It has been one year since former Jacksonville Texas peace officer Larry Pugh filed a civil appeal in the U.S. District court. Who is Larry Pugh? Pugh is a name that taints all that honorably "protect and serve."

Described as rogue officer by the Daily Progress newspaper of Jacksonville, Larry Pugh's victims included several who were unfortunate enough to be pulled over for a traffic violation. Is it any wonder little old ladies and women coming home from work at night in Texas are afraid to pull over?

(video of elderly woman afraid to pull over during a traffic stop in Dallas, Texas: http://www.trutv.com/video/hot-pursuit/hello-911-im-being-arrested.html?link=truTVshlk)

But the victim that brought Federal Investigation to Cherokee County was Evelyn Lewis.

Lewis had been walking home from a friends house one night, when Pugh in his patrol car, picked her up, took her to an abandoned house and repeatedly raped her, threatening to shoot her if she did not comply. Lewis said that she got "the run around from the police department" when she brought her complaint and that her statement was even postponed by the Cherokee County DA office. The FBI became involved when Pugh later retaliated and reportedly attempted to drag the woman to his van, with a belt around her neck, but the belt broke and the woman was able to flee.

This is just a bare-bones summary of what came to a head in Cherokee County, Texas in 2007.

Despite over 35 complaints of sexual assault throughout Pugh's law enforcement career, he was employed by the city of Jacksonville as a peace officer until the FEDERAL INVESTIGATION brought him down. The case was prosecuted by the US Attorney's office.

The investigation brought to light some disturbing issues.

Terri Renee Troublefield was slated to testify against Pugh, but disappeared in May 2006. Also linked to Pugh, Shunte Coleman disappeared on July 2, 2006. The skeletal remains of Terri Troublefield were found, a year later, in the Angelina Forest over Labor Day weekend in 2007. Both women disappeared while Pugh was out on bond from federal court, and before his arrest in August for wrapping a belt around the neck of witness, Evelyn Lewis and repeatedly trying to drag her to his vehicle. Lewis is reported to have barely survived the attack.

Cherokee County District Attorney Investigator Joe Evans interviewed the other 8 victims involved in the Lewis case, and later testified that he interviewed over 30 alleged victims and the persons, including ministers and police officers, who substantiated these womens' claims. Evans comments at Pugh's civil trial that the rogue officer was "one of the coldest interviewees in Evans' 40 years of law enforcement."

Some of the local papers have been careful to not report that there were other victims.

During the time of the complaints, not only did the city continue to employ Larry Pugh, but he was also aided by the Freedom of Information Act to locate the majority of his complainants. Once his accusers were located, he arrested several of them on drug charges. "Pugh was therefore assisted by local law enforcement in locating those who had filed police reports or visited the Rape Crisis Center in Jacksonville, Texas." states a website.

Lewis, cannot proceed with her civil suit against the city of Jacksonville, according to the May 27, 2007 issue of the Jacksonville Daily Progress, but according to the June 13, 2007 issue of a local Tyler paper, she was awarded $300,000 in punitive damages to try and collect from the incarcerated convicted ex-officer.

How, you might ask is it possible that the city after ignoring rape complaints will not be held liable? The Jacksonville Daily Progress reported on May 24, 2007 that a U.S. District Judge blocked the civil suit brought by Pugh's last victim, in which a total of 8 women claimed rape in the lawsuit, by Summary Judgment.

"Remaining witnesses and plaintiffs against Jacksonville, Texas and police officer Larry Pugh have either had their cases dismissed or the plaintiffs/complainants themselves have vanished', reports the cherokeecountytexas.wordpress.com.

As if this disturbing account of events were not confusing enough, another legal issue involving Larry Pugh against the city of Jacksonville was happening around the same time.

During this next suit, even though the above happenings were under investigation, they were not yet made public or brought up during the litigation.

Larry Pugh is also accused of beating and tasering an Afro American gentleman and his pregnant wife during 2004 at the cities historic football field, the Tomato Bowl, during a riot.

The "Tomato Bowl Brawl" was a race riot that occurred at the Jacksonville, TX high school football stadium and homecoming in October 2004. Anonymous sources state that "The tomato bowl fights broke out because of the police got rough escorting a girl out of the stadium. They started it." According to media sources the story goes something like this. What began as juvenile rough housing, turned into a full blown race riot, complete with tasers, pepper spray and billy clubs.

The class action suit alleged that officer Larry Pugh beat several black attendees in the parking lot. A gentleman named Larry Hinton escorted his pregnant wife to their car, when the fighting broke out. He was by attacked and tasered by JPD Officer Pugh, his front teeth knocked out and his pregnant wife maced.

Hinton was later charged with "interfering" with a police round-up. Mr. Hinton was actually put on trial by the Cherokee County attorney Craig Caldwell. Mr. Hinton and others filed a federal lawsuit and excessive force suits against the city of Jacksonville. Jacksonville "settled" the lawsuits pending from Larry Pugh's actions during the Tomato Bowl Brawl, after the exoneration of Mr. Hinton and other black citizens filed class action police brutality suits.

The bogus Larry Hinton criminal trial took place AFTER Officer Larry Pugh was arrested and incarcerated for sexual assaulting women while in uniform and while the DA office was interviewing the 25-30 witnesses of the sexual misconduct of officer Pugh . Mr. Hinton was later acquitted, as was a 13 year old girl, the center of the altercation. It was alleged that Cherokee County officers had "arrested" and kicked the junior high girl, when fellow citizens jumped into the fray "created by Cherokee County officers". The Cherokee County media reported on Larry Hinton's "public misconduct" trial after citizens taking a stand against police brutality took to the Rusk, TX courthouse steps in protest.

The city of Jacksonville, TX and the family of Larry Hinton "settled" the civil rights class action suit for an undisclosed amount.

Larry Pugh's sentence? Twelve years in FEDERAL prison for RAPE and RETALIATION. Pugh also faced sentencing for perjury for lying under oath to federal authorities. Reported on June 30, 2008 in the Tyler News, Larry Pugh has been sentenced to 18 months for perjury, running successively with his other sentences. Larry Pugh’s final civil appeal was filed August 18, 2008 in the US District Court.

The cases of the two women linked to Pugh that disappeared only weeks apart have yet to be solved. Terri Renee Troublefield is being investigated as a homocide and Shunte Coleman is still missing.

http://cherokeecountytexas.blogspot.com/2007/05/jacksonville-police-officer-pleads.html

http://www.tylerpaper.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007706130312

http://cherokeecountytexas.wordpress.com/evelyn-lewis-vs-larry-pugh-the-city-of-jacksonville-tx-et-al/

http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/unpub/07/07-40662.0.wpd.pdf