A Texas man was arrested on Saturday after he barged into a sheriff’s office early Saturday morning claiming to be a federal agent and demanding to inspect the office’s records.
A dispatcher told Clifford Heniser, 34, that a deputy was on the way to speak with him, the sheriff’s office said, so Heniser left and went back out to his vehicle. He returned carrying an AR-15 rifle and called out to the dispatchers, “who at this time were hiding under their desks and calling for all available help.”
Heniser again left, and this time began shooting into the air outside the sheriff’s office, firing about 30 rounds before reloading and walking around the parking area.
Two Crockett Police officers and a Texas Highway Patrol trooper arrived on scene and arrested him without incident. In addition to the rifle, Heniser was carrying a Colt pistol and two magazines in his pockts and had four more rifle magazines and 300 to 400 rounds of ammo in his truck.
He was charged with impersonating an officer, unlawfully carrying a weapon by a felon, criminal trespass, and deadly conduct.
He had previously been arrested just days before for disorderly conduct in the sheriff’s office lobby. In that incident, the sheriff’s office said he came in “and was very rude” to an administrative assistant, then becamse “increasingly agitated and used profanity” when the dispatch supervisor was called in.
A deputy was called to the scene “to ascertain this man’s complaint,” but Heniser continued to profanely yell while demanding to know “what we are doing about all the ‘illegals.'”
The sheriff’s office said Heniser would be transferred to another county “for our staffs safety and the suspects safety” after he is arraigned.
Crockett Police are handling the investigation with the assistance of the Texas Highway Patrol, the FBI, and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
No one was injured in the incident, but later on Saturday, the sheriff’s office announced more restrictive opening times for the office lobby to address “security issues that have come to light in the recent shooting at our office.”
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[Featured image: Houston County Sheriff’s Office]