Van Zandt County Sheriff resigns following indictment

File / Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Department

The Van Zandt County Sheriff has issued his resignation letter following his arrest and indictment on allegations that he lied to investigators about one of his deputies punching a handcuffed inmate in the face. Sheriff Steve Hendrix will resign on May 14, 2022, after just a year and a half on the job.

Hendrix, along with Chief Deputy Jerry Wood and Sgt. Blake Snell were all recently indicted for giving false statements to a peace officer about former Chief Deputy Craig Shelton who reportedly punched inmate Nicholas Crouch in the face last September with no justification. This offense is a misdemeanor and calls for jail time of up to six months if convicted.

“As law enforcement continues to be under assault in our society, this job becomes harder with each passing day. After carefully weighing the consequences of negative publicity for our county, I have decided that my resignation is the right choice not just for myself, and my family, but also for Van Zandt County,” Hendrix wrote in his resignation letter.

According to Hendrix’s lawyers, the indictment is “baseless” and he “looks forward to defending the allegations in court.”