Yahoo News by Kate Linderman 5/8/2024
Nearly three years after a former Texas deputy was fired for posting photos at the deadly Jan. 6, 2021 riots at the Capitol, she’s receiving a nearly $400,000 settlement from her former employer, according to officials.
Former Bexar County Lt. Roxanne Mathai sued the county and Sheriff Javier Salazar for violating her First and 14th amendment rights, according to court documents.
Mathai had been a county jailer for the last nine years, earning a lieutenant rank in 2020.
She was also a “passionate supporter” of former President Donald Trump and had “repeatedly made public statements in support of him and MAGA (Make America Great Again) on social media platforms such as Facebook,” according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit said she was “wrongfully” fired months after attending the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection in Washington, D.C.
Despite settling the case, Salazar stands by her termination, according to KSAT.
“The termination in this case was done within policy and was upheld by an arbitrator. The decision to issue a settlement was made outside the BCSO. There was no wrongdoing on the part of the administration, and I stand by our actions,” the sheriff said in a statement to the outlet.
’Documenting history’With permission from an assistant chief deputy, Mathai jetted off to the nation’s capital on Jan. 5, 2021 to join friends in support of Trump, according to the complaint.
She arrived at Ellipse Park donning a Trump flag as a cape around 7 a.m. to attend the “Save America Rally” where Trump infamously told supporters to “stop the steal” ahead of Congress’ certification of the 2024 election.
Mathai “eagerly” watched the former president speak before following the large crowds toward the Capitol building, according to court documents.
More:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/deputy-selfies-jan-6-insurrection-160441658.html
