The . 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 . Penny Meek: Um, I dont know. Keep reading as Wonderwall.com takes a look back at celeb mug shots over the years. At the time of Tom Browns disappearance, Lewis was Sheriff of Hemphill County. Heres Chris talking long-distance to Caroline Gear on a prison telephone. I know the truth about where he was. Perhaps because the pandemic was surging at the time, Kading stayed for only a few days. All I want is for the truth to come out, she said. This past fall, word spread through Canadian that Klein would be calling a town hall meeting. Skip Hollandsworth: Youve agreed to sit down. Chris was at work. 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. A couple of years later, he was convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to thirty years in prison. The major of Company C said you all did a fantastic job for a small town agency up here in the Panhandle. Im probably just going to keep doing what Im doing. The Hemphill County Commissioners Court will appoint a replacement. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. But he accidentally pulled the trigger. . Chris then claimed that in the early evening hours of Thanksgiving Dayless than 24 hours after Tom had disappearedLewis came to see him again. The day after the meeting, everyone of course was talking about Kleins latest story. Search warrants show that Real County Sheriff Nathan Johnson is under scrutiny by state investigators . But none of the physical evidence seemed to make any sense. 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. 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. Lewis could have told the two boys to plant the backpack a third of the way down Lake Marvin Road. Canadian missing teen now classified as runaway. Philip Klein: Chris Jones is an integral part in the Tom Brown case. "Teen Mom OG" star Ryan Edwards the ex-fianc of Maci Bookout and the husband of Mackenzie Standifer . Philip Klein: Where I want the public to see that these people had nothing to do with the disappearance of Tom. Leave them blank to get signed up. And the buzz around the room is that Klein has organized this town hall meeting to deliver new bombshell information about what really happened to Tom. Caan requested the original audio statements Hemphill County deputies interviewed made to TCOLE investigators. There was no question that Pennys behavior could sometimes be inexplicable. But because so little was left of his remains, an autopsy could not determine the cause of death. For those of you that do not know Penny, Penny is the mother of Thomas Brown. 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. 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. Lewis told me he later met with Hemphill County officials, who asked for his resignation. 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. "There's not one person in this community that doesn't think about this," said Hemphill County Sheriff Nathan Lewis. But kidnapping Tom was supposed to inspire Chris to play harder and win a playoff football game? 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. Advertise; He was wearing glasses. 0:59. Jos R. Ralat is Texas Monthlys taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food. 0:35. 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. The TCOLE investigation stemmed from a complaint that outlined several violations the Hemphill County Sheriffs Office had potentially committed. Chris said Lewis wanted to show him something that would encourage him to play better. I didnt sign up for this. So the district attorney and the state attorney generals office actually considered indictments of multiple people. Yes, he said: a grand jury would be convened in Hemphill County either later this year or in early 2021. 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. 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. For more news from the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles and Eastern New Mexico, visit www.ConnectAmarillo.com. I headed to Main Street, and stopped at an empty lot. Bring on the Shiplap? Due to the poor quality of the recording, Holmes recapped what Jones said. Then on the night of Nov. 24, 2016, Thomas Brown suddenly vanished. There is insufficient evidence to establish probable cause. You all did fantastic. I dont know where it is. Toms disappearance became the mystery of the Texas Panhandle. Updated: Nov 13, 2019 / 02:26 PM CST. . January 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? Now his family's fight for answers may be leading to another dead end. Im your writer and host, Skip Hollandsworth. Maybe that person wouldnt have messed with Tom in the first place if a second person was there. Im sorry I have to show you corruption in your city. That has not happened. 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. 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. Tucker said he was already so distraught over Toms death that he was worried his answers would come across as evasive. Just about everyone assumed he would announce the names of the teenager and the father who were involved in the parking-lot shooting. Chris Jones: . Klein knew that there were plenty of people in the audience who were suspicious of Penny, who is a longtime elementary school teacher in Canadian. She did not answer the question. 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. Sheriff maintains tax records. 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. 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. Because you think theres still a killer in town? I asked. Various citizens would be subpoenaed to testify under penalty of perjury. . Skip Hollandsworth specializes in long-form narratives. I think youre going to need it. Philip Klein: Here you go, folks. 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? Thomass death certificate currently lists his cause of death as pending. The attorney general suspended the investigation pending any new, credible evidence. I asked her to read some of them. I mean, this has been our home for a hundred years. Produced and engineered by Brian Standefer, who also wrote the music. 