How Gold Stars, Surcharge Repeal Impact Driver’s Licensing, State ID Cards
Many adults will recall working hard to earn a gold star on paperwork. Texans who haven’t renewed their driver’s licenses or state ID cards since 2016 will receive a gold star from Texas Department of Public Safety if they do so before Oct. 1, 2020.
Those who don’t renew before Oct. 1, 2020, could be barred from boarding domestic flights and federal buildings, per the REAL ID Act of 2005.
And, that’s just one of the more recent laws which affect people’s driver’s licenses.
REAL ID Act
Congress passed the REAL ID Act to strengthen the security of state-issued cards to reduce identity fraud and terrorism. The card is designed to include additional security features, and more security and protection of personal information during the issuance process.
What it means for Texans is potentially having to renew your license or ID card sooner than anticipated and producing additional documentation when doing so. The REAL ID Act requires for issuance of an ID card or driver’s license proof of identity, date of birth, Social Security number, lawful status and primary residence address; all from verified documents.
Since October 2016, when Texans renew driver’s licenses and state IDs, the new card is issued with the REAL ID star on them, according to Texas Department of Public Safety.
Card holders will be allowed to renew their Texas driver’s licenses or ID cards up to two years in advance of expiration date, according to a letter being mailed by Texas Department of Public Safety.
All active Texas drivers’ licenses and identification cards are valid until the expiration date shown on the card, and can be used for state-related ID purposes such as driving, banking and voting. However, if the card doesn’t have that gold start on it by Oct. 1, 2020, the Transportation Security Administration doesn’t have to allow the card holder to board domestic flights or enter secure federal facilities.
Driver Responsibility Program Repeal
The repeal of the Driver Responsibility Program could mean fewer fees for some drivers and potentially getting their license back sooner. The program ends on Sept. 1 (this Sunday).
All surcharge assessments will be waived and no future surcharges will be assessed after Sept. 1. However, drives will still be responsible for any other suspensions, fines or fees on your driving record.
Surcharge payments must be made and individuals owing them will be held accountable through Sept. 1. They are waived afterward. All other fees still apply. Individuals whose driving privileges are currently suspended for surcharges have to wait until Sept. 1 to file for renewal at a driver’s license office.
DPS will no longer assess DRP points for moving violations. Any previously assessed points will be removed from individuals’ records. However, drivers should note any suspensions that resulted from surcharges while DRP was in effect will remain on their driving history.
The repeal also does not wipe out failure to appear surcharges.
Visit the DPS website for more information about the DRP repeal and how it impacts drivers and their license.
The House Bill repealing the DRP stipulates that to help build the designated trauma facility and emergency medical services account previously funded through the DRP surcharges, additional fees will be assessed at the state level.
Motorists will pay $20 more for state traffic fines, with 1 percent of the service fee less going to municipalities and counties. All motorist will pay more in insurance fees to the Automobile Burglary and Theft Prevention Authority, with 20 percent of that amount going to the fund. People convicted on alcohol driving offenses will pay an additional fine.
Dedicated Volunteers
Meal A Day has some dedicated volunteers who deliver food to shut ins five days a week regardless of the weather. Drives such as Janie Chapman and Donna Moon don plastic ponchos to help protect them during thunderstorms before completing their routes.
Meal A Day volunteer drivers and cooks are always welcome and appreciated. Contact Karon Weatherman at 903-885-1661 to volunteer.
2 Complaints On West Spence Street Result In 3 Arrests
Three people were jailed following response by police at least twice in an hour in the 100 block of West Spence Street Wednesday evening.
Sulphur Springs police first were dispatched just before 8 p.m. Aug. 28 to a complaint of a suspected intoxicated person trespassing in the 100 block of West Spence Street. Upon arrival, a patrol officer was greeted by a 27-year-old Sulphur Springs woman, who told officers she is homeless and stays with whomever will let her. To lend credibility to her statements, a large plastic tote filled with clothing and personal items was visible on the ground by her.
