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| Charles Henry Hull | Dana Hogrell |
A Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy on patrol investigated suspicious activities Wednesday night that led to the arrest of two people in separate but related incidents and ended with two fugitives on the run.
Brown County Sheriff’s Office reported that while on patrol Wednesday night around 10:30pm on Hwy 183, BCSO Sgt. Pete Bastardo noted a truck and a motorcycle parked at a deer processing business in Owens. Knowing that there had been burglaries at this location and that it was after hours, Sgt. Bastardo investigated the situation. BCSO Deputies Benson and Polnick arrived to assist.
At the scene, BCSO identified 25-year-old Charles Henry Hull of Coleman and 30-year-old Jason Dee Lewis of Santa Anna. Both men were reported to be “acting very nervous” according to BCSO Captain Tony Aaron. Officers patted the men down for weapons and found a fixed blade knife and a club on the motorcycle that was on scene according to Aaron. It was determined by the officers that Lewis had arrived in the truck and Hull had arrived on the motorcycle.
While the men were being searched, Deputy Polnick discovered a black eyeglass case and began to open it when Hull took off running into the darkness and brush. Officers pursued him in a foot chase; however lost sight of him after he had run approximately 250 yards and even ran out of his own shoes. Upon opening the case, officers understood why Hull had taken off running.
“When the case was opened, several baggies of methamphetamine, more baggies, scales and syringes were found, which are clearly tools for selling meth,” stated Captain Tony Aaron.
Lewis remained on scene with Sgt. Bastardo and was found to have marijuana on his person. Additional bags were found on the ground and in his vehicle according to Aaron. Lewis was arrested for Possession of Marijuana and Tampering with Evidence. A warrant is being sought for the arrest of Hull for Manufacture/Delivery of a Controlled Substance, which is a 2nd degree felony, and for Evading Arrest.
“Brown County Sheriff’s Department wants to alert the public to the status of Hull as a fugitive so that if anyone knows where he is, they can tell us,” stated Aaron.
Any information regarding the whereabouts of Hull should be called in to the Brown County Sheriff’s Department at 325-646-5518
The search for Hull continued for several hours at the location. BSCO contacted the Brownwood Fire Department and arranged for the use of the thermal imaging camera. The area nearby, which included a house and several outbuildings, was searched for several hours with no success in finding Hull.
Coleman County Sheriff’s Department was informed of Hull’s evading arrest and fugitive status. According to Aaron, CCSO had dealt with Hull before.
One of the men’s cell phone was in BSCO’s possession after the incident and deputies noticed several requests to buy or sell methamphetamines according to Aaron. BSCO worked to set up a purchase with one of the callers whose text stated they “had the good stuff” and asked if there was an interest to buy.
Another text received during these negotiations regarding where to meet for the purchase stated that the dealers in no way wanted to come to Brownwood, Early or anywhere in Brown County according to Aaron. BSCO officials stated that this appeared to indicate the party was scared to come to Brown County because of the amount of drug arrests law enforcement has been making and of these arrests have been prosecuted.
Captain Tony Aaron arranged through text message to meet just outside of Santa Anna with the dealers and arranged for CCSO deputies Les Codgill & Archie Lancaster along with BSCO Investigator Jason Benefield to help. When law enforcement was having difficulty finding the location, the dealers became frustrated and indicated they were leaving the area BCSO reported. Law enforcement began looking for a vehicle matching the description given when they were making the arrangements but did not find them initially. The cell phone seized on Hwy 183 went dead and officers began to think this was how the attempted purchase would end. However, a CCSO deputy had located a vehicle, a brown Chevy suburban, which matched the description on FM 568 between Santa Anna and Coleman. When deputies reached this location, the occupants were already out of the vehicle and handcuffed.
One of the occupants was Dana Hogrell of Coleman (who is in his mid 20s). As officers confirmed an outstanding felony warrant for Hogrell’s arrest, Hogrell fled on foot and was able to escape into the darkness and brush while still handcuffed. The other occupant was 36-year-old Darrell Sasser of Cross Plains. Outside the passenger door of the vehicle a quantity of methamphetamine (approximately 4g) was found that matched the quantity of meth requested by Aaron. Sasser was subsequently arrested for Manufacture/Delivery of a Controlled Substance more than 1g, less than 4g.
Deputies continued to search the area for Hogrell and again used thermal imaging in their efforts. CCSO deputies along with canines and the Texas Rangers assisted in the search. At the time of the report, Hogrell remained a fugitive, having not been found. Brown County and Coleman County Sheriffs’ Warrants are being sought for Hogrell’s for the offenses of Manufacture and Delivery of a Controlled Substance more than 1g, less than 4g and Escape.
“Obviously these fugitives are from Coleman County,” stated Aaron. “A joint effort will be made with the CCSO to help us locate them.”
Anyone with information on Dana Hogrell’s whereabouts can call the Coleman County Sheriff’s Office at 325-625-3506.
Pictured above are fugitives Hull and Hogrell.
