As of August 17, 2022, the department has since taken down the photo from its Facebook page.
By Sarah Calams
THRALL, Texas — A Texas police department has responded to criticism for posting a photo of an officer posing with Kyle Rittenhouse following a traffic stop last week.
The Facebook photo, which has received over 1,700 comments and 1,800 shares, sparked outrage with the caption: “Make those stops. You never know who you might meet. Today it was Kyle Rittenhouse. Welcome to Texas.”
Last year, Rittenhouse was found not guilty of all charges for his role in the August 2020 shootings of two men as police protests swept through Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Six hours after the initial post, the department edited the photo’s caption, adding: “I must have missed something. I believe that this young man was arrested, charged, indicted and then found not guilty by a jury of his peers. Is this not how our country works anymore? The hate in these comments is terrible. If you have information that is contrary to that, I would honestly love to hear it.”
The San Antonio Express-News said the department’s chief did not respond to a request for comment.