Jasper County Sheriff’s Report - 01/20/2026

The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office is proud to announce that Jail Administrator, Kenny Widner, has been chosen as the employee of the month for December 2025. Widner, a 40+ year law-enforcement veteran, has been the Jasper County Jail Administrator since January of 2025. Under his leadership, our jail has been transformed in many different areas. He has been responsible for a complete makeover of the jail, implementing many constructive programs to reduce recidivism rates and directly responsible for the supervision of our employees and inmates. Because of his hard work, our jail recently passed a comprehensive inspection by the Texas Jail Commission. When Kenny accepted this position in January 2025, he accepted one of the most demanding and time-consuming positions in our Sheriff’s Office. He has handled this position with a high level of professionalism, grace, and determination. He holds his employees very accountable and does his very best to make a positive impact on the individuals incarcerated in our facility. He is one of the most knowledgeable and classiest officers I’ve ever had the opportunity to work with. I appreciate the sacrifices he and his family have made on behalf of the citizens of Jasper County and our Sheriff’s Office”. My congratulations.

Effective January 31st, 2026, Jail Administrator, Kenny Widner is set to retire. “When I took office, the selection of Kenny Widner as the jail administrator was one of the easiest decisions I made. He stepped up and committed himself to doing the best job that he could when he could have chosen an easier path and stayed at his former position that had little to no stress. Instead, he chose the hard path and made a very profound impact on our jail and our entire office. I couldn’t be more proud of Kenny and all his accomplishments. It has been an honor working with him, and the citizens of Jasper County owe him a great deal of gratitude for the sacrifices he and his family have made over the past year.” Congratulations Kenny for your much deserved retirement!

“After careful consideration, Joe Pomponio will be promoted to be the new Jail Administrator effective February 1st, 2026. Joe is currently our Jail Captain and brings 32+ years of experience to his new position. Joe is one of the hardest workers at our office and is the first one to step up and accept additional responsibility. No matter the task he is assigned, he always gets the job done. He understands the importance of forward thinking and he will continue to improve the effectiveness of our jail. His hard work and loyalty make him the right choice. His new role will be extremely stressful and demanding, but he is going to do a great job. I’m looking forward to working with him in his new role. The citizens of our county expect this jail to be clean, safe, and efficient. My expectations of our facility are extremely high and I know Joe will meet and exceed every one of them.” Congratulations Joe!

On January 14th, 2026, I participated in a Town Hall meeting at Buna’s Bread of Life Church. We discussed many issues that affect our communities and had lengthy discussions regarding the goals and objectives of the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, including how we all can work together to provide a safer community for our families. At the end of my presentation, members of the congregation asked many questions and I truly appreciated their engagement. I listened to their concerns and was truly impressed with their willingness to do everything they can to help us protect our citizens and property. I appreciate Brother Byron Johnson and his church for putting this meeting together. We are grateful for the support and trust the community places in us.

On January 15th, 2026, Governor Greg Abbott appointed John E. Burt of Buna as the new Jasper County District Attorney. He was previously the 1st Assistant Criminal District Attorney for Jasper County. He also served as an Assistant Criminal District Attorney in Newton County, an attorney in private practice, and as both the assistant superintendent and superintendent of Buna Independent School District (BISD). He is a member of the Texas District and County Attorneys’ Association and is the former president of the Buna ISD School Board. Burt earned a Bachelor of Arts in Physics and a Master of Education in Administration from Lamar University and a Juris Doctor from the South Texas College of Law. We are looking forward to working with Mr. Burt and his staff. Congrats, Mr. Burt!

On January 16th, 2026, Hon. Mark W. Allen, Jasper County Judge, was officially sworn in as President of the Southeast Texas Regional Planning Commission, a historic event for Jasper County. This is a tremendous honor not only for Judge Allen, but for Jasper County, representing leadership across the four-county Southeast Texas region, including Jefferson, Orange, Hardin, and Jasper Counties. Judge Allen’s selection reflects his steady leadership, commitment to collaboration, and dedication to strengthening regional planning, emergency management, infrastructure, and economic development efforts for all our communities. Congratulations, Judge Allen, on this well-deserved milestone and for leading Southeast Texas. Thank you for what you do for the citizens of Jasper County and across Southeast Texas.

On a sad note, former Jasper County Sheriff and former Jasper County Judge Joe Folk passed away this past week, after a lengthy illness. He served this county with integrity, dedication and honor for many years. Before serving as the County Judge and County Sheriff, he spent decades in public education and served in various leadership roles. Judge Folk was a man of integrity and devoted his entire life to public service. His commitment to the people of Jasper County is unmatched and he will be missed by many. He truly has left an outstanding legacy throughout East Texas. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and our entire community during this difficult time.

In February 2024, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office took two Burglary of a Habitation reports in the Buna area of Jasper County. Evidence was collected and sent off for analysis and testing.

In 2025, Investigator Karli Cherry took the cases which had no developments and found multiple similarities leading to the belief that both cases had one suspect.

In September of 2025, after following up on evidence submitted, a DNA hit was found in both cases and indeed it was the same suspect who was incarcerated in the Texas Department of Corrections for other burglaries out of Jasper County.

