Jeff Davis County’s judicial system expenses increased 54.5% during a fiscal year that included its prosecution of Big Bend Reporter publisher David Flash, the use of prosecutors pro tem and a substitute judge, and consultations with a tort defense firm before Flash sued the county.
Government-wide judicial expenses rose from $149,386 to $230,811, an $81,425 increase, during the year ended Sept. 30, 2025, according to the annual audit released in September.
The audit does not itemize the costs of Flash’s prosecution or the county’s pre-suit legal work. It therefore does not establish how much those matters contributed to the increase or whether all related expenses were recorded in the judicial category.
The proceedings against Flash required prosecutors pro tem and a substitute judge. County officials also hired and consulted with a tort defense firm before the filing of his federal civil rights lawsuit.
Payments for those services could help explain the increase if they were incurred during the audited period and charged to judicial operations. Appointment orders, compensation records and legal invoices would be needed to establish the amounts.
Flash filed his federal lawsuit Jan. 18, 2026. Carl Haugen Jr. filed a separate lawsuit naming the county and county officials March 6, 2026. Both filings occurred after the audited fiscal year, but those dates do not exclude earlier expenses for legal consultations or preparation. dockets.justia.com
The audit does not identify pre-suit expenses associated with either lawsuit or distinguish county-paid legal bills from costs covered through liability coverage.
The county participates in the Texas Association of Counties Risk Pool for liability coverage, according to the report. It does not itemize defense payments associated with particular disputes.
The General Fund separately reported $219,105 in judicial expenditures against a $219,490 final budget, leaving $385 unspent. That figure differs from the government-wide expense total because the statements use different accounting presentations.
The judicial increase occurred as public safety expenses declined 5.9% and total government-wide expenses rose 8.3%.
The report provides no detailed explanation for the judicial increase. Determining its causes would require legal invoices, payment records for appointed prosecutors and substitute judges, and departmental spending ledgers.
Flash is the publisher of the Big Bend Reporter, which is reporting on the audit and is directly involved in the proceedings described in this article.
