VAN ZANDT COUNTY, Texas — The attorney for an East Texas sheriff is speaking out after his client was indicted for giving a false statement to a peace officer in connection with reportedly witnessing a deputy use excessive force against an inmate.
According to the Van Zandt County District Attorney's Office, Van Zandt County Sheriff Steve Hendrix, Chief Deputy Jerry Wood and Sgt. Blake Snell were found to have witnessed an event of excessive force by another officer and lied to a Texas Ranger when interviewed in Dec. 2021.
They’ve all been accused of giving false statements to a Texas Ranger last December.
On Jan. 10, 2022, former chief deputy Craig Shelton admitted to the Texas Rangers that he had struck a handcuffed individual in the face without justification, the DA's office said. Shelton has since resigned and has not been charged in the incident.
The trio was indicted on Mar. 25.
According to the indictments, Hendrix, Snell and Wood falsely said they did not see Shelton strike the inmate while knowing the Texas Rangers were investigating.
Hendrix also said that he did not think that anybody engaged verbally with the inmate. Hendrix also said he was not aware Shelton was the subject of a Texas Rangers complaint, the indictments allege.
Snell told authorities he was in close proximity to the inmate at the time of the incident and he did not see Shelton hit the inmate. Snell also denied leading another deputy away from the incident because that deputy "did not need to see the incident," the indictment read.
Wood said he did not hear Shelton apologize for hitting the inmate and during a meeting, Wood said he was not aware that Shelton was the subject of the complaint, according to the indictment.
Giving a false statement to a peace officer is considered a Class B misdemeanor, which in Texas carries a possible punishment of up to 180 days in jail, a fine of as much as $2,000, or both.
"Despite recent media reports and other comments made publicly, no false statement was made during or since the inception of the investigation into the alleged misconduct of Mr. Shelton," Kenneth M. Biggs, Hendrix's attorney, said.
The statement goes on to say, “we believe the charges brought in this indictment are baseless and the sheriff looks forward to defending the allegations in court.”
CBS19 also reached out to county officials for a reaction.
“The misdemeanor indictments do not statutorily mandate, or allow, any type of action by the Commissioners’ Court against the sheriff or the two deputies," Van Zandt County Judge Don Kirkpatrick said.