where is sheriff nathan lewis now
He gave me a one-word answer: Penny. Chris Meek? Well, then after the attorney general came down to talk to me about the whole situation he said something one day in his office. "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. Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. Whats unethical about that? Philip Klein: I think were fixing to get the signal; were good. Lewis could have told the two boys to plant the backpack a third of the way down Lake Marvin Road. Texas Lege Watch: A House Republican Fights for Chicken Freedom, Texas Monthly Recognized by ASME in the 2023 National Magazine Awards. How was it amusing to dress up as the person youd accused of being involved in your sons disappearance or murder? If thats the opinion you want to have of me, then, I guess, so be it. But despite numerous searches, there was no sign of Tom. 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. New York City Sheriff's Office / Kings County Sheriff's Division Anthony Miranda, Sheriff . This is Penny Meek. 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. . The private investigator in Thomass case is holding a presentation on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Jones Pavilion. The former reality star was charged . I stared at one of the signs that had been put up there soon after Tom disappeared. Leave them blank to get signed up. After obtaining enough information, SCSO investigators completed and served a Manufacturing and Delivery of a Controlled Substance (F . Skip Hollandsworth: Well, good luck on that. Thats just ludicrous. We had the peer reviews with the Rangers. Sponsored Links. Were they convinced that another story line might emerge? Our focus is Thomas Brown. He had told a few close friends he was afraid that people in Canadian would hear that he sometimes liked wearing adult diapers. They just think that Thomas committed suicide and that we know it and we just need to get over it and move on. Skip Hollandsworth: Theres got to be an answer. Did someone who had supposedly contacted him after the shooting know something scandalous about Lewiss life that he threatened to reveal if the sheriff didnt assist with the cover-up? Im gonna tell the truth. Thats what hes told that lady right there. According to Klein, Toms killer pushed Tom into the back seat, drove out to Lake Marvin Road, dumped Tom under the thicket of cottonwood trees, cleaned the blood from the Durangos interior, and drove back into town to find a place to stash the car. . Pictured: Nathan Lewis, former Sheriff of Hemphill County, TX. Personal Facebook. They also said Clapp, who was recently dismissed, has been reinstated to his former position. steven orr. Cant answer that? But were not here, like I said earlier, to make you feel good. (Klein still wouldnt identify either teenager.) Hes been interviewed how many times? Lewis said this to TCOLE investigators about Thomass case: "We had this missing deal come up in November, Lewis said. Sheriff Lewis Tatum 298 Rosemont, Sulphur Springs 75482 HOUSTON COUNTY Sheriff Randy Hargrove Sr. 700 A South 4th Street, Crockett 75835 HOWARD COUNTY Sheriff . All rights reserved. Canadian, Texas New public documents reveal the reason why Hemphill County Sheriff Nathan Lewis was investigated by the Texas Rangers. 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. Chris Jones: Hes the one who told me, he told me that I had to go play football for Canadian. You might remember him from an earlier episode of the podcast. Did you ever find out where Chris was? The Sheriff enforces payment of delinquent taxes. I think its eaten away at some of their guts.. Kading also asked Toms brother Tucker if he too would take a lie detector test. Chris Jones: And he was like, Im gonna show you something. The door is always open at our office for anything that will bring resolution to this case.. Paxton ruled in December that Hemphill County Sheriff's Office must comply with an open records request filed in October by an attorney for Penny Meek, Brown's mother. Nathan Heller / New Yorker: The End of the English Major . Lewis has also been accusedboth formally and informallyof numerous other breaches of the law and his ethical duty as a law enforcement officer. Thomass family has questioned if that happened in his case. Okay. Why, Kading wanted to know, would Penny ask for the phones password unless she had the phone in her possession all along? But Chris was also a troubled kid. Copyright 2019 KFDA. I want all of you to think: What if it was your child? My word to you is this: spend time with your family and enjoy everything God is giving you.. Is that not the most bizarre thing? See Jackson County Job Opportunities for all open positions within the Sheriff's Office. 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. . [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. A Right-wing Cabal Took Over Odessas Municipal Government. The report concluded Sheriff Lewis failed to educate himself on the TCOLE rules and laws and that he violated his contract. And he wasnt even close to Chris in any way. Why? Skip Hollandsworth: So, you have a theory. .. Everybody good? that are what we call, in the business, antagonists. They are anything but that. When I talked to Penny about all this a year ago, she told me it was the sheriffs department that had asked her to find the passcode. Skip Hollandsworth: And did you find any evidence that suggested he was not home all night? Chris Jones: Yeah, when he took the goggles off me. Would you want someone like me investigating it? 