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June 20, 2025 - Due to a power outage in Center, the Shelby County Courthouse and County Offices closed at noon on Friday, June 20, 2025. All offices will reopen on Monday, June 23rd with regular business hours. Courthouse regular business hours are 8am to 4:30pm.
As of 12:45pm, the power in Center has been restored.
June 20, 2025 - The second power outage this week for Center happened around 10:36am Friday, June 20. Swepco reports 3,030 customers are out of power and gives an estimated restoration time 3:00pm. The outage on Wednesday gave an estimated restoration time of 2pm but power was restored just before noon.
The National Weather Service, Shreveport, Louisiana has Center under a heat advisory from 11am until 7pm today. Heat index values between 105-109 are expected. Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses. Be sure to drink plenty of fluids and stay out of the sun. Check up on relatives and neighbors.
June 20, 2025 (1pm) - Shelby County Sheriff Chief Deputy Mike Hanson released the name of the individual who drowned in Lake Timpson to be Gregory Parker who was 43 years old and from Timpson. Hanson advised Parker and a friend were out on the lake in separate kayaks when the friend heard Parker "holler out." Before the friend could get to Parker, he went under the water for an unknown reason. Search teams were finally able to locate him near the location where he went in the water after Texas Game Warden Sam Anderson saw Parker's knee on sonar equipment. The lake is full of downed trees from recent storms along with vegetation which complicated the recovery efforts.
An updated list of agencies and individuals who assisted with the search: DeSoto Parish Fire District #1 Dive Team, San Augustine Fire Department Dive Team; Shelby County Sheriff Gerald Corbell; Shelby County Chief Deputy Mike Hanson; Shelby County Sheriff's Office Investigative Division, Patrol, and Jail Staff; Shelby County Constable Precinct 5 Constable Josh Tipton; Texas Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol Troopers; Texas Department of Emergency Management; Texas Game Wardens; Nacogdoches Police Department; Shelby County Precinct 4 Commissioner Tom Bellmeyer; Shelby County Constable Precinct 3 Constable Roy Cheatwood; Robin and Duncan Connell with Bink's Timpson Quick Stop; Hudson Volunteer Fire Department Cadaver K-9 Unit; as well as several citizens who assisted with their own boats and sonar equipment.
The Shelby County Sheriff's Department thanks all who assisted with the search and recovery operation and with bringing closure to Parker's family.
Recovery Teams Locate Missing Individual at Lake Timpson
June 20, 2025 (10am) - On day three of the search for a missing individual in Lake Timpson, Shelby County Sheriff Gerald Corbell reports the victim was located around 9:30am Friday morning by searchers. Pct. 5 Justice of the Peace Tracy Broadway was called to the scene to perform the inquest and the body was sent to Dallas for an autopsy.
During the search agencies from Shelby County and surrounding counties came to assist including Nacogdoches Police Department, DeSoto Parrish Dive Team, San Augustine Fire Department Dive Team, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Texas Department of Public Safety Patrol officers, and the Shelby County Sheriff's Department. Along with the agencies helping, Sheriff Corbell mentioned there were many citizen volunteers who came to help. The show of support from the community was tremendous.
The identity of the victim will be added once it has been released.
June 18, 2025 - Timpson Lake outside of Timpson is the location of a search for an individual involved in a boating incident on Wednesday, June 18, 2025.
Emergency personnel were notified around 9:15am. Texas Game Wardens and Shelby County Sheriff’s Department deputies are on the water in boats still searching as of 1:15pm.
Shelby County Sheriff’s Department personnel including Sheriff Gerald Corbell, Chief Mike Hanson, Jail Administrator Tiffany Ryals and Araceli Garcia were on scene, as well as Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas Department of Emergency Management.
More information will be updated as it becomes available.
June 19, 2025 - The Shelby County Sheriff's Department reported Cartwright was located in Beaumont.
June 3, 2025 - The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s assistance in locating Tracy Nushawn Cartwright, who was reported missing early Monday morning, June 2, 2025.
Ms. Cartwright is 36 years of age, 5’4”, 180lbs and she was last seen, in Shelby County, on May 19, 2025 at her residence located on CR 2625, in [Shelbyville]. She was possibly seen in San Augustine, on a recent but unknown date, and was possibly also seen in the Beaumont area as recently as May 31, 25. She had recently indicated to family that she wanted to go to the Beaumont/Port Arthur area.
Please Share with any contacts you have in that area. Law enforcement, throughout southeast Texas, has also been notified. Please contact the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office at 936-598-5601 if you have any information on Ms. Cartwright’s whereabouts.
June 18, 2025 - A power outage occurred in Center around 9:20am Wednesday, June 18. Swepco reports 2,998 customers are out of power and gave an estimated restoration time orginally of 1:30pm. As of 9:42am, restoration for all customers has been moved to 2pm.