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. According to the KCSO, Nathan Massotti, 17, of Elkview, was last seen Tuesday, Feb. 28 around 9 p.m. on Chapps Fork Road in Kanawha County. Just before midnight, he said goodbye. All this damn conjecture I get all the time. On Tuesday, Oct. 26, deputies went to Lewis' home following information gathered that a substantial amount of narcotics and firearms were located there. What am I going to do? Posted by Sheriff Nathan T. Johnson on Monday, December 20, 2021 All rights reserved. Former Chief Deputy Brent Clapp has been reinstated to his former position. . I mean, hes supposed to be a big investigator, and thats his theory? Briant said he hopes that will happen by the end of this week. Why? HEMPHILL COUNTY, TX (KFDA) - Hemphill County Sheriff Nathan Lewis is under investigation by the Texas Rangers, according to the Texas Department on Public . Panicking, one of them made a phone call, most likely to his father or a friend of his fathers, Klein said. . The bullets shell casing landed on the trucks floorboard. Oh, thats theory; Oh no, its fact. Fact! Skip Hollandsworth: And. . We just didnt pop that theory in our minds. Maybe there was something about Chriss activities that night that she didnt want to give away. I hope we can walk away with, you know, with at least a little more clarity than we have right now as to what happened, she said. But Chris was also a troubled kid. Investigators with the Texas Attorney Generals Office agreed to review Thomass case in 2018. This idea was pioneered by Christian identity minister William Potter Gale in the 1970's and described as Posse . 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. We did everything good. And hes like, Im gonna kill you. You know, hecocked the gun back. Skip Hollandsworth: And what was the result of his answers? Skip Hollandsworth: And did you find any evidence that suggested he was not home all night? "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. 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. [surveillance videos from] Dollar General and Fronk. Let me tell you this. VALE - On Sunday night, Judith Obermeier wanted to find a good place in her yard to plant . Penny Meek: And so, I guess peoplepeople are always going to think what they want to think, in every circumstance. Kading said nothing. As for Penny, she says shes not giving up on her investigation, either. 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. Give me those damn remains? What am I going to do? Example video title will go here for this video. 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. I need to show you something thats going to encourage you to play better and win that state championship. I want you to see these folks not as people of. Klein has always said he believes Thomas was murdered. 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. There was a memorial service for Thomas shortly after his remains were found, but his remains have not yet been put to rest. In a curious move, Sheriff Nathan Lewis asked Penny for Tom's phone passcode, even though his phone had not yet been recovered. By the train tracks. The Unit engaged independent experts to identify any further leads that could be developed. Nathan Lewis, Sheriff of Hemphill County, Texas, and head of investigation into Thomas Browns' disappearance (Case 85), resigns amid training scandal. We hope for that every day. Did they believe Tom had been killed by more than one person? If Lewis had assisted with a cover-up, that would explain some of the so-far unexplainable details. Same deal. Unsolved true crime podcast researched, written and hosted by Crime Analyst Leah Owens. Because he had a few minutes left before his curfew, he drove to the parking lot of the high school football stadium, where Canadian kids occasionally gathered. 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. (I believe) says that Brown's only interaction with police was with Sheriff Lewis back when he was a deputy. Yes, sir, she said. 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 . Episode Nine: Another Day in Canadian.. Pulled up behind him, Penny said, and started messing with him and perhaps accidentally shot him. Rachel Kading: There is no evidence that he went to the football parking lot. A Right-wing Cabal Took Over Odessas Municipal Government. During our interview, Kading said that there was another issue involving the family that troubled her. Part of the town thinks it could be an accidental death. At the meeting, Toms family sat in the front row. He later asked the Attorney Generals Office to take over the case in 2018. The city's Board of Alderman made the decision during a closed session on Thursday, Feb. 9. Theres a possibility that some law enforcement may be involved in either the actual event or the cover-up, he told me. Jan 19, 2023. And then you go to trial for that homicide. He also could have confiscated Toms phone, which he could have later planted by the road just prior to Kleins search. The exact location of the remains has not been released. It could be the twenty-year anniversary. And that process is, you bring in all witnesses; they testify under oath. Shes involved, he said. Hemphill County Judge George Briant said Nathan Lewis submitted his resignation shortly before five this evening. 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? Lewis has been involved in the case of once missing Canadian teenager Thomas Brown and was recently reprimanded by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) for the false documentation of training hours. Skip Hollandsworth: Theres got to be an answer. Merriam Woods Police Chief Nathan Lewis has been fired. I really dont know, and I dont have any ideas anymore of who it could be., Christian still doesnt come home very often. CANADIAN, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) Hemphill County Sheriff Nathan Lewis has turned in his resignation, that according to Hemphill County Judge George . Home New Members Photos. 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