Man tells deputies he works for the wall contractor
A Big Bend Sentinel reporter, a photojournalist and a Sierra Blanca activist were blocked from leaving a remote Hudspeth County private road for more than two hours Saturday by a man claiming to be working for a wall contractor near the first segment of steel wall erected in the Big Bend this week.
The Sentinel’s Sam Karas, the photojournalist and Sierra Blanca activist Bill Addington were on a trip to photograph the wall segment and suspected dynamite blasting by contractors nearby at Box Canyon. (The photojournalist asked to withhold their name.) Karas said they had written permission from a landowner who uses the road by the wall to get to his property and that they did not leave the road while taking photos. It’s common in the Big Bend for several landowners to get formal easements or informal agreements to use a road to get to their properties, and this particular location is a beloved fishing spot accessed by locals regularly. The road in question spurs off of Bramlett Road, a county road that snakes its way off of Indian Hot Springs Road southeast of Sierra Blanca to the river.
However, on the road returning to leave the area around 3:15 p.m., they were confronted by someone who calls himself “Bearded Man,” who blocked the road sideways with his truck and maneuvered to block Karas any time she tried to drive around him, she said. The blockade persisted for more than two hours.
Bearded Man is well known to anti-wall activists. Activists, who did not want their names used because they fear for their security, said the man initially had expressed that he was against the wall but recently had turned aggressive in confrontations with people driving through the area. According Marfa Public Radio reporter Mary Cantrell, the man spoke at a Hudspeth County Commissioners Court meeting regarding a road-use agreement and identified himself as James Rountree. Other observers of that meeting recall him identifying himself as James as well.
A deed found by Addington includes a property in that area that he says he owns, and the deed was in the name of James Rountree with a North Carolina address for mailings. Hudspeth County Appraisal District records show a James Stephen Roundtree name as owning property off of Bramlett Road with a Sierra Blanca mailing address.
Karas said no one in her truck had cell service, so she began texting from her satellite GPS device, including to the Sentinel editor: “Can you try calling Hudspeth County [sheriff] dispatch? Bearded Man is threatening us and won’t let us leave.”
Karas said they eventually got the message from Bearded Man that they were trespassing and could not leave until Hudspeth County deputies arrived to file trespassing charges. Karas said after deputies arrived he offered another option. “You can pay me $170,” the man said, in lieu of him filing charges.
The man then told deputies he was hired by Barnard Construction Company, which is building the wall in that area, to provide security. Barnard security workers also showed up on the scene, Karas said.
When reached by phone Sunday, Bearded Man said, “I did not detain anybody.” When asked if he used his truck to block Karas from leaving, he said, “I am not answering any questions. Please do not call me again.” (He did not respond to a text asking him to verify his name as James Stephen Rountree.)
Under Texas law, penalties for basic criminal trespassing include a written warning, a citation with a fine or a class B misdemeanor punishable by up to 180 days and up to $2,000 in fines. Deputies told Karas that the road was posted with no trespassing signs, but she countered that this is common on private roads where members of the public are still allowed to drive them if given permission. However, in most instances under Texas law, a property owner is not allowed to detain anyone found on their land and can be charged with a class A misdemeanor or felony if the detention involves harmful weapons. At one point, another landowner showed up and took a gun from Bearded Man’s truck.
Karas said the deputies eventually agreed to let her drive back to Sierra Blanca to discuss the matter at the sheriff’s office. However, the deputies were called to a serious accident on Interstate 10, and they told Karas she was free to go home.
Barnard Construction did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This story was updated Monday at 10:30 a.m. to add the identity of Bearded Man. Another update at 4 p.m. also clarified that Bill Addington found Rountree’s property deed online.
