HOUSTON – A 23-year-old woman and her attorney are filing a lawsuit against the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and the Los Vaqueros Trail Riders after she was raped at an event four years ago.
Brie Ana Williams was 19 years old at the time. She said she drank alcohol at a trail riders’ party and fell asleep in the cab of a pickup truck. That's when she said two men sexually assaulted her.
“I remember waking up to someone on top of me,” Williams said.
KPRC doesn’t typically identify victims of sexual assault, but Williams wants to be identified and she wants to speak out.
“I don’t want it to happen to anyone else,” she said.
Two men were arrested and charged in connection to the crime.
VIDEO: Woman speaks about lawsuit against rodeo, trail riders
Alvin Prine is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for the sexual assault. David Ramirez pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was released from jail after about two years.
Williams and her attorney are filing the lawsuit because they say the assault happened at a Rodeo-sponsored event and they don’t want it to happen again.
“The trail riders came to a bar where members of the trail ride were there. It was a sponsored event by the Rodeo, bringing to light the Rodeo, involving the Rodeo and encouraging people to participate,” said Chad Pinkerton, Williams’ attorney. “What I want to happen is for them to take responsibility. Then I want them to make changes to their event so nothing like this ever happens again.”
Pinkerton said Los Vaqueros has a history of “getting out of control.”
“We want the Rodeo to make sure minors aren’t served and that trail riders aren’t overserved,” he said.
In a statement, officials with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo said:
“The Los Vaqueros Rio Grande Trail Ride is a separate entity from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ with its own rules and regulations. Most trail ride organizations have multiple rides throughout the year, which are run independently from the Show. This event occurred in December 2012, two months prior to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Trail Ride encampment held in Memorial Park, making the event unaffiliated with the Show. Due to pending litigation, the Show is unable to comment further.”
Channel 2 also reached out to the Los Vaqueros Trail Riders, which said it had no comment. The group was not aware of the lawsuit but did acknowledge the crime that was committed at their event in 2012.