HOUSTON – On Friday, Texas City police released camera videos of two officers involved in the arrest of a maskless woman.
Terry Wright is accused of refusing to wear a mask at a Texas City store. A few days earlier, she was charged with resisting arrest and criminal trespass for the same act within a Galveston bank. This incident occurred a day after Texas lifted its statewide mask mandate.
On Wednesday, just after 9 a.m., Texas City Police said they were responding to an Office Depot at 9550 Emmett F Lowry Expy, where a woman in the store refused to wear a mask or leave the store.
Advertisement
According to bodycam footage, the first officer arrived at the store and was met by an employee. As the officer approached, the woman screamed information from her phone and stood against a cash register at the front of the store.
The officer said to the woman, “If you refuse to leave, you will go to prison for trespass.”
‘You can’t. You want to read this, ”Wright replied, directing the officer to check her phone. “These are my federal rights.”
Wright refused to leave the store and the officer handcuffed her as she resisted, telling the officer she violated her rights. By this time another officer had arrived on the scene, helping Wright with handcuffs and escort outside the store.
In the other bodycam video, the second officer walked into the store and approached Wright, who was being held by another officer.
“This is a major offense,” Wright said repeatedly while being handcuffed by the officers.
Advertisement
“I’m trying to teach you people about my rights,” she said later as she left the store.
When the two agents escorted her outside the store, they discovered that Wright was also involved in the Bank of America incident in Galveston last week. They contacted Galveston police and confirmed that Wright had issued two warrants for arrest in connection with the Galveston incident.
Wright was taken into custody and taken to Galveston County Jail by Texas City Police Department for booking and processing. According to Texas City Police Department, she was held on a felony charge of trespass, with $ 1,000 bail, and an investigation of resistance or transportation charges, with $ 1,500 bail.
According to the release, no additional charges have been filed related to the Office Depot incident.
According to the videos, at least three officers were on the scene.
Copyright 2021 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.