Grand jury indicts former officer

A former local law enforcement officer was indicted on third degree felony charges in Colorado County last month and arrested April 17.

Christopher Allan Cannon, 37, turned himself in for arrest at the Colorado County Jail April 17.

The Colorado County Sheriff’s Office arrest record states Cannon was arrested and released on $20,000 bond the same day.

According to the Colorado County District Court Grand Jury indictment paperwork filed Mar. 30, Cannon “presented a verification document purportedly issued by the Vital Statistics Section of the Texas Department of State Health Services, with knowledge of its falsity and with intent to affect the course or outcome of the investigation or official proceeding.”

The indictment form goes on to state Cannon was aware of an investigation into the allegation of bigamy, and that the falsified documents were dated Nov. 2, 2022 and Nov. 29, 2022.

Cannon was sworn in with the Eagle Lake Police Department in September 2022. It is unclear when Cannon’s employment with ELPD ended.

He was then employed by the Weimar Police Department earlier this year.

Weimar City Council met March 9 in a regular meeting to discuss the matter of Cannon’s hiring, who by that time had been terminated for what Weimar described as “falsehoods.”

Conversation about the alleged bigamy continued at the March 14 Eagle Lake city council meeting. Cannon spoke at the Eagle Lake meeting, stating Eagle Lake City Manager Charles “Tink” Jackson had made him “a target of his vengeance.” Cannon said he filed a complaint on Sept. 26, 2022 against City Secretary Lina Ferguson, and he felt that made him the “target” of Jackson’s “vengeance.”

A statement to the Citizen from Cannon following last month’s meetings reads in part: “I started working for Eagle Lake PD on Sept. 1, 2022. On Sept. 21, Mr. Jackson put out a statement that if any city employee talks to the Mayor or Council with any kind of complaint they would be terminated. On Oct. 10, I was released from FTO and requested my sign on bonus which was in my contract, Mr. Jackson said no. There was a false claim brought against me, not regarding my job performance but a personal matter.”

Cannon went on to say in the statement that the allegations against him concerning being married to two women was proven false by Texas Vital Statistics.

If convicted, third degree felonies can have punishments of up to 10 years imprisonment.