A veteran Texas sheriff was found dead in his home Monday after an apparent suicide.
Erath County Sheriff Tommy Bryant was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the Stephenville Empire-Tribune. The Republican first assumed office in 1997 and recently won a primary contest in 2016 by a 70 point margin, the paper reported.
Local reports indicate that a motive for the tragic death could be the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement’s opening of an investigation into the former sheriff’s alleged cheating on continuing education coursework. The state probe launched earlier in December.
Sheriff Bryant’s name may ring familiar given his lead role in the high-profile investigation into the double murder of former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield in 2013. The case would later lead to the capital murder conviction of former Marine corporal Eddie Ray Routh two years later.
Sheriff Bryant leaves behind his wife, Donnie, and son, Thom Allen, according to the local paper. Erath County sits 80 miles west of the DFW Metroplex.
More details will be added when provided by local officials.
Logan Churchwell is the Assistant Editor and a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. You can follow him on Twitter @LCChurchwell.
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