You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Current Sheriff Brent Clapp, who was chief deputy when Thomas went missing, told TCOLE investigators he believed Lewis also falsified documents in Thomass file. PICKENS COUNTY, Ga. - A homicide suspect was taken into custody Thursday evening, the Pickens County Sheriff's Office announced. But kidnapping Tom was supposed to inspire Chris to play harder and win a playoff football game? It is a story ABC 7 first uncovered to you in April. Chris Jones: He pushed me in the back of his cop car. . Read more from the Tom Browns Body Series: Chapter 3: Evil Has Come to Canadian, Texas. 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. Love you. On May seventh, You were honored today at church for Senior Sunday. Penny tried to read one more. We dont go down to the Poke and Run and have coffee. Toms disappearance became the mystery of the Texas Panhandle. Example video title will go here for this video. Or that he had been kidnapped and sold to a sex-trafficking ring. He finally found a spot on the outskirts, by the water treatment plant. Rachel Kading: I dont think we can go there. There was no question that Pennys behavior could sometimes be inexplicable. According do a statement from Sheriff Lewis . The Deputies serve all court papers. 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. In August 2019, Hemphill County Sheriff Nathan Lewis received a visit from a couple of officers from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, the regulatory agency for all peace officers in the state. I know the truth about where Chris was. If you liked the show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. In 2017, for a Halloween costume party at the elementary school where she taught technology classes, Penny had gone as Sheriff Lewis, with a cowboy hat and a badge. So how can you accuse me of doing something to my son when I dont even know where he was? 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. 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. She knows so much about whats going on.. All I want is for the truth to come out, she said. Ill never lose that hope. Shes crazy as hell, Lewis told me. 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. But despite numerous searches, there was no sign of Tom. And let me tell yall something. . FIELD NOTES. And then it was like, Oh, shit, I got to cover this up. Tucker Brown: Every day I think we may not know anything, ever. She pulled out her phone. Rachel Kading: I wont answer that either. Updated: Apr. The Lewis County Sheriff's Office identified the victim as Dean C. Cole, 54, of Lewis Road in Cameron Mills. Even if it didnt lead to a conviction in a trial? 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. Our hope at that time was that if we did this, maybe the truth would come out. Lewis resigned as Hemphill County sheriff in November 2019. VALE - On Sunday night, Judith Obermeier wanted to find a good place in her yard to plant . Mimi Swartz is a staff writer based in Houston. Klein said that one of his top investigators, Caroline Gearwho also happened to be Kleins daughterbegan talking to Chris after he was sent to prison. The attorney generals came in and they wanted to know about a video that did or did not exist. 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. 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. Someone else claimed they saw her driving down Main Street, past the Justice for Tom signs. An online facebook community called Moms4Tom was created. LEWIS, SHAQUILLE JORVOUSA : Booking #: WPJAIL0000029329: Booking Date: 09-07-2022 - 12:46 am: Charges: POSSESSION OF STOLEN PROPERTY - FELONY CONVICTED FELON IN POSSESSION OF FIREARM Possession Of A Firearm Or Carrying Of A Concealed Weapon By A Person Convicted Of Domestic Abuse Ba: Bond: $50000.00: View Profile >>> Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Penny Meek: I mean, our hands are tied. . Interim Chief of Police at Atlanta Metropolitan State College (Official) Dallas, GA. Daniel Serene. You need to do something. There are still so many secrets, and theres no guarantee a grand jury will dislodge new information. Shes not. Skip Hollandsworth: And did you find any evidence that suggested he was not home all night? I believe only on Pennys, not on Chriss. I have asked them to come sit up here tonight cause I want you all to look into the white of their eyes. The bullets shell casing landed on the trucks floorboard. She said she wasnt sure what, if anything, took place in the parking lot. If someone had something to do with his disappearance, I could have tried to protect him. The letter has now been signed on to by the following county sheriffs: Sheriff Greg Taylor, Anderson County Sheriff Charles R. Stewart, Andrews County . Hemphill County Judge George Briant said Nathan Lewis . Suddenly, in households across Canadian, everyone was asking the same question: what new evidence had Rachel Kading unearthed? Caroline Gear: Hold on, hold on, okay, so Nathans the one that asked you to come and play there? Philip Klein: All rightgood evening, ladies and gentlemen; my name is Philip Klein. Theres a possibility that some law enforcement may be involved in either the actual event or the cover-up, he told me. But now I am not sure who was involved. We had the peer reviews with the Rangers. Produced and engineered by Brian Standefer, who also wrote the music. The witness name was Chris Jones. Or even that members of Tom's family knew far more about what had happened . 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. And his story hasnt changed once. At the least, Penny told me, she would like to give her son a proper burial. There have been plenty of bombshell revelations in this complicated and tragic story. I asked Penny how she was doing, living in a town where everyone talks about her. Sheriff's deputies arrested Nathan Lewis, Vale, after he crashed his Ford Ranger into the front yard of Roy and Judith Obermeier June 27. 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. 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. I asked her if she has ever been to the spot where Toms remains were found. 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. In a curious move, Sheriff Nathan Lewis asked Penny for Tom's phone passcode, even though his phone had not yet been recovered. According to a report produced in October, TCOLE was alerted to allegations of document fabrication against Sheriff Lewis by then . Skip Hollandsworth specializes in long-form narratives. 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. Thomass family hired private investigator Philp Klein shortly after he went missing. . J.K. Nickell is our editor and Paul Knight is our fact-checker. MARTINSBURG, W.Va. Berkeley County Sheriff Nathan . In February 2017, three months after Tom had vanished, his backpack was found sitting upright off Lake Marvin Road, a few miles north of town. He suspected she then hid the body out of shame, perhaps even persuading her husband or her older son to help her. While he was interviewed, Lewis gave four documents to investigators. This is ridiculous., In a statement released to the public, Lewis wrote, I am very happy and humble for the great things weve accomplished in the three years as sheriff. Penny Meek on the Walking Bridge in Canadian. Why is that? Heres Chris talking long-distance to Caroline Gear on a prison telephone. 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. I dont know the truth about what happened to Thomas, but I know the truth about where I was. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Maybe that person wouldnt have messed with Tom in the first place if a second person was there. Texas Lege Watch: A House Republican Fights for Chicken Freedom, Texas Monthly Recognized by ASME in the 2023 National Magazine Awards. Philip Klein: Here you go, folks. 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. How was it amusing to dress up as the person youd accused of being involved in your sons disappearance or murder? 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