Our family survived an armed, unconstitutional police raid orchestrated by a corrupt boss who used local law enforcement as his private repossession squad. They stripped us of $283,445 worth of our livelihood without due process. Now, that same boss is a sitting County Commissioner, and we are taking them all to Federal Court to defend the Constitution. We need your help to fight back.
Imagine it’s 2014 you’re twenty-two years old, a newlywed with a baby on the way, breaking your body in half turning wrenches. You pour every dime of your sweat equity into the heavy tools of your trade, building a fortress for your family.
Then in 2019, an opportunity knocks: your cousin's boss needs an assistant. You take the job, outwork everyone in the room, and within months, you're the manager. Your new boss hands you the reins and says, "Run it like you own it." You hit $60,000 weeks. You achieve Top 30 National status. You make this man millions of dollars, fueling his empire while sacrificing your own holidays, weekends, and youth.
Now, imagine the sheer cowardice of that boss smiling in your face while plunging a knife into your back.
Instead of confronting his undisputed top earner over a jealous coworker's lies, he conspires to weaponize a police badge to execute a private robbery. He secretly texts the local Sheriff about the "timing of all that needs to go down" while you are actively working his route, generating revenue for him.
The Armed Robbery
On May 17, 2023, we woke up to an armed government ambush on our front lawn in Texas. A judge had signed a strictly limited warrant for exactly two items. The deputies found them immediately. The lawful warrant was instantly exhausted. They should have left.
As a mother protecting her children, Kiska stood in the doorway demanding to see the warrant. The deputies flat-out refused to show it, treating the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution like a piece of worthless paper.
Instead of leaving, the lead investigator illegally "conscripted" the boss to the scene. The police officially deputized a civilian to pillage our life. This boss literally walked into our son's bedroom and ordered the police to seize a child's black toolbox just because it had a Snap-On logo on it.
Under the protection of taxpayer-funded badges, they seized 51 categories of items valued at $283,445. They stole a popcorn maker, promotional chairs, bicycles, and tools his business didn't even sell. This was not a legal search. It was a brazen, state-sponsored home invasion.
The Badge as a Shield
The staggering arrogance of the Martin County Sheriff's Department was caught on the record. The Sheriff admitted under oath that he never bothered to read the warrant, and didn't wear a body camera because he "didn't want to." The lead investigator deliberately killed his own camera right before a quarter-million dollars of our livelihood was loaded into the boss's private trucks.
The boss didn't even have the spine to fire Austin himself. He used armed law enforcement as his personal HR department, having the investigator fire him on the spot while they stripped our home bare.
The Erasure and The Politician
The police allowed this man to haul our property 20 miles across county lines to his private, unlocked commercial barn—blatantly bypassing the mandatory magistrate's order. The boss then cancelled Austin's earned paycheck the very next day.
When we fought back and the State of Texas forced him to pay those wages, he committed perjury to cover his tracks and quietly sold our stolen tools to anonymous "end users."
And the most sickening twist of all?
The man who orchestrated this tyranny is now a sitting County Commissioner.
He wields political power over the very laws he subverted.
After suffering under a fabricated criminal indictment for over a year, the State finally dismissed it for insufficient evidence. The County then had the absolute audacity to offer us a $2,500 settlement to make our massive federal civil rights lawsuit disappear. They facilitated the unconstitutional theft of a quarter-million-dollar livelihood, tried to destroy a young family, and offered us hush-money pocket change to sweep their corruption under the rug.
Why We Are Taking a Stand
We refused to break. We refused their insult of a settlement.
This is no longer just about the tools; it is about the absolute, rot-deep corruption of local power. If the Constitution can be shredded on the lawn of a hardworking family in Big Spring, Texas, it can be shredded anywhere.
We are fighting a massive Federal Civil Rights lawsuit (Hamblin v. Martin County Sheriff's Department et al.) to hold these people accountable. But taking on a corrupt county government and a sitting politician takes immense resources.
We are raising funds to:
- Cover mounting legal expenses, filing fees, and trial upcoming in Federal Court.
- Bills and other necessities for our family needs.
- Ensure that no other family in Texas has to endure a state-sponsored home invasion.
We are fighting to remind them that American rights cannot be bought, sold, or stolen by cowards hiding behind badges and political titles.
After the Sheriff lost his election, all the officers involved scattered to other departments. Ask yourself why. Some of them as far a 200 miles away.
If you believe in the Fourth Amendment, Due Process, and holding corrupt officials accountable, please consider standing with our family.
How You Can Help:
- Donate: Any amount helps us keep this fight in Federal Court.
- Share: Please share our GiveSendGo campaign on your social media, with independent journalists, and with anyone who values Constitutional rights.
- Pray: We ask for your prayers for strength, justice, and the exposure of this corruption.
Thank you for standing with the Hamblin Family. We will not be silenced.
*Docket updates for case number 7:25-CV-00245 in the Western District of Texas and documents are available on CourtListener.com or Pacer. I try my best to keep CourtListener.com updated with the documents.*
Trial is set for late August, however, there are pending motions that may change that date.
