Man sentenced after admitting to taking meth during pursuit

HENDERSON COUNTY — According to our news partner KETK, an East Texas man, Daniel Richard Simpson, 38 of Malakoff, has been sentenced to 45 years in prison after admitting to ingesting a “block of meth” during police pursuit and tampering or fabricating with physical evidence.

The Athens Police Department was dispatched to a Walmart Super Center in August 2021 in reference to two men suspected of shoplifting. Authorities approached the individuals, who at the time entered a black car in the parking lot. Simpson, the driver, was issued a criminal trespass warning for Walmart and learned that he had a warrant for his arrest for a parole violation. When Simpson learned of his active warrant, he reportedly fled through city limits of Athens and eventually lost control and slid into a ditch. Simpson reportedly admitted to officials he had ingested a “block of meth” and had traveled around 38 miles with speeds up to 105 mph.

During the sentencing hearing, the court heard of Simpson’s lengthy criminal history spanning several decades.

“In 2005, he was sentenced to prison for indecency with a child,” the Henderson County District Attorney’s Office said. “He also has two felony convictions for forgery and two prison sentences for failure to comply with sex offender registration from Lamar and Dallas counties as well as numerous misdemeanor sentences.”