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January 3, 2020 - U.S. Highway 84 outside of Timpson was the location of a major single-vehicle crash January 1, 2020.
According to Texas Department of Public Safety State Trooper Jonathan Stinson, at 10:20am a white 2016 Volvo SUV driven by Jared Wiggins, 22, of Timpson was westbound on U.S. Highway 84 at an unsafe speed.
Wiggins failed to drive in a single lane and traveled off the westbound shoulder. The Volvo continued westbound and vaulted across a culvert 113 feet and rolled several times before coming to rest against a tree on its right and top.
Wiggins was transported by air support to Trinity Mother Frances, a major trauma center hospital in Tyler, for treatment. He is listed in stable condition.
The crash investigation is pending due to suspicion of driving while intoxicated.
The driver was issued citations for fail to drive in a single lane, unsafe speed and driving while intoxicated 1st offense (pending DWI investigation).
January 1, 2020 - The City of Center Public Water System, PWS #2100001, will be conducting water system maintenance beginning January 1, 2020, and lasting until January 31, 2020. The system will be switching to free chlorine as its main disinfection.
This maintenance which is not a requirement, but is the recommended course of action set by the TCEQ/EPA for the accumulation of disinfection byproducts.
This is a routine maintenance procedure performed to help reduce unstable water conditions in our system and insure the highest quality of water being delivered to our customers.
During this maintenance period you may notice an odor or slight discoloration, but the safety of the water will not be affected. City maintenance crews and the Fire Department will also be aggressively flushing hydrants throughout the City’s distribution system.
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact our Public Works Department at 936-598-5241.
January 2, 2020 - State Highway 7 in the Aiken Community was the scene of a two-vehicle crash December 28, 2019, which resulted in injury to one driver involved.
According to Texas Department of Public Safety State Trooper Keith Jones, at just before 8pm a silver 2014 GMC pickup truck driven by Freddy Marrero-Cortez, 21, of Center was at the stop sign where CR 1245 meets State Highway 7 (SH7) in the Aiken Community.
Marrero-Cortez failed to yield right of way at the CR 1245 stop sign when entering SH7 in the GMC which then entered the path of and was struck by a red 2000 Chevrolet Camaro driven by Nathan Alan Anding, 43, of Joaquin traveling east.
The Camaro spun around and came to rest facing west in the outside eastbound traffic lane. The GMC came to rest on the westbound side of the roadway in the shoulder.
Anding was transported by ambulance to Nacogdoches Medical Center for treatment of his injuries.
Marrero-Cortez and his passengers Yesenia Chavez, 21, and a 1-year-old passenger were not reported to have been injured in the incident.
West Shelby County Volunteer Fire Department firemen, Shelby County Sheriff's Deputies and Constables assisted at the scene.
January 2, 2020 - The Shelby County Commissioners met for their first meeting of 2020 at the Shelby County Courthouse January 2, at 9:30am.
During the meeting, a motion carried by the commissioners to approve the bond for newly appointed Justice of the Peace for Precinct 1 (JP1) Donna Hughes.
Additional housekeeping agenda items approved separately by motion include paying weekly expenses and current payroll.
Once all agenda items were considered the meeting was adjourned at 9:34am.
Immediately following the meeting, Hughes was sworn in by Shelby County Judge Allison Harbison to the office of JP1.
Hughes is running for the JP1 office and is unopposed.
Agenda items approved during the meeting include: 1. Pay weekly expenses. 2. Current payroll. 3. JP. 1 Bond. 4. Adjourn at 9:34am.
December 31, 2019 - Shelby County Today offers condolences to the family and friends of the Panola County Sheriff's Deputy killed in the line of duty early Tuesday morning. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Panola County Sheriff's Department and the deputy's family. The death was reported on The Panola Watchman. To read the story, click here.
December 30, 2019 - Hurst Street at the intersection of Crawford Street in Center was the scene of an auto versus pedestrian incident December 23, 2019.
According to Center Police Officer Angela Neal, at 1:30pm Charles Standley, 54, of Center was pedaling his bicycle northbound on Hurst Street in the southbound lane. At that time Kenneth Earl Windham, 59, of Center was pulled up to the stop sign in a tan Ford passenger car at Hurst Street and Crawford Street. Windham then turned attempting to enter Hurst Street and the Ford struck the bicycle.
It was determined, the bicycle was traveling the wrong direction in the traffic lane.
Staff members from a neaby medical clinic responded quickly to Standley, who was then lying in the middle of the roadway, and assessed him until an ambulance arrived. EMS personnel moved Standley to the ambulance and he was transported to Nacogdoches Medical Center - Shelby Emergency Department for possible injury.
The crash was investigated by Center Police Officer Spencer Anderson and Officer Neal. Center Fire Department personnel and Texas Department of Public Safety assisted at the scene.
December 27, 2019 - The intersection of Louisiana Street and Railroad Avenue was the location of a three-vehicle crash Friday, December 20, 2019.
