Shelby County Today

June 29, 2023 - A Shelby County Grand Jury handed down 33 indictments on Monday, June 26, 2023. The grand jury was impaneled for the July 2023 term of the 123rd/273rd Judicial District Courts.

Mason Alexander Thurman was indicted for escape from custody, third degree felony. The indictment alleges, on April 16, 2023, Thurnan escaped the custody of Shelby County Sheriff's Deputy Angela Neal when Thurman was under arrest for aggravated assault family violence. (123rd Judicial District Court)

Mason Alexander Thurman was indicted for assault on a public servant, third degree felony. The indictment alleges, on April 16, 2023, Thurman intentionally, knowingly and recklessly caused bodily injury to Officer R. Lawhorn by shoving him open handedly and Thurman knew Lawhorn was a correctional officer lawfully discharging an official duty. (123rd Judicial District Court)

Mason Alexander Thurman was indicted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon causing serious bodily injury - family violence, first degree felony. The indictment alleges, on April 16, 2023, Thurman recklessly caused serious bodily injury to Rachel Thompson Parrish by cutting her head while exhibiting a deadly weapon, a cell phone, during the assault. The indictment further alleges, Parrish was a member of Thurman's household. (123rd Judicial District Court)

Chase Martin was indicted for interfere with child custody, state jail felony. The indictment alleges, on February 10, 2023, Martin took a child younger than 18 years of age, when Martin knew the taking violated express terms of an order disposing of the child's custody, namely a court order in Shelby County. (123rd Judicial District Court)

Chase Martin was indicted for hindering secured creditors >=$2,500<$30,000, state jail felony. The indictment alleges, on April 14, 2022, Martin signed a security agreement creating a security interest in a portable building and then removed or concealed the property by removing the building that was used as collateral without consent of the secured party, Factory First. It is further alleged, Martin id this with intent to hinder enforcement of such security interest with the value of the property being $2,500 or more but less than $30,000. (123rd Judicial District Court)

James Alan Burke was indicted for online solicitation of a minor, third degree felony. The indictment alleges, on March 2, 2023, Burke with intent that an individual he believed to be younger than 14 years of age, would engage in sexual intercourse with him, knowingly solicited by text message the individual to meet with him. (273rd Judicial District Court) Related article: Child Predator Undercover Operation Catches Timpson Man

Joshua Dewayne Denmon was indicted for possession of child pornography, third degree felony. The indictment alleges, on April 8, 2022, Denmon knowingly possessed visual material that visually depicted, and which Denmon knew visually depicted a child who was younger than 18 years of age at the time the image of the child was made, engaging in sexual conduct, namely actual sexual intercourse. (273rd Judicial District Court)

Joshua Dewayne Denmon was indicted for possession of child pornography, third degree felony. The indictment alleges, on April 8, 2022, Denmon knowingly possessed visual material that visually depicted, and which Denmon knew visually depicted a child who was younger than 18 years of age at the time the image of the child was made, engaging in sexual conduct, namely actual lewd exhibition of the genitals. (273rd Judicial District Court)

Joshua Dewayne Denmon was indicted for possession of child pornography, third degree felony. The indictment alleges, on April 8, 2022, Denmon knowingly possessed visual material that visually depicted, and which Denmon knew visually depicted a child who was younger than 18 years of age at the time the image of the child was made, engaging in sexual conduct, namely actual sexual intercourse. (273rd Judicial District Court)

Sara Francis Barrett was indicted for burglary of a habitation, second degree felony. The indictment alleges, on April 1, 2023, Barrett entered a habitation without the effective consent of Chanetta Mims, the owner, and attempted to commit or committed theft of a Chromebook laptop, T100 Trimble Tablet, and multiple bags/suitcases with clothes and shoes, owned by Mims. (273rd Judicial District Court)

Douglas Wayne Williams was indicted for hindering apprehension or prosecution, third degree felony. The indictment alleges, on March 1, 2023, Williams with intent to hinder the arrest of Beverly Kay Hurst under the authority of warrant or capias, harbored or concealed Hurst. (123rd Judicial District Court)

Ricky Jackson was indicted for unlawful carrying weapon prohibited places, third degree felony. The indictment alleges, on March 8, 2023, Jackson recklessly possessed or went with a firearm on the premises of a government court, the office of the Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1, and Jackson's conduct was not pursuant to written regulations or written authorization of the court. (273rd Judicial District Court)

Ricky Jackson was indicted for unlawful possession of firearm by felon, third degree felony. The indictment alleges, on March 8, 2023, Jackson, having previously been convicted of the felony offense of possession of a controlled substance, recklessly possessed a firearm after the fifth anniversary of his release from supervision under community supervision following conviction of the felony. The indictment further alleges, Jackson's possession of the firearm occurred at 518 Nacogdoches Street, Center, Texas, a location other than there premises where he lived. (273rd Judicial District Court)

