When Jennifer Combs posted photos and concerns about the water coming from her Texas home, she says she was trying to warn her neighbors. Weeks later, she found herself facing a felony charge. Now, Combs is speaking out and suing the city, arguing her arrest was retaliation for drawing attention to problems with Trinidad's drinking water.
Combs was arrested on May 8 and charged with felony false alarm or report. The charge stems from a Facebook post on her "Southern Belle Watch" account, where she claimed the city's water issues had led to hospitalizations caused by bacteria.
In the Facebook post at the center of the case, Combs wrote:
"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 pushed back in an April 6 Facebook post, accusing Combs of spreading "false information that creates fear, panic, or unnecessary emergency response within a community."
Police Chief Charles Gregory later defended the arrest, calling the case "cut and dry" and arguing that Combs' claims about hospitalizations were "simply false" and had created unnecessary fear within the community.
Combs, who told FOX 4's David Sentendrey she had never even received a speeding ticket, called the experience of spending a night in jail "horrifying."
Recalling her arrest and detention, she said:
"It was probably one of the most humiliating things I’ve ever gone through in my entire life. It was very, very bad."
Combs argued the felony charge was "an extreme stretch," noting that Trinidad Mayor Dennis Haws has publicly acknowledged ongoing problems with the city's brown and yellow tap water.
Describing complaints she says residents have shared, Combs continued:
“There’s people that are saying that their appliances are getting ruined, they can’t cook with the water, they can’t bathe with it, they can’t do laundry.”
The city even issued a boil-water notice on April 21, urging residents to boil water to avoid harmful bacteria, weeks after Combs' post. According to Combs, multiple residents commented on the Trinidad Police Department's Facebook page, claiming they had become ill or were hospitalized after consuming the city's water.
Images provided to FOX 4 also showed brown water coming from faucets and bathtubs throughout the community.
Explaining how residents have responded to the controversy, she revealed:
"A lot of them feel hushed, and like they don’t have a voice and no one listens to them and no one takes them seriously."
Combs described the city's water supply as looking like "the Trinity River is flowing from their water taps."
According to Mayor Haws, Trinidad has struggled with aging water infrastructure for years, with pipes dating back to the 1950s.
Addressing the city's infrastructure challenges, he explained:
“We have to get to a position where we can fix that infrastructure, and it’s very expensive, as I’m sure you can imagine.”
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality confirmed to FOX 4 that it received a complaint regarding Trinidad's water quality and that an investigation remains ongoing. City officials have not denied the system's problems.
Discussing the condition of the city's water system, the mayor added:
“The city’s water situation is a struggle, without question.”
While Haws declined to confirm whether anyone became ill from drinking the water, he said city leaders have discussed creating a committee to address the issue.
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The boil-water notice remained in effect until April 23.
News of the arrest generated strong reactions across social media, where many users expressed disbelief that concerns about drinking water could result in a felony charge.
The internet had plenty to say:
Dale Carpenter, a constitutional law professor at Southern Methodist University, questioned whether Combs had committed a crime and suggested her First Amendment rights may have been violated.
Offering his assessment of the case, Carpenter said:
“She’s making a statement regarding a matter of great public interest, and so people sometimes make false statements on matters of great public interest, and they’re allowed to do so.”
Carpenter added, “I really haven’t seen anything like this before.”
Combs has since filed a federal lawsuit against the city, naming Gregory and another member of the Trinidad Police Department as defendants.
CJ Grisham, Combs' attorney, called the arrest an "abuse of power."
To Combs and her legal team, the case extends beyond a single Facebook post. They argue the arrest represents a troubling example of government officials using criminal charges to punish criticism, while questions about Trinidad's aging water system and the residents affected by it remain unresolved.
