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.. Fact! You were certain of that? Over the past 29 years, Klein said his company has investigated around 1,000 missing person cases with an 85 percent . Skip Hollandsworth: And. I think its eaten away at some of their guts.. And let me tell yall something. I mean, hes supposed to be a big investigator, and thats his theory? 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. Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. Then, in the late summer of 2020, just as we were wrapping the podcast, there were rumors that the attorney-general investigators wanted the local district attorney to call a grand jury. Many in the audience were stunnedand angeredthat Klein expected them to believe such an incredible story. Chris said that Sheriff Lewis let him go, but made it clear that Chris would be shot the next time he didnt follow orders. In February 2017, three months after Tom had vanished, his backpack was found sitting upright off Lake Marvin Road, a few miles north of town. Skip Hollandsworth: Youve agreed to sit down. Why wouldnt you let people see what you had? After it was announced that a grand jury would be convened, I called Toms friend Christian Webb. Where is your documentation? Furious with Klein, some members of the audience let loose. The bullets shell casing landed on the trucks floorboard. January 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? 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. 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. And that process is, you bring in all witnesses; they testify under oath. "Teen Mom OG" star Ryan Edwards the ex-fianc of Maci Bookout and the husband of Mackenzie Standifer . I think youre going to need it. Other than have reporters like me come up and show up at your dining room table? Thomass death certificate currently lists his cause of death as pending. The attorney general suspended the investigation pending any new, credible evidence. I want to help people in the way that he wasnt helped, she said. Im definitely more paranoid wherever I go. Nobody can see you; you cant hear nothing. Caan requested the original audio statements Hemphill County deputies interviewed made to TCOLE investigators. We report on vital issues from politics to education and are the indispensable authority on the Texas scene, covering everything from music to cultural events with insightful recommendations. Skip Hollandsworth: And you found yourself investigating to see if that story was true? Berkeley County Sheriff Nathan Harmon praised the work of the prosecutors and his deputies. OAG's Criminal Investigations Unit assisted in the investigation of Brown's death and also assisted the Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit in reviewing all of the collected evidence. Rachel Kading: I dont think we can go there. If Lewis had assisted with a cover-up, that would explain some of the so-far unexplainable details. Sheriff Nathan Johnson P.O. Love you. On May seventh, You were honored today at church for Senior Sunday. Penny tried to read one more. The Texas Rangers targeted vehicle and currency seizure logs late last year in connection to an investigation of Real County Sheriff Nathan Johnson, search warrants released this week by the Texas . Home New Members Photos. So the door is always open at our office for any information, for anything that will bring resolution to this case. According to Chris, Lewis told him that he wanted him to transfer to Canadian and play football for the Wildcats. Lewis resigned from his post after being formally reprimanded by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) for falsifying training records. I have asked them to come sit up here tonight cause I want you all to look into the white of their eyes. By Jarrett Lewis. HEMPHILL COUNTY, Texas (KVII) New documents obtained by ABC7 detail a Texas Commission on Law Enforcement investigation into Hemphill County Sheriff Nathan Lewis, including allegations by a deputy of document manufacture in a non-specific "missing person" case. Penny Meek: Um, I dont know. Even if it didnt lead to a conviction in a trial? Patricia Sharpe writes a regular restaurant column, Pats Pick, for Texas Monthly. Suddenly, in households across Canadian, everyone was asking the same question: what new evidence had Rachel Kading unearthed? Part of the town thinks it could be an accidental death. Im sorry if youre angry with me, if youre angry with my crew. He said whenever I looked at the video from the Dollar General there wasn't anything on there, so I threw it away.". Its late October, 2021, and two hundred people are packed into a meeting hall in the small town of Canadian, Texas, to hear the latest news regarding Tom Brown, who mysteriously disappeared nearly five years earlier. 