Christopher Taylor was indicted for burglary of a habitation, second degree felony. The indictment alleges, on March 9, 2023, Taylor entered a habitation without the effective consent of Tia Caryl, the owner, and committed an assault against Caryl. (123rd Judicial District Court)

Erika Diamond was indicted for abandoning or endangering a child, second degree felony. The indictment alleges, on March 21, 2023, Diamond recklessly, or with criminal negligence, engaged in conduct that placed a child younger than 15 years of age in imminent danger of death, bodily injury, or physical or mental impairment by intentionally possessing methamphetamine at a residence with a child, and having paraphernalia devices with suspected methamphetamine residue and uncapped syringes that appeared to contain blood lying in the floor in proximity to the child. (273rd Judicial District Court)

Juan Carmen Zarate was indicted for burglary of a building, state jail felony. The indictment alleges, on March 7, 2023, Zarate entered a building or a portion of a building without the effective consent of Cen[t]er ISD, the owner, and attempted to commit or committed the felony offense of theft. (273rd Judicial District Court)

Thomas Bradshaw was indicted for abandoning or endangering a child, second degree felony. The indictment alleges, on March 21, 2023, Bradshaw recklessly, or with criminal negligence, engaged in conduct that placed a child younger than 15 years of age in imminent danger of death, bodily injury, or physical or mental impairment by intentionally possessing methamphetamine at a residence with a child, and having paraphernalia devices with suspected methamphetamine residue and uncapped syringes that appeared to contain blood lying in the floor in proximity to the child. (123rd Judicial District Court)

Jesus Jimenez Hernandez was indicted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon causing serious bodily injury - family violence, first degree felony. The indictment alleges, on January 22, 2023, Hernandez recklessly caused serious bodily injury to Roberto Rodriguez Reyes by cutting him in several places causing deep lacerations, and Hernandez then and there used or exhibited a machete during the assault, and Reyes was a members of Hernandez' household. (273rd Judicial District Court)

Danny Wright was indicted for assault by choking, third degree felony. The indictment alleges, on March 29, 2023, Wright recklessly caused bodily injury to Mary Cotton, a person with whom Wright had a dating relationship. The indictment further alleges Wright recklessly impeded the normal breathing or circulation of the blood of Cotton by applying pressure to the throat or neck of Cotton. (123rd Judicial District Court)

Rodney Collum was indicted for deadly conduct discharge firearm, third degree felony. The indictment alleges, on March 30, 2023, Collum recklessly engaged in conduct that placed Jacob Kay in imminent danger of serious bodily injury by firing shots out of his vehicle in front of his house. (123rd Judicial District Court)

Billie Smith was indicted for cruelty to non-livestock animals - kill/poison/SBI, third degree felony. The indictment alleges, on March 18, 2023, Smith recklessly killed a dog by shooting the dog without the effective consent of Shannon Metcalf, the owner. The indictment continues, Smith's conduct was not a generally accepted and otherwise lawful form of conduct occurring solely for the purpose of or in support of fishing, hunting, or trapping; or wildlife management, wildlife or depredation control, or shooting preserve practices as regulated by state and federal law; or animal husbandry or agriculture practice involving livestock animals. (273rd Judicial District Court)

Jasmine Shanise Simington was indicted for abandoning or endangering a child with criminal negligence, state jail felony. The indictment alleges, on February 9, 2023, Simington recklessly or with criminal negligence, engaged in conduct that placed a child younger than 15 years of age in imminent danger of death, bodily injury, or physical or mental impairment, by possessing Phencyclidine in their home.

(Dates in parenthesis indicate the date of the alleged incident):

• Joshua Dewayne Denmon, failure to comply with sex offender registration, third degree felony (April 8, 2022). (273rd Judicial District Court)
• Charles David Reed, possession of substance in penalty group 1-A (methamphetamine), state jail felony (March 9, 2023). (273rd Judicial District Court)
• Sheldon Ramon Starling, possession of a controlled substance in penalty group 2 (methamphetamine), second degree felony (February 8, 2023). (273rd Judicial District Court)
• Rachel Denise Coleman, possession of a controlled substance PG1/1-B >=1G<4G (phencyclidine), third degree felony (February 9, 2023). (123rd Judicial District Court)
• Abundio Rodriguez, felony driving while intoxicated, third degree felony (April 8, 2023). (123rd Judicial District Court)
• Cleveland Dewayne Casey, possession of a controlled substance PG1/1-B >=1G<4G (phencyclidine), third degree felony (February 7, 2023). (273rd Judicial District Court)
• Jasmine Shanise Simington, possession of a controlled substance PG1/1-B >=4G<200G (phencyclidine), second degree felony (February 9, 2023). (123rd Judicial District Court)
• James Alan Burke, failure to comply with sex offender registration, third degree felony (March 3, 2023). (273rd Judicial District Court)
• James Alan Burke, failure to comply with sex offender registration, third degree felony (March 3, 2023). (273rd Judicial District Court)
• James Alan Burke, failure to comply with sex offender registration, third degree felony (March 3, 2023). (273rd Judicial District Court)
• James Alan Burke, failure to comply with sex offender registration, third degree felony (March 3, 2023). (273rd Judicial District Court)

Related article: Child Predator Undercover Operation Catches Timpson Man

Indictments and Information are not a conviction, and are a matter of public record. All individuals are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law.

