Fugitive arrested following manhunt

January 2, 2020 |   |  Community Awareness

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.

Nolan County Sheriff’s Office Reflects Back on Productive Year

December 28, 2019 |   |  Community Awareness

2019 has been a busy year for the Nolan County Sheriff’s Office.  An area that the Sheriff’s Office continues to excel in, is in the area of illegal drug investigations.  Our success is due to a great collaboration between the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) of the Nolan County Sheriff’s Office along with the 32nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office and the Abilene office of the Criminal Investigations Division of the Texas Department of Public Safety.

A key part of our success has also been due to the excellent level of cooperation our office has received from citizens.  Residents calling in tips and giving us valuable intelligence is a crucial part of the effort to combat this type of criminal enterprise.  “Without your help and confidence in us, we would not be this effective” said Nolan County Sheriff David Warren.

The Patrol Deputies of the Sheriff’s Office are to be commended as well for their daily efforts of being the eyes and ears throughout the county.  These Deputies have stopped numerous offenders and violators, made many drug arrests and continued to feed valuable information to the Criminal Investigation Division all while performing their multitude of other duties.  “I am truly blessed to have such a dedicated and competent staff” stated Warren.

A focus for 2019 was to take as many drug dealers off the streets of our county as possible.  Starting in 2017, the CID section of NCSO has conducted a series of operations, with the other two entities previously listed, that have netted a total of 34 felony arrests of drug dealers with most of those being arrested in 2019.  These particular players were not just the “low lying fruit” or just “users” but instead were dealers well up the supply chain that were responsible for bringing in large quantities of methamphetamine, heroin, crack cocaine, powder cocaine, marihuana and other illicit and illegal substances.  “These substances have ruined many lives in Nolan County and are always responsible for a myriad of other crimes committed against our friends and neighbors” Warren commented.  Several of the ones arrested have come here to Nolan County from other parts of Texas or the United States, simply to profit from selling their poison here in Nolan County.

There have thankfully been some tough sentences handed down thanks to the efforts of committed citizens, diligent prosecutors and strong judges here in Nolan County.  The sentences handed down thus far range well over 200 cumulative years with a 90-year sentence on one major drug dealer handed down just a couple of weeks ago.  Several of these offenders remain in our jail awaiting their turn for prosecution.

You may have seen some of our successes in the headlines throughout the past year, but our efforts continue night and day and many times going unnoticed.  Over the last three years, we have made a total of 310 drug arrests, 27 burglary arrests, 20 Unauthorized Use of Vehicle arrests and many other felony cases against criminal offenders in Nolan County.  During this period we have recovered 12 stolen vehicles and a substantial amount of assorted stolen property including guns, jewelry, knives, tools, etc..  “We won’t slack off and we don’t give up.  We work for you, the citizens of this great county, and we will continue to make Nolan County a safer place to live, work and raise your family.” stated Sheriff Warren.

A fugitive’s run from the law has come to an end!

December 20, 2019 |   |  5 Comments  |  Community Awareness

On Friday, December 20, 2019, Investigators with the Nolan County Sheriff’s Office, 32nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office and Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) executed an operations plan to affect the arrest of Dalton Dauel, a known fugitive. Mr. Dauel has been avoiding detection by law enforcement and in the meantime, was believed to be armed as he has been committing numerous crimes against persons and property. The investigators along with an officer with the Sweetwater Police Department found Mr. Dauel barricaded in a residence located in the 800 block of Sam Houston. Once discovered, he fled the area on foot and after a brief pursuit, Mr. Dauel was apprehended without incident in the 600 block of West Arkansas. He was then transported to the Nolan County jail and released to jail staff.

“Nolan County Meth Meltdown” – Sentencing Continues

December 13, 2019 |   |  7 Comments  |  General

On Wednesday, December 11, 2019, the 32nd Judicial District Court sent a very strong message to those who choose to poison our community with illegal drugs, by sentencing a prolific supplier of Methamphetamine and Heroin to a total of 90 years in a Texas prison.

Zackary Dewayne McDonald, 35, of Coleman, pled guilty for his role in an organized crime ring, dedicated to the sale of illegal drugs in Nolan County. McDonald was arrested, as part of a joint investigation involving Nolan County Sheriff’s Office – Criminal Investigations Division, Texas Department of Public Safety – Criminal Investigations Division (Abilene) and Investigators with the 32nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

McDonald began bringing drugs into our community sometime in April of 2018 when he would bring in approximately two ounces of methamphetamine every other day. This amount quickly increased to a pound a week and eventually to two pounds a week. In addition to the methamphetamine, McDonald was also bringing in an ounce of heroin every three to four days.

Investigators caught wind of McDonald’s activity on September 13, 2018, and immediately began an extensive investigation. This investigation led to the arrest of McDonald, six days later, on September 19, 2018.

Through investigation, it was discovered that McDonald was the main source of supply of methamphetamine and heroin for Matthew Lee McQueen II, 28, and his girlfriend, Sierra Cheyann Jones, 24, both of Sweetwater, who would then disburse the illegal drugs into our communities. The couple at the time were two of the most prominent drug dealers in Nolan County, but their activities would come to an abrupt end after being arrested.

McDonald was eventually released on bond, after his arrest, so the investigation into his illegal activities continued. McDonald was placed under surveillance, which resulted in his arrest again on November 14, 2018, when he was headed to Sweetwater with approximately 11 ounces of methamphetamine. After this arrest, McDonald admitted to investigators that since his release on bond in September, he had made an additional three or four trips to Sweetwater, bringing in approximately a 1/4 pound of methamphetamine each time, to McQueen.