Police, in arrest reports, claimed that the woman was unsteady on her feet, had slurred speech and could not stand still. The woman allegedly admitted she’d recently used methamphetamine. Officers attempted to conduct horizontal gaze nystagmus tests, but the woman couldn’t stand still for the test; her eyes also wouldn’t stop twitching, police alleged in arrest reports.
Believing the woman to be a danger to herself and others, police took her into custody at 8:14 p.m. and to jail for public intoxication.
At about 8:40 p.m. Aug. 28, police were again dispatched to the 100 block of West Spence Street, where a disturbance, an alleged assault was reported.
Upon contact with the 28-year-old male residence, they were told he and a 22-year-old female resident had argued over a phone. The woman was accused of grabbing and scratching at him to try to gain possession of the phone. The woman allegedly admitted to officers that they’d engaged in a physical altercation.
A quick glance showed injuries on both the man and woman, police noted in arrest reports. To prevent further violence, both were arrested just before 9 p.m. Aug. 28 on a Class A misdemeanor family violence assault causing bodily injury charge, according to arrest reports.
Wildcats Team Tennis Highlights Thursday Game Day
Wildcats Team Tennis has an afternoon match on this Thursday, Aug. 29, game day.
The Wildcats have a rematch with Bullard at 3:30 p.m. at Tyler Junior College. The two teams met in a Whitehouse tournament back on Aug. 15 and Bullard just got by the Wildcats, 10-9.
The Wildcats won their last match, defeating Pleasant Grove 10-8, at the Wildcat Tennis Center last week. The Wildcats have a 2-9 season record.
Also on this Thursday game day, the Wildcats JV Football Team plays Frisco Wakeland’s JV at 6 p.m. at Wakeland High School. The Wildcats Freshmen Team plays Wakeland’s freshmen at Gerald Prim Stadium at 6 p.m. Thursday.
Athletic Director Greg Owens also tells us that the Sulphur Springs Middle School Eighth Grade Volleyball Team is hosting a Mount Pleasant Eighth Grade Team on this game day Thursday.
Marty Secord Is Coach of Frisco Wakeland, the Wildcats Opponent Friday Night At Prim Stadium
The Wildcats Football Team opens the regular season Friday night, Aug. 30, at 7:30 p.m. at Gerald Prim Stadium against Frisco Wakeland.
The Wolverines are coached by Marty Secord. He was the first coach at Wakeland and he is the only head coach they have ever had. Like Wildcats Football Coach Greg Owens at Sulphur Springs, Wakeland Coach Secord is beginning his 14th season with the school. Coach Secord is now the longest tenured coach in Frisco ISD since Frisco’s Vance Gibson left after last season to become head coach at East Texas Baptist University.
Frisco Wakeland is in a tough district. Ranked teams in the district include Frisco Lone Star and The Colony. Coach Secord says Wakeland is playing a tough non-district schedule to get ready for district play. That includes coming to Sulphur Springs Friday night.
He says Wakeland and the Wildcats seem to be a lot alike. He says both teams lost lots of seniors. Coach Secord says Wakeland is rebuilding, especially on defense.
Wakeland is led on offense by senior quarterback Dylan Laible and senior wide receiver Kevin Rychel. The Wakeland offensive line is anchored by senior center Michael Callahan, a four year starter. He’s back after a knee injury last year.
Other offensive line standouts include junior Ryan Tabor and senior Tyler Rechsteiner. Coach Secord says Wakeland will be led on defense by outside linebacker senior Jake Marshall and senior safety Josh Starnes.
He says he expects to also play a couple of sophomores. Coach Secord says his team’s trip out of the Metroplex into East Texas will be something different but, he adds, it will serve the team well down the road.
He expects a good competitive game just like last year’s, a two point Wildcats’ win at Frisco Memorial Stadium. Coach Secord says his team was really green last year and he says they will be more experienced this year. He says Sulphur Springs is well coached and is a good football team.
Both Coach Secord and Coach Owens say they don’t know much about the other. Both observed a scrimmage that had players wearing numbers other than their own for the most part.
Coach Secord noticed the Wildcats tall quarterback who he says throws a good ball. He also mentions a Wildcat left defensive end that he says is a good football player.
