Landlord serving eviction papers beaten with bat, investigators say

HUFFMAN, Texas (KTRK) — When a landlord went to serve eviction papers last week, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said he was confronted with a gun and a bat.

It happened Sept. 21 on Darden Drive in Huffman, according to officials.

Investigators say 42-year-old James Jackson pointed a gun at the landlord and hit him over the head with the bat, leaving a bloody gash.

It’s the latest case of tenant-on-landlord violence to hit the headlines.

Earlier this month, police say two leasing office employees were gunned down by a tenant at a west Houston apartment complex.

Prosecutors say he’d been arguing with them about the terms of his lease.

“She’s over there giving people eviction letters. People get triggered,” Sabrina Salinas, granddaughter of one of the victims, told Eyewitness News days later.

Justin Singer knows that only too well. He’s been renting out properties for over a decade.

“Fortunately, we haven’t had a ton that have gone over the edge, but you only need a handful to, like, you know, shake you up,” Singer said.

Once while accompanying law enforcement to evict a tenant, he said police had to pull a gun.

“They were belligerent with the police officer there escorting. The police officer had to draw a weapon in order to actually gain entry and calm this guy down,” he said.

Attorney Brian Cweren is encouraging landlords to take advantage of a new law which expands the ways you can serve a notice to vacate.

For the first time, the list now includes email; however, there is a catch, Cweren explains.

“If a landlord wants to have an email or electronic communication, the tenant has to have consented to it,” Cweren said. “If there’s not some type of consent language, then they can’t serve an email notice to vacate.”

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