Jason “Jake” Knobloch, chairman of the Republican Party in Jeff Davis County, has operated a website using the Big Bend Times name while publishing repeated attacks on publisher David Flash, copying photographs and content, and contacting people in Flash’s personal and professional network — activity Flash described as “a weird hobby” centered on targeting a single individual.
The activity comes as Flash is pursuing a federal civil rights lawsuit against Jeff Davis County and multiple county officials, alleging violations tied to his reporting and interactions with local government.
The site, bigbendtimes.org, is not affiliated with Big Bend Times. It has published multiple posts focused on Flash while also reproducing materials connected to his work without permission.
Among the content used on the site are screenshots and images taken from Big Bend Times, as well as a photograph of a company van shot by Flash and a graphic arrangement he created. Flash said those materials were used without authorization.
Emails reviewed by Big Bend Times show Knobloch contacting individuals connected to Flash under his own name and attempting to draw them into the site and its campaign.
“This is something he’s spending time on over and over again, reaching out to people I know and trying to build something around attacking one person,” Flash said. “It’s not normal. It’s a weird hobby.”
Speculation about employer, calls to contact business
One post attempts to link Flash’s reporting to a separate company where he works, speculating that his activities in Jeff Davis County could be part of a “guerrilla marketing campaign.”
The post asks:
“What is David’s end game with all of this?”
It then suggests, without evidence:
“Are David’s Flash’s antics… part of a guerrilla marketing campaign…? … A guerrilla marketing campaign that is helping them profit while West Texas suffers seems like possibility.”
The same post directs readers to contact the business, writing:
“If there are any victims of Flash’s abuse that are curious and want to give them a call…”
Flash said that claim lacks any factual basis and reflects an effort to interfere with his work.
“There’s no logic there,” Flash said. “This started as a passion project — something I built because the region needed coverage. It turned into something successful. That’s the end game.”
“I didn’t build something to go after a person,” he added. “I built something to report on a community. There’s a big difference between creating something with a purpose and creating something just to try to hurt someone.”
Pattern of repeated attacks
Across multiple posts, the site repeats personal attacks and contradictory claims.
In one article, the author writes:
“Watching him in videos makes it apparent there is something seriously wrong with David… Perhaps he holds a grudge and gets stuck in a tick…”
The same post later claims:
“As this site… have begun to report on David’s scam…”
Other posts state:
“Flash likes to call himself a journalist, but he is not,”
and
“He uses AI to generate posts using content from other sources.”
The site also attempts to frame Flash as both ineffective and widely damaging, stating:
“Everyone in the Big Bend Region has figured out what Flash is up to,”
while also suggesting he is capable of causing significant harm.
Attacks extend to journalists and outlets
The posts also target journalists and publications that have covered Flash or his disputes with Jeff Davis County.
One article about Texas Tribune reporter Carlos Nogueras Ramos states:
“The article is riddled with false statements… Classic clickbait journalism at its worst.”
Another dismisses the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker and refers to Flash as “an amateur photographer and con artist.”
False claims about family
Among the most serious claims are statements accusing Flash’s mother of murder.
Flash said that claim is false.
“My mother has never harmed anyone,” Flash said. “There was a real tragedy in my family — my stepmother shot my little brother — and like anyone who goes through something like that, I had to work through it. Twisting that into something false about my mother is beyond inappropriate.”
Broader conflict and legal context
The campaign comes amid a documented conflict between Flash and Jeff Davis County officials.
In a 2025 article, The Texas Tribune reported that sheriff’s deputy Adriana Ruiloba “grabbed, handcuffed and forcibly removed Flash from the room” during a commissioners court meeting. The article also noted that a prior restriction barring Flash from county buildings was later lifted by a judge.
Flash said he challenged the allegations made against him through the court system and has been vindicated on those claims.
He said the current activity reflects a continued effort to discredit him.
Cease-and-desist letters ignored
Flash said he sent a cease-and-desist letter regarding the use of his name, content and materials, but received no response.
He added that the president of a separate company where he works also sent a cease-and-desist after the site used company-related materials and made claims about the business. That letter also went unanswered.
“A weird hobby”
Flash said the pattern is clear.
“The same thing keeps happening,” Flash said. “Discredit the reporting, attack the person, try to drag in anyone connected to them.”
He added: “It’s not normal. It’s a weird hobby.”