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. So the district attorney and the state attorney generals office actually considered indictments of multiple people. Chris Samples: Welcome in to the program; it is Thursday, October the twenty-first. Lewis resigned from his post after being formally reprimanded by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) for falsifying training records. I mean, this has been our home for a hundred years. Im sorry if youre angry with me, if youre angry with my crew. The Dollar General is next door to Fronks gas station, the last place Thomas was known to have gone to get gas before disappearing. Or that he had been kidnapped and sold to a sex-trafficking ring. 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 . . To absolutely everyones surprise, Klein didnt say a word about the theory of the parking-lot killing. Last night, coach, Klein Investigations, Philip Klein, the private investigator hired by the. Its really funny. Texas Lege Watch: A House Republican Fights for Chicken Freedom, Texas Monthly Recognized by ASME in the 2023 National Magazine Awards. Yes, sir, she said. The Lewis County Sheriff's Office identified the victim as Dean C. Cole, 54, of Lewis Road in Cameron Mills. Shes involved, he said. Nobody can see you; you cant hear nothing. There was no question that Pennys behavior could sometimes be inexplicable. When I called Lewis to talk about Kleins accusations, he let out a laugh. The city's Board of Alderman made the decision during a closed session on Thursday, Feb. 9. 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. There is insufficient evidence to establish probable cause. Nevertheless, he decided to quit anyway. Rachel Kading: We were told that he was home all night. Lewis resigned as Hemphill County sheriff in November 2019. 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. Produced and engineered by Brian Standefer, who also wrote the music. Updated: Oct. 26, 2018 at 7:57 PM PDT. Skip Hollandsworth: Chris Meek, her husband, was asked the same set of questions, correct? There have been plenty of bombshell revelations in this complicated and tragic story. Ortega also reported she did not perform or complete any Field Training Programs for Corrections. And the sheriff told them to do what? I asked. 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.. She knows something. 32,537. 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. Florida Sheriff Goes Nuclear on Neo-Nazi 'Motherf*ckers' Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood fumed that it was an "honor" to be included on the "hit list" of an . Fact. 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. Lewis also said the consequences would be dire if he didnt transfer. Theres been a lot of stories. Theres a possibility that some law enforcement may be involved in either the actual event or the cover-up, he told me. As for Penny, she says shes not giving up on her investigation, either. Someone else claimed they saw her driving down Main Street, past the Justice for Tom signs. VALE - On Sunday night, Judith Obermeier wanted to find a good place in her yard to plant . He said Lewis put him in the back of a police car and handed him a pair of goggles. I really dont know, and I dont have any ideas anymore of who it could be., Christian still doesnt come home very often. 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. It had to do with Toms iPhone. 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. Let me tell you this. According to a report produced in October, TCOLE was alerted to allegations of document fabrication against Sheriff Lewis by then . I noticed people inching forward in their seats. Theres been a lot of discrepancies. Skip Hollandsworth: So up in Canadian, as we speak, right now, half that town thinks he was murdered. They remain at the Texas lab in case they are needed for evidence. Klein will not name the name of the suspected killer. 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. Its fact, okay? There was a memorial service for Thomas shortly after his remains were found, but his remains have not yet been put to rest. The Hemphill County Sheriff's Office became a Contract Training Provider on April 26, 2017. She said that despite all the time thats passed since Tom vanished, Im definitely more paranoid wherever I go. Change). Deputies say his family is "concerned for his well-being," but he is . Other than have reporters like me come up and show up at your dining room table? He didntTucker did not do anything to Thomas. . Almost a year later, Toms skull and a few of his bones were found at the end of Lake Marvin Road. Tom hadnt been on the football team for more than a month at that point. Skip Hollandsworth: And. For more news from the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles and Eastern New Mexico, visit www.ConnectAmarillo.com. The case report states investigators found this suspicious because he only had support documentation for four officers, including himself, and only for County Corrections. 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.. . When I talked to Kading, it was clear she didnt know whether the case would ever be solved either. 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. Sheriff maintains tax records. 