Part of the town thinks it could be an accidental death. With a winning margin of roughly 7,800 votes in the November election, Harmon said he was ecstatic to have been chosen by the county's residents . Skip Hollandsworth: Tucker was asked by you to take a lie detector test. Neither Lewis nor Klein would comment on the upcoming grand jury hearing. We need to heal as a community and basically get away from all this., Lewis said he and the other deputies had actually completed their training hours but that he had simply submitted the reports incorrectly. She replied that she too now believes it might be a mystery that will never be solved. In the first months after Toms disappearance, she said, I was pretty sure that Nathan Lewis had something to do with it. It was initially thought that a formal grand jury investigation into this case might produce new evidence or leads but, after careful and thorough deliberation, we do not believe presenting this case to a grand jury at this time would be fruitful or ethical. Jason Wert. This article is the latest installment of a series. We get out there with our water bottles, and we get our butts out there in the streets and we find out whats going on. Texas Lege Watch: A House Republican Fights for Chicken Freedom, Texas Monthly Recognized by ASME in the 2023 National Magazine Awards. Panhandle region of The State of Texas. Lewis was charged with one count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the seventh degree and one count of Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia in the second degree. Here is what Clapp had to say when TCOLE investigators asked why Sheriff Lewis might fabricate the training records: "Because we've been through the Tom Brown mess on that deal he manufactured a supplement a year and a half after the fact, Clapp said. I then asked Kading about Kleins newest theorythat Chris Jones had seen Tom tied to a chair while a deputy sheriff held a gun to his head. And Im like, Im pretty sure I didnt make the oil field go away, but if you want to think I did that, then thats fine., Pennys friends, however, defended her as a loving mother overwhelmed with grief over the loss of her son. 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. Skip Hollandsworth: But youre not going to go public with it. . Thomass mother, Penny Meek, knows she may never get all the answers to what happened to her son. Texas Lege Watch: A House Republican Fights for Chicken Freedom, Texas Monthly Recognized by ASME in the 2023 National Magazine Awards. How Florence ButtNot Her SonLaunched the H-E-B Empire. We have some evidence from what some witnesses are telling us.. There are plenty of theories about Thomass death, but few clear answers about what actually happened. And the buzz around the room is that Klein has organized this town hall meeting to deliver new bombshell information about what really happened to Tom. But none of the physical evidence seemed to make any sense. Current News. He also could have confiscated Toms phone, which he could have later planted by the road just prior to Kleins search. A few months passed. Jackson County Sheriff's Office 5179 Crater Lake Highway Central Point, Oregon 97502 During one of our conversations, Penny told me she had continued texting Tom for more than a year after hed disappeared, hoping that he was still alive and that he would someday turn on his phone, see all of her messages, and respond. Her attorney filed 10 . . Klein did tell me he was still seeking evidence to support the most recent of the many theories he has floated about the case. Nathan Lewis has been released from his role as Hemphill County Sheriff. Chip Gaines Bought Larry McMurtrys Historic Texas Bookstore. We hope for that every day. Lewis assumed the office of Sheriff for Hemphill County on. ABC 7 was the first to report the 31st District Attorney, who oversees Hemphill County, wrote a letter saying Sheriff Lewis was the subject of an investigation by the Texas Rangers. Rachel Kading: Yes. I want to say this to the public and Ive said it before and Ill say it again: This was not an intentional homicide, he said. (LogOut/ And in the meantime, weve ruined the sheriff and his familys life. Penny said theyve even been blamed for a faltering economy; it just so happened that an oil bust had begun ravaging the region the same year Tom disappeared. Fact. Pulled up behind him, Penny said, and started messing with him and perhaps accidentally shot him. Turnout down, especially among Dems. Its kind of hard to pick up and leave that. I began to wonder if anyone would ever learn the truth about what had happened to Tom. Thomass family hired private investigator Philp Klein shortly after he went missing. The case report states investigators found this suspicious because he only had support documentation for four officers, including himself, and only for County Corrections. Two written reprimands from the commission are subject to suspension. Nevertheless, he decided to quit anyway. An online facebook community called Moms4Tom was created. 