Jasper County Sheriff's Report

Sheriff’s Report

3-04-2025

There’s been a lot going on this week here at your Sheriff’s office. We are thrilled to be chosen as the “Chamber Member” of the month by the Jasper Chamber of Commerce. It’s an honor to receive this award and it’s because of the job our men and women are doing for the people of Jasper County. 

On February 25, 2025, deputies with the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office and the US Marshal Task Force were working an operation to locate wanted fugitive Steven Wade Earle, 29, of Kirbyville.  Deputies located the suspect’s vehicle and attempted to initiate a traffic stop.  The vehicle failed to stop, and a pursuit ensued which ended when the vehicle came upon a bridge that was out of service.  After a short foot pursuit, deputies captured Mr.

Earle as well as his female passenger, Cheryl Wilson, 37, of Kirbyville.  Mr. Earle was wanted on a Parole Violation warrant and a MTRP warrant for Possession of a Controlled Substance. Ms. Wilson was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance.  Mr. Earle was charged with two additional felonies because of the pursuit this morning.  Deputies located 57.6 grams of meth, 5.7 grams of Xanax and 43 grams of marijuana that were thrown from the vehicle during the pursuit.  I want to commend our deputies and the US Marshal Task Force for their diligence in capturing these two.

On February 26, 2025, Jasper County deputies were deployed to a residence off of U.S. 96 in Call, Texas.  James Tyler Chapman, 41, of Bridge City, Texas was located at the residence.  Mr. Chapman had a felony Theft Warrant out of Orange County.  He was arrested and brought to the Jasper County Jail.

On February 26, 2025, Jasper County CID Investigators obtained arrest warrants for Donny Luckey, 42, of Buna.  Mr. Luckey was arrested and charged with Theft (MA) and Burglary of a Habitation (F2).  Mr. Luckey was arrested and brought to the Jasper County Jail.  

On February 27, 2025, a Jasper County Sheriff’s Deputy initiated a traffic stop on US 96 north of Buna.  After making contact with the motorcycle operator, the deputy conducted a roadside interview.  During the interview, the suspect identified as Michael Butch Brown, 41, of Jasper, attempted to leave.  After several unsuccessful Taser attempts, the deputy was able to hold him down until help arrived.  The altercation lasted approximately 14 minutes.  Mr. Brown, a convicted felon, was arrested and charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, Tampering with ID numbers, Resisting Arrest, and several other charges.  He was placed in the Jasper County Jail. Being a law-enforcement officer can be a very dangerous job; our deputies are often by themselves and assistance can be many miles away in a large county like ours.  Even though they are trained to de-escalate situations, there are times they put themselves in harm’s way to protect the citizens of Jasper County.  

On February 27, 2025, Jasper County Judge Mark Allen and I attended the East Texas Mutual Aid meeting at Smurfit Westrock papermill in Evadale. I spoke to the group about the operations of the Sheriff’s Office and some of the things we are trying to get done. It’s always good when officials can come together and discuss ways to work together, especially in a crisis situation.

On February 28, 2025, I and some staff members attended the “Career Day” at Kirbyville Elementary School. I was happy to speak to our students about being a law enforcement officer and giving them some general safety tips. Big shout out to the staff at KISD for putting this program together.

On February 28, 2025, at approximately 3:57 p.m., we recovered the body of Mr. Steven Morgan in the backwaters of the Neches River in south Jasper County. Mr. Morgan had been missing since February 21, 2025, when he went missing while fishing. I want to thank citizens across our county and the State of Texas for their unwavering assistance during this extensive search. So many people to thank for providing food, supplies, boats, air support and manpower. Although this is not the outcome we wanted, we are very grateful that Mr. Morgan was recovered and returned to his loved ones.

On March 1, 2025, Tanner Womack was arrested on FM 252 near county road #297. Mr. Womack was arrested for Public Intoxication and was wanted for Bail-jumping and Failure to Appear. He was brought to the Jasper County Jail.

On March 1, 2025, a Jasper County Sheriff’s Deputy was deployed to the 400 block of West Lavert Street in Kirbyville in search of Julian Torres. Mr. Torres was wanted for Felony Cruelty to Non-Livestock animals for an incident from October 9th, 2024, where he was accused of beating a dog with a stick. Mr. Torres was arrested and taken to the Jasper County Jail. 

On March 2, 2025, a Jasper County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to a report of a 2018 Yamaha Kodiak four-wheeler being stolen in Evadale.  If you have any information, please contact the Jasper County Sheriff's Office.

On March 3, 2025, a deputy arrested Anthony Threatt for Burglary of a Vehicle (MA) and Theft of a Firearm. The homeowner was woken by his alarm system and found the suspect breaking into his vehicle. The homeowner held him at gunpoint until the deputy arrived. This could have been a tragic output for Mr. Threatt.  Hats off to the homeowner for remaining calm.  Threatt was arrested and brought to the Jasper County Jail. 

On March 3, 2025, JCSO, the US Marshal Task Force and DPS-Highway Patrol did a joint warrant round-up in the Kirbyville Area. Christopher Lee Jones, 30, of Kirbyville was arrested for a Felony MTRP warrant along with other warrants. Trisha Waynette Barrett, 32, of Kirbyville was arrested for a Felony MTRP warrant and Melissa Gayle Ernst, 35, of Kirbyville was arrested for a Felony MTRP warrant.

On March 3, 2025, I spoke to the retired Teachers Association at the Church of Christ in Jasper. It was a privilege to talk to them about the Sheriff’s Office and getting their input.

All persons listed in this report are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

I want to thank the men and women of the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office for their dedication to the citizens of Jasper County. I have been in office for about 60 days and I have been really impressed with their work ethic and the improvements in their professionalism. We work for the taxpayers of Jasper County so please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like us to do anything we are not doing. We are not perfect, but I will ensure we are doing everything we can to provide the citizens of Jasper County unwavering law enforcement services. It’s an honor to represent the people of Jasper County as your Sheriff and please call us if we can help you.

Respectfully,

Chuck Havard

Jasper County Sheriff