June 23, 2023 - Notice is hereby given that a regular called meeting of the governing body of the above-named City will be held on Monday the 26 day of June 2023 at 5:30 pm at Tenaha City Hall, 238 North George Bowers Drive, Tenaha, Texas, at which time the following subjects will be considered, to-wit:

1. Call to Order

2. Roll Call

3. Invocation 

4. Pledge: United States Pledge

5. Citizens Input: This time is provided for members of the public to address the City Council on items that appear within the agenda, or a matter not listed on the agenda.  Each speaker is limited to 3 minutes. A Citizens Input Form must be filled out and filed in with the City Secretary prior to the meeting. 

6. Department Head Reports:
A. Public Works 
B. Municipal Court
C. Police Department
D. Fire Department: Meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday.
E. City Secretary: RCI Record retention, 4th of July fireworks shows.

7. Discussion and possible action on approving the minutes for the March 2023 City Council meeting(s). 
8. Discussion and possible action on approving the minutes for the May 2023 City Council meeting(s).
9. Discussion and possible action on approving the financials for May 2023.

10. Discussion and possible action on agreement between City of Tenaha and Aerobic Systems of East Texas to dispose of waste at our wastewater plant for the price of .03 a gallon. 

11. Executive session: Personnel Matters Government Code Section 551.074 with possible action related thereto upon reconvening in open session. (Amanda Treat-Brock, City Secretary, Annual Performance Review)

12. Council Items: Reports by the members of the City Council on matters not on the agenda will be made at this time. A total, not to exceed 10 minutes will be devoted to these reports. 

13. Adjourn.

The Council reserves the right to retire into executive session concerning any of the items listed on this agenda whenever it is considered necessary and is legally justified under the Open Meetings Act. 
This agenda is posted as required under Government Code Section 551.41. For more information or for a copy of the open meetings act, please contact the Attorney General of Texas on 1-800-252-8011 or the City Secretary on 936-248-3841.

June 23, 2023 - Portacool, LLC places its team members at the forefront and has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to its workforce by tirelessly working with the Texas Workforce Solutions to expedite unemployment benefits for its displaced team members. In the face of adversity, Portacool has united several resources to provide essential support during these challenging times.

A recent devastating fire at one of the Portacool manufacturing facilities has profoundly impacted the lives of many hardworking individuals. Understanding the urgency and gravity of the situation, Portacool promptly engaged with Texas Workforce Solutions to ensure swift processing and approval of unemployment benefits for affected team members.

Portacool acknowledges the power of community and the spirit of togetherness. Over the last few days, multiple local businesses and churches have stepped forward to assist employees during this time. This remarkable display of solidarity demonstrates the true essence of a caring community.

In response to this collective outpouring of support, Portacool has organized a private job fair for local businesses that have identified available job opportunities within their respective organizations. This job fair serves as a platform for these compassionate businesses to directly connect with the displaced workers from Portacool, offering them viable employment options during this time of transition.

"Here at Portacool, our team members are the heart and soul of our organization. Their well-being and support are of utmost importance to us," said Jennifer Wyatt, Director of Human Resources at Portacool. "We are immensely grateful to Texas Workforce Solutions for their collaboration, and the overwhelming response from our local community.”

Portacool will continue to utilize all resources and means available to continue to support its team members and community. For inquiries, please reach out to communications@portacool.com 711 FM 2468, Center, Texas 75935 • Telephone: 936-598-5651 • www.Portacool.com • www.TheKuulEffect.com

About Portacool,LLC 
Established in 1990, Portacool™ is a global leader in portable evaporative cooling solutions and Evaporative Media Technologies. Based in Center, Texas, with a distribution facility in Wilmer, Texas, Portacool has revolutionized the cooling industry through innovative product design and media technology, catering to various cooling applications. Portacool and Kuul® evaporative technologies are industry leaders in evaporative cooling. Our portable evaporative coolers have proven highly effective across diverse sectors such as agriculture, horticulture, manufacturing, industrial, business, entertainment, sports, home, and hobby, offering practical and cost-effective cooling alternatives to traditional air conditioning. Backed by an extensive network of distributors spanning 50 U.S. states and 56 countries, Portacool, LLC remains at the forefront of the cooling solutions industry, continually redefining global cooling standards.

