RAINS COUNTY, Texas – According to court records, two Rains County judges are scheduled to appear in court Friday, October 31, at 3:00 p.m., where they are expected to plead guilty to charges stemming from an investigation into alleged coercion of a defendant.
Justice of the Peace Robert Jenkins Franklin faces a charge of Official Oppression, while County Judge Linda Wallace, 72, is charged with Tampering with a Witness. The charges relate to allegations made by Rains County resident Coby Wiebe, who says Franklin and Wallace conspired against him, including issuing a death threat to force a plea deal.
Wiebe had been arrested and charged with publishing intimate visual material. He says he took the plea deal after a phone call from Franklin in 2023, in which Franklin allegedly said, “This is Judge Franklin, I heard you have a problem with me. You take the deal, boy, or dead men can’t testify.” Three days later, Wiebe accepted the plea. Prosecutors later vacated his felony conviction, acknowledging he had been coerced.
Earlier this year, Wiebe filed a federal lawsuit against Rains County, Franklin, and Wallace. Phone records and polygraph results provided by Wiebe were cited in the case.
Both judges had previously been suspended by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. Franklin was also convicted of DWI in August and sentenced to 12 months of deferred adjudication. Initially, Franklin’s attorney denied the allegations, but following a grand jury indictment, both judges now plan to plead guilty.
