I’m Ron Helms.
I’m an independent investigative journalist, and Watchtower is my one-person newsroom. I pull the records, sit in the meetings, ask the questions on the record, and publish what I find. Readers fund all of it.
- articles published
- 52articles published
- Texas communities covered
- 11Texas communities covered
- reader-funded
- 100%reader-funded
- asking questions since
- 2022asking questions since
Where This Started
I grew up in Italy, Texas, and spent over thirty years of my life there. That is where I started asking questions in public, informally, in 2022, and where I learned how rarely anyone checks what a small Texas city does with its money and its power.
In August 2024 I formed the Italy Texas News and Transparency Foundation (ITXN), a nonprofit for the benefit of Italy. In February 2026, after what I call the middle finger incident at an Italy City Council meeting, I stepped away from ITXN (I wrote about why). ITXN carries on under its president, Shelby Browning, and I went independent as Watchtower, which is what you are reading now.
Watchtower takes the same records-first reporting to the towns around Italy and then across Texas. Today I cover city halls, police departments, school boards, and economic development corporations, along with private businesses that carry a public record, such as state inspection and licensing files, court filings, and consumer complaints.
Arrested Twice. Both Cases Rejected.
I have been arrested twice by the Italy Police Department, and the Ellis County District Attorney rejected both cases. The first chain of events began after a June 2025 Italy council meeting, when a sitting councilmember grabbed my camera. Being arrested for showing up is a big reason I keep doing this work. It is also why I follow allegations involving police conduct closely, and you deserve to know that when you read my police coverage.
The full account, and the other Texans I have met who were arrested for showing up →
What I’ve Been Reporting
Building Blocks Daycares
Three toddlers walked out of a Seven Points daycare in December 2023. I checked what parents were saying against the state licensing file, the police report, the court dockets, a sheriff’s report, and Steven Stearman’s own answers. Then the teacher who opened that door went on the record.
Tool PD Fired Officer Juan Ochoa Over His Body Camera
The chief confirmed the termination for repeated body camera failures. The department’s own records show the problem was in writing by June 2025.
Italy Paid $44,800 to Fix a Pump It Was Quoted $15,730 to Fix
Council packets, minutes, bill registers, and the meeting recording, with every source record attached in a packet anyone can check.
A Town of 1,400 Is Suddenly Moving Millions
Data-center money flowing into city government, a $7.6 million school bond, and municipal borrowing, with one man near the top of it all.
Who Runs Hawk Cove?
A federal loan the city’s own attorney says the lender is “done being patient” about, and councilmembers saying on the record that they do not know what their own city is doing.
170 Days Without a Budget
Seven Points went 170 days without an approved budget. I was in the room the night it finally passed, and it was anything but smooth.
The Police Chief Who Praised My Work
I started covering Trinidad in mid-March 2026, weeks after the council fired its city administrator, the third person in that job in roughly two years.
- February 20, 2026
Coming out of executive session, the Trinidad City Council places City Administrator Lindsey Patterson on administrative leave.
Source: Trinidad City Council minutes, February 20, 2026
- February 27, 2026
The council votes 4 to 0 to terminate Patterson for “lack of confidence.” Mayor Dennis Haws confirms on the record that she is being terminated without cause. Read →
Source: Trinidad City Council minutes, February 27, 2026, approved March 17
- March 17, 2026
At my first Trinidad council meeting, I sign up to speak on citizens comments and on most of the nearly twenty agenda items, and ask the council, item by item, whether what it is about to do follows the law. Read →
“I truly appreciate you coming out, being part of the meeting, and taking the time to share your experience. It means more than you probably realize to see people show up, stay engaged, and care enough to speak on the future of our community. I also want to thank you for your kind words. My goal, and the goal of every officer here, is simple: we want people to feel welcome, safe, and respected when they come to Trinidad. Whether it's your first meeting or your fiftieth, you should feel like you belong in the conversation. What you said about having tough conversations without taking things personally really stuck. That's not always easy, especially in a small town where people are passionate and deeply invested, but it's necessary. Growth doesn't happen without a little discomfort, and respectful dialogue is how we get there together.”