Coach Secord says both teams will be trying to find out who’s a varsity player Friday night.
HCSO: 2 Arrested For THC Possession Following 2 Separate Traffic Stops
An 18-year-old Saltillo woman and 26-year-old Alabama man were reportedly arrested for THC possession following two unrelated traffic stops by sheriff’s officers Wednesday night.
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Investigator Wade Sheets arrested Felicia Renee Valenzuela of Saltillo at 9:29 p.m. Aug. 28 on Houston Street at League Street for possession of 4 grams or more but less than 400 grams of a Penalty Group 2 controlled substance.
Valenzuela was reportedly a passenger in a Mitsubishi Lance Sheets stopped for a traffic violation. On contact with the vehicle’s occupants, Sheets reported an “overwhelming odor of marijuana” emitted from the vehicle. Valenzuela allegedly admitted to being in possession of THC gummies. A search of the vehicle revealed the woman to also be in possession of a vaping device containing a THC cartridge, Sheets alleged in arrest reports.
When Valenzuela was placed into custody, she admitted to being in possession of two pre-rolled blunts. Sheriff’s deputies transported the woman to jail for THC possession; the vehicle and other occupants were released. The packaged THC gummies and cartridge weighed 22.8 grams, Sheets alleged in arrest reports.
Valenzuela remained in Hopkins County jail Thursday morning, Aug. 29. Bond was set at $20,000 on the controlled substance charge, according to jail reports.
At 11:22 p.m., Deputy Thomas Patterson arrested 26-year-old Matthew Darren Walter Sims of Hamilton, Alabama on Interstate 30 west at mile marker 124 for possession of 4 grams or more but less than 400 grams of a Penalty Group 2 controlled substance.
Patterson reported stopping Sim at 10:48 p.m. after noticing the license plate lights on the Pontiac Grand Prix he was in weren’t working. During the course of the stop, Patterson asked and was refused permission to search the car.
The deputy deployed his narcotic detection canine for an open air sniff around the exterior of the car. The dog alerted at the passenger’s side door to the odor of an illegal narcotic substance, Patterson alleged.
A search of the car allegedly revealed a clear vape pen canister with suspected THC oil inside of it. Sims was taken to jail for controlled substance possession. The container, seized as evidence, field tested positive for tetrahydocannabinol (THC) and weighed, including packaging, of 9.2 grams, Patterson alleged in arrest reports.
Sims remained in the county jail Thursday morning, Aug. 29. Bond was set at $20,000 on the controlled substance charge, according to jail reports.
Sulphur Springs Man Reportedly Found Walking Down Road Naked
A 63-year-old man was reportedly found walking down North Jackson Street naked Wednesday afternoon.
The complaint of the naked man in the street was called in to police dispatchers around 4:10 p.m. Aug. 28. When officers arrived, they reported finding a man sans pants in the 1000 block of North Jackson Street. The man was reportedly walking toward a residence. He was reportedly instructed to put a pair of pants on, which he did, according to police reports.
While talking to the man, the patrol officer noted the 63-year-old to be unsteady on his feet to the point he was swaying when he stood. Police alleged the Sulphur Springs man to also have bloodshot eyes and heavy, slurred speech when he talked. A strong odor was also detected on him and his breath, arrest reports alleged. Thus, the man was taken to jail for public intoxication,
Police Identify Sulphur Springs Man Accused of Leading Pursuit In Vehicle Of Woman He Assaulted
Sulphur Springs Police have identified the man accused of assaulting a woman, taking her car, engaging in a vehicle then foot pursuit with police Wednesday afternoon as 47-year-old Terence Ramon Beachem of Sulphur Springs.
Beachem was arrested at 1:41 p.m. Aug. 28 on Helm Lane at Kadi Lane by Sulphur Springs Police Sgt. Jameison Hawkins and Sgt. Brandon Mayes for burglary of a habitation with intent to commit another felony, evading arrest or detention with a vehicle and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, according to police reports.
