The conversations that Hicks recorded on the day he was arrested reveal a man who doesn’t easily take no for an answer. And they show court employees giving in to frustration. Several times, employees told Hicks to bring in Reeves to take care of this. But Reeves is mentally addled. Hicks kept saying he had brought in Reeves the day before to fill out the eviction form. Hicks was carrying a digital recorder so he could play conversations back for Reeves later. Hicks said he wasn’t trying to hide the recorder. He held it in his left hand with his phone and said the court employees never noticed it.
“I wanted to make sure I understood what they were talking about,” Hicks said.
After speaking to a clerk and Ortega without satisfaction, Hicks tried his luck with the constable.
Siegel: What exactly are you wanting?
Hicks: I would like this mess to be straightened out. The police have been called to this friend of mine’s house numerous times. … It got really bad on August 26. [The mate] came over to his house, assaulted him, the police were called, they took him to JPS. …
Siegel asked how Hicks is associated with Reeves. “I’m helping him,” Hicks said. Siegel asked Hicks if he is an attorney. No, Hicks replied.
Siegel: You have no standing in this case. Can you bring Mr. Reeves to us?
Hicks: He was here yesterday. He’s the one who filed this.
Siegel, who was elected as constable in 2012, kept repeating that his deputies can’t evict someone from a house where he or she does not reside. Hicks kept repeating that he’s doing what police told him to do, and why couldn’t deputies serve the friend at the second address? This went on for several minutes until Siegel ended the conversation by telling Hicks to take up the matter with the court. Another deputy opened the door for Hicks to leave.
Hicks: Well, see, the court screwed up.
Siegel: Have a good day, sir.
Hicks: No, it’s a ratty day.
Deputy: However you want it.
Hicks: You guys are making it great, too.
Hicks walked to the office next door to see the judge and told the receptionist that the court had screwed up his friend’s eviction notice.
Clerk: I can tell you right now this was not our mistake.
Hicks: OK, well, OK, that’s fine. I had some questions yesterday, and nobody seemed to help me on the matter.
Clerk: That’s because we cannot help you on this one.
Hicks: They’re just very simple questions, and I don’t understand why it was so difficult, but we need to get this straightened out right now.
The clerk asked why Hicks is filing an eviction on somebody who doesn’t live at the address. Hicks explained the situation again for the umpteenth time.
The clerk spoke to the constable’s staff and then returned to speak with Hicks.
“Apparently,” the clerk told Hicks, “when our chief deputy went out there to serve this eviction paper … Mr. Reeves told him that [the friend] does not live there, has never lived there. … When you’re told that that person doesn’t live there, obviously they can’t serve it.”
Hicks wanted to know why the deputy didn’t serve the notice at the alternate address and began re-telling his story. The clerk fetched her manager, who became the fifth person to discuss the situation with Hicks. But she was the first to say that Hicks was basing his argument on bad information given to him by police.
Fort Worth police Sgt. Steve Enright said police recruits receive eight hours of civil process classes and sometimes advise people about seeking eviction notices. He wouldn’t comment on a specific case.
“Every situation is different and can warrant a different response.”
The manager said police erred in telling Hicks to seek eviction since his mate didn’t live there. End of story.
Hicks wouldn’t drop the matter.
Manager: I do not want to argue with you.
Hicks: It’s not an argument. I’m trying to understand, so please don’t say that.
The manager referred him to the property code and told Hicks to talk to a lawyer. Hicks asked what’s in the property code.
Manager: You can google it on your phone.
Hicks: No, I can’t.
Manager: I’m not going to take your smart remarks.
Hicks: It’s not a smart remark, ma’am. It’s a response to your statement.
Manager: There is nothing else we can help you with. We’ve answered all your questions.
Hicks: No, you have not.
Manager: What else do you have?
Hicks asked yet again about the alternate address. By this time, a deputy had walked up behind Hicks, responding to an internal alarm button that the manager had pushed.
“I’m going to say it one more time, and then he’s going to escort you out,” the manager said.
