Woman: You should stop throwing splatter at a board, or at a wall, okay? The crash occurred shortly before 5:30 p.m. Saturday on Trail C5A (Flat Rock Road) in the town of Martinsburg . Eight months later, in October 2017, his iPhone was found during a search of Lake Marvin Road that had been organized by Philip Klein. Maybe that person wouldnt have messed with Tom in the first place if a second person was there. 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. 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. In the fall of 2016, Tom was still playing football for the Canadian High Wildcats. Hampton, GA. Marcus Hill. Cover it up, Klein said. Finally, he came to the part of his presentation about new evidence. Im just wasting my time. This article originally appeared in the December 2020 issue of Texas Monthlywith the headline Tom Browns Body. Subscribe today. When I called Lewis to talk about Kleins accusations, he let out a laugh. Whats unethical about that? The duties and responsibilities of the Sheriff's Office include: Inmate Custody; The Sheriff is the Treasurer of the County; The Sheriff collects taxes from citizens and disburses them (state, county, municipal and school.) While he was interviewed, Lewis gave four documents to investigators. 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. 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. 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. I mean, hes supposed to be a big investigator, and thats his theory? All rights reserved. By Jarrett Lewis. 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.. According to a report produced in October, TCOLE was alerted to allegations of document fabrication against Sheriff Lewis by then . Lewis was sheriff when Thomas Brown went missing in 2016. Rachel Kading: I mean, the one that sticks out is, he told the sheriffs office at some point that two Hispanic people in town were responsible for this death and that it was connected to the Mexican Mafia, or to a cartel. Shes crazy as hell, Lewis told me. Is that not the most bizarre thing? City Employees Are Heading for the Exits. Captain at Clayton County Sheriff's Office. Was Lewis really that upset with Toms mother, Penny Meek, for the dispute they had had back in 2015 over the way he had allegedly treated Tom outside Canadians movie theater? GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - The civil case against former Greenville County Sheriff Will Lewis, has been settled. 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 >>> Klein told me he had been talking to a couple of the towns residentshe wouldnt identify them or tell me their ageswho were feeding him an entirely new story about what had happened on Thanksgiving eve 2016. 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. Lewis said this to TCOLE investigators about Thomass case: "We had this missing deal come up in November, Lewis said. Chip Gaines Bought Larry McMurtrys Historic Texas Bookstore. At the town hall meeting in October, thats exactly what Klein speculated. Thats crazy. I definitely watch my back more and pay attention to whats going on around me, just to make sure that what happened to Tom doesnt happen to me and doesnt happen to people around me.. Im definitely more paranoid wherever I go. Theres been just a lot of conjecture in the case, and it harmed it, honestly. The Dollar General is next door to Fronks gas station, the last place Thomas was known to have gone to get gas before disappearing. She had entered that profession largely because of Tom. So you get somebody indicted for a homicide. Tucker Brown: Im the fifth-generation person from Canadian. Caroline Gear: And when he took the goggles off, are you telling me that Thomas was still alive? Where is your documentation? Im Skip Hollandsworth from Texas Monthly, and this is Tom Browns Body. . I was simply bewildered. When I talked to Kading, it was clear she didnt know whether the case would ever be solved either. And he wasnt even close to Chris in any way. Lewis resigned from his post after being formally reprimanded by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) for falsifying training records. Sherburne County Sheriff's Report. The TCOLE investigation stemmed from a complaint that outlined several violations the Hemphill County Sheriffs Office had potentially committed. The Hemphill County Sheriffs Office was put in charge of the investigation, but Thomas was not found. Kading said nothing. There were dark, ugly stories that the county's young sheriff, Nathan Lewis, was involved in Tom's disappearance. There are plenty of theories about Thomass death, but few clear answers about what actually happened. 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: So, you have a theory. If you liked the show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. 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. Chris said he never saw Tom again. It is effective on Friday at 5:00 p.m. His brown hair was brushed over his forehead, and he was giving the camera a gentle smile. If you go through a grand jury and you have an indictment, but you dont have enough to convict somebody at trial, its just not ethical to do that. Just about everyone assumed he would announce the names of the teenager and the father who were involved in the parking-lot shooting. She did not answer the question. An improvised explosive device, or IED, exploded shortly after a school official found it at Rossiter Elementary School in Helena, the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's Office reported. He got into fights and was eventually kicked out of high school after that 2016 season. 