LOVING COUNTY, TX – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit and requested a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against Malcolm Tanner, a resident of Crawfordsville, Indiana, for alleged violations of the Texas Health and Safety Code that could endanger the public health of Loving County residents.
According to the lawsuit, Tanner owns two five-acre tracts of land in Loving County that have no utilities or improvements. Despite the lack of basic infrastructure, Tanner has invited numerous individuals, including women and children, to move onto the property and live there without any system in place for the safe disposal and treatment of sewage.
The TRO seeks to prohibit Tanner and others from discharging human waste in a way that could contaminate soil or subsurface water. It also prevents additional individuals from establishing living arrangements on the property until all requirements of the Texas Health and Safety Code are met.
The lawsuit is part of an ongoing investigation by Paxton’s office into what it describes as a politically motivated operation. According to the petition, Tanner has used social media to promote his plan to take over Loving County by offering free housing in exchange for political support.
“Indiana resident Malcolm Tanner has no right to try and take over Loving County with illegal schemes that endanger real Texans,” said Attorney General Paxton. “His deceptive and unlawful scheme to lure people with free housing for the purpose of conducting a political takeover is a disgustingly fraudulent plot to line his own pockets. I will not stand by while frauds try to carve up Texas for themselves and make everyone sicker and less safe along the way.”
The lawsuit seeks to immediately stop further occupancy of the property and prevent additional public health risks while the case proceeds in court.
