The Hillsboro Reporter / KHBR Radio, hillsbororeporter.com
Hill County, TX
A former deputy with the Hill County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) was recently indicted by the March term of the Hill County grand jury.
Alan Markwardt, 59, of Hillsboro was accused of allegedly tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, tampering with government records and theft of property.
The charges were brought to light during an independent audit of the Hill County Sheriff’s Office property room.
Hill County temporary Sheriff Wes Collins said that a firearm and currency were missing and that records pertaining to the items were tampered with.
The audit followed an investigation by the Texas Rangers in December of last year.
During their inspection, Texas Rangers discovered that $560 was missing from the facility, located in the 400 block of Hall Street in Hillsboro.
Following their investigation, Markwardt was fired and charged with tampering with a government record.
The subsequent inspection by the independent auditor reportedly turned up more missing money and a firearm.
Collins said that his office had traced most of the money back to Markwardt following their investigation.
Other indictments made by the grand jury included:
Juan Herrera-Almaraz, 42, of Matamoros, Mexico, money laundering, $100,000 – $200,000; Shaebony Denique Baucham, 32, of Waco, theft of property, $1,500-$20,000; Theodore Brackens Jr., 74, of Hubbard, theft of property, $1,500-$20,000.
Kelvin Burgess, 23, of Cleburne, theft of property, $1,500-$20,000; Nicolas Lupe Briones, 18, of Fort Worth, evading arrest with a vehicle; David Drude, 45, of Arlington, bail jumping.
Shane Alan Erdman, 25, of Garland, possession of a controlled substance; Christy Jane Graham, 37, of Hillsboro, manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance; James Leroy Green, 58, of West, bail jumping.
Jerry Don Harrell, 44, of Hillsboro, manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance; William Don Holland, 31, of Hillsboro, theft of property, $1,500-$20,000; Jeffery Lane Laroux, 46, of Longview, possession of a controlled substance.
Humberto Leal Jr., 39, of Itasca, assault-family violence; Benjamin Jason Marion, 37, of San Antonio, manufacture/delivery of a con-trolled substance; Robert Ray Nitcholas, 31, of Whitney, evading arrest with a vehicle.
Lydia Ann Pina, 32, of Austin, bail jumping; Thomas Ramirez Jr., 52, of Dallas, driving while intoxicated, third or more; Jammall Jakim Ramos, 30, of Austin, fraudulent use/possession of identifying information, 10-50 items and unlawful use of criminal instrument.
William Guy Spirlock, 44, of Itasca, unlawful carrying of a weapon, aggravated assault and robbery; Joni Beth Sutterfield, 32, of Corsicana, theft by check, $1,500 with two or more previous convictions; and Tricheton Sykes, 26, of Houston, possession of a controlled substance; Sergio Valero, 54, of Laredo, driving while intoxicated, third or more.
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International Association for Property and Evidence
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