Jones Submits Court-Required Apology to Crockett City Council

By Greg Ritchie

Messenger Reporter

CROCKETT — Former Crockett City Councilman Darrell Jones has submitted the apology letter required as part of his recent sentence.

Jones pleaded guilty Aug. 14 to felony misuse of public information and misdemeanor failure or refusal to provide public information. He received five years’ probation on the felony charge and two years’ probation on the misdemeanor charge. He was also required to submit an apology letter to the City of Crockett.

The letter is dated Sept. 8 and is addressed to City Administrator John Angerstein, Mayor Ianthia Fisher and members of the Crockett City Council.

The letter reads:

> September 8, 2026

>

> To: John Angerstein, City Administrator and Ianthia Fisher, Mayor

> The Members of the City Council,

> 200 N 5th St.

> Crockett, Texas 75835

>

> RE: Formal Letter of Apology

>

> Dear Honorable Council Members,

>

> Please accept this letter as my formal apology for the way I handled the situation or perhaps upset some of you when I emailed Greg Ritchie a document I received from James Gentry because Greg requested to see it.

>

> The document I presented to Greg Ritchie was in no way marked confidential under (Texas Government Code 552.352), and I am aware if something is marked confidential it should not be shared.

>

> I understand that this written apology cannot delete the frustration caused by my lapse in judgment. However, I want to assure the Council and the public that I am deeply apologetic for my gaffe.

>

> Thank you for your time, your continued service to our community, and your thoughtfulness of this apology.

>

> Sincerely,

>

> Darrell Jay Jones

For more insight into this story, please see our Greg’s Corner column in today’s edition.

Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]