Bexar County paying $395,000 to settle with jail lieutenant fired for being at Jan. 6 insurrection

Editor's note: Due to a reporting error, this story was corrected to reflect the nature of why Lt. Roxanne Mathai was initially placed on leave. The Current apologizes for that error.

Bexar County will spend $395,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a former sheriff's office jail lieutenant who was fired after posting social media pics of herself at the Jan. 6 insurrection, the Express-News reports.

The county's insurer will foot the bill, reports the daily.

Bexar County Sheriff's Office (BSCO) Lt. Roxanne Mathai, who was already on already on leave over allegations she had a possible inappropriate relationship with an inmate — sued the county after she was canned in June 2021 for posting photos of herself alongside MAGA rioters via her Facebook account.

Mathai denied entering the U.S. Capitol herself and was never formally charged with a crime, according to the Express-News. Even so, following the discovery of the photos, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar told the media his "intent is that she never set foot inside" a BSCO building again.

After her termination was upheld by an arbitrator in December 2021, Mathai sued Salazar and the county, alleging that they violated her First Amendment rights. She accused BSCO of firing her in retaliation for her political beliefs.

Mathai was seeking back pay and future pay and benefits, as well as compensation for mental anguish and emotional distress.

In late April, U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez ordered Mathai's lawyers and Bexar County to file papers agreeing to the settlement by May 23, according to the Express-News.

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