What Happened Next
- May 2026
Jennifer Combs, who lives in neighboring Kerens, is arrested on a state jail felony warrant over a Facebook post about Trinidad’s drinking water. Read →
- May 14
Winston “Otto” Noles, handcuffed and cited while protesting her arrest, sues the city, Chief Gregory, and officers in federal court. I serve the papers on every defendant, at no cost to him, including the chief in person. Read →
- May 19
Combs files her own federal civil rights lawsuit against the city, the chief, an officer, and the mayor pro tem. Read →
- May 21
A Henderson County grand jury declines to indict Combs. Otto’s citation is dismissed the same day. Read →
- By July 2026
The council removes the municipal judge who dismissed Otto’s citation. Chief Gregory resigns, and the council names Officer Cameron Beckham, a defendant in both lawsuits, interim chief. Read →
- September 18, 2026
After the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement revokes the police department’s appointing authority, the council votes not to appeal and to terminate the department’s officers. Trinidad no longer has its own police department.
Source: Trinidad City Council special meeting agenda and vote, September 18, 2026
Through all of it I kept talking to everyone involved, the chief included. I still report on Trinidad. Every Trinidad article →
Records First, Then the Front Door
The method is plain. I file the records request. I read the minutes, the budget, the contract, the inspection file. I sit in the meeting. I ask the people involved to answer on the record, and I record the answer when they agree to it. I follow the money from a vote to a contract to a check.
When a story involves a private business, I report it the traditional way: public records first, then I walk in the front door, say who I am, and ask for an interview. If I’m asked to leave, I leave. I do no surveillance and no pretexting, and I take on no work that would require a private investigator license. Everything I publish comes from information anyone could lawfully obtain.
The legal backbone is the Texas Open Meetings Act (Chapter 551), the Public Information Act (Chapter 552), Chapter 171 conflict-of-interest law, and, where a private business is involved, Texas consumer-protection law.
Sources, Corrections, and Pushback
Every claim traces to a record
Facts in my reporting come from public records, court filings, recordings, or on-the-record interviews. My newest long-form pieces carry a numbered source list you can check line by line.
Corrections in the open
When I get something wrong, I fix it in the article itself and add a dated note at the top saying what changed and why.
Disagreement is welcome
Officials, business owners, and readers are free to disagree with my conclusions. Tell me, and if the record supports you, I will say so.
Paid for by Readers
Watchtower is 100% funded by readers. No ads, no sponsors, and no grants with a direction attached. Support is a contribution, and nobody buys a say in what I publish or what I leave out. An outlet that bills the subject of its coverage has every reason to soften what it finds, so my bills go to readers instead.
I report on matters of public interest only. I do not take on private disputes, and I do not give legal advice. When a situation calls for an attorney, I say so plainly and point you to one.
Know something I should look at?
A vote that felt rushed, money nobody can explain, retaliation after speaking at a meeting, a business with a complaint history and no consequences. I read every tip myself, and I do not share who sent it without permission.
How I handle tips and protect sources →Important Disclaimer
I am not an attorney, and Watchtower is not a law firm. I do not represent clients or provide legal advice. My work is investigative journalism and advocacy at public meetings on matters of public interest. When I speak at a meeting or write about the law, I am sharing how I read it as a journalist, and it should never be taken as legal counsel.
I am not a licensed private investigator, and Watchtower is not a licensed private investigations firm. I do not hold a Texas private investigator license under Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1702, and I do not provide private investigation services to anyone, for any fee, under any arrangement. My work is journalism on matters of public interest, built from publicly held records, public meetings, publicly filed complaint and inspection records, information lawfully obtained through the Texas Public Information Act and other open-government statutes, and interviews people agree to give on the record. When I report on a private business, I do it the traditional way: public records first, then a request for an on-the-record interview in a place open to the public, and I leave when asked to leave. I do no surveillance, locate work, background investigation for private parties, or anything else that requires Texas private investigator licensure.
If you need services that fall under the Texas Private Security Act (Occupations Code Chapter 1702), including covert surveillance, civil or criminal background investigations for private parties, locate services, or evidence-gathering for private litigation, you must engage a licensed Texas private investigator. Where appropriate, I can refer you to licensed professionals I know.
When someone contacts me about a situation that involves a legal matter, I start by talking through the circumstances to see whether my reporting is a fit. If the situation calls for legal representation or specific legal guidance, I refer the person to a licensed attorney whose practice fits the matter. Where appropriate, I may also connect the person with another journalist or report on the public-record facts myself.
Nothing on this website or in my communications should be read as legal advice or as a substitute for professional services that require a state license. For specific legal questions, consult a licensed attorney. For services that require private investigator licensure, consult a licensed Texas private investigator.
Coverage is organized by community, so you can find everything I have published about your area in one place. View all coverage areas →