One Year In: Sheriff Chuck Havard Details Progress, Challenges, and the Road Ahead for Jasper County

This morning, I reflect on the past 12 months of being in office as the Jasper County Sheriff. This year has flown by. The one thing that I can tell you- this job does not come with any instructions. We have overcame many obstacles and are making steady progress to do the very best we can for you and your families. During my campaign, I promised the people of Jasper County that I would work very hard every day and give you my very best. It’s my sincere hope that you are happy with my job performance. I would like to share some accomplishments we’ve made over the past year at the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office:

• Call for service-23,247

• Total # of arrestees processed by the Jasper County Jail- 1,821

• Total # of traffic stops conducted by Jasper County S.O. personnel - 1,223

JCSO Staff- I’m happy to report that we are fully staffed on patrol. With the support of the County Judge and our County Commissioner’s, we were able to add three patrol deputies this year. This is significant. The added deputy positions allow us to increase our patrol visibility and reduce response times. One of my campaign promises was to increase our visibility in and around your neighborhoods, businesses, and schools. We now have more patrol deputies than ever in the history of Jasper County. They’re working hard to reduce thefts, vandalism and violent crimes. Our objective is to keep as many deputies on duty as we can so that our proactive measures deter crime.

Professionalism- one of my campaign pledges was that I was going to increase professionalism, transparency, and credibility of our office. During the past 12 months, we have brought in some of the very best peace officers our state has to offer. The people of this county deserve to be treated with respect and have the utmost confidence in the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office.

Property Audit- Upon taking office on January 1, 2025, a professional audit was conducted of our entrusted property/evidence. Thousands, upon thousands, of items were inventoried and either purged or custody maintained. This was a huge undertaking, but was done in an effort to maintain the integrity and transparency of our office.

Uniforms- a significant accomplishment this year was being able to provide our personnel with professional uniforms, duty belts, and duty weapons. We want this uniform to represent professionalism, dedication and hard work. Our uniforms represent every citizen in our county.

Patrol Vehicles - although this has been a significant challenge, we were able to purchase 13 patrol vehicles (some new and some used) and a new prisoner transport van. Our goal is to move away from leasing vehicles and actually have vehicles that we own. Additionally, we re-branded our cars to a slick new look with the very best safety and reflective material so that our personnel are protected and the vehicles are visible at night.

Jasper County Jail- one of the primary responsibilities of a county sheriff is to run a safe, efficient and clean jail. We have implemented several programs that we feel are extremely beneficial to the incarcerated individuals in our custody. This past year, we partnered with Goodwill, the Lola foundation, Gulf Credit Union and several others to do everything we can to rehabilitate these individuals. Numerous churches across the area are extremely involved in the ministry programs, trying to instill positive changes in our inmates. Regarding housing out-of county prisoners, upon taking office, I immediately increased the daily fee for housing inmates from $45 to $75 and $100 a day for new partners. Additionally, hundreds of hours have been spent re-doing and maintaining the appearance of our facility. I’m also happy to report that the Texas Commission on Jail Standards inspected our facility this year, and we were found to be in compliance. We will continue to make improvements to make our jail more efficient. Finally, we are working on renovating an old recreation room to add an additional 14 beds to our facility. This addition will be a significant benefit to our office and the citizens of our county.

Automated Phone Systems- on January 1, 2025, at approximately 12:05 a.m., my first order of business was to discontinue all automated phone systems at our Communication’s Center. During my campaign, countless citizens expressed displeasure with not being able to talk to a live person when they call us. Because of this change, there have been several instances where our employees immediately deployed life saving resources to people who were experiencing real emergencies. Seconds truly matter during a crisis. This change significantly increased the workload of our employees, but they have met this challenge head on. The phones in our facility ring non-stop and constantly, so we would ask for your continued flexibility and patience when dealing with our Communication’s operators.

Training- in order to have a well trained, educated law-enforcement agency we have to provide the most real and up-to-date training that exists. Our personnel received many needed certifications and capitalized on some really advanced training during the past 12 months. We will continue to train, train, train, train so that our citizens are getting trained and competent professionals.

CID Investigators- we have stationed our CID investigators throughout our county, from the south end to the north end. Their workload is huge and many times they are spread out very thin. But, I will put our CID Division against anybody’s in the nation. Hundreds of cases have been cleared because of their hard work and dedication.

Cristi Ruso case- in April, we were able to convict Colby Tatum for his role in tampering with the body of Cristi Ruso. This case had remained under investigation for several years and I want to commend our former District Attorney Anne Pickle and Lieutenant Jason McClelland for their hard work closing this case.

