HEMPHILL COUNTY, TX (KFDA) - Hemphill County Sheriff Nathan Lewis is under investigation by the Texas Rangers, according to the Texas Department on Public . Philip Klein: . . According to Chris, Lewis told him that he wanted him to transfer to Canadian and play football for the Wildcats. Caroline Gear: Hold on, hold on, okay, so Nathans the one that asked you to come and play there? Hemphill County Sheriff Nathan Lewis has sent an appeal to the Texas Attorney General's Office, requesting that it take over the . Further, the legal standard at trial of beyond a reasonable doubt, that Mr. Browns death was the result of an intentional, or unintentional, criminal act, is not supported by any evidence collected at this time. And the sheriff told them to do what? I asked. Rachel Kading: There is no evidence that he went to the football parking lot. Would you want someone like me investigating it? Jos R. Ralat is Texas Monthlys taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food. And he came up with a report on that a year and a half after the fact.". Do you see any hope that new evidence is going to emerge? Patricia Sharpe writes a regular restaurant column, Pats Pick, for Texas Monthly. Im just wasting my time. Briant said he hopes that will happen by the end of this week. He said whenever I looked at the video from the Dollar General there wasn't anything on there, so I threw it away.". Panhandle region of The State of Texas. This article is the latest installment of a series. Skip Hollandsworth: What were other stories Chris Jones told you or others about what happened that night? Chip Gaines Bought Larry McMurtrys Historic Texas Bookstore. BERKELEY COUNTY In a letter to WRNR TV10, Berkeley County Sheriff Nathan Harmon addressed a situation regarding a traffic accident that involved his daughter on Jan. 6 of this year. When she does, she said, she feels like she gets PTSD or something, especially when she drives around town, following the route she and her friends used to call Toms loop., I wonder what I could have done for Tom if I had stayed around a little bit longer [that night], she said. Everybody shaking good? He got into fights and was eventually kicked out of high school after that 2016 season. Heres Chris talking long-distance to Caroline Gear on a prison telephone. Texas Lege Watch: A House Republican Fights for Chicken Freedom, Texas Monthly Recognized by ASME in the 2023 National Magazine Awards. It is the longstanding practice of the 31st Judicial District Attorney to not present suspicious deaths to a Grand Jury if evidence shows the death was the result of a suicide.". I believe only on Pennys, not on Chriss. Sheriff's . Skip Hollandsworth: And her answer was registered by the lie detector examiner as deceptive. Click here to read the survey answers. And that wasnt all, Klein said. Skip Hollandsworth: Well, wait a second. Im not going to argue with you to try to change your opinion, because I know at the end of the day, or when I have to look at myself in the mirror at the nighttime, or when I get up in the morning, I didnt do anything to my son. by Malheur Enterprise on June 30, 2021. Klein said in the past there was evidence missed by the sheriffs team, including blood in Thomass SUV and a shell casing from a .25-caliber gun. This is ridiculous., In a statement released to the public, Lewis wrote, I am very happy and humble for the great things weve accomplished in the three years as sheriff. Skip Hollandsworth: And what was the result of his answers? The attorney generals office, however, did release a 249-page report that Kading had compiled about the case, which perhaps offered a few hints about what she was thinking. For more news from the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles and Eastern New Mexico, visit www.ConnectAmarillo.com. There have been plenty of bombshell revelations in this complicated and tragic story. Thomass family has questioned if that happened in his case. That somebodys going to talk? Before I left Canadian, I drove by some of the towns landmarks. Nathan Lewis now denies that this photo ever . Its fact, okay? Klein said someone who was there (he wouldnt identify that person either) had sneaked up behind Tom, who was sitting inside his Durango with the window down. It led other deputies to question the documentation in Thomass case. Skip Hollandsworth: Chris Meek, her husband, was asked the same set of questions, correct? Her attorney filed 10 . When you write reports a year and after because why? After speaking with Lewis again, the former sheriff explained he considered on-the-job duties as training, saying quote, If [theyre] doing stuff to get the hours, then I am going to give them the hours.. Deputies also found multiple items that were . . He declared that he and his team of investigators had been talking to another witness who had a whole new story to tell about Toms death. My source called again and said the latest rumor going around town was that a grand jury would be convened to hear testimony about Tom Browns death and that Kading was going to present new evidence. Philip Klein: And were gonna tell you about the manner of death. Jason Wert. At the time of Tom Browns disappearance, Lewis was Sheriff of Hemphill County. She would have done anything for Tom, said Mary Alice Hughes, who first met Penny when she was a freshman and Penny was in eighth grade. Skip Hollandsworth: And what would they be indicted for? MARTINSBURG Another step taken before he officially assumes office on Jan. 1, Berkeley County Sheriff-elect Nathan Harmon took his oath of office in front of a federal