In the rural county of Jackson, located approximately two hours south of Houston, the sheriff and his deputies have been tackling a significant increase in cartel-related crime. This effort is part of a collaborative Operation Lone Star Task Force initiated by Goliad Sheriff Roy Boyd. Outgoing Jackson County Sheriff Kelly Janica expressed his frustration with the Biden administration, attributing the surge in border crisis issues to their policies.
Cartel members, along with human and drug smugglers, frequently use Highway 59 to travel between Jackson County and Houston. Janica, who recently led the sheriff’s office after returning from retirement, praised the success of the OLS Task Force during his retirement celebration. He commended Sheriff Roy Boyd for uniting various law enforcement agencies to combat criminal activities effectively.
Janica highlighted the OLS Task Force as a significant milestone in his career and emphasized its positive impact on Texas. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has played a crucial role in apprehending fugitives, smugglers, and seizing contraband. Janica also raised concerns about alleged smugglers using new U.S. passports and falsified court dates to transport illegal foreign nationals.
Sheriff Janica and Wharton County Sheriff Shannon Srubar emphasized the importance of enforcing criminal laws in their counties to prevent cartels from establishing a presence. With OLS support, they have successfully tackled smuggling operations and criminal activities along Highway 59. The sheriffs acknowledged the historical presence of border-related crime in the region but noted a significant escalation in recent years.
Thanks to Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas legislature, and Sheriff Boyd’s leadership, small counties like Jackson have received crucial support through the OLS Task Force. Janica praised the collaborative effort of sheriffs in addressing criminal activities and expressed optimism about reclaiming control of their state. Janica passed on the responsibility to incoming Sheriff Rick Boone, who has been a longstanding member of the law enforcement community.
Ever since, including in nearly every position in the sheriff’s office including chief deputy and as Edna’s police chief. Boone was heavily involved in finding the alleged killer of an Edna high school cheerleader who was found stabbed to death on Dec. 5, 2023. Her alleged killer, an illegal border crosser from Mexico, was indicted for her murder. His capital murder trial is scheduled for February.
While Boone’s entire law enforcement team was consumed with the case and tracking the alleged killer to another county, OLS officers provided support, Boone explained. Sharing resources was helpful for school safety and other operations, he said. “Having the availability and the MOUs in place for us all to be on the same team of like-minded officers who are goal and objective oriented. It really helps.”
“I’ve never seen anything put together as well as this,” he added. “The main thing for me that I notice different than any other thing that I’ve been involved in is it’s not ‘look at me’ or ‘look what I did.’ It’s ‘look what we did.’ It’s a team effort.
“That’s what I like about it. It’s not just a county deal. We have cities that are involved in it. DPS is on board and it takes all of us to get the job done.”
There are currently 52 agencies involved in the task force in dozens of counties.
Law enforcement officers in other states like Missouri are hoping to replicate what the task force is doing, The Center Square exclusively reported.
“I feel proud to be part of it that other states are looking at us as a frontrunner and example,” Boone said. “I think that speaks volumes.”
The task force works, Janica said, because “It goes back to what I said earlier, we’re like-minded and willing to work. Criminal law enforcement officers, that’s what we are. If you’re not, you don’t need to be in this business.”