June 17, 2025 - The Shelby County Clerk’s Office is proud to announce the launch of Property Fraud Alert, a free notification service to help notify citizens against potential property fraud. This service will be available to all Shelby County residents starting soon.
Property fraud, often referred to as "house stealing," is a growing issue nationwide. Fraudsters use stolen identities to file fake deeds or other legal documents, making it appear as though they own a property. This can result in devastating financial and legal consequences for property owners.
What Property Fraud Alert Offers:
- Real-Time Notifications: Citizens will receive immediate alerts via email, phone, or text when any document is recorded in their name or associated with their property.
- Monitoring Made Simple: The service automatically tracks public records, ensuring property owners are informed of any changes related to their property.
- Proactive Fraud Prevention: By staying informed, property owners can act quickly to investigate suspicious filings and take necessary steps to protect their assets.
Benefits to Citizens:
- Peace of Mind: Property Fraud Alert provides reassurance by actively monitoring your property records for unauthorized activity.
- Ease of Use: Signing up is quick and straightforward. Residents can enroll online or by visiting the Shelby County Clerk’s Office in person.
- No Cost to You: This service is free for all Shelby County residents, ensuring everyone can access this critical layer of protection.
“Our goal is to provide the tools and resources necessary to help our citizens protect their most valuable assets,” said Jennifer Fountain, Shelby County Clerk. “With Property Fraud Alert, residents can rest easy knowing they’ll be immediately informed of any suspicious activity involving their property.”
How to Enroll: Residents can sign up for Property Fraud Alert by visiting our website at PropertyFraudAlert.com/TXShelby or by contacting the Shelby County Clerk at 936-598-6361 for assistance. Enrollment takes only a few minutes, and all you need is your name and preferred contact information.
The Shelby County Clerk’s Office is committed to safeguarding the rights and property of our citizens. Stay protected with Property Fraud Alert—your first line of defense against property fraud.
About the Shelby County Clerk’s Office: The Shelby County Clerk’s Office serves as the official record-keeper for the county, offering a wide range of services to support residents and ensure transparency. For more information, please visit co.shelby.tx.us, click on County Offices, then click on County Clerk.
June 16, 2025 - Tenaha City Council met Monday, June 16, 2025, and following executive session put Police Chief Jake Metcalf on suspension until after July 1, 2025.
Following an executive session that included the council, as well as Metcalf and his attorney Kenneth Biggs, Shelby County Sheriff Gerald Corbell, and Larry Joe Eaves. Previous to entering executive session, it was revealed that video would be reviewed in executive session having to do with a patrol car and teenagers, possibly a baby as stated by Mayor O’Neal Jones, and involve Chief Metcalf.
Bill Holmes, Alderman, moved that Jake Metcalf be suspended until July 1, 2025, and after that he will attend to administrative duties at the police department office that following work week and it will be 20 hours per week. David Thomas, Alderman, seconded the motion and it carried.
Several community members addressed the council about different concerns, and their statements can be heard by watching the accompanying video.
June 14, 2025 - A Timpson man has received eight years probation in a sexual assault of a minor case that began in May 2023.
The 273rd Judicial District Court, Judge James Payne, Jr. presiding, has accepted a guilty plea on May 6, 2025 from Ja’Voiskieon (Vosky) Trae’Shun Howard on the charge of aggravated sexual assault of a child, first degree felony. He was arrested on October 21, 2023, for the sexual assault of a 13-year-old that occurred May 27, 2023, when Howard was then 17.
Craig Washington was the attorney for Howard and representing the state was Stephanie Stroud on behalf of the Shelby County District Attorney's office.
The guilty plea outlines that Howard received eight years deferred probation and is required to register as a sex offender. According to court documents, Howard is to have no contact with the victim, and no unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 17. College attendance out of state will be subject to interstate compact approval.
Per the court documents, Howard must provide confirmation from the college of his acceptance and his ability to attend and participate in class. Howard has also been fined $2,500 and is rewsponsible for $290 in court costs.
Child Safety Zones supplement to conditions of community supervision and specific to Jasper, Newton, Sabine, San Augustine and Shelby Counties indicate Howard is prohibited from going in, on or within 1,000 feet of the premises of any public or private school, playground or park where children gather, daycare or childcare facility, little league ball park, toy stores, video arcades, or game rooms where children gather, youth event where children participate or are entertained.
In the event Howard were to move to another jurisdiction, he must comply with the Child Safety Zones established by the respective county.
Court documents also indicate Howard shall be able to live in the home with his 16-year-old brother, and he shall be able to have supervised contact with immediate family under the age of 17 with adult supervision.
June 13, 2025 - University Interscholastic League (UIL) updated their Lone Star Cup standings today, June 13 and Shelbyville ISD is in first place for the win!
Four updates are published with the fourth and final being done June 13 which adds the Softball and Baseball results and they brought Shelbyville ISD up to 63 total points and 1st place for the State in AA. Standings become final July 1, 2025.