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. Updated: Nov 13, 2019 / 02:26 PM CST. Skip Hollandsworth: And did you find any evidence that suggested he was not home all night? That somebodys going to talk? Perhaps because the pandemic was surging at the time, Kading stayed for only a few days. I wasn't supposed to take over until January. And she did everything that she could think of doing to find him. He was just wanting to give Tom a little scare. While he was interviewed, Lewis gave four documents to investigators. Voter turnout in . January 19, 2023 - 6:10 pm. During our conversation, Penny was sitting with Tucker at the dining room table. Man: You need to get out of Canadian, Klein. Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. 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. Indeed, as the meeting began, Klein teased that he was ready to reveal everything. Were they convinced that another story line might emerge? My word to you is this: spend time with your family and enjoy everything God is giving you.. Someone said she thought she saw Kading talking to the new sheriff, Lewiss former chief deputy Brent Clapp. Sheriff maintains tax records. She knows something. So you can go get indictments, which are very easy to get, but to not have the trial evidence, its unethical and it doesnt serve the victim. Jan 19, 2023. 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. Not Philip Klein. Im Skip Hollandsworth from Texas Monthly, and this is Tom Browns Body. AG Ken Paxton announced on Tuesday that a new Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit would be formed in the Office of the Attorney General to assist law enforcement agencies with the over 19,000 unsolved homicides in Texas. "So what he said was, number one, he would get paid to play football for Canadian," she said. PICKENS COUNTY, Ga. - A homicide suspect was taken into custody Thursday evening, the Pickens County Sheriff's Office announced. Klein has always said he believes Thomas was murdered. Then on the night of Nov. 24, 2016, Thomas Brown suddenly vanished. Chris said Lewis wanted to show him something that would encourage him to play better. You all did fantastic. She said that despite all the time thats passed since Tom vanished, Im definitely more paranoid wherever I go. But he accidentally pulled the trigger. 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. Nathan Lewis, Sheriff of Hemphill County, Texas, and head of investigation into Thomas Browns' disappearance (Case 85), resigns amid training scandal. Toms disappearance became the mystery of the Texas Panhandle. This week's best true-crime podcasts include Mob Queens, 30 For 30, Hit Man, Today in True Crime, Flatrock, Going West, Con Artists, and more. Almost a year later, Toms skull and a few of his bones were found at the end of Lake Marvin Road. Then, in August, the case took another turn that caught me by surprise. The crash occurred shortly before 5:30 p.m. Saturday on Trail C5A (Flat Rock Road) in the town of Martinsburg . Panicking, one of them made a phone call, most likely to his father or a friend of his fathers, Klein said. In the months before his death, he unexpectedly had quit the football team and broken up with his girlfriend. Thomass family has questioned if that happened in his case. Or even that members of Tom's family knew far more about what had happened . But none of the physical evidence seemed to make any sense. Skip Hollandsworth: And whats your answer at this point? During another conversation, Klein acknowledged that his sources had told him the law enforcement officer was Lewis. 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 . SHARE. Everybody good? Families of missing persons hope law enforcement would do all they could to locate their loved one. You know, at the end of the day, I know the truth about that. He drove away in his Dodge Durango, apparently headed home. Turnout down, especially among Dems. In early 2018, the states attorney generals office in Austin took over the investigation. I want all of you to think: What if it was your child? .. Hampton, GA. Marcus Hill. An online facebook community called Moms4Tom was created. I want you to see these folks not as people of. February 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? Is that not the most bizarre thing? Mimi Swartz is a staff writer based in Houston. I hope we can walk away with, you know, with at least a little more clarity than we have right now as to what happened, she said. Nathan Lewis Expand search. That has not happened. Find agency contact information, phone numbers, addresses and more. But this is the first interview shes ever given to anyone about Toms disappearance and death. Read more from the Tom Browns Body Series: Chapter 3: Evil Has Come to Canadian, Texas. But because so little was left of his remains, an autopsy could not determine the cause of death. Incredibly, the phone was in perfect