Published: June 24, 2009 10:50 am      

Man charged with retaliation against deputy

Galen Scott

gscott@weatherforddemocrat.com

Weatherford resident James Wallace, 40, remained in law enforcement custody Tuesday after he was arrested for obstruction or retaliation, a third degree felony.

Wallace is accused of calling 911 and threatening to kill Parker County Sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. Ricky Clark in retaliation for the role Clark played in arresting Wallace for making abusive 911 calls on a previous occasion in 2008.

“Unfortunately, this does happen occasionally,” Parker County Sheriff Larry Fowler said. “Needless to say, we take a very dim view of it.”

According to court records, Wallace approached Clark June 13 outside a residence in the 1000 block of East First Street claiming Clark had no right to arrest him for the previous alleged offense.

Wallace made physical threats as he was ordered to leave the property, eventually locking himself inside an unidentified third party’s vehicle, according to a complaint. The third party transported Wallace away from the scene.

A short time after the incident took place, Wallace allegedly called 911 dispatchers for the Weatherford Police Department and Sheriff’s Office, threatening to kill Clark.

The case against Wallace was filed after recordings of the threats were obtained, according to the complaint.

The incident took place two days before the case against Wallace for making abusive 911 calls in 2008 was set to go to trial.

According to the Texas Penal Code, a person commits obstruction or retaliation if he intentionally or knowingly harms or threatens to harm another by an unlawful act in retaliation for, or on account of the service or status of another as a public servant.

If convicted on the retaliation charge, Wallace faces between two and 10 years of incarceration and a fine not to exceed $10,000.

Wallace also faces charges for evading arrest and criminal trespass stemming from his most recent run-in with law enforcement.