Klein has always said he believes Thomas was murdered. Shes involved, he said. On the night before Thanksgiving, 2016, Tom went cruising around town with his friends. He suspected she then hid the body out of shame, perhaps even persuading her husband or her older son to help her. Kading also asked Toms brother Tucker if he too would take a lie detector test. Hemphill County Texas Sheriff's Office, Canadian, TX. 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. I think they were panicked, as they realized we were going to release some new information thats never been released about the Tom Brown case today, including a possible manner of death. And he wasnt even close to Chris in any way. They said, 'Man everything is good.'". Skip Hollandsworth: And did you find any evidence that suggested he was not home all night? This article is the latest installment of a series. According to the case report, the documents Lewis provided to support the training hours were dated September 18, 2018, but were created later. MARTINSBURG, W.Va. Berkeley County Sheriff Nathan . 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. Rachel Kading: He did not. The Sheriff enforces payment of delinquent taxes. There was a junior high school football game going on at the stadium. We believe that there was a period of a bad relationship between families up there.. 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. The report concluded Sheriff Lewis failed to educate himself on the TCOLE rules and laws and that he violated his contract. Example video title will go here for this video. Hemphill County Sheriff's Office Investigation by News Channel10 on Scribd. Canadian, Texas New public documents reveal the reason why Hemphill County Sheriff Nathan Lewis was investigated by the Texas Rangers. . Oh, thats theory; Oh no, its fact. Fact! I think its eaten away at some of their guts.. Yet those rumors went nowhere. Its crazy he can just say this stuff and people get to hear it., So, I asked Lewis, what did he believe happened on Thanksgiving eve? Speculation is, and some of the rumor is that, yes, he was involved with saying, Take it out there., When I asked Klein what evidence he had to prove Lewiss involvement, he said, confidently but hazily, We do have some evidence that leads us to that theory. He got into fights and was eventually kicked out of high school after that 2016 season. A Steuben County man is dead following a snowmobile accident Saturday in Lewis County, east of Watertown in northern New York. . Choosing her words carefully, she explained to me why there had been so much uncertainty around calling a grand jury. (I believe) says that Brown's only interaction with police was with Sheriff Lewis back when he was a deputy. City Employees Are Heading for the Exits. Im probably just going to keep doing what Im doing. Skip Hollandsworth: But youre not going to go public with it. steven orr. 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. Questions and rumors have surrounded Thomas Browns case for almost five years. Maybe there was something about Chriss activities that night that she didnt want to give away. But were not here, like I said earlier, to make you feel good. The Hemphill County Sheriff's Office became a Contract Training Provider on April 26, 2017. 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. There are still so many secrets, and theres no guarantee a grand jury will dislodge new information. I'm not sure what that was all about, but I don't think it's nothing. So, lets just say, a hypothetical. This past Thanksgiving eve, on the fifth anniversary of Toms disappearance, Penny, Chris, Tucker, and a few friends gathered outside the district attorneys office. Chris Jones: Hes the one who told me, he told me that I had to go play football for Canadian. Her attorney filed 10 . For those of you that do not know Penny, Penny is the mother of Thomas Brown. So in one of the batteries of questions, it was about the possibility that Tom was deceased. 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. Theres been a lot of stories. Skip Hollandsworth: Youve agreed to sit down. . Chris Jones: He pushed me in the back of his cop car. "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. It was a huge issue. 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. He said he was trying to get a confession, either from one of the boys who had allegedly killed Tom in the high school parking lot or from one of the men the boys had called to ask for help. Lewis also said the consequences would be dire if he didnt transfer. And hes like, Im gonna kill you. You know, hecocked the gun back. Lewis told me he later met with Hemphill County officials, who asked for his resignation. . You know, at the end of the day, I know the truth about that. Kading was, however, spotted in Salem Abrahams downtown office interviewing one of his employees, who happened to be the woman whod found Toms cellphone. . Families of missing persons hope law enforcement would do all they could to locate their loved one. They remain at the Texas lab in case they are needed for evidence. "Hemphill County Sheriff Nathan Lewis has let go of his Chief Deputy, Brent Clapp, as of Monday. And he said that after the Wildcats lost a game that the gamblers expected them to win, Lewis picked him up and took him to the Walking Bridge, a local landmark. Caroline Gear: And when he took the goggles off, are you telling me that Thomas was still alive? Produced and engineered by Brian Standefer, who also wrote the music. REAL COUNTY, Texas - Sheriff Nathan T. Johnson is under investigation by the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Attorney General's Office, according to a Facebook post shared by the . While he was interviewed, Lewis gave four documents to investigators. At the end of the report, it states Lewis was very apologetic for all the mistakes and trouble the training issue caused. Advertise; Episode Nine: Another Day in Canadian.. 