessful run for congress, he lost in the primary. His buddy the sheriff gave him a big donation.
And when Holl ran for judge for the 239th District Court, he got a contribution from Dees kin folk, but many of the pictures we have seen show a pretty close relationship between the judge and Dees wife.
Pictures that raise legitimate questions about the judge’s impartiality, his objectivity, his ethics.
It’s clear that Judge Hill is at the very least political allies and friends with the very people that Kevin Henry is investigating. So throwing him in jail, judge, is likely only going to fuel the questions about whether there’s a Brazoria County Swamp.
Henry spent three nights in jail the Texas Appeals Court ordered him released on a $1000 bond, and said there were serious questions about whether Judge Hill was wrong to try to stop Henry’s free speech.
”I promise you what they did to me right there, that’s the beginning of it. I’m not done,” Henry said.
”I’m really big on accountability and one think about these investigations or these allegations that I am very glad and I welcome accountability. I welcome investigation into any allegation because those are some serious allegations that need to be looked into,” Stallman said.
”The sheriffs getting his friend to do his bidding for him. And the second Mr. Dees’ name came up. He found a welcome participant. A heavy campaign donor and a good friend to go out and file this action,” Diamant said.
Stay tuned…
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