KENDLETON, Texas — At 6 a.m. sharp Friday, Fort Bend County Narcotics detectives surrounded the Kendleton Fire Department, looking for the fire chief.



Exclusive raw video: Only 11 News was there when Connor was arrested
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More Video And in less than a minute, Chief Dannie Connor was found, handcuffed and placed into the back of a patrol car.

Just down the street, less than a mile away, Fort Bend County’s SWAT team joined narcotics deputies and searched the chief’s home.

The sheriff’s office had received information the fire chief was selling drugs out of it, and after weeks of undercover work, it obtained a warrant that was executed as sun began to rise.


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Kendleton Fire Chief Dannie Connor was handcuffed and hauled to jail on drug charges.
Detectives spent about 30 minutes inside the home, where they found and detained a woman who said she was just visiting.

Investigators said they found all sorts of guns, but perhaps more disturbing was the discovery of a police radio tuned to the sheriff department’s frequency. The fire chief was apparently listening to their conversations.

Deputies allegedly found a wad of money, marijuana and crack cocaine — more than a dozen of the so-called rocks that investigators believe Connor was selling for $20 to $40 dollars a piece.


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Deputies say they found several rocks of crack cocaine inside Connor's home.
It seems officials in the city of Kendleton are having a tough time with the law. Just four months ago the former fire chief was arrested and charged with indecency with a child. And throughout the years, Fort Bend County, the Texas Rangers and even the FBI have made arrests in this tiny town.

In 2005, police Chief Charles Mann was sentenced to five years in federal prison after a huge scandal over speeding tickets. The chief and others were stealing traffic fine money.

A judge ordered Mann to pay back more than $500,000.  

And now, Kendleton is once again without a fire chief