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.". Rachel Kading: I dont think we can go there. Fact. It was said he had been murdered, stuffed into a wood chipper by a notorious methamphetamine dealer. Youll recall that Klein is the outspoken private investigator who works for Toms mother, Penny. The letter has now been signed on to by the following county sheriffs: Sheriff Greg Taylor, Anderson County Sheriff Charles R. Stewart, Andrews County . So the district attorney and the state attorney generals office actually considered indictments of multiple people. She knows something. Theres been just a lot of conjecture in the case, and it harmed it, honestly. Pulled up behind him, Penny said, and started messing with him and perhaps accidentally shot him. Part of the town thinks he committed suicide. 32,537. KANAWHA COUNTY, WV (WOWK) - The Kanawha County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help locating a missing teenager. On February fourteenth, I said, Happy Valentines Day. Because you think theres still a killer in town? I asked. Box 445, Leakey 78873 RED RIVER COUNTY Sheriff Jim Caldwell 500 N. Cedar St., Clarksville 75426 REEVES COUNTY Sheriff After obtaining enough information, SCSO investigators completed and served a Manufacturing and Delivery of a Controlled Substance (F . Sheriff Nathan Lewis, Hemphill County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse, Henderson County Sheriff Rodney B. Watson, Hill County Sheriff Roger Deeds, Hood County Bradley Bernard Pierson, 33 of Elk River, MN 55330 for GM 2nd Degree DWI. See Jackson County Job Opportunities for all open positions within the Sheriff's Office. Everybody good? Klein did tell me he was still seeking evidence to support the most recent of the many theories he has floated about the case. Todd Rowell (2021-Present) Sheriff Todd Rowell served 20 years with the Mesa County Sheriff's Office prior to being sworn in August 2021 to complete retired Sheriff Matt Lewis's remaining elected term. The Deputies serve all court papers. West Texans Are Learning What It Means to Live in Bear Country, Jimmy Carters Peanut-and-Egg Taco Made Quite the Impression on San Antonians, The Top 50 Texas BBQ Joints: 2021 Edition, The Campaign to Sabotage Texass Public Schools. Chris had just joined the team. It could be five years from today. Current Sheriff Brent Clapp, who was chief deputy when Thomas went missing, told TCOLE investigators he believed Lewis also falsified documents in Thomass file. I also learned that a couple of hours before Tom disappeared on Thanksgiving eve, he did a Google search on his phone for suicide hotlines. Were here to figure out how an eighteen-year-old died. . And that wasnt all, Klein said. 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. Where is your documentation? Then, in August, the case took another turn that caught me by surprise. Just going to keep teaching school and doing whatever I can to bring answers for Thomas. My word to you is this: spend time with your family and enjoy everything God is giving you.. This call is hard to hear, but youll get the gist. Penny Meek: Um, I dont know. that are what we call, in the business, antagonists. They are anything but that. 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 . 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. That these two individuals found out that he may know something about it; that they basically kidnapped him, strapped him to a chair; that they shot him up with drugs and told him that if he ever told anybody, that they would kill him. Please pray that Toms killer is found and brought to justice. And at the bottom of the sign was Toms photo. Someone said she thought she saw Kading talking to the new sheriff, Lewiss former chief deputy Brent Clapp. 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. Texas Lege Watch: A House Republican Fights for Chicken Freedom, Texas Monthly Recognized by ASME in the 2023 National Magazine Awards. Chris told her that Sheriff Lewis had come to see him before the 2016 football season began. Rachel Kading: I think that collectively as a group, at the AGs office, we just felt that it was important to put out some facts. . 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. . Just before midnight, he said goodbye. Skip Hollandsworth: What were other stories Chris Jones told you or others about what happened that night? The attorney general announced in August 2019 there was no foul play in his death. Philip Klein: Chris Jones is an integral part in the Tom Brown case. Duane Allen Christensen II, 41 of Minneapolis, MN 55412 for GM 3rd Degree DWI. Skip Hollandsworth: Theres nothing you can do, right? She pulled out her phone. By the train tracks. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ). So I asked Kading, what did she think happened on Thanksgiving eve 2016? (LogOut/ This screenshot of body cam video shows right front end damage to Carrie Harmon's car following the Jan. 6 wreck. What was the question asked them? Christian didnt hesitate. When you write reports a year and after because why? 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. Hemphill County Sheriff Nathan Lewis has sent an appeal to the Texas Attorney General's Office, requesting that it take over the . And then you go to trial for that homicide. Many expected a grand jury to be called. If youve forgotten some of the details of this story, let me give you a brief recap. The private investigator in Thomass case is holding a presentation on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Jones Pavilion. Read more from the Tom Browns Body Series: Chapter 3: Evil Has Come to Canadian, Texas. Why? 