Man arrested on warrant that may or may not exist

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By AMANDA KIMBLE
TheFlashToday.com

ERATH COUNTY (February 17, 2017) – A man being held overnight in the Erath County jail was arrested on a warrant Thursday. That’s all that is clear in the case.

Unclear is the reason Tanner Gregory Martin, 21, was being held on a revocation of probation warrant tied to the 2012 shooting death of his brother, Prestin Drew Martin, 13. Officials in Erath County arrested him on a warrant issued by Hamilton County, but officials there say there are no active warrants for Tanner Martin’s arrest.

Erath County Chief Deputy Heath Crossland said a local sheriff’s deputy responded to what was originally a welfare concern on Thursday, reporting a man lying on the ground just off of the highway. The man, identified as Tanner Martin, was on the ground at a roadside weigh station on U.S. Highway 377.

Crossland said when the responding officer ran an identification check on Tanner Martin, they found the revocation warrant, signed by Hamilton County District Judge Phil Robertson in June 2016. Locally, law enforcement officials were doing their job.

Martin was reportedly released from Erath County Jail around 10 a.m. Friday, as The Flash worked to obtain more information on the case.

Prior to his release, The Flash contacted Hamilton County officials. The district attorney and sheriff were not available at the time, but The Flash eventually spoke with Isaac Pertain, chief deputy clerk.

Pertain told The Flash records showed there was no active warrant out of Hamilton County for Martin’s arrest. Jail officials say he was released after posting a $10,000 bond.

Partain said there had been a case for revocation of probation on file, but it was dismissed in November 2016. He also confirmed Martin remains on probation – a 10-year deferred sentence handed down in 2013 in the 220th Judicial District Court.

Records show Martin reached a plea agreement with the office of District Attorney BJ Sheppard, who retired in December, in 2013. The agreement allowed the defendant to avoid being sent to prison for the manslaughter charge – and potentially keep the second-degree felony off his record – in the 2012 shooting death of his young brother.

Tanner Gregory Martin

Martin was 17 years old when the crime occurred and told officials the shooting was accidental.

On Friday, Partain didn’t share the nature of the June 2016 revocation warrant, but he did say it had been disposed of. In revocation cases, defendants could be sent to prison if found in violation of the conditions of the probationary agreement, but according to Partain, there’s no case to proceed with revocation charges at this time.

“There are no active warrants here for Tanner Martin,” Partain reiterated.

A second call to the Hamilton County District Clerk’s office to share information that led to the Thursday arrest in Erath County, Partain said he would contact officials at the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office regarding the situation.

Meanwhile, calls from The Flash to Hamilton County Sheriff Justin Caraway and Chief Deputy Paul Stanley had not be returned at the time of this report.

The Flash will provide additional information on the arrest and warrant as they become available.


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