Jason Corley, county commissioner, explained a viral Ring doorbell video of him recorded Saturday on someone’s front porch in South Central Lubbock.
The video showed Corley taking an empty bottle of Fireball out of his back pocket and leaving it in a planter next to someone’s front door. He was walking blocks for Ken Paxton, Republican candidate for U.S. Senator.
Corley said, “Walking up to this door and there’s a bottle of Fireball laying in this guy’s yard. No big deal. Pick it up. It’s just trash.”
“Then I’m like, ‘I do not want to be block walking with a bottle of Fireball in my pocket,’” Corley said.
So, he set it down in the planter.
“It was trash laying on the ground. It’s a nice neighborhood. I don’t know. It’s what you do. … Anyway, I go on. I don’t think anything of it,” Corley said.
People commenting online assumed Corley was drinking. Corley said that’s not the case – not even close.
Corley said the video started getting out that night.
“I start getting messages from people about it,” Corley said.
Kyle Rable, Democratic candidate for Texas House District 19, posted online, using the occasion to poke fun at Corley and other Republicans.
“I’d drink if they were my candidates too,” Rable posted.
“One guy … he’s like, ‘Yeah, I need some fireball too to block walk for Ken Paxton.’ I was like, ‘Okay, that’s pretty good,’” Corley said.
LubbockLights.com reached out to the homeowners. Albert Pereira provided a written statement in response.
Pereira said, “Would have preferred he communicated rather than just slip it into my planter.”
“[He] could have easily said something to the tune of ‘Hey, I’m with Ken Paxton – just dropping by, picked this up from your yard, [and] I’ll just set it here,” Pereira said.
Corley said he would have mentioned it but no one answered the door. The Ring doorbell audio gave Corley a message as he was turning to go, saying, “We can’t answer the door right now.”
Pereira said, “Mind you, we have a very visible ‘no soliciting’ sign.”
Pereira also said the video made it look like someone on his front porch was “drunk, stupid or both.”
“Quite honestly, it could be exactly what he said, and I’m willing to let it go and show grace. Not trying to hurt anyone’s career or way of life, I just want peace at my home and to not be disturbed constantly by door to door soliciting,” Pereira said.
Corley said, “We’ll be block-walking next weekend. We’re calling it team Fireball.”
“Your local libs have got no issues. They’ve got nothing to talk about. So, this is the best they can do. Well, thanks for the free publicity,” Corley said.
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