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. Personal Facebook. Someone else claimed they saw her driving down Main Street, past the Justice for Tom signs. And its very important that you guys listen to what I say tonight. Skip Hollandsworth: Is there any evidence that Tom went up to the football parking lot? Thats why I came to school in Higgins. Skip Hollandsworth: And whats your answer at this point? Current Sports. He drove away in his Dodge Durango, apparently headed home. After officials executed a warrant to search the house, they found a felony amount of methamphetamine (2.02 pounds) along with multiple firearms. Do you see any hope that new evidence is going to emerge? When I talked to Kading, it was clear she didnt know whether the case would ever be solved either. Various citizens would be subpoenaed to testify under penalty of perjury. Thomass family has questioned if that happened in his case. Lewis resigned from his post after being formally reprimanded by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) for falsifying training records. . Deputy Nathan Lewis. But Chris was also a troubled kid. Chip Gaines Bought Larry McMurtrys Historic Texas Bookstore. Give me those damn remains? What am I going to do? He will only say this: This is kids playing around and they shouldnt have and they know it shouldnt happen, Klein said. Its very hard for me to think about., Christian also told me something I wasnt expecting. Would you want someone like me investigating it? Rumors flew that he had run away. 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. Oct 27, 2021. Nathan Lewis (independent) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas' 19th Congressional District. Kading decided to have the polygraph examiner ask Penny and Chris about the phone. . If Penny had indeed found and moved Toms body, that would also mean she knew her son was dead when she sent all those texts to his phone. "OAGs Criminal Investigations Unit assisted in the investigation of Mr. Browns death and also assisted the Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit in reviewing all of the collected evidence. But she got choked up and couldnt continue. She said she wasnt sure what, if anything, took place in the parking lot. Is that correct? Or even that members of Tom's family knew far more about what had happened . We dont sit in an office. Pictured: Nathan Lewis, former Sheriff of Hemphill County, TX. 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. 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. 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. It showed no signs of damage from rain or ice storms, which meant it had to have been planted shortly before the search began. 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. Will we ever know what happened to Tom Brown? There was no question that Pennys behavior could sometimes be inexplicable. Total voter turnout for Tuesday's election in Brevard was 58.23%, with 268,068 of the 460,372 eligible registered voters casting ballots. I've got 26. This article is the last installment of an eight-part series. Chris was at work. (LogOut/ Klein said in the past there was evidence missed by the sheriff's team, including blood in Thomas's SUV and a shell casing from a . A statement from the Oconee county sheriff's office said the 10th judicial circuit solicitor, David Wagner, ruled that the Tuesday shooting of 29-year-old Nathan Drew Morgan by an unnamed 74 . Ready? 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. [surveillance videos from] Dollar General and Fronk. PICKENS COUNTY, Ga. - A homicide suspect was taken into custody Thursday evening, the Pickens County Sheriff's Office announced. Skip Hollandsworth: So, you have a theory. Im definitely more paranoid wherever I go. The Hemphill County Commissioners Court will appoint a replacement. Or that he had been kidnapped and sold to a sex-trafficking ring. Additional production on this episode by Harper Carlton and Patrick Michels. It had to do with Toms iPhone. Lewis resigned from his post after being formally reprimanded by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) for falsifying training records. All I want is for someone to tell me what happened to my son.. Man: You need to get out of Canadian, Klein. These people are true victims. Read more from the Tom Browns Body Series: Chapter 3: Evil Has Come to Canadian, Texas. She had entered that profession largely because of Tom. It could be five years from today. Rachel Kading: No; its irresponsible to do so. We have some evidence from what some witnesses are telling us.. . I think youre going to need it. Sherburne County Sheriff's Report. Chris? 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. Chris Jones: I was like, Im not going to go to school in Canadian. (Klein still wouldnt identify either teenager.) Sponsored Links. Sheriff Nathan Johnson P.O. The next morning, his Durango was found on the outskirts of town, next to the water-treatment plant. Lewis could have told the two boys to plant the backpack a third of the way down Lake Marvin Road. Tucker said he was already so distraught over Toms death that he was worried his answers would come across as evasive. There have been plenty of bombshell revelations in this complicated and tragic story. According to Chris, Lewis told him that he wanted him to transfer to Canadian and play football for the Wildcats. 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. Berkeley County Sheriff Nathan Harmon praised the work of the prosecutors and his deputies. Shelby County Sheriff Kevin W. Windham reports the arrest of David Nathan Lewis and Beverly Kay Hurst, both of Timpson. 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. Penny insisted to me that she still has no idea how Tom died or how his body ended up off Lake Marvin Road. I dont know where it is. Whats unethical about that? That somebodys going to talk? On Tuesday, October 26, 2021, Sheriff Windham and SCSO deputies completed a narcotics operation at a residence in Timpson. 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. Im Skip Hollandsworth from Texas Monthly, and this is Tom Browns Body. Skip Hollandsworth: Well, wait a second. 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.. But despite numerous searches, there was no sign of Tom. Even if it didnt lead to a conviction in a trial? You all did fantastic. Penny said she chose the outfit because some of her coworkers, including a couple of teachers who also disliked Lewis, thought it would be amusing. But others questioned it.