Storm chaser arrested

CRANE COUNTY The Crane County sheriff came Thursday to the defense of one of his deputies who arrested a weather spotter Tuesday evening.

Crane County Sheriff Robert DeLeon said the incident happened after weather spotter Brian Taylor Barnes, of Violent Skies Tours, hadn't reported to the Crane Emergency Operations Center - "like all the other weather spotters."

DeLeon said in a news release that he regretted that "Mr. Barnes took it upon himself to recklessly disregard a reasonable request or order to leave the immediate vicinity where our deputy believed him and fellow passengers to be in a dangerous proximity to funnel clouds that had already produced one reported tornado."

After not cooperating with the deputy, whom DeLeon did not name, Barnes was arrested on a charge of "obstructing highway or other passageway," a class B misdemeanor. A class B misdemeanor carries a fine not to exceed more than $2,000 and confinement in jail not to exceed 180 days.

Barnes spent Tuesday night in the Crane County Jail and was released on $2,000 bond Wednesday morning.

DeLeon said in the news release that Barnes told the deputy he was working for a weather service but didn't name a specific service.

Repeated efforts Thursday to reach Barnes were not successful.

Hector Guerrero, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in San Angelo, said Barnes is not affiliated with the weather service but does report storms.

"We have normal spotters, but sometimes the storm chasers will provide storm reports for us," Guerrero said. "Our spotters are firemen and law enforcement."

Guerrero confirmed that Barnes was calling the National Weather Service in San Angelo, which was relaying the information about a Crane County tornado to the Midland branch.