Galveston Federal Lawsuit Enters Critical Phase as Defendants Move to Dismiss — Journalist Fires Back with Devastating Responses

GALVESTON, TX — The federal civil rights lawsuit brought by independent journalist Matthew Oliver Reardon against the City of Galveston, multiple police officers, and Mississippi officials has entered its most critical phase yet. In a flurry of filings over the past two weeks, three groups of defendants have moved to dismiss the case — and Reardon, representing himself pro se, has responded with meticulously detailed oppositions that dismantle the defendants’ arguments using their own evidence against them. The case, Reardon v. Osteen et al., Civil Action No. 3:25-CV-203, is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Galveston Division.

The Case at a Glance

For readers following this story, here’s a brief recap: On August 11, 2023, Galveston Police Officer William Osteen pulled over Reardon at approximately 2 a.m. and arrested him for DWI. What makes this case extraordinary is what the evidence shows happened before, during, and after that arrest:

• Officer Osteen identified Reardon as a “First Amendment auditor” within seconds of contact, telling another officer: “I’m doing this one, this is an auditor.”
• Within one minute of first contact — before any meaningful investigation — Osteen told another officer to “go ahead and arrest” Reardon.
• Osteen swore out a warrant affidavit containing seven categories of false observations about alcohol intoxication — all later disproven by blood testing, bodycam footage, and Osteen’s own contradictory sworn testimony.
• Reardon’s blood tested at zero for alcohol. He had told Osteen he hadn’t had a drink in three years. The State’s own lab confirmed he was telling the truth.
• Despite the zero-BAC result, the Galveston County DA’s Office obtained a felony DWI indictment in December 2023 — when the only blood evidence in existence showed zero alcohol.
• A separate drug toxicology report showing a trace level of methamphetamine (0.13 mg/L — at or near the lab’s detection threshold) was not issued until February 1, 2024 — two full months after the indictment. It was never before the grand jury.
• Reardon spent nearly 11 months in pretrial detention on a $100,000 bond before all charges were dismissed.
• Meanwhile, his vehicle was auctioned by the City of Galveston without adequate notice or opportunity to contest.
• At a Mississippi probation revocation hearing, Officer Osteen twice testified under oath that alcohol was detected in Reardon’s blood — a statement contradicted by the State’s own lab results.

The lawsuit names Officer William Osteen, Sergeant Jack Doraty, and the City of Galveston; Lafayette County, Mississippi Sheriff’s Deputies Kandis Beavers and Hoby James; and Lafayette County Circuit Clerk Jeff Busby. It brings claims for malicious prosecution, First Amendment retaliation, Brady violations (suppression of exculpatory evidence), unreasonable search (Franks), excessive force, failure to intervene, civil rights conspiracy under 42 U.S.C. §§ 1983 and 1985, municipal (Monell) liability, and state law claims.

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Three Motions to Dismiss — Three Devastating Responses

1. City of Galveston, Officer Osteen & Sergeant Doraty

On May 14, 2026, the City of Galveston, Officer Osteen, and Sergeant Doraty filed a 44-page Motion to Dismiss [Dkt. 68], arguing that probable cause existed for the arrest, that the independent intermediary doctrine (grand jury indictment) bars the claims, and that the officers are entitled to qualified immunity. Reardon’s response exposes the fundamental flaw in the defendants’ argument: their entire defense rests on the premise that probable cause existed. But their own exhibits destroy that premise. The response highlights a devastating timeline established by the defendants’ own evidence:

• September 6, 2023: First toxicology report — testing for alcohol only. Result: zero blood alcohol content. Every observation in Osteen’s warrant affidavit was objectively disproven.
• December 7, 2023: Grand jury indicts Reardon for felony DWI. The only blood evidence in existence? The zero-BAC result.
• February 1, 2024: Drug toxicology report issued — two months after the indictment — showing 0.13 mg/L of methamphetamine. This result was not before the grand jury because it did not exist.

As Reardon writes in his response: “This is not a case where an officer made a reasonable mistake. This is a case where an officer identified Plaintiff as a ‘First Amendment auditor,’ arrested him on fabricated observations of alcohol intoxication that blood testing disproved, suppressed the exculpatory results, obtained an indictment on false pretenses, and then waited months for a second test to come back hoping it would retroactively justify what he had done.” On the independent intermediary doctrine, Reardon argues the grand jury’s independence was fatally compromised: either Osteen or the prosecutor told the grand jury the blood tested positive for an intoxicating substance (which was false), or they withheld the zero-BAC result entirely. Either scenario defeats the doctrine under Fifth Circuit precedent. See Buehler v. Dear, 27 F.4th 969 (5th Cir. 2022). On qualified immunity, Reardon argues it simply does not apply to officers who fabricate evidence, commit perjury, and suppress exculpatory test results: “Every reasonable officer knows that exculpatory evidence must be disclosed. Suppressing a zero-BAC result while pursuing a DWI indictment violates clearly established law.” On the First Amendment retaliation claim, Reardon points to Officer Osteen’s own recorded words as direct evidence of retaliatory motive — words the defendants’ motion fails to explain away. Combined with the fact that Reardon had been released from imprisonment in Mississippi just ten days before the arrest — an imprisonment caused by the perjured testimony of co-defendant Beavers — the case for retaliation is compelling. The response also addresses the Brady claim, noting that the defendants’ motion doesn’t even mention Brady v. Maryland — a telling omission. The zero-BAC result was available by September 2023, yet Reardon sat in pretrial detention for over seven months without being informed that the blood evidence exonerated him.