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. It showed no signs of damage from rain or ice storms, which meant it had to have been planted shortly before the search began. Many in the audience were stunnedand angeredthat Klein expected them to believe such an incredible story. Over at the Walking Bridge, I watched a freight train hurtle down the tracks. Were getting the signal? I thought we did everything right. Philip Klein: I see it; I hear it. Thomass mother, Penny Meek, knows she may never get all the answers to what happened to her son. 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. The origins of constitutional sheriff ideology are in the two concepts of the county supremacy movement: the county and not the state or federal governments should control all land within its borders, and the county sheriff is the ultimate law enforcement authority in the U.S. At the end of the report, it states Lewis was very apologetic for all the mistakes and trouble the training issue caused. But were gonna show you the manner of death tonight, that weand its not theory, folks. I think its eaten away at some of their guts.. During the two years Ive followed this story, Ive asked Kading for interviews at least a dozen times. Sheriff. He will only say this: This is kids playing around and they shouldnt have and they know it shouldnt happen, Klein said. But he accidentally pulled the trigger. Total voter turnout for Tuesday's election in Brevard was 58.23%, with 268,068 of the 460,372 eligible registered voters casting ballots. And thats, thats our focus. Like the investigators Rachel Kading and Chris Smyth, Lewis didnt rule out the possibility that Penny had found Toms body after hed killed himself. You might remember that only weeks after that fateful Thanksgiving eve, Penny had asked a couple of Toms friends if they knew the password to Toms phone, which was then still believed to be missing. At the least, Penny told me, she would like to give her son a proper burial. It led other deputies to question the documentation in Thomass case. Lewis resigned from his post after being formally reprimanded by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) for falsifying training records. Then that adult called Lewis, a close friend. According to the case report, the documents Lewis provided to support the training hours were dated September 18, 2018, but were created later. 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. The documents were for Deputy Jerri-Lynn Ortega, Oscar Ortega, himself and Pyne Gregory. And that process is, you bring in all witnesses; they testify under oath. 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. We dont go down to the Poke and Run and have coffee. Perhaps because the pandemic was surging at the time, Kading stayed for only a few days. Neither Lewis nor Klein would comment on the upcoming grand jury hearing. Hes been interviewed how many times? It was, in typical Klein fashion, an eye-popping taleand a curious one. Rachel Kading: Theres no evidence that the sheriffs office asked her for the passcode. Penny said Kading hadnt paid her a visit either. I asked her to read some of them. Penny insisted to me that she still has no idea how Tom died or how his body ended up off Lake Marvin Road. The bullets shell casing landed on the trucks floorboard. That never just came out of the blue. Nathan Lewis, Sheriff of Hemphill County, Texas, and head of investigation into Thomas Browns' disappearance (Case 85), resigns amid training scandal. This button displays the currently selected search type. Chris is the stepfather, and, you know, probably one of the nicest men I think Ive ever met in my life, that has been so cordial. Search warrant leads to arrests; drugs, property recovered. Former Chief Deputy Brent Clapp has been reinstated to his former position. Lewis resigned as Hemphill County sheriff in November 2019. We have some evidence from what some witnesses are telling us.. "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. 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 hes like, Here, put on this pair of goggles, and I put them on. Almost a year later, Toms skull and a few of his bones were found at the end of Lake Marvin Road. The investigation seemed to be stalled for good. Leave them blank to get signed up. City Employees Are Heading for the Exits. They also said Clapp, who was recently dismissed, has been reinstated to his former position. Tom hadnt been on the football team for more than a month at that point. Suddenly, all across Canadian, everyone was asking the same question: What new evidence had Rachel Kading unearthed? The Hemphill County Sheriff's Office became a Contract Training Provider on April 26, 2017. I stared at one of the signs that had been put up there soon after Tom disappeared. That somebodys going to talk? Why? Rachel Kading: If they possessed Toms phone after his disappearance. 