Investigators said a 42-year-old man threatened the landlord with a gun and struck him with a bat during the Sept. 21 confrontation.
HUFFMAN, TX — A landlord delivering eviction papers at a property in northeast Harris County was threatened with a gun and struck in the head with a bat during a confrontation, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators said the attack happened Sept. 21 on Darden Drive in Huffman. Authorities identified the man accused in the confrontation as 42-year-old James Jackson. According to investigators, Jackson pointed a gun at the landlord and then hit him in the head with a bat. The landlord suffered a head injury. Authorities have not publicly released the landlord’s name in reports reviewed for this story.
The circumstances leading up to the confrontation, beyond the landlord’s attempt to deliver eviction paperwork, were not detailed in the available report. Officials also did not provide additional information about the landlord’s condition after the attack. The available reporting did not establish whether Jackson had been formally charged in connection with the incident or identify any scheduled court proceedings.
The case comes as Texas landlords operate under recently revised rules governing how notices to vacate may be delivered. State law requires a landlord, in most covered cases, to give a tenant written notice before filing a forcible detainer lawsuit. The required notice period is generally at least three days unless a written lease or agreement provides for a different period.
Texas law now lists several methods for delivering a notice required before certain eviction suits. They include mail or a delivery service, placing the notice in a conspicuous location inside the premises and hand delivery to a tenant who is at least 16 years old. Electronic communication, including email, may also be used when the parties have agreed to that method in writing.
Houston-area attorney Brian Cweren told ABC13 that the expanded options can give property owners an alternative to delivering some notices in person. He said electronic delivery depends on the required agreement between the landlord and tenant. The change does not eliminate the other delivery methods authorized under state law.
The Huffman confrontation also followed another violent incident involving rental property employees in the Houston area earlier in September. Police said two leasing office employees at a west Houston apartment complex were killed by a tenant. Prosecutors said the tenant in that separate case had been arguing with employees about the terms of his lease. The two incidents have not been linked by authorities.
Property owner Justin Singer, who has rented properties for more than a decade, told ABC13 that he has previously encountered a tense eviction in which law enforcement was present. Singer said an officer drew a weapon while dealing with a belligerent tenant. His account was presented as an example of the risks that can arise during some landlord-tenant confrontations and was not connected to the Huffman investigation.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office has attributed the Sept. 21 attack to Jackson, but the available reporting did not provide further information about the status of the investigation, possible criminal charges or the landlord’s recovery. Those details remained unconfirmed as of Thursday.
Author note: Last updated Oct. 1, 2026.