Skip Hollandsworth: And. TCOLE report stated the investigating officers reported, "Clapp said it wasn't outside the realm of Lewis fabricating a document because he had manufactured a supplement for a missing person a year and half after it happened.". Sheriff Nathan Lewis of Hemphill County could not be reached before press time. 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. 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. Philip Klein: Here you go, folks. Or even that members of Toms family knew far more about what had happened than they were letting on. She pulled out her phone. Part of the town thinks it could be an accidental death. Yet those rumors went nowhere. Klein has always said he believes Thomas was murdered. Im Skip Hollandsworth from Texas Monthly, and this is Tom Browns Body. Chris? Of course, this is not the first time Klein has made such promises. Skip Hollandsworth: And that came across as deception on the examiners report. [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. 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. He was wearing glasses. Cover it up, Klein said. And he was like, if you dont do that, he was gonna kill me. . You might remember him from an earlier episode of the podcast. Everything.. And his story hasnt changed once. I called a media spokesman for the attorney generals office. 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.. 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. 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. The exact location of the remains has not been released. by Malheur Enterprise on June 30, 2021. 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. And let me tell yall something. Current Sports. 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. 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. There were dark, ugly stories that the countys young sheriff, Nathan Lewis, was involved in Toms disappearance. Im sorry I have to show you corruption in your city. Im probably just going to keep doing what Im doing. Rachel Kading: Yes, we looked into every story. We did everything good. Then, in August, the case took another turn that caught me by surprise. 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. The AG's office further explained their decision to not bring the case to a grand jury, along with 250 pages of details on their investigation. Someone said she thought she saw Kading talking to the new sheriff, Lewiss former chief deputy Brent Clapp. We now know why Hemphill County Sheriff Nathan Lewis was under investigation by the Texas Rangers: A few months passed. Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. The next morning, his Durango was found on the outskirts of town, next to the water-treatment plant. Investigators with TCOLE later traveled to Canadian to follow up on the case and interviewed Lewis, Clapp and Ortega. Fact. The accident report, 911 call, radio communications and body camera footage, as well as the dispatch report, were released after the accident. And he came up with a report on that a year and a half after the fact.". Nathan Lewis (independent) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas' 19th Congressional District. Box 445, Leakey 78873 RED RIVER COUNTY Sheriff Jim Caldwell 500 N. Cedar St., Clarksville 75426 REEVES COUNTY Sheriff Yet, buried in the report were allegations from two deputies who question how Lewis conducted Thomass investigation. 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 . Lewis has also been accused-both formally and informally-of numerous other breaches of the law and his ethical duty as a law . 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. 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. Many expected a grand jury to be called. We hope for that every day. 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. GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - The civil case against former Greenville County Sheriff Will Lewis, has been settled. Duane Allen Christensen II, 41 of Minneapolis, MN 55412 for GM 3rd Degree DWI. Ortega also reported she did not perform or complete any Field Training Programs for Corrections. Not Philip Klein. The Deputies serve all court papers. Thomass death certificate currently lists his cause of death as pending. The attorney general suspended the investigation pending any new, credible evidence. 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. On Tuesday, October 26, 2021, Sheriff Windham and SCSO deputies completed a narcotics operation at a residence in Timpson. Bring on the Shiplap? I know the truth about where Chris was. I assumed the Justice for Tom signs would be removed and peace would return to the small town. Rachel Kading: So, I dont know if the general public is really familiar with how polygraphs work, but theres usually a battery of questions. 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.) Tucker Brown: I mean, this has been our home for four generI mean, am I the fifth? Chris Jones: And he was like, Im gonna show you something. There was a memorial service for Thomas shortly after his remains were found, but his remains have not yet been put to rest. If Lewis had assisted with a cover-up, that would explain some of the so-far unexplainable details. Caroline Gear: Hold on, hold on, okay, so Nathans the one that asked you to come and play there? "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. Tucker said he was already so distraught over Toms death that he was worried his answers would come across as evasive. 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. If you liked the show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Well, what do you want to do next with your life? Or he had been murdered by one of the friends who had gone cruising with him. Lewis completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. A sheriff in Texas is accused of regularly ordering his deputies to seize cash and vehicles from undocumented immigrants during traffic stops, even if they were not stopped for an alleged crime. Thats why I came to school in Higgins. Texas Vista Medical Center to close May 1, Cold front brings chances of storms and gusty winds to San Antonio, Severe thunderstorms southwest of San Antonio with a chance for more Thursday | FORECAST. The AGs Office suspended the case earlier this year, saying there was no viable evidence of foul play. . Kading was, however, spotted in Salem Abrahams downtown office interviewing one of his employees, who happened to be the woman whod found Toms cellphone. 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. And that process is, you bring in all witnesses; they testify under oath. 