WASHINGTON CO. SHERIFF’S OFFICE REPORTS INCREASE IN YEARLY ACTIVITY, HONORS DEPUTIES

  

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office presented a report to county commissioners on Tuesday showing increased activity year-over-year and honoring several deputies for their service.

Sheriff Trey Holleway said a comparison of data between 2024 and 2025, using information recorded through the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), indicated the sheriff’s office handled 1,058 offenses last year.  That total is up 18 percent from the 900 recorded in 2024.

Broken down by category, 215 of the 1,058 offenses are classified as “Group A” offenses, which include murders, assaults, sex offenses and thefts.  The 215 “Group A” figure is a 27 percent drop from 2024’s tally of 293. 

However, the “Group B” category increased by 39 percent, from 607 in 2024 to 843 in 2025.  “Group B” includes drug and intoxication offenses, fraud, and weapons violations.

Holleway said a large driver for the jump in “Group B” activity was a 62 percent increase in what he described as “nuisance crimes”, including trespassing, threats and conspiracy offenses.  That sub-category went from 287 offenses in 2024 to 464 in 2025.  He said it is important for the sheriff’s office to take those cases seriously, as managing those properly can prevent escalation into more serious crimes.

The total number of incident responses for the sheriff’s office also saw sizable growth, moving up 57 percent from 21,701 responses in 2024 to 34,140 in 2025.

Later in the report, Holleway shared details on several commendations recently presented to members of the sheriff’s office.  He then formally recognized Deputy Carson Holton, Deputy Matthew Brown, Corporal Robert McAnally, Sergeant Eddie Martinez and Lieutenant Jesus Montes for their response during a shooting call on December 8^th, where two family members were seriously wounded.  While one of the victims later succumbed to her injuries, Holleway said their efforts epitomize the service asked of those in the line of duty.

Holleway’s report also included a section on activity in the volunteer Citizens on Patrol (COP) program.  He announced that Mark Pennybacker of the COP program recently completed the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Citizens Academy, and that he is looking forward to working with Pennybacker to start up a deputy police academy for local citizens. 

Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the court:

• Passed a resolution for an advance funding agreement with TxDOT to replace bridges at Caney Creek Road and Tigerpoint Road.  County Engineer Wesley Stolz said the agreement typically requires a 10 percent funding match from the county, but it has the option of instead completing equivalent match projects.  The two equivalent match projects the county will take care of are culvert replacements on Gilmore Road at the Wolf Creek tributary and Flewellen Road at the Peach Creek tributary.
• Approved an amendment to the county’s payment processing agreement with CSG Forte Payments, Inc. to allow carrier registration and enable text notification services.  There were no changes to the original agreement terms.
• Approved an Adopt a County Road agreement between the county and John Judas for Pickens Road in Precinct 1.  Stolz said this is the first adopt-a-road agreement approved since the program was adopted in November.
• Approved a change to the existing agreement with Brannon Industrial Group for labor during the annual spring cleanup event.  The change updates the year in the agreement from 2025 to 2026. 
• Discussed a formal notice from PGMS for a service line bore within the county right-of-way of Wolf Creek Road in Precinct 3.  No action was taken.
• Held an executive session to perform an evaluation for the human resources director.

Click here to view the agenda packet from Tuesday's meeting.