Watch Body Cam of Man Arrested for Just Cussing at a County Meeting

In August 2023, political activist EJ Carrion was arrested by Fort Worth, Texas police after he cursed at a city council meeting. Carrion was among hundreds of Tarrant County residents who attended a Commissioner's Court meeting on August 4 to voice their opposition to a plan to close a third of the area's polling places. During the meeting, Carrion expressed his frustration by saying, "You said you were all about cooling the temperature and yet you vote for this extremist bullshit. All of you are bullshit." He then walked out of the meeting.

A week later, Carrion was pulled over in his driveway when police informed him that he had been arrested for disorderly conduct and disrupting a meeting. Carrion questioned the arrest, asking why he was being taken to Tarrant County to see a judge. The police explained that Carrion had a misdemeanor warrant for disorderly conduct for disrupting a meeting, although the specifics of the warrant were unclear.

Carrion accused Judge Tim O'Hare, who presides over the Tarrant County Commission, of being behind his arrest. He blamed O'Hare for the incident, stating, "Because of fucking Tim O'Hare, it's unbelievable." Carrion had previously called O'Hare a "biggest pussy" during the August 4 meeting after O'Hare demanded police remove him from the building.

Carrion called a friend to inform him about the arrest, saying, "That's what it sounds like." The friend asked Carrion if Judge O'Hare put a warrant on him for getting kicked out of the Commissioner's court. Carrion confirmed this, stating, "That's what it sounds like," while sitting in the back of a police car with his hands in cuffs.

This incident is not the first time Judge O'Hare has had people arrested for their behavior during public meetings. In 2025, four women filed a federal lawsuit against O'Hare, alleging that his tenure on the court has created a culture of fear and chilled protected speech, undermining the Constitution's free speech and due process guarantees. The Commission eventually voted to reduce the number of polling places in the county.