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. This call is hard to hear, but youll get the gist. 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. Go downam I going to go find Rachel in Austin and say, you know, what? Man: You need to get out of Canadian, Klein. . 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. . That somebodys going to talk? Executive producer is Megan Creydt. There are plenty of theories about Thomass death, but few clear answers about what actually happened. . According to the Canadian Record, the Hemphill Sheriff's Office determined the evidence in the Canadian missing teen case proved it was a voluntary runaway.The Canadian Record tells ABC 7 the Sheriff's Office said this is based on forensic evidence, eviden. And former deputy Pyne Gregory has a gun to Tom Browns head. 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. Chris said that Sheriff Lewis let him go, but made it clear that Chris would be shot the next time he didnt follow orders. And he wasnt even close to Chris in any way. The Hemphill County Sheriff's Office became a Contract Training Provider on April 26, 2017. As for Penny, she says shes not giving up on her investigation, either. Jones identified then-Sheriff Nathan Lewis as the enforcer for a high-dollar gambling ring in Canadian that was betting on the outcome of Wildcat football games. Lewis was sheriff when Thomas Brown went missing in 2016. Philip Klein: I see it; I hear it. The bullet entered through the top of Toms neck and lodged in his brain. A Right-wing Cabal Took Over Odessas Municipal Government. Many in the audience were stunnedand angeredthat Klein expected them to believe such an incredible story. Skip Hollandsworth specializes in long-form narratives. Sponsored Links. Skip Hollandsworth: Youve agreed to sit down. This button displays the currently selected search type. Read earlier chapters and learn more about the. Read earlier chapters and learn more about the. 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. Skip Hollandsworth: But youre not going to go public with it. A continuously updated summary of the news stories that US political commentators are discussing online right now. I didnt sign up for this. How can this case go unsolved? Chris was one of his teammates. He is a very unreliable witness. Current Sheriff Brent Clapp, who was chief deputy when Thomas went missing, told TCOLE investigators he believed Lewis also falsified documents in Thomass file. 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. We have some evidence from what some witnesses are telling us.. For more news from the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles and Eastern New Mexico, visit www.ConnectAmarillo.com. Its fact, okay? "Teen Mom OG" star Ryan Edwards the ex-fianc of Maci Bookout and the husband of Mackenzie Standifer . Mimi Swartz is a staff writer based in Houston. Im just wasting my time. CANADIAN, Texas (KFDA) - The Hemphill County Sheriff in the swirl of controversy resigned today. Klein said someone who was there (he wouldnt identify that person either) had sneaked up behind Tom, who was sitting inside his Durango with the window down. That has not happened. Chris went on to say that, in the light, he could see Tomstill alivesitting in front of them in a chair. Skip Hollandsworth: Is there any evidence that Tom went up to the football parking lot? Philip Klein: Where I want the public to see that these people had nothing to do with the disappearance of Tom. Total voter turnout for Tuesday's election in Brevard was 58.23%, with 268,068 of the 460,372 eligible registered voters casting ballots. The TCOLE is responsible for verifying that officers fulfill their continuing education requirements, and the officers informed Lewis that the agency would be investigating allegations that he had committed document fabrication by submitting reports that falsely detailed training hours completed by three deputies and himself. . Nov 6, 2019. It could be the twenty-year anniversary. 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. Indeed, as the meeting began, Klein teased that he was ready to reveal everything. They held signs that read Justice for Thomas Brown. Penny told me she was still hoping to persuade the district attorney to convene a grand jury and force witnesses to testify under oath. The county attorney said, Hey, Nathan, we have way too much heat on us [over the Tom Brown case], Lewis recalled. You had multiple indictments that could be made. Let me tell you this. Read more from the Tom Browns Body Series: Chapter 3: Evil Has Come to Canadian, Texas. Skip Hollandsworth: Has he said, You know what, Im tired of the public scrutiny, lets get out of Canadian?. Various citizens would be subpoenaed to testify under penalty of perjury. It was, in typical Klein fashion, an eye-popping taleand a curious one. My word to you is this: spend time with your family and enjoy everything God is giving you.. . Skip Hollandsworth: So, you have a theory. Deputies went to the Golden Springs area around 6 p.m. and found . . 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? Did you ever find out where Chris was? 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 . Tucker Brown: Every day I think we may not know anything, ever. . I headed to Main Street, and stopped at an empty lot. 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. SHARE. Vale man injured after pickup crashes through fence at West Cedar Road home. 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. 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. Questions and rumors have surrounded Thomas Browns case for almost five years. The TCOLE investigation found many of the hours of supposed training were missing, backdated, or simply wrong. What was the question asked them? I began to wonder if anyone would ever learn the truth about what had happened to Tom. Although she admitted she had no evidence, Penny said what made the most sense to her was that Lewis himself shot Tom in the school parking lot. Lewis assumed the office of Sheriff for Hemphill County on. Chris Jones: I was like, Im not going to go to school in Canadian. Rachel Kading: I always hope that that will happen, and Ill never lose that hope. 32,537. Kading also asked Toms brother Tucker if he too would take a lie detector test. Everybodys going to have an opinion. A Steuben County man is dead following a snowmobile accident Saturday in Lewis County, east of Watertown in northern New York. Nevertheless, he decided to quit anyway. Please pray that Toms killer is found and brought to justice. And at the bottom of the sign was Toms photo. 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