Estimated quantities of methamphetamine that McDonald brought into Nolan County, based on his own admission are in the range of 22 pounds, an estimated street value of approximately $211,200.00.

Members of the Nolan County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Department of Public Safety (Abilene) and Investigators with the 32nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office began a sweep of 25 defendants who helped move or sell methamphetamine and heroin in the Nolan County community and abroad.

As part of this joint investigation, Matthew Lee McQueen II was arrested on January 8, 2019, and Sierra Cheyann Jones was arrested on January 10, 2019. McQueen pled guilty and would go on to be sentenced to 54 years in a Texas prison and Jones pled guilty and was sentenced to 20 years in a Texas prison.

Also arrested in part of this organized crime ring were, Eric Acosta, Lizette Ann Acosta, Chance Brooke Benson, Charles Ray Carrington, Daniel Lee Cosby, Jason Lee Cosby, Arnulfo Delgado, Adam Martin Garza, Shawn Lucas Garza, Christopher Joseph Hamm, Jody Shane Jones, Moses Jacob Lara, Michael Alan Ledbetter, Katie Louise McQueen, Curtis Mathis Mahula III, Douglas James Monday, Michael David Morgan, Mark Randall Murry, James Allen Parker, Francisco Javier Pena, Tyler Scott Polk, Monica Rodriguez and Helena Jade Tollison.

Sergio Salinas, 26, of Dallas who was the main source of supply to Zackary McDonald was arrested in Nolan County on November 9, 2019, along with his brother, Jose Alberto Salinas, 20, also of Dallas. The brothers were in possession of over a pound of methamphetamine, destined for Sweetwater, Texas. Sergio Salinas is currently in Federal custody, and his brother, Alberto was released on bond. Both are pending judicial process in Nolan County for engaging in organized criminal activity.

Of the 28 defendants, 16 have been adjudicated. All cases in this investigation that have been resolved have yielded over 200 years of Texas prison sentences.

The same team of investigators and agents had recently dismantled several other drug distribution organizations within Nolan County, which resulted in numerous arrests. The defendants in these arrests received sentences exceeding 300 years combined, in Texas prisons.

There are other illegal organizations in Nolan County that are currently being targeted and like all the others, they too will be dismantled.

Civil Process Scam Alert

October 23, 2019 |   |  General

On Wednesday, October 23, 2109, the Nolan County Sheriff’s Office received a telephone call from a concerned citizen, who told us that they just received a telephone call from someone claiming to work for the “Nolan County Civil Department.” The concerned citizen went on to say that their caller ID displayed “Nolan County Sheriff’s Office.” The concerned citizen told us that they were suspicious, almost immediately, for several reasons. The concerned citizen said that the caller spoke with an accent that was very hard to understand. Thankfully this concerned citizen listened to their instincts and called us to verify the legitimacy of the call.

We informed the concerned citizen that we had no civil papers for them. We want to remind you all that we do not call people to inform them of a warrant, of civil process, or any other legal process.

This phone call was a SCAM, and the Nolan County Sheriff’s Office telephone number was “spoofed.” These con artists are very sophisticated and had the technology to make it appear that they are actually calling from our phone number. When these scammers get you on the phone, they will tell you that you have a warrant or civil papers, but then “give you a chance to pay the fine/fee” over the phone. They may ask for a credit/debit card, or they may ask you to send the money via Western Union/Money Gram, or they may ask you to purchase a pre-paid money card and send it to them. We urge you to contact our office if you receive such a call and definitely don’t give the caller any personal information or payments. 

Remember, if you have a warrant, we will come to you unannounced; we will not call you, and if you have civil papers, we will mail you a postcard and then attempt to serve those papers to you at home, where we will leave a door hanger, if you’re not home when we come. (see photo below)

If you have any questions, give us a call at 325-235-5471.

Sheriff David Warren sworn in as new Director of SAT

August 9, 2019 |   |  1 Comment  |  General

Nolan County Sheriff David Warren was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Sheriffs’ Association of Texas at their 141st Annual Training Conference held in San Antonio, July 27 – July 30, 2019. More than 1,500 participants were in attendance at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center where they heard outstanding speakers, had opportunities for significant and timely training sessions, and visited more than 240 exhibits showcasing some of the latest technology in law enforcement.

Sheriff Warren has been the Sheriff of Nolan County since January 2009. He distinguishes himself in his county and throughout the State as he assumes this leadership tole in the Sheriffs’ Association of Texas.

The Sheriffs’ Association of Texas is one of the oldest law enforcement associations in the nation. The Sheriffs of Texas met for the first time on August 14, 1874, in the courthouse in Coriscanna, Navarro County, Texas. The meeting was called to order by Sul Ross, Sheriff of McLennan County, who later became a notable part of Texas history. The Sheriffs of Texas began annual training conferences in 1878. These training conferences today are the largest composite gathering of law enforcement officers in Texas. Sheriffs and other county and local law enforcement officers, federal and state officers, and major industry security personnel attend. In addition to the annual training conferences, the Association conducts training throughout the year for law enforcement officers. The Sheriffs’ Association of Texas serves a liaison with federal, state, county and municipal agencies and associations to promote cooperation, training, education, and more efficient services to the citizens of Texas.