Crabtree Pleads Guilty, Gets 5 Years’ Probation in Game Warden Case

GILMER � Former Upshur County Commissioner Lloyd Crabtree pleaded guilty Friday and was sentenced to five years’ probation on a 10-year prison sentence for taking a firearm from a peace officer. That’s according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. The third degree felony stemmed from an Oct. 6, 2012, incident in which Game Warden Shane Bailey allegedly was disarmed and detained at gunpoint by Crabtree and his son, Todd, while the officer was making a routine check on Crabtree’s property for hunting. District Attorney Billy Byrd said terms of Crabtree’s plea bargain and probation sentence include a public apology, 240 hours of community service, a $1,000 fine and a ruling that Crabtree cannot have firearms. Crabtree, his attorneys, and Byrd agreed to the plea bargain.