Stand with Big Bend Times against Jeff Davis County Corruption
A Jeff Davis County Attorney’s Office employee caused a scene by screaming at journalist David Flash in a public setting, leading to concerns about professionalism and potential violations of state law.
The harassment was part of a broader pattern by Jeff Davis County officials. It began with Lisa Dennison, an assistant in the County Attorney’s office, who confronted and publicly shamed Flash at an Alpine bakery, allegedly using confidential information accessed through her job at the county and shared illegally. This led to a criminal complaint being submitted to the county attorney and sheriff’s office citing violations of Texas Government Code Section 552.352. But this was just the beginning.
The incident occurred on the evening of October 9, 2023, at Far West Texas Cattle Co., approximately 25 miles from Fort Davis. Flash was supporting a local business, simply trying to buy bread, but could not even shop in peace. While he was inside the market, Dennison confronted him, launching into a tirade of accusations and personal insults, shouting about how people would find out what a bad person he was. Her outburst was filled with ad hominem attacks and inflammatory remarks. As Flash attempted to leave the store, Dennison followed him into the Bread Garden Bakery, continuing to scream at him and creating a disturbance that disrupted the business.
Dennison justified her outburst by stating she had viewed body camera footage of Flash. However, Flash maintains that his only known appearance in such footage would have been in a professional capacity while documenting a Texas State Park Police officer conducting a stop. Flash stated that he conducted himself professionally during the event. However, the officer’s conduct was not professional. The officer slammed the door mid-sentence and took Flash’s question, ‘What are you doing?’ as an argument, responding with, ‘I can pull over anyone I want.’ Flash did not contest the officer’s authority; rather, he was seeking clarification about the officer’s actions, a question that went unanswered. As a former Texas Parks and Wildlife Department employee who had previously worked under a state park police officer as his boss, Flash was well aware that officers have the authority to conduct stops—his question was about the specific circumstances of this one.
The public confrontation raised serious concerns regarding Dennison’s access to and discussion of official government records. Flash had not been charged with any crime nor requested any such footage, leading him to question why a county employee would be reviewing and publicly discussing bodycam video of him.
Subsequent inquiries revealed that county officials were investigating Flash on baseless allegations that he interfered with a traffic stop. These allegations were submitted in retaliation after Flash reported on and filed a formal complaint about the officer’s conduct. Despite efforts to find grounds for prosecution, Flash was ultimately not charged with any crime related to the incident. He was not conciliatory toward County Attorney Glen Eisen, and if Eisen had been able to charge him, he would have. The stop in question, according to Flash, involved an officer instructing an unlicensed driver to operate an unregistered vehicle to a second location, in apparent violation of traffic laws. Flash was ultimately not charged with any crime related to the incident.
Further, Jeff Davis County Attorney Glen Eisen later acknowledged that his employee had improperly accessed and disclosed confidential information, a misdemeanor offense under the Texas Public Information Act. Despite this admission, Eisen took no corrective action against Dennison. Instead, he reportedly issued warnings to Flash, stating that his future actions could influence the charging decision in the ongoing investigation.
Flash later learned that Eisen also sought to have sheriff’s deputies detain him for disorderly conduct during an in-person exchange, during which Flash disagreed with Eisen’s assertions and threats. That allegation, along with an investigation into supposed evading arrest and detention, resulted in no charges being filed against Flash.
The incident at the bakery was the first indication to Flash that he was under investigation—one of at least eight separate inquiries he is aware of. Public records indicate that Jeff Davis County officials spent $14,000 in legal fees to hire an outside law firm to shield related records from disclosure. Flash asserts that these investigations represent a concerted effort by county officials to find a crime to charge him with, culminating in a false arrest.
One of the two false charges, terroristic threat, has already been dropped. The remaining charge, harassment, is still pending. The lack of disciplinary action against Dennison and the threats issued against Flash underscore broader concerns about the handling of government resources and legal processes in Jeff Davis County.
