Micheal Murray, District Attorney of the 35th Judicial District, announced a guilty verdict and sentence in the Brown County District Court case styled the State of Texas vs. Donald Eugene Skaggs in which Skaggs was charged as an habitual offender with the First Degree Offense of Possession of a controlled Substance with Intent to Deliver. Skaggs, 45 and a resident of Brown County, was sentenced to life in prison after a jury deliberated a little over an hour today.
Skaggs’ charge resulted from the execution of a search warrant at a Lake Brownwood residence on July 31, 2009 by the West Central Texas Inter-Local Crime Task Force working with the Brown County Sheriff’s Office, Brownwood Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety. Skaggs was arrested at the scene after being found in possession with approximately thirty-seven (37) grams of methamphetamine. Testimony in the trial revealed that Skaggs was also in possession of various and sundry drug paraphernalia including packaging materials and scales used for drug distribution. Evidence also revealed that Skaggs was a ranking member of the Aryan Circle prison gang which is notorious for narcotics trafficking throughout Texas. The jury was out approximately five (5) minutes before returning a guilty verdict.
During the punishment phase of Skaggs’ trial, the State introduced evidence of at least three prior penitentiary sentences, one federal conviction and two state convictions, of Skaggs. Testimony from Task Force agents revealed that during the time frame of June, 2008 to July, 2009 Skaggs conservatively caused to be distributed and trafficked close to $500,000.00 in narcotics in Brown County. Agents also testified that subsequent to his arrest in July 2009, Skaggs had cooperated briefly with law enforcement offices by making undercover buys of narcotics for the Task Force; however, Skaggs failed to follow through with is agreement to cooperate. In closing argument, Murray pointed out to the jury the massive collateral damage to individuals and their families as a result of Skaggs’ methamphetamine distribution and trafficking. During the jury’s punishment deliberation, Skaggs made an overt threat to Murray resulting in the intervention by Courthouse security.
In May of this year, the Brown County Grand Jury handed down approximately forty-five indictments for the arrest of twenty-two (22) individuals for the offense of engaging in Organized Criminal Activity for the distribution of methamphetamine as a street gang member. Skaggs was one of those named. The July 31 search warrant opened the door to the 45 indictments.