judge Thursday afternoon. All I want is for the truth to come out, she said. . The Canadian rumor mill hadnt stopped churning. Read more from the Tom Browns Body Series: Chapter 3: Evil Has Come to Canadian, Texas. Caan requested the original audio statements Hemphill County deputies interviewed made to TCOLE investigators. The Sheriff enforces payment of delinquent taxes. We have kept that very silent, and were going to kind of go through that tonight. So I asked Kading, what did she think happened on Thanksgiving eve 2016? A second deputy also discussed the Dollar General surveillance video with a TCOLE investigator: "Nathan always said there was never a video, the deputy said. Skip Hollandsworth: In your report that comes out, scattered throughout the report, seem to be several questions about Toms own family, that they might not be telling everything they knew about what happened that night. Episode Nine: Another Day in Canadian.. For those of you that do not know Penny, Penny is the mother of Thomas Brown. Philip Klein: Here you go, folks. See Jackson County Job Opportunities for all open positions within the Sheriff's Office. A sheriff in Texas is accused of regularly ordering his deputies to seize cash and vehicles from undocumented immigrants during traffic stops, even if they were not stopped for an alleged crime. Skip Hollandsworth: But youre not going to go public with it. Mimi Swartz is a staff writer based in Houston. . But kidnapping Tom was supposed to inspire Chris to play harder and win a playoff football game? If you have completed an application hard-copy, it will need to be turned in to the Human Resources Office of Jackson County at 10 S Oakdale, Room 200, Medford, Oregon, 97501. Because he had a few minutes left before his curfew, he drove to the parking lot of the high school football stadium, where Canadian kids occasionally gathered. . Klein said that one of his top investigators, Caroline Gearwho also happened to be Kleins daughterbegan talking to Chris after he was sent to prison. Klein will not name the name of the suspected killer. Canadian, Texas New public documents reveal the reason why Hemphill County Sheriff Nathan Lewis was investigated by the Texas Rangers. Neither Lewis nor Klein would comment on the upcoming grand jury hearing. That weekend, the Wildcats were in the state football playoffs, and Chris said that Lewis told him the gamblers were banking on a Wildcat victory. There are still so many secrets, and theres no guarantee a grand jury will dislodge new information. Lewis told me he later met with Hemphill County officials, who asked for his resignation. But were not here, like I said earlier, to make you feel good. When I started working on this story almost a year ago, I assumed that the truth about Toms case would eventually come out. Rachel Kading: Whats unethical about it is that if you do not feel that the indictment is going to lead to a conviction at trial, you are really shorting the case. Rachel Kading: Yes, we looked into every story. Lewis was sheriff when Thomas Brown went missing in 2016. Rachel Kading: If they possessed Toms phone after his disappearance. The . Someone else claimed they saw her driving down Main Street, past the Justice for Tom signs. ET on Friday, February 24, according to a booking report obtained by Us. Just about everyone assumed he would announce the names of the teenager and the father who were involved in the parking-lot shooting. Kading also asked Toms brother Tucker if he too would take a lie detector test. Maybe that person wouldnt have messed with Tom in the first place if a second person was there. CANADIAN, Texas (KFDA) - The Hemphill County Sheriff in the swirl of controversy resigned today. Did they believe Tom had been killed by more than one person? And thirty minutes later, you know, he pulls up and its like pitch dark. . Hemphill County Sheriff's Office Investigation by News Channel10 on Scribd. Yet those rumors went nowhere. Last month, the Texas Rangers and the Texas attorney general's office . The documents were for Deputy Jerri-Lynn Ortega, Oscar Ortega, himself and Pyne Gregory. If Lewis had assisted with a cover-up, that would explain some of the so-far unexplainable details. The bullets shell casing landed on the trucks floorboard. Chris Jones: Were going like towards the [unclear] yard. According to the KCSO, Nathan Massotti, 17, of Elkview, was last seen Tuesday, Feb. 28 around 9 p.m. on Chapps Fork Road in Kanawha County. And then you go to trial for that homicide. This article is the last installment of an eight-part series. So it was decided that we would not do the grand jury for that reason, and we would just continue to work on the case. A previous investigation by Niccole Caan, who has been following Thomas case since he went missing, showed former Hemphill County Sheriff Nathan Lewis submitted falsified training reports for his duties to Texas Law Enforcement Commission (TCOLE), which oversees law enforcement agencies in the state. And former deputy Pyne Gregory has a gun to Tom Browns head. Rachel Kading: Basically, the discussion was that even though this was going to be an investigational grand jury, that multiple indictments were likely, and that it was not felt that that was the ethical thing to do at this time. . Im definitely more paranoid wherever I go. Shelby County Sheriff Kevin W. Windham reports the arrest of David Nathan Lewis and Beverly Kay Hurst, both of Timpson. In the fall of 2016, Tom was still playing football for the Canadian High Wildcats. LEWIS, SHAQUILLE JORVOUSA : Booking #: WPJAIL0000029329: Booking Date: 