Police were reportedly dispatched during the noon hour to the 300 block of West Park Street just, where someone was reportedly heard screaming for help in a residence, the officers alleged in arrest reports. Initial police reports were that a loud noise that sounded like a gunshot was also reported.
While en route, officers received information that the suspect, Beachem, had assaulted the homeowner, then stole her vehicle, a maroon Toyota Camry.
Officer Hawkins reportedly spotted the car and attempted to stop it at the E-Z Mart store on Helm Lane at East Shannon Road. Beachem allegedly took off in the woman’s car when the officers turned on the lights on his patrol vehicle. Beachem allegedly wrecked the car in the nearby Quail Ridge Apartments parking lot and fled on foot.
After a search, Beachem was located and taken into custody. Police Wednesday reported he had forced entry into the residence where he was found.
Instead of being taken directly to jail, Beachem was reportedly transported to the hospital to have medical treatment for injuries that occurred during the West Park Street disturbance.
Police alleged the man had assaulted the West Park Street homeowner. He allegedly kicked in the back door of her residence, and choked her and punched her in the face and head area multiple times with a closed fist, Hawkins and Mayes alleged in arrest reports.
Beachem was allegedly injured during the physical altercation, leaving DNA evidence at the West Park Street residence before taking off in the woman’s car, a police detective reported Wednesday.
Once released from the hospital, Beachem was jailed on all three felony charges. He remained in the county jail Thursday morning. Bond was set at $100,000 on the first-degree felony burglary with intent to commit another felony charge, $50,000 on the third-degree felony evading arrest charge and $25,000 on the felony unauthorized use of a motor vehicle charge, according to jail reports.
The arrest marks the third time Beachem has been arrested and jailed locally this summer, and fifth time since July of 2018. He was arrested for public intoxication on Aug. 18, and PI and possession of drug paraphernalia on Aug. 24, 2019, according to jail reports.
Beachem was arrested on July 5, 2018, for public intoxication and criminal mischief; and on Aug. 12, 2018, for aggravated assault of a date, family or household member with a deadly weapon, criminal mischief, evading arrest or detention, and violation of parole.
The August 2018 charges stem from an incident in which Beachem allegedly rammed the car his girlfriend’s son was driving downtown, then lost control of his vehicle and left Main Street, causing a large amount of damage to Celebration Plaza, officers alleged in Beachem’s 2018 arrest reports.
Jail records show Beachem has an extensive criminal history dating back to 1989 that includes prior burglary, unauthorized use of a vehicle and assault arrests.
Weatherford: Como Man In Custody On Controlled Substance Charge Confesses To Building Burglaries
Sheriff’s Officers Recover $10,400 Worth Of Lawn Maintenance Equipment
A 38-year-old Como man arrested Tuesday afternoon at his County Road 2329 residence for methamphetamine possession allegedly confessed to two building burglaries.
Shawn Wayne Austin had been identified as a possible suspect in a burglary, so deputies went to his residence about 2 p.m. Tuesday for further investigation into the matter. Austin allegedly allowed the deputies permission to search his room; they found a glass pipe containing suspected methamphetamine in an eyeglass case, the deputies noted in arrest reports. Thus, Austin was taken into custody at 3:40 p.m. Aug. 27 by Hopkins County Sheriff’s Sgt. Michael Russell for possession of less than 1 gram of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance.
A search warrant was issued for Austin’s phone; Internet searches matching the stolen property was located (as if he was getting a value on the items). During the investigation we also discovered that he attempted to sell an ‘Orange’ zero turn mower to a family member, which also matched the stolen property,” HCSO Chief Investigator Corley Weatherford alleged in arrest reports.
Weatherford interviewed Austin regarding the Aug. 22 burglary at a County Road 2329 location, as well as another building burglary. Austin allegedly confessed to committing both building burglaries, resulting in his arrest on two burglary of a building charges Wednesday evening.
Approximately $10,400 worth of stolen lawn maintenance equipment was located, recovered and returned to the property owner, according to arrest and sheriff’s reports.
Austin remained in the county jail Thursday morning on all three charges, according to arrest reports.
