Part of the town thinks he committed suicide. By Jarrett Lewis. Were they convinced that another story line might emerge? He got into fights and was eventually kicked out of high school after that 2016 season. Its kind of hard to pick up and leave that. Maybe there was something about Chriss activities that night that she didnt want to give away. Tucker Brown: Im the fifth-generation person from 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 Samples: Welcome in to the program; it is Thursday, October the twenty-first. Oh, thats theory; Oh no, its fact. Fact! HUGE NEWS IN THE TOM BROWN CASE! The report concluded Sheriff Lewis failed to educate himself on the TCOLE rules and laws and that he violated his contract. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current . It was, in typical Klein fashion, an eye-popping taleand a curious one. Hemphill County Texas Sheriff's Office, Canadian, TX. This call is hard to hear, but youll get the gist. Sheriff Lewis Tatum 298 Rosemont, Sulphur Springs 75482 HOUSTON COUNTY Sheriff Randy Hargrove Sr. 700 A South 4th Street, Crockett 75835 HOWARD COUNTY Sheriff . 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. Skip Navigation Share on Facebook 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. 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. Chris said that Sheriff Lewis let him go, but made it clear that Chris would be shot the next time he didnt follow orders. 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: He did not. Chris was one of his teammates. Shes crazy as hell, Lewis told me. If youve forgotten some of the details of this story, let me give you a brief recap. I noticed people inching forward in their seats. I asked her if she has ever been to the spot where Toms remains were found. 8, 2019 at 4:19 AM PDT. (LogOut/ #961. Of course, this is not the first time Klein has made such promises. This past fall, word spread through Canadian that Klein would be calling a town hall meeting. Acrimonious relationships, he replied. On Tuesday, October 26, 2021, Sheriff Windham and SCSO deputies completed a narcotics operation at a residence in Timpson. 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. CANADIAN, Texas (KFDA) - The Hemphill County Sheriff in the swirl of controversy resigned today. 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. 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. Then, in August, the case took another turn that caught me by surprise. KANAWHA COUNTY, WV (WOWK) - The Kanawha County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help locating a missing teenager. Christian didnt hesitate. During our interview, Kading said that there was another issue involving the family that troubled her. Not Philip Klein. Lewis was sheriff when Thomas Brown went missing in 2016. J.K. Nickell is our editor and Paul Knight is our fact-checker. I have asked them to come sit up here tonight cause I want you all to look into the white of their eyes. We now know why Hemphill County Sheriff Nathan Lewis was under investigation by the Texas Rangers: Then, during the pandemic, the attorney general confirmed with KENS 5 it turned over its case to the district attorney for Hemphill County in September 2020. The Lewis County Sheriff's Office identified the victim as Dean C. Cole, 54, of Lewis Road in Cameron Mills. Theres been a lot of stories. Skip Hollandsworth: Well, explain the lie detector test: Showed signs of deception on the question regarding possession. But none of the physical evidence seemed to make any sense. Search warrants show that Real County Sheriff Nathan Johnson is under scrutiny by state investigators . 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. A few months passed. 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? 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. Rachel Kading: When we kind of came to the end of the case and we really werent sure, still, what had happened, but we knew that people were lyingsomebody has to be lying in this casewe discussed having an investigational grand jury. Chris? You were certain of that? Okay. Additional production on this episode by Harper Carlton and Patrick Michels. 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. And former deputy Pyne Gregory has a gun to Tom Browns head. At the town hall meeting in October, thats exactly what Klein speculated. . But why would the young sheriff, who in November 2016 had been in office for only three months, have gotten caught up in a tragic accident? Its very hard for me to think about., Christian also told me something I wasnt expecting. 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. Man: You need to get out of Canadian, Klein. Griffith, 35, was taken into custody in Delray Beach, Florida, just after 4:00 a.m. The major of Company C said you all did a fantastic job for a small town agency up here in the Panhandle. The bullet entered through the top of Toms neck and lodged in his brain. But I now wonder whether some questions will remain unanswered. 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. Rachel Kading: Theres no evidence that the sheriffs office asked her for the passcode. Rachel Kading: I always hope that that will happen, and Ill never lose that hope. . 