A newly filed federal civil rights lawsuit in Fort Worth is putting Hood County law-enforcement and prosecutorial leaders under the spotlight after the arrest and prosecution of local journalist and veterans’ advocate Kolton Krottinger over a political meme posted on Facebook. The 27-page complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, accuses Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds, Investigator James Luckie, District Attorney Ryan Sinclair, and Hood County itself of violating the U.S. Constitution and the federal Privacy Protection Act through what it describes as a coordinated effort to punish and silence a political critic. 

According to the filing, Krottinger is not just a social-media commentator. He is a U.S. Navy veteran, a community activist, the founder and president of Anxiety Solutions of America, a nonprofit mental-health organization serving veterans and first responders that was honored by the Texas State Senate in 2025, and an online journalist who runs several Facebook news pages focused on Hood County politics. The lawsuit states that his work includes reporting on local government, interviewing candidates for office, and publishing political analysis to the public. 

A Meme That Sparked a Criminal Case

At the center of the case is a satirical political meme posted on October 1, 2025. The Hood County Sheepdogs Facebook page, which Krottinger operates along with other administrators, shared the meme to the “Granbury Breaking News” page. The image depicted local political activist Tina Brown and was intended as satire commenting on the rivalry between Tina Brown and Monica Brown, who was running for a Granbury Independent School District trustee seat against Dr. Calvin Lawrence. The Sheepdogs page carries a disclaimer stating it is for satire and jokes, and the lawsuit says the meme fell squarely within the realm of political parody protected by the First Amendment. 

Despite that, Tina Brown filed a complaint, and Hood County Investigator James Luckie opened a criminal investigation. The charge pursued was “Online Impersonation” under Texas Penal Code § 33.07(a), a felony that requires proof that a person acted with intent to harm, defraud, intimidate, or threaten. The lawsuit argues that political satire, by its nature, does not meet that standard. 

What Investigators Claimed and What Was Missing

On November 3, 2025, James Luckie swore out a criminal complaint and affidavit before Justice of the Peace Sissy Freeman. The affidavit claimed Meta, the parent company of Facebook, provided records showing that Krottinger was the “owner” of the Hood County Sheepdogs page. It also claimed an IPv6 address tied to the meme was assigned to the T-Mobile network and that Krottinger’s phone also used T-Mobile. 

The lawsuit says those statements did not establish probable cause. It points out that T-Mobile serves millions of subscribers nationwide and that the affidavit did not link the IP address to Krottinger’s specific device or even to a device located in Texas. It also notes that the Hood County Sheepdogs page has multiple administrators and that Facebook does not publicly identify which administrator makes a post. None of that was addressed in the warrant paperwork. 

Arrest After the Election and a Phone That Disappeared

On November 5, 2025, one day after the local elections in which Krottinger had been actively involved, deputies arrested him in a public parking lot. He was booked into the Hood County jail and released on a $10,000 bond. During the arrest, officers seized his cell phone. The phone was never listed on the inventory of seized property, and no search warrant for it was obtained or shown to him, according to the complaint. 

The lawsuit describes the contents of that phone as extensive and deeply personal. It allegedly contained an application Krottinger uses to communicate with veterans in mental-health crises, information needed for a $400,000 Texas Veterans Commission grant application, journalistic notes, contacts, and communications related to his reporting, along with personal photos and messages. When he was released from custody, the phone was not returned, and he was told it was “not on the inventory list.” 

Even after a court later ordered his discharge and the prosecution was formally rejected, the phone was still not returned, the lawsuit states, amounting to an ongoing seizure of property and an ongoing violation of federal law protecting journalists’ materials. 

A Social Media Ban Ordered From the Bench

At the same time, Krottinger faced a condition of bond that the lawsuit characterizes as extraordinary. At the direction of District Attorney Ryan Sinclair and Sheriff Roger Deeds, Justice of the Peace Earl “Dub” Gillum imposed a complete ban on all social-media use, including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. For a journalist whose income and reporting depended almost entirely on online platforms, the lawsuit says this order effectively shut down his ability to work and to participate in political discourse while the case was pending. 

A District Attorney With Prior Ties

Ryan Sinclair’s role is a central focus of the lawsuit. According to the complaint, Sinclair knew Krottinger personally before the arrest and had even been invited to join the board of Anxiety Solutions of America, though he declined before any formal vote. The lawsuit says Sinclair therefore knew Krottinger was a political activist, a journalist, and a critic of local officials. 

After the case drew media attention and public criticism, Sinclair filed a motion to step aside on November 19, 2025. In that filing, he claimed he had served on the board of Krottinger’s nonprofit. That statement was quickly challenged. Anxiety Solutions of America President Andrea Jackson submitted a letter stating Sinclair had never been on the board, and Hood County Constable Scott London, who sits on the board, confirmed Sinclair had only been invited and declined. The lawsuit alleges the statement was false and was made to avoid responsibility for what had become a controversial prosecution. 

The Case Falls Apart

After Sinclair stepped aside, Ellis County District Attorney Lindy Beaty was appointed to review the matter. Krottinger requested an examining trial, a Texas procedure that requires the state to show probable cause. The state responded that it was not prepared to present evidence and agreed Krottinger was entitled to be released. On December 5, 2025, Justice of the Peace Earl “Dub” Gillum formally discharged him. On December 22, 2025, the Ellis County District Attorney’s Office issued a letter rejecting the prosecution, stating there was insufficient evidence to establish that Krottinger was the person who created or posted the meme. 

Sheriff Roger Deeds Stands By the Arrest

Even after the criminal case collapsed, the lawsuit says Sheriff Roger Deeds continued to publicly defend the arrest. He issued statements on the Hood County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page encouraging residents to report online “bullying” and pointing to Krottinger’s case as an example of when speech becomes criminal. On December 3, 2025, after the state had already conceded it lacked probable cause, Deeds posted that probable cause had been established and that all actions were lawful. The lawsuit describes this as ratification of an unconstitutional arrest. 

The complaint also alleges Deeds restricted and then effectively shut down public comments on the sheriff’s office Facebook page after citizens began criticizing the arrest. Posts began displaying notices that commenting was limited, and Krottinger himself was blocked from participating in discussions on the official page, which had previously functioned as a public forum. 

Claims of Retaliation and Damage

The lawsuit further claims that hostility within the sheriff’s office went beyond formal actions. It alleges Deputy Welty told a third party that Krottinger had child pornography on his phone, a statement the complaint says was entirely false and never supported by any charge or evidence. 

As a result of the arrest, prosecution, social-media ban, and phone seizure, Krottinger says he suffered loss of liberty, lost income, damage to his reputation, emotional distress, and disruption to both his journalism and his work with veterans. He is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, liquidated damages under the Privacy Protection Act, attorney’s fees, and court orders declaring that his constitutional rights were violated and requiring the sheriff’s office to reopen its Facebook page for public comment. 

Attorneys Known for First Amendment Litigation

Krottinger is represented by two Texas law firms that have built reputations around constitutional and free-speech litigation. The complaint was filed by Brandon J. Grable of GRABLE PLLC in San Antonio and CJ Grisham of the Law Offices of CJ Grisham in Temple. Both attorneys are widely known in Texas civil-rights circles for handling First Amendment cases involving journalists, political activists, and citizens targeted by government officials for protected speech. 

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