Hemphill County Deputy let go following letter addressing credibility from County Attorney
Hemphill County Sheriff's Office Deputy Pyne Gregory has been fired by the Sheriff's Office following a letter from Hemphill County Attorney Kyle Miller to area defense attorneys stating they no longer were accepting cases handled by Gregory. (Courtesy: Hemphill County Sheriff's Office)
CANADIAN, Texas (KVII) — Hemphill County Sheriff's Office Deputy Pyne Gregory has been fired by the Sheriff's Office following a letter from Hemphill County Attorney Kyle Miller to area defense attorneys stating they no longer were accepting cases handled by Gregory.
The Canadian Record is reporting that Hemphill County Sheriff Nathan Lewis confirmed that Gregory was no longer employed by the Sheriff's Office on Friday. Lewis declined to offer any further comment or specifics, telling the Record that he had been advised to say nothing.
Miller's letter, which was dated Apr. 3, said he was refusing all cases submitted by Deputy Gregory for prosecution, claiming "factual issues," which cast doubt on the officer's credibility. Miller added that he had already refused multiple cases submitted by Deputy Gregory "for lack of sufficient probable cause, and/or misapplication of the law."
Simultaneously, 31st District Attorney Franklin McDonough sent a letter to the defense bar advising them that Lewis was the subject of an investigation by the Texas Rangers.
Both letters were sent to members of the defense bar practicing in Hemphill County, explaining that they had received the disclosure because they had been assigned to or hired as counsel, or previously served as counsel, on a criminal case which either Sheriff Lewis or Deputy Gregory had been material witnesses or investigating officers.
The day after ABC 7 News broke the story regarding Miller and McDonough's letters, Texas Department of Public Safety Spokeswoman Sergeant Cindy Barkley confirmed the Texas Rangers had finished their investigation into Sheriff Lewis and their report was on McDonough's desk for review.
No details from that report or any of the investigation's findings have been made available to the public at this time.
However, the Record has confirmed that no charges have been filed against any local official in Hemphill County, nor has a grand jury been empaneled to hear any charges possibly related to the investigation.
News of the investigation led to public speculation that the investigation was connected to the Thanksgiving 2016 disappearance of Canadian High School student Thomas Brown, whose remains were discovered on Jan. 9 this year near Lake Marvin.
In her statement, Barkley quickly dismissed those rumors stating that the investigation was unrelated to the Brown case.
