Paxton announces formation of cold case and missing persons unit

Staff Report

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Paxton Announces Formation of Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit

AUSTIN – Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the formation of the new Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit within the Office of the Attorney General (OAG).

This Unit will aid and support law enforcement agencies across the state in the investigation and prosecution of unsolved cases, including homicides, missing persons, and other matters centered around human identification and forensic genealogy.

The Attorney General envisions that the new unit will provide much-needed support for the approximately 19,207 unsolved homicide cases in Texas.

The Unit’s first case was the result of a request for assistance from the Hemphill County Sheriff’s Office in the case of Thomas Brown of Canadian, Texas.

OAG’s Criminal Investigations Unit assisted in the investigation of Mr. Brown’s death and also assisted the Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit in reviewing all of the collected evidence.

The Unit engaged independent experts to identify any further leads that could be developed. As of today, this case remains a questionable death investigation without sufficient evidence to attribute Tom Brown’s 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.

“The Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit will bring cases that have been left behind – whether that is due to limited resources or insufficient funding – and bring them back into the light,” said Attorney General Paxton. “This unit is a first step in getting closure for many families across our state. I look forward to the unit sharing its expertise with local law enforcement to provide investigative assistance and opportunities for training and science education.”

Like other law enforcement agencies, the Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit does not comment on open investigations.

But due to significant interest from the public and media, the OAG has made a media packet available regarding the Thomas Brown case.

The OAG further requests that anyone with information about Mr. Brown’s death immediately report that information to law enforcement authorities.

Click here to access the press packet.

For additional information about General Paxton’s Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit, please click here. 

Operation “Wash Out” Results in 38 Arrested for Gang-Related Offenses

AUSTIN –The Office of the Attorney General assisted in an operation that resulted in the arrest of 38 fugitives wanted for gang-related offenses.

In Bexar County, the Austin Fugitive Apprehension Unit assisted the United States Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force’s warrant initiative, named Operation Wash Out, from September 20-27.

These efforts focused on members of the most violent gangs in the greater San Antonio metropolitan area.

As a result of this warrant initiative, the following were arrested – including one of Texas’s Top 10 Most Wanted:  

• Moses Calderon – Parole Violation for Murder with a Deadly Weapon and Assault Bodily Injury. Member of Hermanos Pistoleros Gang. Texas Top 10 Most Wanted.  
• Steven Acevedo – Assault Family Violence. Member of Tango Orejon Gang.  
• Samantha Acosta –Possession of Controlled Substance.  
• John Anthony Arroyo – Probation Violation for Smuggling Aliens and Stolen Vehicle.  
• Ruben Benavides – Parole Violation for Aggravated Assault Against Public Servant and 2 counts of Assault Bodily Injury. Member of Klik Gang.  
• Nicholas Blanco – Racketeering and Murder.  
• Ricky Ohara Coleman – Parole Violation for Assault Bodily Injury Family Violence. Member of Wheatley Court Gang.  
• Jonathan Duque – Assault Family Violence.  
• Brenna Farley – 2 counts of Aggravated Assault with Deadly Weapon.  
• Rogelio Gloria Flores – Probation Violation for Manufacturing/Delivery of Cocaine. Mexican Mafia Gang Member.  
• Arturo Garza, Jr. – Aggravated Assault with Deadly Weapon. Member of Texas Mexican Mafia Gang.  
• Ceasar Andrew Gomez – Probation Violation for Amphetamine Possession. Texas Syndicate Gang Member.  
• Adrian Michael Gonzales – Assault Family Violence Strangulation. 
• Monte Joseph Govan – Parole Violation for Aggravated Robbery, Unlawful Restraint and Aggravated Assault with Deadly Weapon. 
• Lane Everett Grinage – Felon in Possession of Firearm. 
• David Anthony Hernandez – Probation Violation for Dangerous Drugs and Probation Violation for Smuggling.  
• Larry Guerrero Hernandez – Parole Violation for Unauthorized Use of Vehicle and Assault Bodily Injury. Member of Mexican Mafia Gang. 
• Linda Flor Ibarra – Aggravated Robbery.  
• Rolando Lopez – Probation Violation for Smuggling Aliens. Taiza Gang Member.  
• Rene Arnold Martinez – Tampering with Evidence and Assault Family Violence. Member of Texas Mexican Mafia Gang.  
• Rafael Resendez – Possession of Controlled Substance.  
• Nathaniel Xavier Ramirez – Probation Revocation for Evading Arrest and Detention with Vehicle. Member of West Side Varrios Gang.  
• Humberto Ramos – Possession of Dangerous Drugs. Member of Hermanos Pistoleros Gang.  
• Michael Roberson – Parole Violation for Possession with Intent to Deliver and Failure to Appear regarding a 2nd DWI. Member of the Bloods Gang.
• Ruben Rocha – Assault Public Servant.  
• Marc Andrew Rodriguez – Assault Family Violence. Member of Tango Orejon Gang.  
• Guzman Carrizales Sambrano – Parole Violation for Homicide and Possession of a Controlled Substance in Penal Institution.  
• Jeremiah Sambrano – Failure to Appear Assault and Escape from Custody.  
• Spurgeon Williams – Probation Violation for Cocaine. Member of East Terrace Crips Gang.   
• Matthew Alexander Woosley – Felon in Possession of Firearm. Member of Tango Orejon Gang.  
• Tyson William Yetts – Parole Violation for Assault Family Member.  
• David Zepeda – Parole Violation for Murder. Member of Mexican Mafia Gang. 