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. I asked Kading about one of Kleins stories: that Tom possibly had been shot in the football stadium parking lot. Investigators said they could not determine whether Thomas Brown's death was homicide, suicide or due to natural causes because so few of his remains were found. Sponsored Links. Alanhna Kyrie Miller, 31 of Saint Cloud, MN 56304 for GM 3rd Degree DWI. Box 233 Lowville, NY 13367-0233 Telephone: (315) 376-3511 Fax: (315) 376-5232 Livingston County Sheriff's Department Is that correct? 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. Over the past 29 years, Klein said his company has investigated around 1,000 missing person cases with an 85 percent . Read more from the Tom Browns Body Series: Chapter 3: Evil Has Come to Canadian, Texas. And thirty minutes later, you know, he pulls up and its like pitch dark. Click here to read the survey answers. 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. Now his family's fight for answers may be leading to another dead end. But this is the first interview shes ever given to anyone about Toms disappearance and death. Cover it up, Klein said. I dont understand where he comes up with stuff like this. The fax number for Human Resources is 541-774-6455. And he wasnt even close to Chris in any way. Read earlier chapters and learn more about the. Penny insisted to me that she still has no idea how Tom died or how his body ended up off Lake Marvin Road. Tucker Brown: I mean, this has been our home for four generI mean, am I the fifth? For more news from the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles and Eastern New Mexico, visit www.ConnectAmarillo.com. 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. 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. Or even that members of Tom's family knew far more about what had happened . Texas Lege Watch: A House Republican Fights for Chicken Freedom, Texas Monthly Recognized by ASME in the 2023 National Magazine Awards. What was the question asked them? I called a media spokesman for the attorney generals office. 32,537. Caroline Gear: And when he took the goggles off, are you telling me that Thomas was still alive? I think they would be very happy. This is Penny Meek. SAN ANTONIO One rural Texas family from Canadian, far north in the Texas Panhandle, knows there may never be any definitive answers about what happened to their loved one the night he disappeared and was years later found dead. He said whenever I looked at the video from the Dollar General there wasn't anything on there, so I threw it away.". 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. Skip Hollandsworth: And he did not take one. A couple of years later, he was convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to thirty years in prison. Nevertheless, he decided to quit anyway. Were getting the signal? During our interview, she did confirm rumors that she had spoken with the countys district attorney, Franklin McDonough, about the possibility of convening a grand jury to look into Toms death. .. If Lewis had assisted with a cover-up, that would explain some of the so-far unexplainable details. Nathan Heller / New Yorker: The End of the English Major . . Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. She did not answer the question. (LogOut/ Lewis has also been accused-both formally and informally-of numerous other breaches of the law and his ethical duty as a law . Mimi Swartz is a staff writer based in Houston. But now I am not sure who was involved. The investigation seemed to be stalled for good. Tucker said he was already so distraught over Toms death that he was worried his answers would come across as evasive. And then it was like, Oh, shit, I got to cover this up. The attorney generals came in and they wanted to know about a video that did or did not exist. I've got 26. Updated: Nov 13, 2019 / 02:26 PM CST. Before I left Canadian, I drove by some of the towns landmarks. It had to do with Toms iPhone. On February fourteenth, I said, Happy Valentines Day. That never just came out of the blue. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ). 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. Skip Hollandsworth: So, you have a theory. I asked her to read some of them. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. But its doubtful Lewis found much time to relax. Incredibly, the phone was in perfect condition. Rachel Kading: I wont answer that either. Tom Browns Body is a Texas Monthly production. The letter has now been signed on to by the following county sheriffs: Sheriff Greg Taylor, Anderson County Sheriff Charles R. Stewart, Andrews County . 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. . Telephone: (718) 488-2300 Fax: (718) 488-3501 Lewis County Sheriff's Department Mike Carpinelli, Sheriff Outter Stowe Street P.O. "It is with great disappointment that the city of Merriam Woods announces the formal removal of Nathan Lewis as Chief of Police," City Attorney Joe Allen said in a statement. Philip Klein: All rightgood evening, ladies and gentlemen; my name is Philip Klein. 