Skip Hollandsworth: There was a moment last night when I thought, This story will never come to an end. Has that occurred to you? There were dark, ugly stories that the county's young sheriff, Nathan Lewis, was involved in Tom's disappearance. 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 . Acrimonious relationships, he replied. 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. And his story hasnt changed once. Then, in the late summer of 2020, just as we were wrapping the podcast, there were rumors that the attorney-general investigators wanted the local district attorney to call a grand jury. The fax number for Human Resources is 541-774-6455. 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. Families of missing persons hope law enforcement would do all they could to locate their loved one. Texas Lege Watch: A House Republican Fights for Chicken Freedom, Texas Monthly Recognized by ASME in the 2023 National Magazine Awards. In the months that followed, every time I called my sources, I was told that the grand jury had been delayed. Philip Klein: I think were fixing to get the signal; were good. 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. And then you go to trial for that homicide. Nathan Lewis has been released from his role as Hemphill County Sheriff. Love you. On May seventh, You were honored today at church for Senior Sunday. Penny tried to read one more. The TCOLE investigation found many of the hours of supposed training were missing, backdated, or simply wrong. Skip Hollandsworth: And did you find any evidence that suggested he was not home all night? But I now wonder whether some questions will remain unanswered. Telephone: (718) 488-2300 Fax: (718) 488-3501 Lewis County Sheriff's Department Mike Carpinelli, Sheriff Outter Stowe Street P.O. The Deputies serve all court papers. 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. Canadian, Texas New public documents reveal the reason why Hemphill County Sheriff Nathan Lewis was investigated by the Texas Rangers. Further, the legal standard at trial of beyond a reasonable doubt, that Mr. Browns death was the result of an intentional, or unintentional, criminal act, is not supported by any evidence collected at this time. Rachel Kading: If they possessed Toms phone after his disappearance. Someone else claimed they saw her driving down Main Street, past the Justice for Tom signs. Calls the district attorneys office about the status of Thomass case and if it will go a grand jury have so far not been returned. We dont sit in an office. This one isthe latest shared by Philip Klein and his team of investigators last night. I definitely watch my back more and pay attention to whats going on around me.. 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. Then that adult called Lewis, a close friend. Skip Hollandsworth: And whats your answer at this point? He had told a few close friends he was afraid that people in Canadian would hear that he sometimes liked wearing adult diapers. Philip Klein: And were gonna tell you about the manner of death. The . 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. Lewis was accused by former employee . He later asked the Attorney Generals Office to take over the case in 2018. Caroline Gear: And when he took the goggles off, are you telling me that Thomas was still alive? But now I am not sure who was involved. Panhandle region of The State of Texas. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. 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. Investigators with TCOLE later traveled to Canadian to follow up on the case and interviewed Lewis, Clapp and Ortega. It could be five years from today. Sheriff maintains tax records. Part of the town thinks it could be an accidental death. She pulled out her phone. He said Lewis put him in the back of a police car and handed him a pair of goggles. According do a statement from Sheriff Lewis . Hemphill County Judge George Briant said Nathan Lewis . Griffith, 35, was taken into custody in Delray Beach, Florida, just after 4:00 a.m. This article is the last installment of an eight-part series. Interim Chief of Police at Atlanta Metropolitan State College (Official) Dallas, GA. Daniel Serene. Heres Chris talking long-distance to Caroline Gear on a prison telephone. 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. Maybe that person wouldnt have messed with Tom in the first place if a second person was there. But were gonna show you the manner of death tonight, that weand its not theory, folks. When I talked to Kading, it was clear she didnt know whether the case would ever be solved either. The year before, Toms mother had filed a complaint against Lewis for allegedly harassing her son. So the district attorney and the state attorney generals office actually considered indictments of multiple people. Is that correct? He didntTucker did not do anything to Thomas. So the door is always open at our office for any information, for anything that will bring resolution to this case. Everybody shaking good? . I believe only on