Second place is Shiner ISD with 58 points and Ganado came in third with 56 points.
Congratulations Shelbyville Dragons for an amazing 2024-2025 year! To view Conference 2A UIL Lone Star Cup Standings in a spreadsheet, click here. To view more information about the Lone Star Cup, click here.
The UIL Lone Star Cup is awarded annually to six high schools, one in each of the six UIL classifications (1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A and 6A), based on their team performance in district and state championships. The winning schools in each classification receives the UIL Lone Star Cup trophy and a $1,000 scholarship. The UIL would like to thank Texas Farm Bureau Insurance for their sponsorship of the UIL Lone Star Cup.
Honoring the best overall athletic and academic programs in Texas, the UIL Lone Star Cup is open to all UIL participant high schools.
Standings are based on the outcome from: Cross Country, Marching Band, Military Marching Band, Volleyball, Robotics BEST, Robotics VEX, Football, Congress, Spirit, Swimming & Diving, Film, Basketball, Robotics FIRST, Academics, One-Act Play, Theatrical Design, Track & Field, Golf, Tennis, Softball, Baseball.
June 12, 2025 - Axley & Rode, LLP presented the Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Financial report during the Shelby County Commissioners May 28, 2025, special meeting.
Eric Carver, C.P.A. with Axley & Rode, informed the commissioners that Axley & Rode has merged with another firm called Carr, Riggs & Ingram.
“Our firm has merged with Carr, Riggs and Ingram, which is a much larger firm across the whole southeast,” said Carver. “The good thing about that is it allows us to provide some new services. They have a lot of cybersecurity, a lot of IT strengths and things like that. The other side is we're not going anywhere, same people. We're going to be doing the same thing.”
Carver explained to the commissioners that everything went well with the audit and didn’t identify any problems.
“Everything went good with the audit, no problems, nothing really unusual, everything was pretty routine,” said Carver.
One risk that is pointed out annually via outside audit relates to a lack of segregation of duties in the Justice of the Peace offices.
“This is nothing new is as I talked about the decentralized cash collection and this is your letter here is there's some risk and that's all I'm saying here is there's a risk. I didn't see anything that's a more unusual concern than not,” said Carver. “In your JP offices with the lack of number of personnel to have an adequate segregation of duties, and this is not a new comment. Y’all have heard this for years. So it's just a reminder, keep an eye on those things.”
Roscoe McSwain, Commissioner Precinct 1, moved to accept the accept the audit report and Tom Bellmyer, Commissioner Precinct 4, seconded the motion. It carried.
(Click Here to view 2024 Audit Report)
The commissioners approved authorizing grant match funds in the amount of $2 million and the submission of a grant from the Texas Historical Courthouse Preservation Program to restore the Shelby County Historical Courthouse with the assistance of the Shelby County Historical Commission.
County Judge Allison Harbison stated that it doesn’t mean that absolutely have to spend $2 million, but that they are willing to contribute that much to funding the project toward the $10 million grant from the Texas Historical Commission.
Commissioner McSwain said that when a walk through was done through the historic courthouse, it didn’t appear that it would end up costing the full $10 million, bur closer to $5 million, which would decrease the county’s contribution.
“It's a situation that's bad, like I said last week. We can't let that deteriorate and fall down. We're\ not going to tear it down. So we got to do something. It's just hard to sell to the public,” said Commissioner McSwain. “When they call the Sheriff's Department, they say, ‘I ain't got a deputy to send right now.’ Or they call and say, ‘My damn road's all to pieces, I can't get home.’ It's hard to tell the public, ‘Well, I'm going to spend two million dollars to restore this building.’"
Commissioners McSwain and Bellmyer agreed that without taking action, “mother nature” would make the decision for them and cause the building to fully deteriorate over time.
“I love history, and I think it's important to maintain our history for future generations to see what was and what we have, and I just think it's important. I really do,” said Commissioner Bellmyer.
Commissioner McSwain moved to set aside $2 million for the purposes of going out for the grant. Commissioner Bellmyer seconded the motion and it carried.
The commissioners were received a presentation from Kologik/CopSync software system representatives and members of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department as an upgrade to replace the current software, Spillman.
Chief Mike Hanson explained the Kologik aspect of the software is for use in the jail and records management, and CopSync is an in-car software.
During discussion it was learned what the cost could potentially be and Clint Porterfield, County Auditor, clarified the initial total cost for both pieces of software, implementation, training would be $118,490 and then an annual cost of $61,640.
The item was for discussion only and no action was taken by the court.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:21am.
Agenda items approved during the meeting include: 1. Pay weekly expenses. 2. Shelby County Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Financial Report by Eric Carver, C.P.A with Axley & Rode, LLP. 3. Authorize the grant match funds in the amount of $2 million and approve the submission of a grant from the Texas Historical Courthouse Preservation Program to restore the Shelby County Historical Courthouse with the assistance of the Shelby County Historical Commission. 4. Adjourn 11:21am.
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