He is a very unreliable witness. Penny Meek: And so, I guess peoplepeople are always going to think what they want to think, in every circumstance. Nathan Lewis 401 Purcell Ave Canadian, Texas 79014 (806)323-5324 Visit Department's Homepage County: Hemphill. In fact, lie detector test results arent permitted in court as evidence. By the train tracks. Sheriff Lewis continued, explaining to the family that after locating the vehicle, police had taken search dogs to the scene, the dogs were able to lock on to Toms scent following it for a mile east, toward the banks of the Canadian River . Due to the poor quality of the recording, Holmes recapped what Jones said. The county attorney said, Hey, Nathan, we have way too much heat on us [over the Tom Brown case], Lewis recalled. By Jarrett Lewis. Christian graduated in May from Oklahoma State and landed a job as a forensic scientist at the Department of Public Safety in Waco. 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. 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. And she did everything that she could think of doing to find him. Skip Hollandsworth: And what was the result of his answers? Chris Jones: I was like, Im not going to go to school in 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. This idea was pioneered by Christian identity minister William Potter Gale in the 1970's and described as Posse . 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. Sheriff maintains tax records. 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. Updated: Apr. Thomass family has questioned if that happened in his case. It showed no signs of damage from rain or ice storms, which meant it had to have been planted shortly before the search began. Almost a year later, Toms skull and a few of his bones were found at the end of Lake Marvin Road. 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. Chris said he never saw Tom again. And in the meantime, weve ruined the sheriff and his familys life. Penny said theyve even been blamed for a faltering economy; it just so happened that an oil bust had begun ravaging the region the same year Tom disappeared. I mean, hes supposed to be a big investigator, and thats his theory? And that process is, you bring in all witnesses; they testify under oath. Jos R. Ralat is Texas Monthlys taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food. 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. I noticed people inching forward in their seats. I mean, this has been our home for a hundred years. Hemphill County Sheriff Nathan Lewis has sent an appeal to the Texas Attorney General's Office, requesting that it take over the . Part of the town thinks he committed suicide. Chris Samples: Welcome in to the program; it is Thursday, October the twenty-first. But kidnapping Tom was supposed to inspire Chris to play harder and win a playoff football game? Incredibly, the phone was in perfect condition. Theres been a lot of stories. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Mimi Swartz is a staff writer based in Houston. According to the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, investigators had been gathering intelligence, which led them to believe that a substantial amount of narcotics and firearms were located at Lewis' residence. Jason Wert. Im the senior investigator from a company called Klein Investigations and Consulting and Texas Professional Bodyguards LLC out of Nederland, Texas. The exact location of the remains has not been released. . She would have done anything for Tom, said Mary Alice Hughes, who first met Penny when she was a freshman and Penny was in eighth grade. This page was created to raise awareness of Tom's case and to spread the word throughout social media. We get out there with our water bottles, and we get our butts out there in the streets and we find out whats going on. (LogOut/ Questions and rumors have surrounded Thomas Browns case for almost five years. 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 . Read earlier chapters and learn more about the. It could be the ten-year anniversary. Philip Klein: And were gonna tell you about the manner of death. Its very hard for me to think about., Christian also told me something I wasnt expecting. 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. On February fourteenth, I said, Happy Valentines Day. But were not here, like I said earlier, to make you feel good. A previous investigation by Niccole Caan, who has been following Thomas case since he went missing, showed former Hemphill County Sheriff Nathan Lewis submitted falsified training reports for his duties to Texas Law Enforcement Commission (TCOLE), which oversees law enforcement agencies in the state. Our theme music is No Hard Feelings by the Avett Brothers. Where is your documentation? Her attorney filed 10 . He had told a few close friends he was afraid that people in Canadian would hear that he sometimes liked wearing adult diapers. 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. But none of the physical evidence seemed to make any sense. Indeed, as the meeting began, Klein teased that he was ready to reveal everything. Everybodys going to have an opinion. Chip Gaines Bought Larry McMurtrys Historic Texas Bookstore. SHARE. Or that he had been kidnapped and sold to a sex-trafficking ring. In a curious move, Sheriff Nathan Lewis asked Penny for Tom's phone passcode, even though his phone had not yet been recovered. Clapp also said it wasn't quoted, outside the realm, of Lewis fabricating a document because he manufactured a supplement for a missing person a year and a half after it happened. And he came up with a report on that a year and a half after the fact.". Rachel Kading: Yes. My word to you is this: spend time with your family and enjoy everything God is giving you.. Griffith, 35, was taken into custody in Delray Beach, Florida, just after 4:00 a.m. 