Pennys, not on Chriss. I know the truth about where he was. By Jarrett Lewis. The documents were for Deputy Jerri-Lynn Ortega, Oscar Ortega, himself and Pyne Gregory. It is a story ABC 7 first uncovered to you in April. Youre done, thats it. Eight months later, in October 2017, his iPhone was found during a search of Lake Marvin Road that had been organized by Philip Klein. Lewis said this to TCOLE investigators about Thomass case: "We had this missing deal come up in November, Lewis said. Sheriff Nathan Lewis, Hemphill County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse, Henderson County Sheriff Rodney B. Watson, Hill County Sheriff Roger Deeds, Hood County Speculation is, and some of the rumor is that, yes, he was involved with saying, Take it out there., When I asked Klein what evidence he had to prove Lewiss involvement, he said, confidently but hazily, We do have some evidence that leads us to that theory. 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. Penny Meek: I dont even know where it is, to be honest. Read more from the Tom Browns Body Series: Chapter 3: Evil Has Come to Canadian, Texas. Last night, coach, Klein Investigations, Philip Klein, the private investigator hired by the. In early 2018, the states attorney generals office in Austin took over the investigation. Lewis resigned from his post after being formally reprimanded by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) for falsifying training records. New York City Sheriff's Office / Kings County Sheriff's Division Anthony Miranda, Sheriff . Philip Klein: Five times! Go downam I going to go find Rachel in Austin and say, you know, what? This page was created to raise awareness of Tom's case and to spread the word throughout social media. Nobody can see you; you cant hear nothing. But kidnapping Tom was supposed to inspire Chris to play harder and win a playoff football game? There was a junior high school football game going on at the stadium. 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. Did you ever find out where Chris was? And former deputy Pyne Gregory has a gun to Tom Browns head. . Pictured: Nathan Lewis, former Sheriff of Hemphill County, TX. His response was vague. She said she wasnt sure what, if anything, took place in the parking lot. The TCOLE investigation stemmed from a complaint that outlined several violations the Hemphill County Sheriffs Office had potentially committed. 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. Box 233 Lowville, NY 13367-0233 Telephone: (315) 376-3511 Fax: (315) 376-5232 Livingston County Sheriff's Department Skip Hollandsworth: And what would they be indicted for? 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. He also said he spoke with the Sheriff from Ochiltree County, and he advised Lewis he could give hours for anything they do in the jail. This is Penny Meek. A Right-wing Cabal Took Over Odessas Municipal Government. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Turnout down, especially among Dems. Okay. 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. Just about everyone assumed he would announce the names of the teenager and the father who were involved in the parking-lot shooting. Many expected a grand jury to be called. Listening to her read the texts, I teared up myself. In the fall of 2016, Tom was still playing football for the Canadian High Wildcats. (LogOut/ You had multiple indictments that could be made. But because so little was left of his remains, an autopsy could not determine the cause of death. Kading was, however, spotted in Salem Abrahams downtown office interviewing one of his employees, who happened to be the woman whod found Toms cellphone. 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. During our interview, Kading said that there was another issue involving the family that troubled her. 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? It is the longstanding practice of the 31st Judicial District Attorney to not present suspicious deaths to a Grand Jury if evidence shows the death was the result of a suicide.". So how can you accuse me of doing something to my son when I dont even know where he was? Klein, of course, had floated certain motives in the past. 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. Lewis has also been accused--both formally and informally--of numerous other breaches of the law and his ethical duty as a law enforcement officer. We have theories, obviously. Jan 19, 2023. According to 31st District Attorney, Franklin McDonough, the case was rejected for lack . As for Penny, she says shes not giving up on her investigation, either. And Im like, Im pretty sure I didnt make the oil field go away, but if you want to think I did that, then thats fine., Pennys friends, however, defended her as a loving mother overwhelmed with grief over the loss of her son. Furious with Klein, some members of the audience let loose. She knows so much about whats going on.. 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. 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