Process Server Claims Texas Judge|Pulled a Gun & Had Him Arrested

"Deputy Broussard in a stern and loud voice told Mr. Hartman that he must leave the courtroom immediately. Mr. Hartman explained calmly that he needed to serve this federal summons. Immediately, Deputy Broussard rushed over to Mr. Hartman, and Deputy Broussard began pushing Mr. Hartman physically toward the exit door. Mr. Hartman identified himself as a licensed federal process server and Mr. Hartman asked Deputy Broussard to cease his excessive and needless physical force. In response, Deputy Broussard wrongfully placed Mr. Hartman under arrest."

Hartman says he "asked Broussard if there if there was any charge for the arrest, and the deputy responded by stating words to the effect of 'We will tell you later.'"

Assisted by two other deputies, Broussard handcuffed Hartman and took him to the bailiff's office, where they patted him down and took "his wallet, his credentials, sunglasses, his undercover surveillance pen, keys to his car, and his iPhone," Hartman says.

The deputies never read Hartman his Miranda rights and denied him a phone call so he asked to see their supervisor, he says.

"A few minutes later, [defendant] Sheriff Captain Carr came to the scene," the complaint states. "Captain Carr confirmed there were no criminal charges, but that Judge Layne Walker ordered an illegal arrest and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office does not follow the laws or Constitution of the United States and the State of Texas, but instead only follows the criminal directives of Judge Layne Walker. Captain Carr stated to Mr. Hartman in words to the effect that Mr. Hartman 'tried to serve the wrong person at the wrong time,' and then Captain Carr immediately left but he took no action to remedy the situation."

Hartman says the deputies kept him handcuffed in a courthouse cell, then sent him to the Jefferson County Jail at 4:15 p.m.

"Sometime before 7:00 p.m., Mr. Hartman's employer bailed him out of the county jail," the complaint states.

"Many witnesses verified that Mr. Hartman did nothing disruptive, and he never crossed over the bar into the restricted area of the court. The Sheriff's Deputies, however, have made up false charges and false allegations against Mr. Hartman, in the process defaming Mr. Hartman per se. Mr. Hartman was wearing a surveillance pen which recorded the entire event, but the Sheriff's Deputies confiscated it. Sheriff Mitch Woods later admitted that Sheriff Mitch Woods and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office would not return this property and would, in fact, destroy the critical evidence and willfully participate in obstruction of justice and the unlawful destruction of evidence."

But that's not all, Hartman says in the complaint: "Judge Layne Walker and the Sheriff's Deputies took apart Mr. Hartman's iPhone, and read all his emails and read his text messages without a warrant or probable cause to do so, in violation of Mr. Hartman's Fourth and Fifth Amendment Rights. Further, the Defendants downloaded the contents of Mr. Hartman's cell phone and are now calling his contacts to try to intimidate people, which is not only an unconstitutional and unlawful search and seizure, but also unlawful tampering with witnesses in violation of Texas Penal Code Section 36.05. When the cell phone was returned to Mr. Hartman, it had clearly been opened and tampered with, which is the usual practice of Judge Layne Walker, Sheriff Mitch Woods and his Deputies that carry out his illegal activities. Further, the Defendants replaced Mr. Hartman's surveillance pen with a pocket screwdriver, thereby unlawfully concealing evidence, fabricating evidence, and obstructing justice in violation of Texas Penal Code §37.09."

But that still wasn't enough for the vindictive judge and lawmen, Hartman claims: "After all this unlawful conduct, Judge Layne Walker acting through his Court Coordinator, [defendant] Ann Landry, continued with this unlawful vendetta against Mr. Hartman. Judge Layne Walker and Ann Landry maliciously sought and continue to seek to revoke Mr. Hartman's professional licenses. Judge Layne Walker and Ms. Landry maliciously filed formal complaints against Mr. Hartman with: (1) the Texas Department of Public Safety, Private Security Bureau; (2) the Texas Process Server Review Board; and (3) the Texas Association of Licensed Investigators, a trade association. This Trade Association expressed concern about the Defendants' willful, negligent per se and unlawful release of the Plaintiff's personal information, in violation of the privacy provisions of the Texas Open Records Act ..."

And finally: "Judge Layne Walker utilized his control over the Jefferson County District Attorneys' Office, Judge Tom Maness, Criminal District Attorney, and Ed Shettle, the First Assistant to the Criminal District Attorney, to file malicious, fabricated criminal charges against Mr. Hartman, even though the Jefferson County District Attorneys' Office, Judge Tom Maness and Ed Shettle, know these charges are falsified, stem from numerous Constitutional violations and are yet another act of an almost endless series of official oppression perpetrated by Judge Layne Walker and those who follow his orders, in willful violation of Texas Penal Code Section 39.03," Hartman says in the complaint.

Maness and Shettle are not named as individual defendants.

Hartman seeks punitive damages for civil rights violations.

He is represented by John Morgan of Beaumont, who also represents Morrison in her complaint against Layne.

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