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. TCOLE formally reprimanded then-Sheriff Lewis. He said Lewis put him in the back of a police car and handed him a pair of goggles. Incredibly, the phone was in perfect condition. 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. Patricia Sharpe writes a regular restaurant column, Pats Pick, for Texas Monthly. The major of Company C said you all did a fantastic job for a small town agency up here in the Panhandle. Im sorry if youre angry with me, if youre angry with my crew. 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. Advertise; Thats why I came to school in Higgins. He also could have confiscated Toms phone, which he could have later planted by the road just prior to Kleins search. CANADIAN, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) Hemphill County Sheriff Nathan Lewis has turned in his resignation, that according to Hemphill County Judge George . 8, 2019 at 4:19 AM PDT. And that wasnt all, Klein said. 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. I really dont know, and I dont have any ideas anymore of who it could be., Christian still doesnt come home very often. Philip Klein: I think were fixing to get the signal; were good. . The door is always open at our office for anything that will bring resolution to this case.. Indeed, as the meeting began, Klein teased that he was ready to reveal everything. It could be the twenty-year anniversary. Thomass death certificate currently lists his cause of death as pending. The attorney general suspended the investigation pending any new, credible evidence. And one of the biggest rumors now making its way through town was that the private investigator Phillip Klein had new evidence linking Lewis to Toms murder. KANAWHA COUNTY, WV (WOWK) - The Kanawha County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help locating a missing teenager. I think they would be very happy. We now know why Hemphill County Sheriff Nathan Lewis was under investigation by the Texas Rangers: An online facebook community called Moms4Tom was created. How can this case go unsolved? Chris Samples: Welcome in to the program; it is Thursday, October the twenty-first. And he came up with a report on that a year and a half after the fact.". For those of you that do not know Penny, Penny is the mother of Thomas Brown. Skip Hollandsworth: But youre not going to go public with it. If a grand jury had been called, Kading possibly could have gotten more answers out of Toms family. Alanhna Kyrie Miller, 31 of Saint Cloud, MN 56304 for GM 3rd Degree DWI. Produced and engineered by Brian Standefer, who also wrote the music. Skip Hollandsworth: But in a lie detector test that Penny agreed to give, you wrote that she, quote, showed signs of deception on questions regarding Tom Browns location. What do you mean by that? Well, what do you want to do next with your life? January 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? The day after the meeting, everyone of course was talking about Kleins latest story. 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. But Chris was also a troubled kid. Fact. Skip Hollandsworth: And you found yourself investigating to see if that story was true? It wasnt until later that night that I considered the allegations that Lewis, Kading, and Smyth had leveled against her. I hear your anger. Love you. On May seventh, You were honored today at church for Senior Sunday. Penny tried to read one more. The next morning, his Durango was found on the outskirts of town, next to the water-treatment plant. During another conversation, Klein acknowledged that his sources had told him the law enforcement officer was Lewis. 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. Its really funny. Penny told Kading that she was mistaken. Tucker Brown: I mean, this has been our home for four generI mean, am I the fifth? Skip Hollandsworth: Chris Meek, her husband, was asked the same set of questions, correct? Officials from the state attorney generals office were so disturbed by Kleins comments that they finally agreed to allow their lead investigator in the case, Sergeant Rachel Kading, to sit down with me for an interview. Vale man injured after pickup crashes through fence at West Cedar Road home. These people are true victims. Which, impossible. Because you think theres still a killer in town? I asked. Current News. . 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 added further details, claiming there were in fact two teenage boys who had been messing with Tom in the football stadium parking lot and that one of them had accidentally pulled the trigger. Klein said the person with the pistol had no desire to shoot Tom. Skip Hollandsworth specializes in long-form narratives. Cause we get out on the street and were busting our ass. Chip Gaines Bought Larry McMurtrys Historic Texas Bookstore. According to the case report, then Chief Deputy Brent Clapp advised TCOLE that one of his deputies, Jerri-Lynn Ortega, reported observing training hours on her Personal Status Report that she felt were fraudulent. This one isthe latest shared by Philip Klein and his team of investigators last night. She knows so much about whats going on.. And I put them on think theres still a killer in town engineered by Brian Standefer, who also the. Thomas was not found adult called Lewis to talk about Kleins latest story her son he... 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