June 22, 2023 - Governor Greg Abbott today updated the state’s disaster declaration to include additional Northeast Texas communities affected by recent severe storms causing widespread electricity infrastructure damage. The counties added to the Governor’s declaration are Morris and Shelby counties.

"Following more information gathered from communities affected by last week's severe weather in Northeast Texas, I added Morris and Shelby counties to our state's disaster declaration," said Governor Abbott. "Expanding this disaster declaration will help us streamline recovery efforts and restore power quickly and efficiently. The State of Texas continues to collaborate with state and local partners to deploy any additional resources needed to help Texans recover. I thank all of our emergency response personnel and electrical linemen who are working to help their fellow Texans in the aftermath of these storms."

At the Governor’s direction, the following additional state resources have been deployed by the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to support local response and recovery operations:

• Texas Division of Emergency Management: Personnel and equipment to support food storage and hot meal distribution
• Texas Department of Transportation: 60 additional personnel to support roadway debris removal
• Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (Texas A&M Public Works Response Team): Personnel and heavy equipment to support water and electricity infrastructure repair efforts
• Texas Department of Public Safety: Texas Highway Patrol providing security at points of distribution and Driver License Disaster Recovery Unit providing driver licenses at the Community Resource Center in Perryton
• Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service: County Extension Agents supporting disaster needs assessments
• Texas Animal Health Commission: Field personnel assisting with livestock hydration
• Texas National Guard: Over 170 personnel supporting resource staging areas and points of distribution to assist local communities

The following state resources remain deployed to support storm response and recovery operations in the northern portion of the state:

• Texas Department of Transportation: Personnel and heavy equipment for roadway debris clearing and traffic control
• Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (Texas A&M Public Works Response Team): Personnel and equipment to support utility and wastewater treatment needs and operate the state resource staging area
• Texas A&M Forest Service: Additional Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System Strike Teams, tactical water tenders, additional Incident Management Teams to support local firefighting capability and points of distribution, and Saw Crews
• Texas Division of Emergency Management: Emergency management personnel to support local emergency operations centers and to coordinate the establishment of Points of Distribution (PODs) across the impacted counties for members of the community to pick up water, ice, and Meals Ready to Eat (MREs); Response and Recovery personnel to conduct damage assessments and coordinate requests for assistance; activated state disaster contracts for emergency resource transportation and fuel for generators; coordination of cellular connectivity for first responder communications; State Mass Care Coordination; base camp operations to house responding crews; and a resource staging area to support impacted jurisdictions
• Texas Department of State Health Services (Texas Emergency Medical Task Force): Mobile Medical Unit to support local hospital operations, Medical Incident Support Teams, ambulance buses, and ambulances supporting local hospitals, nursing homes, and emergency medical services
• Texas Health and Human Services Commission: Utilizing contracts for local ice and water needs
• Texas Parks and Wildlife Department: Game Wardens assisting with supply delivery and security in affected areas
• Texas Commission on Environmental Quality: Personnel and equipment to assist with air/water/wastewater monitoring
• Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service: Disaster Assessment and Recovery Agents to assist with damage assessments
• Public Utility Commission of Texas: Working with utility providers to send additional crews to impacted areas to repair damaged electric infrastructure
• Texas Department of Public Safety: Texas Highway Patrol Troopers
• Texas National Guard: Personnel and high-profile vehicles for movement of emergency supplies and to support points of distribution
• Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team: Providing support to local veterinary services in impacted communities

This is the latest action in the state’s response to recent severe weather impacting Texas communities:

• On Monday, Governor Abbott updated his disaster declaration to include additional communities impacted by the severe storms.
• On Sunday, the Governor provided an update on the state’s ongoing response to severe storms and urged the public to remain weather aware during continued severe weather potential and extreme heat.
• Governor Abbott held a briefing and press conference on Saturday in Perryton to provide an update on the state's response efforts and updated his disaster declaration to include additional Northeast Texas communities affected by the severe storms.
• On Friday, Governor Abbott issued a disaster declaration and directed TDEM to increase the readiness level of the Texas State Operations Center to Level II (Escalated Response) to support requests for assistance from local officials.
• Last week, Governor Abbott directed TDEM to deploy state emergency response resources to address urgent life-safety needs in Perryton following severe storms and tornado impacts.

As prolonged extreme heat continues in Texas, over 200 cooling centers have been established across the state by local officials. TDEM has compiled a list of these cooling centers at tdem.texas.gov/cool

Additionally, the Texas Department of State Health Services urges Texans to take precautions to prevent heat exhaustion and heat stroke:

• Take action at the first sign of heat illness
• Never leave anyone, including pets, in a parked vehicle—even for a short time
• Check frequently on older friends, neighbors, and family members
• Drink plenty of water 

Read the Governor’s updated disaster declaration.