Angelina County Sheriff Greg Sanches has banned a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper from transporting arrested individuals to the county jail or even setting foot on jail grounds.

In a letter dated Feb. 22, 2022 sent to DPS Capt. Michell McDaniel, Sanches states that “effective immediately” his office will no longer accept arrests made by Trooper Travis Richnow or be allowed on the property “due to his continuous negativity about the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office and our jail.”

Sanches accused Richnow of posting negative and disparaging remarks about the Angelina County Jail and its kiosk system on a private Facebook group called Angelina County Trash Talk. Sanches said Richnow had received a warning about his conduct about a year ago, but after becoming aware of recent posts in the group, Sanches took action and sent the letter.

When reached for comment, Sanches, himself a retired DPS trooper, said Richnow’s behavior was inappropriate and damaging to law enforcement.

“When you’re a trooper, you learn 10 general orders. Part of those general orders (has to do with) your conduct and what you say,” Sanches said. “It is unbecoming of an officer to talk about another agency when we’re all supposed to work with each other.”

As of this writing, McDaniel was not immediately available for comment.

As for how the logistics of law enforcement work will be affected with Richnow no longer allowed to be on county jail grounds, Sanches said his office will seek to use other troopers in the area. However, Sanches said that Richnow’s track record of bringing in arrests had been so low recently that there may not be much difference.

“In 2021, (Richnow) only had three arrests in our jail, and only two (traffic) stops because two of those three arrests were off the same stop,” Sanches said.