News from East Texas – Man arrested after attack on police officer

By Chris Edwards
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FRED – Tyler County Sheriff Bryan Weatherford reported that a man was arrested last week in the Fred area after an attempted assault on sheriff’s deputies.

Weatherford said officers from the Tyler County Sheriff’s Office were patrolling the area around 2:30 p.m. on Monday, June 10, when they were dispatched to a reported trespassing incident.

When officers arrived at the scene where the alleged incident occurred, they were shown security camera footage of a white male reaching over posts marked with purple paint to prohibit entry into the home and tampering with a game camera. While they were still on scene, the man seen in the footage, identified as Daniel Wayne Crafton, a 50-year-old Silsbee man, came out and began harassing the complainant, Weatherford said.

“As officers attempted to arrest Crafton, he began to back away from them and disobeyed commands,” Weatherford said. The suspect escalated his behavior by verbally threatening law enforcement and then ran toward an adjacent residence.

When officers caught up with him, he physically resisted. When they tried to handcuff him, he grabbed a knife and began to fight with the officers, pointing the blade and attempting to stab one of them.

Officers were able to arrest Crafton and take the knife from his hand. He was taken to the ground and handcuffed.

Crafton was booked into the Tyler County Jail and charged with aggravated assault on a public officer, resisting arrest, evading arrest and trespassing. Justice of the Peace Tina Self set his bail at $320,000. He was transferred to the Polk County Jail on June 14, records show.