Austin County Grand Jury Clears Parties Involved in Lindemann Store Incident [VIDEO]

After a thorough review, the Austin County Grand Jury has determined that no criminal charges should be filed in connection with the incident at the Lindemann Store in Industry, Texas, which occurred on January 15, 2023. The event had drawn extensive publicity and citizen concern, but the Grand Jury concluded that no criminal wrongdoing had occurred.

District Attorney Travis J. Koehn explained that the evidence showed that there was significant additional context that was not shown in the initial public reports issued by some of the parties involved. For instance, the initial reports did not include the video and audio footage showing that the store employees knew the identity of the rightful owner of the $50 and told the customer this repeatedly before she tried to leave the store with the money. The initial reports also did not include audio of the store employees repeatedly stating that they had only grabbed the customer to restrain her when the customer grabbed the store manager’s throat.

Koehn emphasized that his office had studied all the evidence in detail before presenting the matter to the Grand Jury, and that justice would be best served by presenting the matter to the Grand Jury. After evaluating the evidence and the law, the Grand Jury recommended that no criminal charges be filed on any of the parties involved.

Grand Jury proceedings are confidential by law and may not be divulged, per Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, Art. 20A.202. The Grand Jury may consider a variety of factors when considering criminal charges, including, but not limited to: the crimes alleged, the relevant law, the facts of the case, any potential defenses, and the interests of justice.

Now that the case is completed, the District Attorney has released all of the store video and audio footage which you can view below. Koehn stated that he had made the full Lindemann Store surveillance footage – in its entirety, unaltered, and in its original format – available to the press. He has also released an additional, detailed breakdown of the events and relevant law involved in this incident, which is available on the Austin County District Attorney’s website but, also available below.

Koehn reminded the public that although Texas law permits citizens to take action to prevent theft and to defend others from harm, such action should never be undertaken lightly. Such actions, though potentially legal, could result in serious consequences such as civil liability, injury, or death.