POTEET, Texas – Robert Lopez Jr., a pastor at the Community Christian Church in Poteet, now has an arrest record in which he's accused of being violent.
It's a claim he strongly denies.
“In 44 years of my life, I’ve never had one thing on my record,” Lopez said.
That was true until Monday when the Atascosa County Sherriff’s Office said it received a call around 6 p.m. about a man with a gun.
When officials arrived at the scene, the complainant told them Lopez had confronted him about text messages, which then led to a fight. After that, Lopez went to his ATV and pulled a gun, the complainant told authorities.
Lopez was charged with two counts of deadly conduct and one count of terroristic threats causing fear of imminent bodily injury.
On Tuesday, Lopez was seen with a bruised face and a ripped shirt and claimed he is a victim in the case.
“I was going to help a neighbor. I went out there to check some hog traps and I was attacked,” Lopez said.
Lopez said he usually helps the elderly property owner, who allowed him on the land to help with the trap. But after texting the owner’s grandson-in-law, who lives in a separate home on the property, and informing him about a hog that was shot and left to die, Lopez said he was met with nasty text messages.
Lopez said he later encountered the grandson-in-law, who yelled racial slurs and attacked him.
“I got many character witnesses. The truth will come out. Thank God,” Lopez said.
After Lopez was released from jail Tuesday, KSAT 12 received several emails from members of his church calling him a caring and generous man.
All the charges Lopez faces are Class A misdemeanors. The bond he posted Tuesday was set at $11,000. There is no word on when he’s due back in court.