Josh Larkin Case- several months ago, in partnership with the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, we were able to arrest four individuals in this case. Our staff and the Newton County Sheriff’s Office are working diligently on this case to bring closure to Josh’s family and bring justice to the individuals responsible for his murder.

Unsolved Cases- people in Jasper County can be assured that we are always working on cases that have not been solved. Our investigators are working diligently behind the scenes, trying to gather facts and evidence on multiple serious cases.

Drug Activity- unfortunately, the methamphetamine problem in Jasper County is serious. Over the past year, we have put individuals in jail for the use, possession, dealing, etc.. We are 100% committed and will continue to take a zero tolerance approach towards this problem. This problem is plaguing our communities and endangering lots of lives. At least 60% of individuals incarcerated at the Jasper County Jail are due to methamphetamines. Although we have a long way to go, meth dealers are on the move out of our county. The majority of them who remain, know it’s just a matter of time before we get them.

Administrative Support Staff- effective January 1, 2026, Debbie Berry will be assigned to the Buna Sub-Courthouse as one of our administrative assistants. She will work with our deputies and help process reports and other paperwork, so our deputies can maintain a heavier presence in your neighborhoods. Once again, we want to thank our County Judge and our County Commissioner’s for giving us this position. Debbie will continue to assist the secretarial needs of DPS as well.

Police Academy- in January of 2025, Angelina College began conducting a Police Academy in Jasper County. This was the first time an academy had been offered in Jasper County in over 20 years. 14 cadets graduated and were able to join law enforcement agencies across East Texas in October. We now employ six of those graduates.

Patrol Boat- in June 2025, we made a social media post to assist us in purchasing a patrol vessel for the waterways in Jasper County. And just under 27 hours, we raised over $100,000 and we’re able to purchase our boat. The boat has been outfitted and emergency equipment installed. It is now fully operational for the citizens of Jasper County. Additionally, three of our deputies became Marine Enforcement Officers and this will enable us to increase our law-enforcement presence on our waterways.

Blue Santa Program- were able to raise over $55,000 this year and provide hundreds of needed families with Christmas gifts for children. Next year, our goal is to make it even bigger.

Social media- we went from under 900 followers to almost 25,000 followers in 12 months. Social Media is a needed tool for modern day law enforcement and our social media presence has significantly impacted the clearing of crimes and assisting us in finding wanted fugitives. Not only is this a much needed tool, it’s also a way to provide the public with real-time information and transparency. I will continue to keep the citizens of Jasper County notified through social media platforms and traditional news media outlets.

Mental Health- our partnership with Spindletop is invaluable. The mental health crisis in our county is real and we are doing everything we can to get these individuals the help that they need. I will be doing everything I can this year to work with our state legislators to get more funding for our county to deal with this crisis. I want to thank our employees, Mitch Hanley and Ashley Pena, for the work they do to change lives. They are all over this county on a daily basis trying to provide assistance to the people who need it.

Community Involvement- I will continue to make myself and our employees of the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office available and accessible to the people that employ us – the citizens Jasper County. We work for you and will continue to bridge gaps and make improvements to the services we provide to the people we represent. We could not do this job without your support. The support that you show us is appreciated beyond words.

Law Enforcement Partners- we are very grateful for the outstanding relationships we have with other law-enforcement agencies and elected officials. As most people know, when you have good professional and trustworthy relationships, things get achieved a lot quicker. We appreciate all of our law-enforcement agencies and elected officials in and out of our county. Additionally, we are looking forward to working with our new District Attorney, John Burt. I have known Mr. Burt for many years. He is a problem solver, smart and a fantastic lawyer. He will do an excellent job for the people of our county and our agency. We will continue to work closely with our local, state and federal partners and use every resource we have to make our county safer.

Employees of JCSO- I have never been prouder to lead the group of men and women that we have at the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office. I have learned a great deal from each of them and I am truly amazed at their skills, sacrifices and dedication to our office and the people of Jasper County. Although I receive much of the credit, the credit really belongs to the men and women who are out there every day getting the job done. Our success is always going to be dependent upon our employees. Finally, whether you supported my campaign for Jasper County Sheriff or not, I want you to know that your vote mattered. Your voice matters. I will continue to listen to every resident of Jasper County. I am committed to bringing you the very best law enforcement that you deserve. Law-enforcement that’s fair and compassionate to every member of our county. Going into my second year, there are many other goals that need to be accomplished and challenges that we will have to overcome, but we will face them with hard work, grit and sheer determination.

It is an honor and privilege of a lifetime representing you and your families. I’m grateful and thankful for your trust. If you need me, do not hesitate to contact me at 409-289-5966.

Respectfully,

Chuck Havard

Jasper County Sheriff