Kougher Sentenced to Life Plus 20 Years for Indecency with Child Charges
It will be 40 years before Bradley Curtis Kougher, 41, will be eligible for parole following a decision by a Hopkins County jury in Eighth Judicial Court Thursday evening. Kougher was found guilty of a Felony 1 Indecency with a Child and a Felony 2 Indecency with a Child. It took the jury less than 15 minutes to find him guilty and just over an hour to determine his sentence. He was sentenced to life in prison for the Felony 1 and 20...
Three Great Opportunities with Approaching Deadlines By Johanna Hicks
Three Great Opportunities with Approaching Deadlines! If you are the least bit familiar with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension in Hopkins County, you know that we always have something going on! Extension provides many educational programs, so today, I want to focus on three upcoming events. 1) ¡Si, Yo Puedo Controlar Mi Diabetes! is a 7-lesson series to help individuals manage their type 2 diabetes. This series is slightly different...
Commissioners’ Court to Revisit Voting Machine Request During Friday’s Special Session
Although Hopkins County Commissioners’ Court tabled an item on Monday’s agenda, that items will grace the Friday agenda for a special meeting of the court. The addendum of the item to purchase new, technologically updated voting equipment for elections on the special meeting agenda came as a result of a conversation with Hopkins County Clerk Debbie Shirley Monday during a budget work session that followed the Monday regular meeting....
Jury Takes Eight Minutes to Decide Custody of Cattle
It took eight minutes for a Hopkins County Court at Law six person jury to determine custody of the hundreds of head of malnourished cattle seized by Hopkins County Deputies and the SPCA of Texas on December 4-6, 2017. The cattle found on 2700 acres in the County will be sold at auction and not returned to George Lawrence Bergin, 61, of Sulphur Springs. Bergin is charged with Cruelty to Livestock-Fail to Provide, a state jail felony....
Appeal of Custody of Cattle Settlement Underway
An employee of the SPCA testified Monday morning in Hopkins County Court at Law that during his investigation, he observed cattle, owned by George Bergin of Sulphur Springs, on more than one location and each location looked the same. Testimony continues in the appeal of a settlement made in Justice of the Peace Court regarding the custody of several hundred head of cattle owned by Bergin. The appeal is being heard in the Justice of...
Bergin’s Motions Question Jurisdiction, Evidence Obtained, and Texas Health and Safety Code vs Civil Procedure
In three motions filed before the Hopkins County Court at Law by Attorney Chad Cable on behalf of George Lawrence Bergin and his desire to regain custody of hundreds of head of cattle seized by the SPCA of Texas and Hopkins County Sheriff’s Deputies, Bergin through his attorney states that the court denied the defendant’s motion to dismiss on account of the courts complete abrogation of the rules of civil procedure, requests that the...
Bergin Does Not Appear; Attorney Files Motion Challenging Authority of Court in the Appeal of Cattle Custody
Although a motion has been filed with Hopkins County Court at Law challenging the authority of the court regarding an appeal of a settlement reached in a pre-court magistrates hearing regarding custody of hundreds of head of cattle, a jury is being picked Friday, January 5, 2018, in the second floor courtroom of the county courthouse and the appeal trial is expected to begin as soon as the jury is picked. The trial is expected to...
NETBIO Hosts Two Sales to Start 2018
The Northeast Texas Beef Improvement Organization, in cooperation with the Sulphur Springs Livestock Commission, will host two big NETBIO sales events to kick off 2018. The first of the new year will be the regularly scheduled NETBIO Pre-Conditioned Stocker/Feeder Calf Sale on Wednesday, January 17. The second 2018 sale will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 21, the newest addition to the NETBIO annual sale schedule. Both sales will begin on...
Video Presentation: O’Rourke Seeks U. S. Senate Seat; Visited Hopkins County Wednesday
Kendal Scudder, Democrat candidate for Texas State Senate District 2, introduced Beto O’Rourke, a three-term congressman from El Paso, and Democrat candidate for the U. S. Senate Seat held by Republican Ted Cruz. It has been more than two decades since a Democrat has won a statewide election in Texas. However, O’Rourke, who is taking no PAC or special interest monies, is seeking to change that fact.O’Rourke’s visit to...
Two Brothers Found Dead From Gun Shot Wounds New Years Day in Hopkins County
In a news release from the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Department: Deputies were dispatched to a residence just off County Road 2408 about 9:45 a.m. after communications officers received a call about the welfare of family members and, upon arrival, found two men dead of apparent gunshot wounds. Sheriff Lewis Tatum said told us there had been a history of violence between two brothers and the last time the brothers had been seen...
