Donald Trump won in 2024 because Americans rejected the Left's war on free speech.
But one Texas sheriff didn't get the memo.
And one Facebook meme just put this Navy veteran in handcuffs.
The Biden regime spent years weaponizing government against conservatives who dared to speak out.
Remember when they jailed Douglass Mackey for posting memes telling Hillary supporters they could vote by text?
Mackey was convicted under a Reconstruction-era law and sentenced to prison before an appeals court overturned the conviction in 2025.
Now a Texas sheriff just proved that battle isn't over.
Hood County Sheriff Arrests Veteran Over Political Satire
Kolton Krottinger, a 38-year-old Navy veteran, was arrested on November 5 in Granbury, Texas.
His crime? Posting a satirical meme on Facebook that made fun of local politics.¹
https://twitter.com/NateCriswellTX/status/1987938607865254227
Krottinger founded Blue Branch Historic Ranch, a mental health retreat where he helps veterans and first responders battling anxiety and PTSD.
The Texas Senate honored his work earlier this year.
Now he's facing years in prison for a Facebook joke.
The meme showed local activist Tina Brown appearing to endorse then-Granbury ISD school board candidate Monica Brown.
Anyone who knows these two women understood the joke immediately.
Hood County Constable John Shirley explained that Brown "very openly, loudly, and publicly hates" the candidate.²
The satire was obvious to anyone familiar with the local political scene.
But Tina Brown didn't find it funny.
She contacted the Hood County Sheriff's Office claiming the meme made it look like she supported a candidate she despised.
Within days, Krottinger was arrested and charged with a third-degree felony under Texas Penal Code 33.07 for "online impersonation."
The law prohibits using another person's name or persona "without obtaining the other person's consent and with the intent to harm, defraud, intimidate, or threaten any person."³
Deputies hauled him to jail where he was classified as "high-profile," placed in solitary confinement, had his phone confiscated, and was initially banned from using social media.
That social media ban was particularly devastating since Krottinger runs the Hood County Breaking News Facebook page.
Former Hood County GOP Chair Nate Criswell called it "felony-level trolling" by "tech-illiterate Boomer Sheriff Deputies."⁴
Krottinger's attorney, C.J. Grisham, who specializes in First Amendment cases, didn't mince words about the arrest.
"It's crazy that you can share a meme in the United States of America, where the First Amendment reigns supreme in our judicial system, and be thrown in jail and charged with a felony that could potentially ruin your entire life," Grisham stated.⁵
Rob Christian, another attorney representing Krottinger, told the Dallas Express he had "never seen anyone get arrested for engaging in political speech" in his 25 years as both a prosecutor and defense attorney.⁶
Sheriff Doubles Down and Creates Meme Reporting Hotline
You'd think the national backlash would make Sheriff Deeds reconsider.
Instead, he doubled down and essentially created a meme reporting hotline.
Sheriff Roger Deeds issued a statement actively encouraging residents to report their neighbors for social media posts.
"The Sheriff's Office does not condone any such illegal acts and will serve in every legal capacity to protect the victims of such occurrences," Deeds wrote.⁷
Think about that for a second.
A Texas sheriff is asking citizens to snitch on each other for posting political jokes online.
He turned off comments on his social media post announcing this policy.
Apparently free speech only applies when he's the one talking.
Texas State Board of Education Member Brandon Hall, who represents the district that includes Granbury, expressed alarm.
"Reports that Kolton Krottinger was arrested for posting a satirical meme are extremely troubling," Hall said. "We are still waiting for all of the facts to come out, but we must stand against any infringements of the First Amendment right to free speech."⁸
Aaron Reitz, a Texas attorney general candidate, argued the case didn't even meet the legal requirements of the statute.
"From what I can tell, Kolton Krottinger created an obviously satirical meme," Reitz explained. "Moreover, his conduct doesn't appear to meet the 'intent' requirement under Texas Penal Code § 33.07."⁹
The Texas Senate honored Krottinger's veterans' mental health center in Granbury earlier this year for its work supporting servicemembers and first responders.
Now he faces years in prison for a Facebook joke about local politics.
After his court-ordered social media ban was lifted, Krottinger wrote about the experience.