condition. Thats like a movie, he said. Chris Meek? Christian didnt hesitate. Former Chief Deputy Brent Clapp has been reinstated to his former position. Pictured: Nathan Lewis, former Sheriff of Hemphill County, TX. Chris said that next to Tom he saw Pyne Gregory, the sheriffs deputy, with a hat on his head and a gun in his hand. That never just came out of the blue. But despite numerous searches, there was no sign of Tom. Skip Hollandsworth: And what would they be indicted for? There was no question that Pennys behavior could sometimes be inexplicable. Nathan Lewis now denies that this photo ever . I dont know where it is. Investigators with the Attorney General's office said they could not determine a cause of death, whether it was homicide, suicide, or natural causes because so few of Thomass remains were recovered. The Seneca County Sheriff's Office reports, on August 19th, 2021 members of the Narcotics Unit arrested Nathan E. Lewis, age 30, of Waterloo, NY. Hemphill County Sheriff Nathan Lewis resigns, Woman released from federal prison by mistake in custody at Lubbock Co. jail, Texas mother who drowned her two children sentenced to 40 years, Amarillo High gears up for third consecutive regional semifinal, Discover Switzerland, Austria and Bavaria with Doppler Dave, Hemphill County Sheriff's Office Investigation, KFDA-departmentheads@gray.tv - 806-331-9839. 0:59. I asked Penny how she was doing, living in a town where everyone talks about her. We report on vital issues from politics to education and are the indispensable authority on the Texas scene, covering everything from music to cultural events with insightful recommendations. The bullet entered through the top of Toms neck and lodged in his brain. The year before, Toms mother had filed a complaint against Lewis for allegedly harassing her son. The Hemphill County Sheriff's Office became a Contract Training Provider on April 26, 2017. My husband did not do anything to Thomas. Bring on the Shiplap? Click here to read the survey answers. Had Penny taken the phone from Tom the night he disappeared? 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. 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. He gave me a one-word answer: Penny. Im just wasting my time. Box 445, Leakey 78873 RED RIVER COUNTY Sheriff Jim Caldwell 500 N. Cedar St., Clarksville 75426 REEVES COUNTY Sheriff But because the investigation into Toms death has not been officially closed, the attorney generals office says its obligated to maintain possession of Toms remains. Chris told her that Sheriff Lewis had come to see him before the 2016 football season began. Lewis resigned as Hemphill County sheriff in November 2019. We hope for that every day. When asked about the Field Training document Lewis drafted, Clapp said he believes, based on conversations he and Lewis had in December of 2018, the document was manufactured, and the numbers were pulled out of the air. Nathan Lewis (independent) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas' 19th Congressional District. A few months passed. He was wearing glasses. Who placed his cellphone near Lake Marvin Road? 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. Sheriff. A continuously updated summary of the news stories that US political commentators are discussing online right now. 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. Lewis has been involved in the case of once missing Canadian teenager Thomas Brown and was recently reprimanded by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) for the false documentation of training hours. He is a very unreliable witness. Maybe that person wouldnt have messed with Tom in the first place if a second person was there. Is that correct? I think a big reason as to why we know as little as we do about Tom is because there wasnt [enough solid] forensics work done from the start., I asked Christian if she had reached any new conclusions about the case. Skip Hollandsworth: Well, explain the lie detector test: Showed signs of deception on the question regarding possession. Rachel Kading: There is no evidence that he went to the football parking lot. Skip Navigation Share on Facebook The report concluded Sheriff Lewis failed to educate himself on the TCOLE rules and laws and that he violated his contract. Rachel Kading: I mean, I cant say with one hundred percent certainty that there would be indictments, but it was the feeling of myself, other members of the investigative team, and the district attorneys office that there would be multiple indictments. and you are not able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that that person is responsible for that homicide, you can never try that person again. Chris Jones: I was like, Im not going to go to school in Canadian. . 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. 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