A Wood County jury of six women and six men took just 20 minutes to find former Wood County Jail Administrator David McGee guilty of tampering with a governmental record and sentenced him to two years in state prison. The two-day trial began on Monday morning and ended Tuesday afternoon with the punishment phase. District Judge Jeff Fletcher increased his bond to $200,000 and McGee had to turn over his passport to the court.

The jury found on or about Jan. 25 of this year, McGee made a false alteration to a Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) document by entering a fictitious date of expiration of the sentence of a female inmate. The inmate was Samantha Melvin who was in custody on a charge of driving while intoxicated with a child passenger, which is a state felony.

District Attorney Jim Wheeler and Assistant District Attorney Joey Fenlaw presented the case for the State of Texas. “The jury’s verdict sends a clear and powerful message. If you are a member of law enforcement you are held to a higher standard, if you commit a crime, you will be held responsible,” Wheeler claimed. “At this time, the office of the district attorney has cases to present to the grand jury on additional tampering with government records, facilitating escape, official oppression and other potential charges. Further, McGee may face federal charges. I cannot speak for the United States Attorney’s Office. The federal authorities are aware of Mr. McGee and his conduct.”

McGee admitted in an interrogation by Texas Ranger John Vance he had altered the paperwork. McGee altered a TDCJ document requesting Melvin’s release on Jan. 12 when her actual sentence was to end on Jan. 31. “I felt I was authorized to create my own form,” McGee said. “It was approved by the sheriff and jail standards.”

A TDCJ administrative assistant, Karen Syma, testified she knew the document had been altered because in the body of wording, the TDCJ font had been changed. All TDCJ documents are in one font. Syma knew the release date was set for Jan. 31 and the alteration was not standard procedure for a jail administrator.

The jury and the court viewed three interviews between Ranger Vance and McGee during the Texas Ranger’s time on the witness stand. In the final interview, Vance told McGee taking an escaped inmate across state lines was a federal crime and he could expect to face federal charges. Since McGee had altered the date from Jan. 31, Melvin was considered an escaped convict. The TDCJ never approved the Jan. 12 release date, therefore Melvin was considered an escapee.

Vance testified that Wood County Sheriff Tom Castloo had called him concerning McGee and an investigation was begun on alleged inappropriate relations between McGee and Melvin. He interviewed McGee twice in Wood County and once when he was an inmate at Hopkins County.

Under testimony, McGee said Melvin was a role model inmate and he wanted to help put her through college. He denied having sexual relations with her at the jail. He testified, as a trustee, Melvin would clean his office, but he always stood at the door while she was there cleaning. He did admit to sexual relations with Melvin on a trip to Las Vegas in a third interview with Ranger Vance. He also bought Melvin a laptop and car to help her with college.

Prior to the Las Vegas trip, testimony further revealed McGee had gone with Melvin to a motel bar in Emory to watch a Dallas Cowboys football game. McGee testified Melvin got drunk and he took her to a room at the motel and went back to watch the game. He claimed no sexual activity happened at that time. He did, however, take pictures on his county-issued phone of Melvin in her underwear.

In pretrial matters, McGee’s defense attorney Scott Cornaud, Greenville, sought a change of venue which was denied by Fletcher. Cornuaud had affidavits from McGee, his wife Maya, and Quitman City Police Captain Terry Bevill claiming the former jail administrator could not get a fair trial in

Wood County.

McGee could have been sentenced to as much as 10 years in prison, and up to $10,000 fine or probation.

“Members of the jury should be commended for their time and commitment serving as jurors for this trial,” Wheeler noted. “We also express our gratitude to the hard working employees of the following agencies: Department of Public Safety, Texas Rangers (Ranger John Vance), Wood County (Sheriff Tom Castloo, Chief Deputy Bobby Sanders, Officer Kyle Henson), and Texas Department of Criminal Justice (Karen Syma). These men and women stood up for justice and integrity. I can’t think of anything more disheartening or disgusting than a corrupt police officer.”

Judge Fletcher was complimentary of the jury. “I thought the trial was conducted just as it should be. We had a good jury that was very attentive and paid close attention to the testimony,” Fletcher said. “They did what juries do. They made a decision about what should be done, whether he was guilty and how it should be handled in regards to punishment. They did a good job.”