Reopened bar in Texas leads to arrests
WEST ODESSA, Texas — A bar owner and armed protesters were arrested in western Texas after the bar reopened despite the governor’s orders to remain closed as the state continues to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis told the Odessa American that authorities Monday detained Gabrielle Ellison, the 47-year-old owner of Big Daddy Zane’s Bar in West Odessa, for violating Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s order that prohibits drinking establishments from opening until mid-May.
Six men who had loaded “AR-15 type weapons” were also arrested for possessing firearms on a licensed property, Griffis said, adding that one observer was detained for interfering with a peace officer’s duties.
More than 20 people participated in the protest with help from Open Texas, an armed group that travels around the state trying to help reopen the doors of businesses that Abbott deemed “nonessential.”