City of Abilene pays man who was ‘wrongfully arrested’ nearly $100K

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – The City of Abilene has paid a man who says he was “wrongfully arrested” and had his 2nd amendment rights violated a settlement for nearly $100,000.

Eddie Pugh and his attorney CJ Grisham accepted a $99,999 settlement from the City of Abilene last month in lieu of filing a lawsuit.

Pugh was found not guilty of stalking Abilene City Manager Robert Hanna during a trial in November.

In 2023, Pugh was also charged with Criminal Trespass while he was protesting outside of Rise Church.

Three times after his arrests – once in November 2023, once in January 2024, and once in November 2024 – Pugh notified the City he intended to sue, seeking more than $5 million in damages for his wrongful arrests and the financial and non-economic distress they caused.

In his list of occurrences, Pugh mentioned he was wrongfully arrested more than once, forced to wear an ankle monitor, had excessive bonds, was barred from city hall and speaking at public meetings, and was wrongfully accused of a noise violation while he was protesting.

Read additional details on the settlement in the court documents below:

No further information is available at this time.