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. . Chris Meek? Before I left Canadian, I drove by some of the towns landmarks. Skip Hollandsworth: What were other stories Chris Jones told you or others about what happened that night? 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. Chris Samples: Try to get your brain around this one. Skip Hollandsworth: And did you find any evidence that suggested he was not home all night? In August 2019, Hemphill County Sheriff Nathan Lewis received a visit from a couple of officers from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, the regulatory agency for all peace officers in the state. Twelve remaining charges against former Greenville County Sheriff Will Lewis have been dismissed, in part due to the crippling effects the coronavirus has had on the criminal justice system. 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. They just think that Thomas committed suicide and that we know it and we just need to get over it and move on. Maybe there was something about Chriss activities that night that she didnt want to give away. Berkeley County Sheriff Nathan Harmon praised the work of the prosecutors and his deputies. Yes, he said: a grand jury would be convened in Hemphill County either later this year or in early 2021. Toms disappearance became the mystery of the Texas Panhandle. Chris Jones: He pushed me in the back of his cop car. Deputies went to the Golden Springs area around 6 p.m. and found . Thomass family has questioned if that happened in his case. If Lewis had assisted with a cover-up, that would explain some of the so-far unexplainable details. Klein will not name the name of the suspected killer. TCOLE report stated the investigating officers reported, "Clapp said it wasn't outside the realm of Lewis fabricating a document because he had manufactured a supplement for a missing person a year and half after it happened.". A Texas sheriff is under investigation for allegedly seizing money from undocumented immigrants during traffic stops. After officials executed a warrant to search the house, they found a felony amount of methamphetamine (2.02 pounds) along with multiple firearms. I was just fed up with going through all this stuff and all the lies and all the rumors and social media, and so I just said, Im done with this. Lewis completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. . Deputy Nathan Lewis. 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. When they get out to wherever they were, they remove the blindfold, and Jones testifies that he sees out in front of car, the day after Tom Brown went missing, Tom Brown tied to a chair in front of the cop car. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. Due to the poor quality of the recording, Holmes recapped what Jones said. Heres Chris talking long-distance to Caroline Gear on a prison telephone. We had the peer reviews with the Rangers. Or even that members of Toms family knew far more about what had happened than they were letting on. Bring on the Shiplap? And then it was like, Oh, shit, I got to cover this up. In 2017, for a Halloween costume party at the elementary school where she taught technology classes, Penny had gone as Sheriff Lewis, with a cowboy hat and a badge. Jason Daniel Smith, 45 of Garrison, MN 56450 for GM 3rd Degree DWI. Sheriff Nathan Lewis, Hemphill County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse, Henderson County Sheriff Rodney B. Watson, Hill County Sheriff Roger Deeds, Hood County Nathan Lewis, Sheriff of Hemphill County, Texas, and head of investigation into Thomas Browns' disappearance (Case 85), resigns amid training scandal. Not Philip Klein. Skip Hollandsworth: Did you come across any evidence suggesting something like that might have happened? They held signs that read Justice for Thomas Brown. Penny told me she was still hoping to persuade the district attorney to convene a grand jury and force witnesses to testify under oath. MARTINSBURG, W.Va. Berkeley County Sheriff Nathan Harmon is proud of his department's record marijuana bust, which netted product with an estimated street value of more than $200,000 . But kidnapping Tom was supposed to inspire Chris to play harder and win a playoff football game? In a curious move, Sheriff Nathan Lewis asked Penny for Tom's phone passcode, even though his phone had not yet been recovered. 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. Philip Klein: Five times! 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. Thats just ludicrous. Well, what do you want to do next with your life? Skip Hollandsworth: Chris Meek, her husband, was asked the same set of questions, correct? 