Operation ‘Lucky Charm’ Results in 21 Sex Offender-Related Arrests

AUSTIN – The Office of the Attorney General arrested 21 suspects for sex offender-related offenses. During August and September of 2021, the Houston Fugitive Apprehension Unit (FAU) participated in operation Lucky Charm, an operation focusing on the arrest of suspects with Failure to Register as a Sex Offender and Sex Offender Registration Violation warrants that originated in the Houston metro area.

This operation, funded by the US Marshals Office, allowed Houston FAU investigators to work tirelessly to target sex offenders. During the two-month operation, the following suspects were arrested:

HARRIS COUNTY 

• William Nicks 
• Luis Ovall 
• Jimmie Culton 
• Richard Trahan 
• George Wynn 
• Felipe Ramon Corona 
• Kenneth Doyle Elms 
• Daniel Castillo 
• David Garcia 
• Ronald Peeples 
• Charles Wayne Sherrill 
• Garry Dewayne Davis 
• Jonathan Kurt Young 

MATAGORDA COUNTY

• Stephen Jay Cooke 

ANGELINA COUNTY 

• Edgar Lee Walker 

HIDALGO COUNTY 

• Randall Jay Perry 

BRAZORIA COUNTY 

• Jason Mathew Bulgier  

MONTGOMERY COUNTY 

• Richard Fulcher  
• James Dean Martin 

GALVESTON COUNTY 

• Larry Elton Clark 

DALLAS COUNTY 

• Garland Dwain Cavit

Paxton Leads Multistate Coalition Defending Coach’s Right to Prayer

AUSTIN – Attorney General Ken Paxton led a 23-state coalition defending religious liberty for a high school football coach who was unjustly fired for praying after games.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Coach Joseph Kennedy’s religious discrimination claim against the school district, saying that because Coach Kennedy prayed in view of students, his prayers are considered government speech that the district can censor.

The coalition urges the Supreme Court to review and reverse that decision because of the serious First Amendment concerns it raises.

The Ninth Circuit’s conclusion threatens to make everything a public employee does while on the clock into government speech. In turn, that would require public employers to control their employees’ every word in order to avoid liability.

The Ninth Circuit’s decision curtails the First Amendment liberties of public employees, which will deter individuals from seeking public employment to avoid being forced to give up their constitutionally protected liberties.

The coalition, led by Paxton and the Attorneys General of Alaska and Arizona, filed its brief in the United States Supreme Court.

Read the brief here.  

Paxton Files Environmental Case Lawsuit Announces Expected $3.35 Million Settlement

AUSTIN – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice, named E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. and Performance Materials, NA, Inc., in an environmental lawsuit filed on October 13th in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

The lawsuit alleges numerous violations of state and federal environmental laws at the Sabine River Works Chemical Manufacturing Complex in Orange, Texas.

A proposed settlement was also filed with the Court. The settlement would assess penalties and attorney’s fees against the defendants in the amount of $3.35 million, to be divided equally between the state and the federal government.

The settlement also includes extensive injunctive relief to protect human health and the environment.

“I have fought to protect the health and safety of Texans, and it is important that companies are held accountable when they violate health and safety codes,” Attorney General Paxton said. “This settlement is another win for Texas by upholding the rule of law.”

The Office of the Attorney General represents the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in this matter. The U.S. Department of Justice represents the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Read this settlement here.

Paxton Visits the Border Witnesses Devastation from Biden’s Failed Immigration Policies

AUSTIN – Attorney General Ken Paxton traveled to Del Rio and Brackettville this week to see firsthand the devastating effects of the Biden Administration’s failed immigration policies.

He met with the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas National Guard, Customs and Border Patrol, Kinney County officials, and the Texas Border Sub-Regional Planning Committee to listen to their concerns as they deal with illegal aliens pouring into our country on a daily basis. He also visited the holding facility where a significant number of detainees are brought in.

During a Brackettville town-hall meeting with local residents, ranchers, and property owners, General Paxton reiterated his support for the rule of law and the record-breaking lawsuits he’s filed against the Biden Administration on the border crises alone.

The point was clear – law enforcement resources are spread thin, Texans are infuriated and there is no federal assistance on the way.

“The Biden Administration is ruining our country,” Attorney General Paxton said. “Our president cares more about helping the cartel than our country. I have filed six lawsuits against this careless administration, and more are coming. I will fight the Biden Administration tooth and nail until our citizens find relief.”

View video of the trip here.