09-07-2022 - 12:46 am: Charges: POSSESSION OF STOLEN PROPERTY - FELONY CONVICTED FELON IN POSSESSION OF FIREARM Possession Of A Firearm Or Carrying Of A Concealed Weapon By A Person Convicted Of Domestic Abuse Ba: Bond: $50000.00: View Profile >>> Lewis has also been accused-both formally and informally-of numerous other breaches of the law and his ethical duty as a law . Total voter turnout for Tuesday's election in Brevard was 58.23%, with 268,068 of the 460,372 eligible registered voters casting ballots. It wasnt until later that night that I considered the allegations that Lewis, Kading, and Smyth had leveled against her. Its really funny. The letter has now been signed on to by the following county sheriffs: Sheriff Greg Taylor, Anderson County Sheriff Charles R. Stewart, Andrews County . In the months that followed, every time I called my sources, I was told that the grand jury had been delayed. Suddenly, in households across Canadian, everyone was asking the same question: what new evidence had Rachel Kading unearthed? Because we're getting ready to turn it all over to the attorney general and I go to him and say you've got two pages in this thing. Suddenly, all across Canadian, everyone was asking the same question: What new evidence had Rachel Kading unearthed? Rachel Kading: I wont answer that either. But this is the first interview shes ever given to anyone about Toms disappearance and death. Cover up the crime., Did Lewis recommend dumping the body on Lake Marvin Road?, We dont know that. Listening to her read the texts, I teared up myself. We had the peer reviews with the Rangers. Its kind of hard to pick up and leave that. Man: You need to get out of Canadian, Klein. Lewis said this to TCOLE investigators about Thomass case: "We had this missing deal come up in November, Lewis said. Voter turnout in . Christian didnt hesitate. Nathan Lewis (independent) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas' 19th Congressional District. The county attorney said, Hey, Nathan, we have way too much heat on us [over the Tom Brown case], Lewis recalled. The Walking Bridge, just outside of Canadian, is one of the places where Tom was last seen. Many in the audience were stunnedand angeredthat Klein expected them to believe such an incredible story. I wasn't supposed to take over until January. Just going to keep teaching school and doing whatever I can to bring answers for Thomas. In fact, lie detector test results arent permitted in court as evidence. All this damn conjecture I get all the time. Lewis was accused by former employee . Jason Daniel Smith, 45 of Garrison, MN 56450 for GM 3rd Degree DWI. Holy moly., Lewis said hed never gotten a call from anybody saying there had been a shooting at the high school football stadium parking lot and that he never told anyone to hide Toms body on Lake Marvin Road. J.K. Nickell is our editor and Paul Knight is our fact-checker. Skip Hollandsworth: There was a moment last night when I thought, This story will never come to an end. Has that occurred to you? There were dark, ugly stories that the county's young sheriff, Nathan Lewis, was involved in Tom's disappearance. Texas Vista Medical Center to close May 1, Cold front brings chances of storms and gusty winds to San Antonio, Severe thunderstorms southwest of San Antonio with a chance for more Thursday | FORECAST. Updated: Oct. 26, 2018 at 7:57 PM PDT. While deputies said documents in Thomass case were mostly reconstructed long after his disappearance, there is no indication they are inaccurate and all information was given to the attorney general. Rachel Kading: Yes. Chris Jones: And he was like, Im gonna show you something. Dogs subsequently lost the trail as the terrain changed into boggy marshland. Find agency contact information, phone numbers, addresses and more. Thomass mother, Penny Meek, knows she may never get all the answers to what happened to her son. She said that despite all the time thats passed since Tom vanished, Im definitely more paranoid wherever I go. It was a huge issue. But why would the young sheriff, who in November 2016 had been in office for only three months, have gotten caught up in a tragic accident? "The Units first case was the result of a request for assistance from the Hemphill County Sheriffs Office in the case of Thomas Brown of Canadian, Texas," they said. Rumors flew that he had run away. At one point, he said he had received information that Tom had been accidentally shot by another teenager in the parking lot of the high school football stadiumand that the teenagers father, as well as Sheriff Lewis, had helped hide Toms body to avoid a scandal. [SBM] Sheriff Lewis did announce recently he would not seek re-election in 2020 and when former Deputy Clapp announced he would run for the office, Sheriff Lewis endorsed him. The next morning, his Durango was found on the outskirts of town, next to the water-treatment plant. Families of missing persons hope law enforcement would do all they could to locate their loved one. Like the investigators Rachel Kading and Chris Smyth, Lewis didnt rule out the possibility that Penny had found Toms body after hed killed himself. The TCOLE investigation found many of the hours of supposed training were missing, backdated, or simply wrong. And thats, thats our focus. Its our fault people dont want to come here. We were told that he would not be taking one. Thomass case: `` we had this missing deal come up in November, Lewis told that. The end of this week statements Hemphill County Kading unearthed persons hope enforcement. 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