A Port Arthur man has brought a lawsuit against the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and one of its officers over a traffic stop earlier this year.
In court papers filed May 2 in the Beaumont Division of the Southern District of Texas, Troy Keith Lewis asserts that TPWD officer Grant Klien passed himself off as a game warden when the latter pulled him over for alleged speeding last Jan. 29 after a day of recreational fishing.
Lewis, who was accompanied by his wife at the time of the subject event, claims Klien wrongfully cited him for traveling at 81 miles per hour, further explaining that a group of officers allegedly led by the respondent officer apprehended him at his court appearance last month on a felony evading arrest charge.
“Officer Grant Klien was present at this time, which is interesting since he was not the arresting officer and not acting within the scope of his jurisdiction,” the complaint says.
“When Lewis was arrested, Officer Klien wiped his hands, smiled, and walked away.”
The plaintiff adds that the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office dropped the charge and a local grand jury declined to indict him. He insists the arrest on his court date was the officer exacting revenge.
Per the suit, the TPWD reportedly fielded numerous complaints about Klien “unlawfully representing himself as a game warden.”
Lewis consequently seeks $100,000 and a jury trial.
He is represented by attorney William Marcus Wilkerson of Beaumont.
Beaumont Division of the Southern District of Texas Case No. 1:16-CV-0128