A hefty sum of nearly $400,000 is being paid in settlement to a former Bexar County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant, who claims she was wronged by being fired for her attendance at the U.S. Capitol rally that turned violent on January 6, 2021. According to KENS 5, Roxanne Mathai did not enter the Capitol, nor did she, witness any illegal activities, asserting she arrived when everything was "already done."
Public records unveiled by Express-News indicate that the Bexar County Commissioners Court actioned a $100,000 payout to meet the deductible demanded by its insurance carrier, which consented to cover the balance of the settlement. In a crucial maneuver, former lieutenant Mathai is now poised to challenge Sheriff Javier Salazar in the forthcoming election cycle, given he secures another term.
The termination, described by Sheriff Salazar as done "within policy and upheld by an arbitrator," came months after Mathai chronicled her presence at the Capitol via Facebook. While Mathai was not charged in connection to the events at the Capitol, her firing was substantiated by BCSO for "conduct becoming of an officer" and "failure to report crimes." Mathai's attorney, Mark Anthony Sanchez, has heralded the settlement as a triumph for free speech and diversity of viewpoints.
Mathai's quest for vindication took her through the bureaucratic trenches, fighting her termination through an administrative maze that eventually coerced the department to change the record of her firing from a "dishonorable discharge" to a "general discharge," this, according to legal documents cited by Express-News. Meanwhile, Sheriff Salazar remains firm on his stance, stating, "There was no wrongdoing on the part of the administration, and I stand by our actions," in a comment reported by KENS 5.
Looking forward, Mathai has outlined plans to reclaim her peace officer certificates and pursue mental health certifications. Her outspoken intentions to run for sheriff underscore her ambition to catalyze change in leadership and perhaps, through the lens of her legal scuffle, spotlight the tension between personal liberties and professional responsibilities in an era divided by ideology and politics.