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. The Deputies serve all court papers. I think they would be very happy. I wasn't supposed to take over until January. You need to catch up some supplements. Chris said Lewis wanted to show him something that would encourage him to play better. At the end of the report, it states Lewis was very apologetic for all the mistakes and trouble the training issue caused. Lewis has also been accused-both formally and informally-of numerous other breaches of the law and his ethical duty as a law . He suspected she then hid the body out of shame, perhaps even persuading her husband or her older son to help her. I assumed the Justice for Tom signs would be removed and peace would return to the small town. This page was created to raise awareness of Tom's case and to spread the word throughout social media. [surveillance videos from] Dollar General and Fronk. Merriam Woods Police Chief Nathan Lewis has been fired. All this damn conjecture I get all the time. That never just came out of the blue. And former deputy Pyne Gregory has a gun to Tom Browns head. Chris Samples: Try to get your brain around this one. Part of the town thinks he committed suicide. Im probably just going to keep doing what Im doing. Pulled up behind him, Penny said, and started messing with him and perhaps accidentally shot him. It is a story ABC 7 first uncovered to you in April. 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. Clapp also said it wasn't quoted, outside the realm, of Lewis fabricating a document because he manufactured a supplement for a missing person a year and a half after it happened. He said whenever I looked at the video from the Dollar General there wasn't anything on there, so I threw it away.". He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022. Rachel Kading: No; absolutely no evidence. Lewis said he never heard from her. Toms disappearance became the mystery of the Texas Panhandle. Deputies went to the Golden Springs area around 6 p.m. and found . Then that adult called Lewis, a close friend. 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. 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. Penny Meek: Um, I dont know. And when I went to see Penny in October, the day after Kleins meeting, she remained adamant that she, Chris, and Tucker had not moved Toms body. 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. So you get somebody indicted for a homicide. This past January,five months after the state attorney generals office suspended its investigation into Toms death because of a lack of evidence, I got a call from a source in Canadian who told me that Rachel Kading was back in town. Will we ever know what happened to Tom Brown? Lewis was accused by former employee . My husband did not do anything to Thomas. Skip Hollandsworth: Theres nothing you can do, right? A Texas sheriff is under investigation for allegedly seizing money from undocumented immigrants during traffic stops. 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. But were gonna show you the manner of death tonight, that weand its not theory, folks. Various citizens would be subpoenaed to testify under penalty of perjury. 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. Chris said he never saw Tom again. According to Chris, Lewis told him that he wanted him to transfer to Canadian and play football for the Wildcats. I dont know the truth about what happened to Thomas, but I know the truth about where I was. Im your writer and host, Skip Hollandsworth. Our hope at that time was that if we did this, maybe the truth would come out. 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. Indeed, as the meeting began, Klein teased that he was ready to reveal everything. Skip Hollandsworth: What were other stories Chris Jones told you or others about what happened that night? Where is your documentation? Unsolved true crime podcast researched, written and hosted by Crime Analyst Leah Owens. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Tucker Brown: Im the fifth-generation person from Canadian. Current Sheriff Brent Clapp, who was chief deputy when Thomas went missing, told TCOLE investigators he believed Lewis also falsified documents in Thomass file. If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. The Canadian rumor mill hadnt stopped churning. Berkeley County Sheriff Nathan Harmon praised the work of the prosecutors and his deputies. Yet those rumors went nowhere. But because so little was left of his remains, an autopsy could not determine the cause of death. Oh, thats theory; Oh no, its fact. Fact! The attorney general announced in August 2019 there was no foul play in his death. Will we ever know who parked Toms Durango by the water treatment plant? January 19, 2023 - 6:10 pm. 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. SHARE. 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. Box 445, Leakey 78873 RED RIVER COUNTY Sheriff Jim Caldwell 500 N. Cedar St., Clarksville 75426 REEVES COUNTY Sheriff . But she got choked up and couldnt continue. Philip Klein: I see it; I hear it. In the meantime, Philip Klein let everyone know he was still pursuing leads. Yes, he said: a grand jury would be convened in Hemphill County either later this year or in early 2021. Finally, he came to the part of his presentation about new evidence. But this is the first interview shes ever given to anyone about Toms disappearance and death. We have kept that very silent, and were going to kind of go through that tonight. It was said he had been murdered, stuffed into a wood chipper by a notorious methamphetamine dealer. "As of today, this case remains a questionable death investigation without sufficient evidence to conclude that Tom Browns death was attributed to a criminal act, an accidental death, or a suicide. Eight months later, in October 2017, his iPhone was found during a search of Lake Marvin Road that had been organized by Philip Klein. The private investigation firm hired by Browns family, Klein Investigations, posted on Facebook that Lewis resignation is a positive move as well as bad news to those who may be involved in Browns case.
where is sheriff nathan lewis now