The Newton County Commissioners Court this week approved paying a settlement of $200,000 to former Sheriff Eddie Shannon, who filed a federal lawsuit against the county.
In the lawsuit, Shannon had contended the county officials had violated his civil rights, made a false arrest and deliberately fabricated falsehoods. He said he had campaigned to clean up what he had called a “Good Ole Boy” system run by the people in the northern part of the county around Newton.
Shannon, a Little Cypress-Mauriceville High graduate, lived in the Deweyville area when in 2012 he became the first Newton County Sheriff to be elected from the south part of the county.
Shannon took office in 2013. Truman Dougharty, who was then Newton County Judge, filed a criminal charge of terroristic threat against Shannon a few months later.
A trial in 2015 on the case was moved to San Augustine on a change of venue. The jury acquitted Shannon and he then filed the lawsuit. Shannon lost a re-election bid in 2016.
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