Matthew Thomas, 51, was sentenced to 40 years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice after pleading guilty on June 30, 2025, to Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Deliver – Habitual Offender.
The conviction stems from an incident on August 17, 2022, when Upshur County Deputies responded to a 911 call about a vehicle blocking a homeowner's driveway on Silk Tree Road. Deputies found Thomas slumped over and unresponsive in his vehicle. Upon waking him, they observed a green glass pipe with burnt residue in plain view on the center console. After detaining Thomas, officers recovered two large plastic bags containing methamphetamine from his pocket.
Thomas’s criminal history elevated the punishment range for this offense to 25 years to life. He has a 2007 conviction in Gregg County, Texas, for Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Deliver Methamphetamine, which resulted in a prison sentence. Following that, in 2018, he was resentenced to prison for Evading Arrest with a Vehicle, also in Gregg County.
Under the plea bargain agreement, Thomas waived his right to appeal the 40-year sentence.
The State was represented by Elected Criminal District Attorney Billy W. Byrd, and the case was presided over by 115th District Judge Dean Fowler.