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. Captain at Clayton County Sheriff's Office. I believe only on Pennys, not on Chriss. At the least, Penny told me, she would like to give her son a proper burial. It could be five years from today. He is a very unreliable witness. Someone said she thought she saw Kading talking to the new sheriff, Lewiss former chief deputy Brent Clapp. Skip Hollandsworth: Well, wait a second. If it was not a law enforcement officer that actually pulled the trigger, it was somebody thats connected close to law enforcement who was willing to help clean up a mess., I asked Klein why a law enforcement officer would want Tom dead. When I had talked to Tucker more than a year ago, he had told me the reason he wouldnt sit for a polygraph examination was because such tests are very unreliable. Skip Hollandsworth: And her answer was registered by the lie detector examiner as deceptive. At the meeting, Toms family sat in the front row. Were getting the signal? Im your writer and host, Skip Hollandsworth. But who? Skip Hollandsworth: Do you feel like people want you to quit and leave town so people will forget, so Canadian can get past the Tom Brown episode? Or even that members of Tom's family knew far more about what had happened . I want to help people in the way that he wasnt helped, she said. January 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? We have theories, obviously. Hemphill County Judge George Briant said Nathan Lewis . But this is the first interview shes ever given to anyone about Toms disappearance and death. And, as a matter of fact, Chris Jones has told multiple stories over the years. A Right-wing Cabal Took Over Odessas Municipal Government. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Will we ever know what happened to Tom Brown? GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - The civil case against former Greenville County Sheriff Will Lewis, has been settled. But were gonna show you the manner of death tonight, that weand its not theory, folks. Voter turnout in . TCOLE formally reprimanded then-Sheriff Lewis. Skip Hollandsworth: Has he said, You know what, Im tired of the public scrutiny, lets get out of Canadian?. Im a new sheriff; this will ruin my career, so I got to take care of this., In another conversation, however, Penny backed off her theory that Lewis was responsible. Chris Jones: Yeah, when he took the goggles off me. Calls the district attorneys office about the status of Thomass case and if it will go a grand jury have so far not been returned. He later asked the Attorney Generals Office to take over the case in 2018. According do a statement from Sheriff Lewis . You were certain of that? Tom Browns Body is a Texas Monthly production. According to the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, investigators had been gathering intelligence, which led them to believe that a substantial amount of narcotics and firearms were located at Lewis' residence. 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. This one isthe latest shared by Philip Klein and his team of investigators last night. Or we would discover new evidence, or we would discover there were more witnesses, there were other people we could talk to. Hes been interviewed how many times? Lewis told me he later met with Hemphill County officials, who asked for his resignation. Theres a possibility that some law enforcement may be involved in either the actual event or the cover-up, he told me. Chris then claimed that in the early evening hours of Thanksgiving Dayless than 24 hours after Tom had disappearedLewis came to see him again. 0:35. Chris Jones: And he was like, Im gonna show you something. Skip Hollandsworth: Youve agreed to sit down. Chris Jones: I was like, Im not going to go to school in Canadian. Hemphill County Sheriff's Office Investigation by News Channel10 on Scribd. Sherburne County Sheriff's Report. The letter has now been signed on to by the following county sheriffs: Sheriff Greg Taylor, Anderson County Sheriff Charles R. Stewart, Andrews County . That never just came out of the blue. In the meantime, Philip Klein let everyone know he was still pursuing leads. Lewis was sheriff when Thomas Brown went missing in 2016. I dont know where it is. Sheriff Lewis Tatum 298 Rosemont, Sulphur Springs 75482 HOUSTON COUNTY Sheriff Randy Hargrove Sr. 700 A South 4th Street, Crockett 75835 HOWARD COUNTY Sheriff . Patricia Sharpe writes a regular restaurant column, Pats Pick, for Texas Monthly. Incredibly, the phone was in perfect condition. Thomas' remains were found in January of 2019 off Lake Marvin Road outside of Canadian. You might remember him from an earlier episode of the podcast. Every victim is important, and this case is no different than that. Penny did tell me that Kading had told her that she suspected the family had found Toms body after he killed himself, and that out of a sense of shame they had moved his body, hoping no one would find him. Shes crazy as hell, Lewis told me. Additional production on this episode by Harper Carlton and Patrick Michels. The bullet entered through the top of Toms neck and lodged in his brain. 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