According to Center Police Officer Brian Wright, at 7:15am a white Suburban driven by Kinequa Humphrey, 33, of Center was traveling northbound on Railroad Avenue when she crossed Louisiana Street.
A black Dodge Avenger driven by Alfredo Tello, 49, of Center was traveling west on Louisiana Street with a 12-year-old female passenger and collided with the right rear of the Suburban, causing it to spin around and strike a Center ISD school bus that was stopped at the southbound intersection with Railroad Avenue.
The bus was driven by Carroll Miller, 66, of Tenaha with passenger Dwight Preston, III, 57, of Center.
Humphrey, who was with child, was transported by ambulance to Nacogdoches Medical Center - Shelby Emergency Department for possible injuries.
No one else involved in the incident was reported to have received injury, and no children were on board the school bus at the time of the incident.
December 20, 2019 – A 23-year-old Joaquin, Texas man has pleaded guilty to child exploitation violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown today.
Alexander Nathan Barter pleaded guilty to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor and distribution of child pornography before U.S. Magistrate Judge Keith Giblin on December 20, 2019.
According to information admitted by Barter as part of his plea, in October 2018, Barter posted an ad on a dark web site stating “I’d like to try necrophilia and cannibalism, and see how it feels to take a life. If you’d be willing to let me kill you, are in the US (preferably in the south) and can travel by car, contact me.” An undercover officer saw the ad and responded, utilizing the persona of a father with a 13-year old daughter. Between October 9, 2018 and October 19, 2018, Barter and the undercover officer exchanged a series of messages that included Barter’s repeated interest in raping, killing, and eating the 13-year old child. Barter provided the undercover with instructions on traveling from Florida to Shelby County, Texas, what to tell the child to get her acquiescence to travel, and how to conceal evidence of their crime. On October 19, 2018, Barter arrived at the designated meet site in Joaquin, Texas with a knife, trash bag, cellular phone, and a tablet.
“These are the cases that remind us that evil is real,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown. “It also reminds us that we are fortunate that we have law enforcement working to stop these things.”
As part of his plea, Barter also admitted to using a social media communications application, the internet, and digital devices he owned to communicate with other individuals about child pornography. On October 14, 2017, Barter offered to send videos depicting the sexual exploitation of a prepubescent female to another individual. The individual accepted the offer and Barter sent the files, along with descriptions of their contents.
Barter entered into a plea agreement with the government that includes a sentence of 240 months imprisonment on each count. Each party has reserved the right to argue that the sentences should run concurrent or consecutive. Accordingly, Barter will face a minimum term of 20 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of 40 years when he is sentenced. A sentencing date has not yet been set and the actual sentence will be determined by a federal judge at sentencing.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations in Lufkin, Beaumont, and Houston, Texas; Homeland Security Investigations Cocoa Beach, Florida, Child Exploitation Task Force; Brevard County Sheriff’s Office (Florida); Nacogdoches Police Department; Texas Department of Public Safety; Customs and Border Protection Air Units; and Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa Miller and U.S. Department of Justice Senior Trial Attorney Jennifer Toritto Leonardo.
December 20, 2019 - An emergency meeting of the Shelby County Commissioners' Court was held December 20, 2019 at 1pm to consider an apparent issue relating to an elected official.
As determined by the outcome of the meeting, the commissioners have removed all amenities pertaining to the office of Constable Precinct 4, Jake Metcalf.
The meeting began and quickly went into executive session. Those included in the executive session were commissioners Roscoe McSwain, Jimmy Lout and Tom Bellmyer along with County Judge Allison Harbison. They were joined by Stephen Shires, District Attorney; Gary Rholes, County Attorney; Clint Porterfield, County Auditor; and Ann Blackwell, County Treasurer. At 2:05pm the meeting re-opened for the commissioners to consider taking action on items discussed during the executive session.
A motion was made by Tom Bellmyer, Commissioner Precinct 4, to take possession of equipment and the vehicle of Constable Precinct 4, Jake Metcalf. He also stated there would be additional paperwork to be processed by Gary Rholes, County Attorney, to go along with the motion.
Rholes indicated an addition to the motion to include the keys belonging to the Constable office.
Bellmyer added the keys to the Constable Precinct 4 office area and courtoom would also need to be taken into possession.
Rholes also indicated he would present a letter to Metcalf's attorney for Metcalf to forego his paycheck for the time being.
This also included whatever benefits such as insurance, effective today, December 20, 2019.
The motion was seconded by Roscoe McSwain, Precinct 1 Commissioner, and the motion carried.
The meeting was then adjourned.
Additional information as to why this action was taken is not yet available, and will be updated on Shelby County Today as it comes to light.
December 20, 2019 - (Flier) - Texas Game Wardens in Shelby County are seeking information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for this illegal act in which a deer was illegally shot. A reward of up to $1,000 is being offered for that information.
The incident is reported to have taken place on or about Saturday, December 14, 2019 in a high fenced area on FM 2026 near Center, the deer was found shot and left to waste.
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