The Texas Rangers are investigating reports that McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara improperly ordered a deputy who was supposed to be working for the department’s Mental Health Unit to work on his farm for three years.
The investigation originated from Bernadette Feazell, a Waco blogger and the ex-wife of former McLennan County District Attorney Vic Feazell, who sent related information to the McLennan County grand jury foreman. The grand jury asked District Attorney Josh Tetens to seek further investigation on August 1, but he recused himself as he campaigned with and endorsed McNamara. He forwarded the request to the Texas Rangers on August 15.
Former Deputy Johnathan Crawley alleges he worked at McNamara’s farm in Bosqueville during his normal duty hours and suffered an eye injury using a chainsaw on June 15, 2022. Crawley claims McNamara never paid him but that he turned in his regular county timecards as a deputy.
Two supervisors and a co-worker have since come forward in support of Crawley.
“I knew it was going on and I confronted Parnell about it,” David Kilcrease, a former chief deputy who retired in 2023, told KWTX. “I told Parnell, ‘This needs to stop.’”
Kilcrease continued, “I left that conversation with the understanding that it was going to stop. I think it did for a while, but then it started right back up again. Parnell just told me Crawley was on vacation so I wouldn’t know what he was doing.”
McNamara dismissed their statements as “totally false,” calling Crawley a “known liar” who resigned after he was stopped for suspicion of drunken driving.
In the video, Officer Ben Toombs did not recognize Crawley or his role in the sheriff’s office upon pulling him over. Crawley told Toombs he worked in “Mental health and CID [Criminal Investigation Division]” and that he knew the captain.
Toombs did not test Crawley to determine whether he was driving under the influence despite claiming he could smell alcohol on his breath, Crawley’s belligerence, and his refusal to comply at times. No arrests or citations were made.
Crawley’s medical records show that his injury occurred on the same date he worked as a deputy, according to KWTX.
Parnell’s office and the Texas Rangers did not return requests for comment to Texas Scorecard before publication.