She began explaining why the alternate address wasn’t relevant in this situation, and Hicks interrupted. The manager had heard enough.
“Honey,” she said, “you got it all wrong. Go talk to a lawyer. I’m done.”
Hicks asked for a refund for the money spent to file the erroneous eviction form. The manager said they don’t issue refunds. Hicks asked for a statement saying the office doesn’t refund the cost of eviction fees, but before he could finish, the deputy grabbed hold of Hicks’ arm.
“Hey, I’m talking to her,” Hicks said. “Get your … . Stop! Now!”
Two deputies pulled Hicks out of the judge’s lobby and into the main hallway as Hicks tried to reason with them.
Hicks: Guys. OK, guys.
Deputy: No, you brought it to this. This is what you want, this is what you’re going to get.
Hicks: You don’t have to abuse me, sir.
The deputies handcuffed Hicks and led him into Ritchie’s courtroom but quickly backed out when they realized the judge was overseeing a wedding. The deputies led Hicks back into the hallway, sat him on a bench for a few seconds, and then pushed him to the ground firmly but without excessive force. This is when they began searching his pockets.
Hicks: You guys are making it a lot worse. … I had some questions, trying to get answers. What’s so wrong with that?
Deputy: You understand what the charge of resisting arrest is?
Hicks: Yes. I wasn’t resisting.
Deputy: You weren’t resisting? That’s why you’re down on the ground.
Hicks: Y’all are trying to make a big deal out of nothing.
Deputy: Do you have a wallet?
Hicks: I do.
Deputy: Where?
Hicks: It’s in my boot.
Deputy: What else is in your boot?
Hicks: That’s it. My feet.
Deputy: Don’t get smart with me, or I’ll go ahead and charge you.
Hicks: What?
Deputy: Get smart with me one more time, and I’ll go ahead and charge you. Right now, Mr. Hicks, you’ll be lucky if you walk out of here with a ticket from us. You keep on, we’ll file resistance on you, and you’ll have to bail out. It all depends on your attitude.
******
This information was not available at press time:
Fort Worth police spokesman Sgt. Steve Enright confirmed that a police detective advised Paul Hicks to get an eviction notice from the justice of the peace. The detective said that Mr. Reeves’ unwanted housemate could be evicted because she had “a key to the home, had clothing in the residence, and received mail at the residence.”
Hammer-heads will be Hammer-heads, rats will be rats…nothing new to see here. What else can they be???
If you had to bet good money on it….how many of the inbred Pigs do you figure are card-carying Baggers? There folks, you can see with your own eyes our tax-money at work. Lets all salute the flag. What would Donald Trump do???
Are you kidding me?! It sounds like this Hicks guy or his mentally incapable friend (whom he probably met in a mental ward someplace) are pretty dumb for not getting proper legal advice BEFORE filing the eviction. Umm from what I’ve read they were trying to evict a person from a place that he/she did not live and wanted that person served somewhere else. How is that legal?! If that were the case, there would be cases filed everyday against people that shouldn’t be! Boy, am I glad this DID NOT get served and set the precidence for things like this! And sounds like another “police doing something bad” kinda thing but I didn’t see anything wrong here….AGAIN. ugh, so disgusted with stupid people making stupid accusations about public servants trying to do their jobs! I betcha that if the public heard the recorded audio of this we would all see another twisted spin on a story by both the media and a stupid person that cannot listen to what he’s being told by 5 people apparently then get steamed up when they’ve had enough repeating theirselves for several minutes/hours, and be escorted out of the building. And everyone knows when an officer tells you to do something you do it or there will be consequeces.
How old are you Sicky ?
Do you expect to grow up and amount to something some day SickofHearing? Did you catch that Tea-Bagging stupidity from your parents or our local Pigs ? Does your breath stink like those Justice of the Peace Peckerwood Pigs? Are you man enough to cop to you being a bone-headed butt-wipe? How old are you?
