Witness wins protections against group accused in West Texas county takeover

"I've seen what you've done to other people, and how you go after them," Chasyte Rhea testified, recounting instances she felt intimidated by followers of Malcolm Tanner.(CN) — A former member of a group accused of illegally settling in the desert of West Texas gained protections on Wednesday against the group’s leader.At the end of a two-hour virtual hearing, Texas District Court Judge Alan Nicholas found Texas had provided sufficient evidence that Chasyte Rhea fears for her well-being now that she has left the Melanated People of Power and is cooperating with the state in its case against the group’s leader, Malcom Tanner.“Miss Rhea has been followed by two individuals, Vernetta Carey and Diondra Norris, who work for Mr. Tanner,” Assistant Attorney General Lauren McGee told Nicholas. “Everything that is being done is intended to intimidate, harass and threaten Miss Rhea because she is not under the defendant’s control anymore.”Melanated People of Power is Tanner’s movement to help Black people acquire property in sparsely populated Loving County, Texas. He also uses the group as a place where he advertises his various business enterprises and speaks about issues affecting Black people.In 2025, the state accused Tanner — an Indiana native and apparent 2028 presidential contender — of violating Texas consumer protection laws by promising free homes to people who join him in the desert and illegally discharging human waste onto his undeveloped property.Rhea, a mother of nine from Houston, testified that in the past, Tanner has issued threats and sought to “deal with” individuals he has deemed enemies.After the state sued Tanner, she said he told followers in a WhatsApp group that he “was going to get all those B-words” and asked for the addresses of the judge, sheriff and members of the state’s counsel.According to Rhea, Tanner grew distrustful of her after learning that the state had subpoenaed her in the case.“Mr. Tanner stated that we were working with the state, and that he could not trust us,” Rhea said. “He’s supposed to know everything that goes on on the land. We were cussed out, and we were told that we had to share everything. So we posted the subpoena on the WhatsApp group.”Rhea, who resides in Loving County but is no longer on Tanner’s property, recounted being followed by group members Vernetta Carey and Diondra Norris. Rhea testified the two would show up at her food truck and follow her to places she knew they did not regularly go to.Then, on July 1, while visiting the post office in Mentone, the only town located in the county, Rhea said she watched Carey bend down beside her rear tire and then leave, later finding that her tire had a leak in it. The state also presented a photo Rhea took of her tire, showing a tear in the tire’s sidewall.Days later, on July 8, Rhea said Carey and Norris came to her place of work, where she observed both of them get near her car’s tires. At first, she said she thought nothing of it, but she later discovered that one of her front tires had been scratched and a rear tire had been slashed.During cross-examination, Tanner, who is representing himself in the case, made several attempts to talk about Rhea’s husband, who was arrested earlier this year for domestic violence. Nicholas shot down Tanner from asking more detailed questions about her husband or the nature of the arrest.Tanner then asked if Rhea had ever reported her tires being slashed or being followed to the police. Nicholas nixed that argument too, noting the details of the state’s request for Rhea’s protection are subject to a law enforcement investigation that cannot be testified to in the civil matter.Tanner asked Rhea if she ever witnessed him order her tires be slashed.“Not me,” she replied.“Has Dr. Malcolm Tanner ever physically harmed you or your family?” Tanner asked.“Not physically,” Rhea answered.Tanner then asked if he had ever made Rhea fear for her life.“I’ve seen what you’ve done to other people, and how you go after them, and some of the things are similar to what I’m dealing with,” Rhea explained. “It wasn’t in person. It was over Clubhouse, WhatsApp, and Teams. I’ve seen how you pulled everyone’s information. I’ve seen how you pulled people’s jail records. I’ve seen how you’ve gotten everybody’s address. I’ve seen how you can have people dealt with.”In his closing statement, Tanner painted Rhea as a person being taken advantage of by the state to speak against him.“What I believe is going on here, your honor, is that we have a husband and a wife in a situation with the state because of abuse within that relationship, and it looks to me like it is the state interfering, manipulating, causing the damage,” Tanner said.Before making his ruling on the motion, Nicholas noted for the record that Tanner, during his closing statement, argued facts that were not in the evidence and misstated other facts.Under the injunction, Tanner, Clark and Norris — and anyone acting under their direction — are not to communicate with or go within 500 yards of Rhea or members of her family. The injunction will remain in place until the case is resolved. The state’s motion for summary judgment on its claim that Tanner violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act currently pends before Nicholas.Throughout the state’s litigation against him, Tanner has maintained he has done nothing wrong and that the suits are an effort to suppress Black people from moving to his property.Categories / Courts, Law, RegionalSubscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads