Recordings of woman accused of threatening Judge Cashon show growing animosity, anger over custody dispute.
Updated: 3 hours ago
An Erath County jury of eight women and four men began hearing testimony Monday in the case against Saundra Marcoot, charged with the third-degree felony offense of obstruction or retaliation of a public official.
Marcoot is accused of threatening District Court Judge Jason Cashon over a 2018 custody dispute involving her son.
Marcoot was reportedly angry that Cashon had granted custody of her son to her grandmother.
Judge Donald Jones is presiding over the case
Robbie Rudder, a bailiff at the Donald R. Jones Justice Center, was the first witness called to the stand by District Attorney Alan Nash.
Rudder testified that he got to know Marcoot when she started coming to the courthouse demanding to speak with Judge Cashon about the custody case.
He described her demeanor as “sometimes polite, sometimes frenetic.”
“I was concerned about the level of animosity that was growing,” Rudder said. “She was getting more and more upset, so I would come out to make sure nothing happened.”
In August 2023, Marcoot mistakenly left a voicemail for Cashon on County Judge Brandon Huckabee’s office line.
In that recording, which was played for jurors, Marcoot could be heard saying, “I’ve been seeing (Cashon) in the convenience store and he cowardly puts his head down… Be a man and come talk to me and quit unlawfully removing children.”
Three months later, Marcoot left another message for Cashon, this time on his office line.
In that recording, also played for jurors, Marcoot said, “Mr. Cashon, I tried to be calm, cool and collected with you…but enough is enough with your corrupt ass bullshit.”
She also said she would come through the “back door” to find him.
“The amount of rhetoric had escalated,” Rudder testified, stating at that point he informed the Erath County Sheriff’s Office and Stephenville Police Department about the situation.
Jurors also heard from a witness who works for the McKethan-Espinoza law firm who testified that Marcoot called the office in January 2023 and threatened to blow up the building.
If convicted Marcoot faces two to 10 years in prison.
Testimony will resume Tuesday morning in the Donald R. Jones Justice Center.
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