Sick of hearing this did you read the article in its full content? or Were you just quick to judge. Have you actually looked at the fact that a justice of the piece does not require any law experience and they govern a courtroom. Calling people stupid is just lowering your own mentality. Have a great day.
What is it with Baggers & other knuckle-heads? Can’t they read, are they deaf and blind in addition to being egg-sucking half-wits? What everyone knows, if they have a brain as honest as my bird-dogs, is that Pigs behave often times like Pigs. There is nothing new to see here. Tea-Bagging fruit-loops are more common than fire-ants in Texas Police ranks. One was caught lest than two weekks ago, in far East Texas, honking anothers horn in the Court House restroom, bless his heart! A sweet lady hung herself and died in a Texas jail a month ago. It was the worse case of changing lanes without signaling that the Pig had ever seen, the hero Pig reported. A Fort Worth Pig shot down an elderly gentleman, who was in his own garage five homes away and across the street from where the idiot Fort Worth Pig
was dispatched to look after a home burgler alarm sounding. Pigs are Pigs,,,hooray for Pigs and may God help us square folks! Do you go in for the tooth fairy jive too? Your Mama have any brats worth a dime? You a Tea Bagging, Donnie Trump voter? You’re on my Prayer List Dear!
Absolutely beautiful.
Hey Mr. Hicks…..Could I suggess that you crank up some way that folks can donate a few bucks to help with lawyer expenses? I’m thinking it might be a problem finding a decent local lawyer for ovious reasons ( you see how you were treated by the hero public servants). How about Dallas or Weatherford lawyers? Lon Burnum is a stone straight shooter, maybe he can reconmend someone. The rat-bastards at the court-house truly should do some time but, as you know, it won’t happen. I have delt with a couple of those hammer-headed mullets my own self and my experience is that Pigs often times behave like Pigs. Really, there is nothing new to see. Brilliant move recording those rat-pigs. My hat is off to you Sir.
Benny, I’m curious how in your vast font of knowledge you’ve concluded that Dallas and Weatherford lawyers are better or more honest than those in Fort Worth. You’re a mindless moron. You constantly beclown yourself on these pages. Everyone’s laughing at you, including those who share your liberal political persuasion.
Roses are red, violets are blue, Peckerwoods are Peckerwoods, sad but true, I’m talking to you, take something for it Poo-Poo if you can’t firure it out…O.K.? God bless you.
@Benny. You are mentally disturbed. You do essentially the same name-calling in each post. No substance whatever. You are a disgrace to the Weekly’s good works.
You’re the jerk shooting blanks Bobby boy, what’s up with you ? I feel just fine. You are the one bitching & gritching. Take something for it, get you a life Dude. Your Mama have any brats worth a dime? Talking about disgrace, I’m not the hero who fired the most fine editor and hard-working, prize winning boss in all of Texas and I suspect the USA a short time back. Ask the hero who owns the Weekly about that. You one of those Tea-Bagging, half-wits Bobby ? You would not know disgrace if it bit you on your stinking nose. You a Repug Yankee, sure sounds like it. You ever read the paper back when it won prize after prize after prize for it’s news ? What causes you to feel entitled to call the shots Slick ? How old are you? Where you come from? What do you eat?.You are more flaky than a box of Post Toasties, wise up kid.
Anyone who has seen your posts knows you are an idiot Benny.
You are most certainly a liar and a dipstick, however you are not a Democrat. How old are you kid? Average household variety, greed-heads despise tea-bagging jerk-offs like they do cancer or paying their fair taxes . You need some kind of prize however. How old are you kid? What do you eat? Who pays your bills? Think you will ever amount to anything?
To Benjie. How old are you kid? You living on government cheese? Did you go to school? What do you eat? Who pays your bills? Think you will ever amount to anything? Are you on SNAP? Do you brush your teeth? You still using old newspapers for toilet paper? Come clean; confess; repent.
It’s Benny butt-head, get it right. On the square…how old are you? Do your Mommy and Daddy know where you are?
Creo que su nombre actual es Benito.
and I expect you to be Burdy Burdsnit. Get a life. Fool.