Saturday, May 21, 2022

"Powerful judge in Texas' smallest county...charged with cattle theft"

NBC:

Lawmen came to remote Loving County, Texas, on Friday to arrest the county judge, a former sheriff’s deputy and two ranch hands on one of Texas’ oldest crimes — cattle theft.

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 the scion of a powerful ranching family

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For decades, a handful of prominent families in Loving County have feuded bitterly for control of the local government, with the [judge's] finally largely coming out ahead. [He] has served as the judge for more than 15 years. His sister is the county clerk. His cousin’s husband is the county attorney. His nephew is the constable.

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he presided over a period of unprecedented growth, as fracking boomed in the Permian Basin, feeding money into the county’s coffers