He trains hard, stays fit and lean

Ranger

remains were found, but not identified, and other women from the area disappeared and were never found.

Haralson is a sniper, hypnotist, head of the state’s SWAT team, and a founding member of Ranger Recon, an elite team that deploys to the U.S.-Mexico border to target drug smugglers.

He volunteers for just about everything nowadays, trains hard, stays lean, and can still run with officers half his age.

He credits Rangers before him, as well as his parents, for shaping him. He generally keeps a low profile and genuinely doesn’t see his career as interesting enough to warrant a reporter’s interest.

“I’m too dull,” Haralson insisted in his deep voice and thick Texas accent over morning coffee at a Cracker Barrel in Baytown.

Haralson was wearing the cowboy hat and boots, as well as khaki pants, shirt and tie that are the Ranger calling card. Whether it is freezing or 100 degrees, he keeps his collar buttoned, sleeves down, and holds a demeanor commanding respect.

Chambers County District Attorney Cheryl Leick is awed by Haralson.

“I started calling him, ‘Gus,’ from ‘Lonesome Dove,’ ” she said, alluding to the character in Larry McMurtry’s novel. “His character is a retired Texas Ranger from the Old West days, who is tall and a badass, and has a booming voice, and always has a story to tell.

“What is so funny about Joe is he is not a braggart or anything,” Leick said. “He is very humble. He is not one to try and make you think he is a badass — he just is. “

Haralson’s job has found him lying in the mud along the Rio Grande, his face smeared with paint, or sneaking up on a pot farm in the chigger-infested Piney Woods.

“I don’t know if I enjoy it, but it is something that somebody has to do,” he said. “I was ashamed that they had to draft me into the Army ... maybe as a result of that, I volunteer for everything.

“My daddy, that was his deal: Don’t stand by and let somebody else do it. Do it.”

He passed the lesson on to his own four sons, who include a retired Green Beret, a state trooper, and two in construction.

Joe Haralson’s personnel file is filled with letters noting his role in dealing with crimes major and minor. Among them is a letter from German mother Evelin Kostler, offering gracious thanks for helping find her daughter after she was kidnapped and hidden for years by her American father.

There also have been some light moments.

Haralson was driving Texas Gov. Mark White through Houston when the governor overheard a drug bust on the police radio and asked for a look.

When White strode into the home, the suspects were handcuffed and sitting on a couch.

“They didn’t speak to him, but there is no doubt in my mind they recognized him,” Haralson said.

There is no age limit for Rangers as long as they can pass a fitness test.

“When I am not contributing, I’m gone,” Haralson said. “I hope I’m wise enough to recognize it when it comes.”

Houston police hope to place handcuffs on a Friendswood man who has been charged with stalking a Houston news television traffic reporter.

Investigators said that Christopher Marcus