A law enforcement officer accused in a federal civil rights lawsuit of using excessive force against a journalist has returned to the Presidio County Sheriff’s Office after working for the Presidio Police Department.
Joseph Giesbrecht is currently employed by the Presidio County Sheriff’s Office, returning to an agency where he previously served as a deputy.
Giesbrecht’s LinkedIn profile lists him as a Presidio Police Department officer beginning in March 2026. Presidio Police Chief Margarito Cobos confirmed Wednesday that Giesbrecht left the department about a month ago.
According to Giesbrecht’s LinkedIn profile, he previously worked for the Presidio County Sheriff’s Office from April 2024 until January 2025 before joining the Jeff Davis County Sheriff’s Office in February 2025. He lists his employment with Jeff Davis County as ending in January 2026.
Giesbrecht is a named defendant in Flash v. Jeff Davis County, et al., a federal civil rights lawsuit filed Jan. 18 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.
The lawsuit alleges a broader campaign by Jeff Davis County officials and law enforcement officers to retaliate against journalist and Big Bend Reporter publisher David Flash over his reporting on county government and law enforcement.
One of the incidents at the center of the lawsuit occurred June 27, 2025, when Flash attended a public budget meeting at the Jeff Davis County Courthouse.
According to the lawsuit, Flash was photographing the meeting when then-Chief Deputy Adriana Ruiloba and Giesbrecht grabbed him, handcuffed him and forcibly removed him from the courthouse.
Video of the incident shows Flash was not resisting as the officers restrained and removed him. Flash can also be heard repeatedly telling the officers that he was not resisting and that they were hurting him.
Flash sought medical treatment later that day. Medical documentation following the incident recorded bruising and abrasions to his wrists and arms, pain in his upper back and chest and an elevated heart rate.
Flash was cited for disorderly conduct following the incident. The charge was later dismissed for insufficient evidence.
The allegations against Giesbrecht have not been decided at trial, but his efforts to have several claims against him dismissed have failed.
Giesbrecht asked the federal court to dismiss the claims against him. U.S. District Judge David Counts ultimately granted his motion only in part, allowing Flash’s excessive force, civil rights conspiracy and state law claims against Giesbrecht to proceed, along with a bystander liability claim based on alleged excessive force.
Giesbrecht’s official-capacity claim and a bystander liability claim based on alleged false arrest were dismissed without prejudice.
The case attracted national attention after Eugene Volokh, a UCLA law professor emeritus who writes extensively about First Amendment and constitutional law issues, examined it for Reason.
Volokh highlighted allegations that Jeff Davis County officials targeted Flash following critical reporting, including multiple criminal investigations that resulted in no formal charges, discussions about playing copyrighted music during public meetings to interfere with monetization of Flash’s recordings and discussions about restricting journalists’ access based on whether their coverage was favorable.
Volokh also examined the June 2025 courthouse incident involving Ruiloba and Giesbrecht and the federal court’s decision allowing Flash’s excessive force claim against them to proceed despite their assertion of qualified immunity.
Cobos said Giesbrecht disclosed the underlying courthouse incident when he joined the Presidio Police Department. Cobos said, however, that he was not aware Giesbrecht was a named defendant in the federal lawsuit.
Giesbrecht has since left the city police department and returned to the Presidio County Sheriff’s Office.
Presidio County officials were formally notified this week of the litigation and allegations involving their deputy.
Flash sent a letter Tuesday to Presidio County Sheriff Danny Dominguez, County Judge Jose Portillo, County Attorney Blair Park and members of the Presidio County Commissioners Court detailing the allegations involving Giesbrecht and identifying the pending federal case.
Precinct 1 Commissioner Deirdre Hisler acknowledged receiving the notification and thanked Flash for bringing the matter to her attention. After reviewing the distribution list, Hisler also provided contact information for Precinct 3 Commissioner Obed Escontrias, who had been inadvertently omitted from the original email.
Flash said the purpose of the letter was not to demand that Presidio County investigate, discipline or terminate Giesbrecht.
Instead, Flash said he wanted to ensure the sheriff and county leadership were formally aware that an officer currently employed by the county is a named defendant in pending federal civil rights litigation involving allegations of excessive force and other misconduct while serving at another law enforcement agency.
The notification leaves decisions about Giesbrecht’s employment, supervision or any investigation to Presidio County officials, but creates a record that county leadership was made aware of the allegations and litigation.
The federal lawsuit remains pending. No final finding of liability has been made against Giesbrecht, and the court’s refusal to dismiss several claims against him means those claims may proceed to further litigation rather than establishing that the allegations are true.
