On Thursday, January 2, 2020 at approx. 7:26AM, the Nolan County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a resident on County Road 126 about a suspicious subject. A white male began knocking on the resident’s door and was asking to buy some bottled water. This individual was acting strange and said he had been lost in the area for over 6 hours. The man was given some water and provided with directions to the Interstate (I-20) highway. The man left walking in the direction of the interstate.
At some point later, the man was given a ride to the I-20 Rest Stop located at about the 257 mile marker of I-20, about 4 miles inside the east side of Nolan County. The resident then called the Nolan County Sheriff’s Office to report this individual and his unusual behavior.
A Nolan County Sheriff’s Deputy was dispatched and upon arriving at the I-20 E. bound rest area, encountered the male subject. The man was very evasive with the Deputy and appeared to be providing a potentially false identity and conflicting information about his actions and movements.
Shortly afterwards, around 8:30AM, another NCSO Deputy arrived and recognized the subject as Edward Weldy. Mr. Weldy has been a previous resident of the Nolan County Jail on several previous occasions.
The two Deputies recontacted Weldy and learned that there was an active arrest warrant issued for Weldy for Parole Violation. The warrant was a “no bond” violation warrant issued by the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole. Once Weldy was aware that the Deputies knew who he was, he bolted and ran away on foot to the south of where the Deputies had located him. Weldy ran south from Interstate 20 into a heavily wooded area. The initial Deputy gave pursuit on foot and other law enforcement officers and agencies began responding.
The entire pursuit of this fugitive lasted almost exactly three (3) hours with Edward Weldy being taken into custody at 11:35AM. The Nolan County Sheriff’s Office received great assistance from the following agencies:
32nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office Investigators
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department – Game Wardens, including a specialized K-9 Game Warden stationed in Nolan County along with another traditional Game Warden.
Texas Department of Public Safety – Highway Patrol Troopers
Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) tracking dogs and horseback search crew.
The quick response and assistance from so many officers was instrumental in keeping the suspect contained within a particular area. A subsequent spotting of the suspect by a BNSF Supervisor was crucial in narrowing the search area leading to the ultimate capture of Weldy.
Weldy will have an additional charge of Evading Arrest added to the parole violation.
Edward Van Weldy, white male, age 33, current address – Nolan County Jail, forwarding address – Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