2. Defendant Kandis Beavers

Beavers, a Lafayette County, Mississippi Sheriff’s Deputy, filed her own Motion to Dismiss, portraying herself as an innocent bystander who merely shared routine information about a Mississippi conviction’s procedural status. Reardon’s response paints a very different picture: Beavers was the deputy who arrested Reardon for DUI in Mississippi in February 2021. She was the deputy who committed perjury at his probation revocation hearing in November 2022, falsely testifying that Reardon entered an FBI field office “without permission” and “without a lawful purpose” — testimony contradicted by audio recordings. She was the deputy whose false testimony led directly to Reardon’s imprisonment. And then, just ten days after Reardon was released from that imprisonment, Beavers proactively called the Galveston Police Department in the early morning hours of his arrest. As Reardon’s response asks: “Why was a Lafayette County Sheriff’s Deputy proactively calling the Galveston Police Department in the early morning hours about a recently released individual?” The information Beavers provided — that Reardon’s Mississippi DUI conviction was final — was used to enhance the Texas charge from misdemeanor DWI to felony DWI. The Mississippi Court of Appeals has since reversed the dismissal of Reardon’s appeal, confirming that the appeal was pending and the conviction was not final. In other words, the information was wrong.

3. Defendant Jeff Busby

Circuit Clerk Jeff Busby’s motion presents perhaps the most brazen defense in the case. Busby moved to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction, arguing he had no contact with Texas. But Busby’s own supplemental affidavit — filed after Reardon caught him in what amounts to a deception of the court — reveals the truth: Busby drafted the March 25, 2024 statement on official Lafayette County Circuit Court letterhead, at the request of ADA Steven Jubera, who was prosecuting Reardon. Jubera then transmitted it directly to the Galveston County DA’s Office, where it was used to sustain the felony DWI enhancement. Busby’s original affidavit had stated he “did not receive any such request” from Galveston and “neither did I provide any information” to the Galveston DA. As Reardon’s Reply notes: “An affidavit that tells the truth but conceals the essential context is not honest testimony—it is a half-truth designed to deceive.” The court itself flagged concerns about Busby’s credibility, noting in its April 1, 2026 Order that “Reardon’s contentions that Busby has deceived this court” warranted further investigation. And critically, the Mississippi Court of Appeals has since reversed the ruling Busby relied upon — confirming that Reardon’s appeal was properly filed and the conviction was not final. Meaning Busby’s statement was wrong.

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Strategic Move: UTMB & McDougle Voluntarily Dismissed

In a strategic move, Reardon has filed a Notice of Voluntary Dismissal without prejudice as to two defendants: The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) and nurse Jacob McDougle. The dismissal preserves Reardon’s right to refile against these defendants while streamlining the case against the remaining seven defendants — the officers, the city, and the Mississippi officials whose conduct lies at the heart of the conspiracy.

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What’s at Stake

This case is about far more than one arrest. It exposes what Reardon alleges is a coordinated, cross-jurisdictional conspiracy to silence an independent journalist who had been exposing government corruption and police misconduct through First Amendment audits. The pattern, as alleged in the lawsuit and supported by court filings:

1. Mississippi: Deputy Beavers commits perjury to imprison Reardon for a year.
2. Release and retaliation: Ten days after Reardon is released, Beavers and fellow deputy Hoby James call Galveston PD during his arrest.
3. Galveston: Officer Osteen identifies Reardon as an “auditor,” arrests him on fabricated observations, obtains a search warrant through a false affidavit, and suppresses the exculpatory blood results.
4. The enhancement: Mississippi officials provide false information to escalate the charge from misdemeanor to felony.
5. The cover-up: Osteen commits perjury in a related Mississippi proceeding, falsely testifying that alcohol was detected in Reardon’s blood.
6. The destruction: The City auctions Reardon’s vehicle while he sits in pretrial detention for nearly 11 months.

Every step was designed to keep Reardon locked up and silent. It didn’t work.

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Current Status and What’s Next

The case is now fully briefed on all three motions to dismiss. The court will rule on whether the claims survive to discovery — the phase where bodycam footage, call logs, emails, and internal communications would be subject to subpoena. For the defendants, discovery could be devastating: it would expose exactly what was said between Mississippi and Texas officials, what the prosecutor told the grand jury, and whether the zero-BAC result was deliberately withheld. The remaining defendants are:

• Officer William Osteen — Galveston Police Department
• Sergeant Jack Doraty — Galveston Police Department
• City of Galveston, Texas
• Deputy Kandis Beavers — Lafayette County, MS Sheriff’s Department
• Deputy Hoby James — Lafayette County, MS Sheriff’s Department
• Jeff Busby — Lafayette County Circuit Clerk
• John Doe Officers 1-5 — Unidentified Galveston officers

Reardon is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, a jury trial, and injunctive relief to prevent further retaliation against independent journalists.

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Matthew Reardon is the founder of We The People News and is representing himself pro se in this case. We The People News is a 100% viewer-funded investigative journalism platform. All court documents referenced in this article are public records filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Case: Reardon v. Osteen et al., Civil Action No. 3:25-CV-203 (S.D. Tex., Galveston Division)

Related Coverage

• Reardon Files Objections to Magistrate’s Recommendation in Galveston Federal Civil Rights Suit
• Docket Update: Entry #89 Filed in Reardon v. Osteen et al. (2026-07-06)
• Father Releases Emotional Dedication Song to Children, Calling It a “Blueprint to the Truth”

Legal & Records References

• Mississippi Public Records Act, Miss. Code Ann. § 25-61-1 et seq.
• U.S. Const. amend. I — First Amendment (Cornell LII)