After a search warrant was executed with the help of the Texas Rangers, on January 6, 2026, confirmation was received that Malcom Lynn Fuselier Jr. was the suspect in both burglaries.

Investigator Cherry presented probable cause affidavits and warrants were issued by County Judge Mark Allen for two counts of Burglary of Habitation, which is a 2nd Degree Felony. Detainers were placed on Fuselier Jr. When he completes his incarceration, he will be transported back to the Jasper County Jail to answer for his crimes. I would like to thank Investigator Cherry for her dedication and persistence with these cases.

On January 12th, 2026, Deputy Harrell was notified of a piece of mail that was found among numerous trash bags that were dumped on County Road 826. Deputy Harrell located the person and identified her as Kayla Mabee, 38, of Buna. Upon questioning Mabee, she immediately confessed and apologized stating that she and her husband had to get rid of the trash, but the dump was closed. In lieu of an arrest, the two had to clean up the trash. Mabee was also issued a citation for Illegal Dumping- Class C Misdemeanor.

On January 14th, 2026, at approximately 12:22 A.M., Deputies with the Jasper County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to an address on FM 1004 in Buna regarding a civil standby. Once Deputies arrived, they discovered a disturbance had occurred and both parties had assaulted each other. Both parties declined to pursue charges. Deputy Hoke conducted a warrant check and found one of the parties involved, Conroy Graffangnino Jr, 42, of Buna, was wanted on an outstanding warrant out of Tyler County for Assault Causing Bodily Injury - Class A Misdemeanor. The warrant was confirmed and Deputy Hoke placed Graffagnino under arrest and transported him to the Jasper County Jail.

On January 15th, 2026, Conner Haltom, 19, of Kirbyville, was arrested at the Kirbyville High School. Haltom had three outstanding felony arrest warrants, for probation violations stemming from Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity. My staff and I are committed to combating criminal activity in Jasper County. We would like to thank officials at the Kirbyville Independent School District for their cooperation and assistance in this case.

On January 15th, 2026, at approximately 6:45 a.m., I received credible information regarding the whereabouts of Jasper County fugitive, Jacob Hunter James, 18, of Jasper. The tipster stated that James was in Robinsville, North Carolina. James was wanted out of Jasper County for Tampering with Electronic Monitoring and a Burglary warrant - all felonies. I immediately contacted Graham County North Carolina Sheriff Brad Hoxit and Chief Deputy Travis Brooks. Authorities in North Carolina immediately deployed an operations response team to the alleged location. Once they arrived at that location, James was taken into custody without incident. Additionally, James’s grandfather, William Bret McCollister, 58, of North Carolina, was charged with harboring a fugitive. Other charges are possibly pending. It is alleged that McCollister recently traveled to Jasper County and took custody of James and brought him back to North Carolina to avoid arrest. We have spent many man-hours recently trying to locate James. Once again, the public has helped us track down another wanted fugitive, this time, even in another state.

I want to thank Sheriff Brad Hoxit and Chief Deputy Brooks for their quick response. We appreciate our out-of-state partners tremendously. We are still investigating to ascertain if anyone in Jasper County helped harbor James, and if we can prove they have, they will be arrested and charged with harboring as well. No matter where our fugitives are located, we will hunt them down and go get them and bring them back to Jasper County so they can answer for their charges. James will be extradited back to Jasper County very soon.

On January 17th, 2026, a search warrant was executed, and a large-scale search operation was conducted on a piece of property located on County Road 418 outside of Kirbyville. This was a joint operation between the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, Newton County Sheriff’s Office and Texas Equusearch. The search was an effort to locate the remains of Josh Larkin, a Kirbyville man who went missing in November of 2022. Additional information has been recently obtained regarding this property and it remains the focus of the investigation. The search was very meticulous, strategic, and comprehensive. We had some of the best searchers in the state assisting us and utilized some of the most advanced technology available. There were some items found that we believe may contain some evidentiary value. We are extremely thankful to our staff and Texas Equusearch. Texas Equusearch provided approximately 50 volunteers, along with several pieces of machinery and the most up to date searching technology available. Our agency owes a great deal of gratitude to Tim Miller and his members. This case, along with other cases, is extremely important to us and we will continue to do everything possible to give families closure. We will not slow down; we will only continue to work harder and turn over every stone and chase every lead. Finally, I want to thank the property owner and her family for being so cooperative today. It’s easy to forget, but we must remember. There have been several families that have been torn and ripped apart over this tragedy. They, too, want the truth.

On January 18th, 2026, Deputies Kaylor and Morgan went to a residence at the 4000 Block of FM 1131 in Evadale, in attempt to locate a wanted fugitive, identified as Stephen Costlow, 59, of Vidor. Deputies made contact with Costlow and placed him under arrest. Costlow had three active warrants for Bail Jumping. The original charges were Stalking (F3), Evading Arrest Detention (MA), and Violation of Bond/ Protective Order (MA). Costlow was transported to the Jasper County Jail without incident.

Everyone listed in this report is innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

We are here for you and your families, 24/7. It is a privilege and honor to represent the people of this county.

Respectfully,

Chuck Havard

Jasper County Sheriff