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. So the district attorney and the state attorney generals office actually considered indictments of multiple people. I thought we did everything right. Thomass family hired private investigator Philp Klein shortly after he went missing. That somebodys going to talk? Skip Hollandsworth: Theres nothing you can do, right? Every victim is important, and this case is no different than that. For those of you that do not know Penny, Penny is the mother of Thomas Brown. Choosing her words carefully, she explained to me why there had been so much uncertainty around calling a grand jury. Hemphill County Sheriff Nathan Lewis has sent an appeal to the Texas Attorney General's Office, requesting that it take over the . Former Chief Deputy Brent Clapp has been reinstated to his former position. How can this case go unsolved? PICKENS COUNTY, Ga. - A homicide suspect was taken into custody Thursday evening, the Pickens County Sheriff's Office announced. Lewis could have told the two boys to plant the backpack a third of the way down Lake Marvin Road. I mean, hes supposed to be a big investigator, and thats his theory? If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. He also could have confiscated Toms phone, which he could have later planted by the road just prior to Kleins search. All rights reserved. Read earlier chapters and learn more about the. Rachel Kading: There is no evidence that he went to the football parking lot. 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. The accident report, 911 call, radio communications and body camera footage, as well as the dispatch report, were released after the accident. When I talked to Kading, it was clear she didnt know whether the case would ever be solved either. Rachel Kading: No; its irresponsible to do so. Nathan Lewis now denies that this photo ever . Why wouldnt you let people see what you had? Find agency contact information, phone numbers, addresses and more. 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. While he was interviewed, Lewis gave four documents to investigators. Skip Hollandsworth: What were other stories Chris Jones told you or others about what happened that night? I mean, what in the world? New York City Sheriff's Office / Kings County Sheriff's Division Anthony Miranda, Sheriff . According to Chris, Lewis told him that he wanted him to transfer to Canadian and play football for the Wildcats. There have been plenty of bombshell revelations in this complicated and tragic story. Investigators with TCOLE later traveled to Canadian to follow up on the case and interviewed Lewis, Clapp and Ortega. OVER THE PAST nearly two months, I've filed a handful of public information requests with 31st District Attorney Franklin McDonough's office and the Texas Rangers, attempting to determinefirst, what criminal complaint had been lodged against Hemphill County Sheriff Nathan Lewis that led to his investigation by the Texas Rangers, and more recently, what the result of that . Penny Meek: And so, I guess peoplepeople are always going to think what they want to think, in every circumstance. So you get somebody indicted for a homicide. He said Lewis put him in the back of a police car and handed him a pair of goggles. He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022. 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. It is a story ABC 7 first uncovered to you in April. We hope for that every day. The attorney general announced in August 2019 there was no foul play in his death. Chris said Lewis wanted to show him something that would encourage him to play better. Klein has always said he believes Thomas was murdered. Nathan Lewis, Sheriff of Hemphill County, Texas, and head of investigation into Thomas Browns' disappearance (Case 85), resigns amid training scandal. . January 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? I stared at one of the signs that had been put up there soon after Tom disappeared. And he came up with a report on that a year and a half after the fact.". I headed to Main Street, and stopped at an empty lot. The county attorney said, Hey, Nathan, we have way too much heat on us [over the Tom Brown case], Lewis recalled. Did you ever find out where Chris was? Skip Hollandsworth: And did you find any evidence that suggested he was not home all night? TCOLE formally reprimanded then-Sheriff Lewis. Unsolved true crime podcast researched, written and hosted by Crime Analyst Leah Owens. Ill never lose that hope. But because so little was left of his remains, an autopsy could not determine the cause of death. Heres Chris talking long-distance to Caroline Gear on a prison telephone. 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. 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. I mean, this has been our home for a hundred years. Cant answer that? The Deputies serve all court papers. And hes like, Are you ready? Im like, Man whats going on? So I take off the goggles and he hits these lights, and theres Toms sitting in front of ustheres Toms sitting in front of us; hes in a chair. The Hemphill County Commissioners Court will appoint a replacement. A Texas sheriff is under investigation for allegedly seizing money from undocumented immigrants during traffic stops. Just before midnight, he said goodbye. SHARE. I believe only on Pennys, not on Chriss. "Teen Mom OG" star Ryan Edwards the ex-fianc of Maci Bookout and the husband of Mackenzie Standifer . (Klein still wouldnt identify either teenager.) And then you go to trial for that homicide. Skip Hollandsworth: And what would they be indicted for? 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 . Please pray that Toms killer is found and brought to justice. And at the bottom of the sign was Toms photo. "So what he said was, number one, he would get paid to play football for Canadian," she said. Home New Members Photos. A police car and handed him a pair of goggles and then it was clear she didnt know whether case! 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