Felony charges against a Rains County justice of the peace were dismissed Friday, November 21, after prosecutors determined the evidence could not meet the legal standard required for trial.
Rains County Justice of the Peace Robert Jenkins Franklin was arrested in May 2025 and later indicted on two misdemeanor counts of official oppression and two felony charges. One felony indictment accused Franklin of attempting to pressure a defendant into pleading guilty in 2023, allegedly telling him that “dead men can’t testify.” Another alleged he urged an employee who was a witness in a civil case to give false testimony in February of this year.
Franklin also faced a separate misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct for displaying a firearm near a courtroom window, a photo that drew public attention earlier this year. Prosecutors noted it is not illegal for a judge to have a firearm in chambers or in a courtroom, but the disorderly conduct charge applied because he was visible to the public through the window.
On Friday, Van Zandt County District Attorney Tonda Curry, appointed to handle the case along with Van Zandt County Judge Chris Martin, told the court that the felony allegations could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Testimony revealed new information that weakened the reliability of some of the evidence, leading the state to dismiss the indictments.
Franklin pleaded guilty to the disorderly conduct charge and received one year of deferred adjudication. The case will be dismissed if he successfully completes the terms.
Also in court Friday was former Rains County Judge Linda Wallace, who was indicted in June for witness tampering connected to Franklin’s case. Prosecutors offered a conditional plea deal to dismiss the charge, but it was declined. Wallace is scheduled for trial on December 8 at 8:30 a.m.
