Former Hodge Unit Officer Pleads Guilty in Retaliatory Inmate Assault Conspiracy
August 1, 2026 — Corruption and Abuse
Former Texas Department of Criminal Justice correctional officer Samuel Lee Thomas IV pleaded guilty May 19, 2026, to conspiring to assault an incarcerated man at the Hodge Unit in Rusk. According to Thomas’ plea agreement, he was on duty February 25, 2025, when he opened the man’s cell and allowed other members of the conspiracy […]


Accountability.