"I never imagined that exercising my right to free speech… something I swore to defend could land me in handcuffs," he posted on X. "But here we are… this experience has deepened my appreciation for our freedoms… especially the ones so many take for granted. The First Amendment isn't just words on paper. It's what separates us from tyranny."¹⁰
Monica Brown, the school board candidate at the center of the satirical meme, saw exactly what was happening to Krottinger.
She filed her own complaint about how authorities treated him.
"Mr. Krottinger shared a harmless political satire meme related to a local school board election," Brown wrote. "He was arrested, handcuffed, placed in solitary confinement, classified as 'high-profile,' had his phone confiscated, and denied access to social media, which is his livelihood."¹¹
The woman who supposedly benefited from the fake endorsement thinks the arrest was outrageous.
That tells you everything about how absurd this prosecution is.
The Supreme Court ruled in Hustler Magazine v. Falwell that parody which "no reasonable person expected to be true, was protected free speech."
That case involved a fake Campari ad depicting Reverend Jerry Falwell in the most offensive terms imaginable.
The Court unanimously said political satire can't be prosecuted even when it's crude and offensive.
Political satire has been protected by the First Amendment since the founding of our country.
Colonial Americans made vicious cartoons mocking King George III.
But apparently Sheriff Deeds and the Hood County authorities missed that day in civics class.
Or they just don't care.
Hood County's Pattern of Targeting Conservatives
This isn't the first time Hood County authorities went after conservatives over questionable charges.
Former Hood County GOP Chair Nate Criswell launched petitions demanding the charges be dropped.
He told Texas Scorecard this is part of a disturbing pattern.
"Every year the list of conservatives arrested on bogus charges grows longer," Criswell explained.¹²
Deputies arrested Steve Biggers, the then-chair of the Hood County Republican Party, in 2024 for allegedly driving with an expired permit.
Hood County Constable John Shirley faced investigation by the Texas Rangers in 2019 after officials claimed he improperly used his county computer.
The Rangers cleared him of any wrongdoing.
Criswell believes a local "Good Ol' Boys Club" is systematically denying political opponents their constitutional rights.
"All Texans should be paying attention to the case of Kolton Krottinger," Criswell wrote. "If Kolton, a veteran and patriot, can be arrested for a political meme, any of us could. This level of tyranny and lawfare is something I would expect to see in China or England, not Texas."¹²
Trump won a mandate to end the weaponization of government against political speech.
Americans voted to restore the First Amendment after four years of censorship and prosecutions.
Conservatives thought the dark days of meme arrests and felony charges for jokes were behind us.
A Navy veteran who dedicates his life to helping other veterans is sitting in a Texas jail because a local activist got her feelings hurt by a Facebook meme.
Hood County just proved the fight to restore the First Amendment is far from over.
And if it can happen in Texas, it can happen anywhere.
¹ Ian M. Giatti, "Texas activist, Navy veteran arrested on felony charge over Facebook meme," Christian Post, November 15, 2025.
² Robert Montoya, "Hood County Sheriff Arrests Man for Social Media Posts," Texas Scorecard, November 2025.
³ Texas Penal Code § 33.07, "Online Impersonation," Texas Legislature, 2025.
⁴ Nate Criswell, X post, November 9, 2025.
⁵ "North Texas man charged with felony after Facebook post; attorney says it was just a 'meme,'" CBS Texas, November 14, 2025.
⁶ Ibid.
⁷ Robert Montoya, "After Meme Arrest, Hood County Sheriff Solicits More Social Media Complaints," Texas Scorecard, November 10, 2025.
⁸ "Exclusive: Hood County Activist Arrested For Posting Meme," Dallas Express, November 2025.
⁹ "'Felony-level trolling': Supporters outraged after Navy veteran allegedly jailed for 'satirical meme,'" Blaze Media, November 2025.
¹⁰ Kolton Krottinger, X post, November 12, 2025.
¹¹ "'Felony-level trolling': Supporters outraged after Navy veteran allegedly jailed for 'satirical meme,'" Blaze Media, November 2025.
¹² Robert Montoya, "Hood County Sheriff Arrests Man for Social Media Posts," Texas Scorecard, November 2025.
