Fugitive Arrested in East Texas Drug Bust After Foot Chase

The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office in East Texas was busy this past weekend. They arrested multiple individuals, including a multi-county wanted fugitive, as they were preparing to distribute narcotics to citizens of Henderson County inside the city of Malakoff.

Traffic Stop in Malakoff Sparks Investigation

The details were shared on the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page with the incident first starting on Friday, April 10, 2026 at 2:50 p.m. with a traffic stop. The stop was made by K-9 Deputy Jonathan Daille and Henderson County Narcotics Investigator Jonathan Barrios and Jude Bonner.

The stop was made on a white SUV on the 600 block of Woodland Street in Malakoff. Before the vehicle came to a complete stop, a male passenger jumped out of the vehicle and began running on foot into a wooded area. Deputies immediately began a foot pursuit with the subject through several neighborhoods, and the individual was taken into custody.

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Fugitive Identified With Multiple Warrants

The male subject was identified as multi-county fugitive Travis Ray Reed Jr, who had multiple active felony warrants out for his arrest for assault charges ranging from Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon; Assault Family Violence Impede Breath and Circulation and Assault with Previous Convictions.

During the foot pursuit, investigators observed the driver of the SUV, a female subject later identified as Dannie Mae Reed grab a backpack from inside the vehicle and throw it into a ditch nearby which was across the street from an Elementary school.

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Drugs and Distribution Materials Found

Investigators also detained the front passenger identified as Ernest Lee Ray who also attempted to get away from officers but was quickly taken into custody. A search of the backpack led to the discovery of several small plastic baggies that were prepackaged for sale of suspected methamphetamine, cocaine, and crack cocaine. Also inside the backpack were several scales and more plastic baggies.

All three subjects were placed under arrest and transported to the Henderson County Jail and booked in for the following charges:

Travis Ray Reed Jr: Three counts of Manufacture or Delivery Controlled Substance/ Evading Arrest Detention with Previous Conviction/ Resisting Arrest Search or Transport/ Three Active Felony Assault Charges from Henderson County/ Active Felony Assault Charge from Kaufman County.

Dannie Mae Reed: Three counts of Manufacture or Delivery Controlled Substance/Tampering Fabricate Physical Evidence.

Ernest Lee Ray: Three counts of Manufacture or Delivery Controlled Substance/ Escape from Custody

All three subjects are currently awaiting arraignment.