This interview was recorded at the Henderson County Justice Center on Wednesday, July 21.
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This week, Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse discusses a murder case, a crack cocaine arrest, and rising COVID-19 numbers in the jail.
I. Stats (:32)
There are 450 currently in the jail with 110 of those contract inmates. The average for the jail hit 400 for the first time.
II. Murder (1:15)
On July 16, Jason Charles Smalley, 46, was arrested following the death of Stoney Conley, 32, and charged with Murder.
The two men were at a residence in the 3800 block of Oakridge Road in Athens smoking methamphetamines in a vehicle. Smalley told police they thought they saw someone near a shed, so he ran into the residence and retrieved a .22 caliber firearm. He then began shooting several rounds towards a person he said he could only see from the waist down.
As he approached the body, Smalley said he realized it was Conley. He tried to hide the weapon and called authorities.
Sheriff Hillhouse said there could be additional charges filed.
III. Crack Cocaine Arrest (5:55)
Sheriff Hillhouse described how Deputy Luke Rachel apprehended a convicted felon with a substantial amount of crack cocaine and a loaded 9mm handgun last week.
The deputy noticed two dark objects being thrown from a window prior to stopping a vehicle for a traffic violation. The objects turned out to be a handgun with nine rounds in the clip and a Nike bag with two plastic baggies containing a large amount of crack cocaine.
A passenger in the vehicle, Hasani Pariall, 32, was arrested and charged with tampering with physical evidence for disposing of the items prior to the stop, manufacturing, and delivery for the crack cocaine, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
Sheriff Hillhouse said there was about 150 grams of crack cocaine, which is a substantial amount.
"Our main problem here is meth," he said, "but this just goes to show there's still other drugs out here and in large amounts."
The Sheriff went on to explain how cocaine gets turned into crack.
IV. COVID in the Jail (11:31)
Sheriff Hillhouse reported there are 44 jail inmates and two jailers who have tested positive for COVID. Twelve of the jail dormitories are in quarantine.
To put these numbers in perspective, this outbreak matches the largest during the pandemic.
"It hit us hard here in the jail, all of a sudden, in the past week or so," he said. "Luckily right now everybody is doing OK, but I do have a lot of cases."
Sheriff Hillhouse said many of the protocols put in place during the pandemic are still in place, including having trustees clean the jail twice a day. The only difference is visitation has resumed.
"But there's really no contact between the inmate population and their loved ones," he said. "It's all through a glass."
Sheriff Hillhouse said the focus is containing the virus and getting the inmates over the COVID.
NEWSLETTER: Get updates from the Sheriff’s Office, Commissioners Court, the District Attorney, County Attorney, and all departments from your Henderson County Government.
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