Austin Rep. Sheryl Cole says DPS escort 'threatened to arrest' her on a morning walk

Austin Democratic state Rep. Sheryl Cole says her Department of Public Safety escort threatened to arrest her Tuesday while she was on a routine morning walk in the Mueller neighborhood.

In a statement, Cole says her assigned DPS escort "lost [her] on the trail, got angry about it, and made a scene in front of [her] constituents on the trail."

"While a little shaken up from the incident, I remain undeterred by this intimidation tactic by House Republicans to have a 24/7 state police presence to intimidate me and my colleagues," Cole continued. "This is also why I stand with my colleague [Rep. Nicole Collier], who has refused to go along with this charade and is still on the House floor 24 hours later."

"We will not be intimidated by this, and history will remember this."

Texas Politics Reporter Bayliss Wagner reached out to DPS for comment on Cole's claim.

Cole's claim comes amid a new requirement that House Democrats who participated in the 15-day walkout be escorted by DPS officers. Nicole Collier, D-Fort Worth, remained inside the chamber Tuesday afternoon after declining to sign the agreement pushed by House Republicans.

"I don't have a plan," Collier said to reporters in the gallery Monday. "I just feel in my heart that this is wrong."

At least four individuals who protested Collier's situation were arrested when they refused to leave the lobby Monday night.

“Rep. Collier’s choice to stay and not sign the permission slip is well within her rights under the House Rules,” Burrows said in a statement to Hearst Newspapers. “I am choosing to spend my time focused on moving the important legislation on the call to overhaul camp safety, provide property tax reform & eliminate the STAAR test — the results Texans care about.”

— Texas Politics Reporter Bayliss Wagner contributed to this report.