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 . The Unit engaged independent experts to identify any further leads that could be developed. Someone said she thought she saw Kading talking to the new sheriff, Lewiss former chief deputy Brent Clapp. But who? February 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? Rachel Kading: If they possessed Toms phone after his disappearance. 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. Then on the night of Nov. 24, 2016, Thomas Brown suddenly vanished. Youre done, thats it. She had entered that profession largely because of Tom. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ). CANADIAN, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) The investigation of Hemphill County Sheriff, Nathan Lewis, has been closed. And former deputy Pyne Gregory has a gun to Tom Browns head. . 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. If you have completed an application hard-copy, it will need to be turned in to the Human Resources Office of Jackson County at 10 S Oakdale, Room 200, Medford, Oregon, 97501. This call is hard to hear, but youll get the gist. I really dont know, and I dont have any ideas anymore of who it could be., Christian still doesnt come home very often. You all did fantastic. Im sorry. 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? I dont know the truth about what happened to Thomas, but I know the truth about where I was. Yes, sir, she said. Rachel Kading: Theres no evidence that the sheriffs office asked her for the passcode. As of today, this case remains a questionable death investigation without sufficient evidence to attribute Tom Browns death to a criminal act, an accidental death, or a suicide; therefore, this case will be suspended until such time as additional reliable evidence has been discovered.". Sheriff. Just going to keep teaching school and doing whatever I can to bring answers for Thomas. . This button displays the currently selected search type. Merriam Woods Police Chief Nathan Lewis has been fired. Skip Hollandsworth: But youre not going to go public with it. 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. Before I left Canadian, I drove by some of the towns landmarks. Chris went on to tell Gear that Sheriff Lewis was working for a local gambling ring that wanted Chris to play well in certain games and deliberately throw other games so they could collect big on their bets. After officials executed a warrant to search the house, they found a felony amount of methamphetamine (2.02 pounds) along with multiple firearms. Updated: Oct. 26, 2018 at 7:57 PM PDT. They also said Clapp, who was recently dismissed, has been reinstated to his former position. And did she, months later, plant the phone by Lake Marvin Road, where it was found? But as Klein told the crowd all he had done to find out what had happened to Tom, he insisted, over and over, that he had found nothingnot a single piece of evidenceimplicating Penny, Chris, or Tucker. 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. She knows something. The former reality star was charged . Were they convinced that another story line might emerge? Just before midnight, he said goodbye. Theres a possibility that some law enforcement may be involved in either the actual event or the cover-up, he told me. As for Penny, she says shes not giving up on her investigation, either. The attorney generals came in and they wanted to know about a video that did or did not exist. Its our fault people dont want to come here. The year before, Toms mother had filed a complaint against Lewis for allegedly harassing her son. The city's Board of Alderman made the decision during a closed session on Thursday, Feb. 9. Deputies went to the Golden Springs area around 6 p.m. and found . If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. Furious with Klein, some members of the audience let loose. The Hemphill County Sheriffs Office was put in charge of the investigation, but Thomas was not found. 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. We hope for that every day. Produced and engineered by Brian Standefer, who also wrote the music. . 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. We have some evidence from what some witnesses are telling us.. . . Philip Klein: . Just about everyone assumed he would announce the names of the teenager and the father who were involved in the parking-lot shooting. We believe that there was a period of a bad relationship between families up there.. That weekend, the Wildcats were in the state football playoffs, and Chris said that Lewis told him the gamblers were banking on a Wildcat victory. The Canadian rumor mill hadnt stopped churning. PICKENS COUNTY, Ga. - A homicide suspect was taken into custody Thursday evening, the Pickens County Sheriff's Office announced. Chris Jones: Yeah, when he took the goggles off me. Fact. The accident report, 911 call, radio communications and body camera footage, as well as the dispatch report, were released after the accident. Home New Members Photos. Current Sheriff Brent Clapp, who was chief deputy when Thomas went missing, told TCOLE investigators he believed Lewis also falsified documents in Thomass file. The . Thats like a movie, he said. 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. You might remember from earlier episodes of the podcast that I spoke to various people about Toms personal struggles. Maybe that person wouldnt have messed with Tom in the first place if a second person was there. 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