Pickton Man Charged with Aggravated Assault Family Violence With a Deadly Weapon
A woman in Florida called a Hopkins County resident regarding someone who lived in her rent house locally. The renter, according to the property owner was being harmed by the renter’s boyfriend. The local resident called Hopkins County Sheriff’s office.
While in route to the address, it was found that the female renter was being threatened by Paige Spencer Whitworth, 48, of Pickton. Whitworth apparently had possession of a gun while in the disturbance. When officers arrived the victim was hesitant to speak with officers and not very cooperative concerning the events according to the officer’s report. As officers continued to investigate, Whitworth was loud and verbally abusive and non-cooperative with officers. The officers separated the two to continue the investigation. It was found that Whitworth and the victim had gotten into an argument at which point the victim locked Whitworth out of the house due to possible harm. Whitworth then produced a small handgun and began banging and beating on the door and walls with it. The victim had recorded the events audio on her cellphone.
Whitworth is in Hopkins County Jail held on a $50,000 bond and charged with Aggravated Assault Family Violence with a Deadly Weapon, a Felony 1.
Argument Inside Auto on I-30 Attracts Attention of Law Enforcement
A Hunt County Deputy notified Hopkins County that he observed a man and woman arguing inside a vehicle. At the 138 mile marker on westbound I-30, the argument was ended when Hopkins County law enforcement located the described vehicle driving in the left lane where prohibited.
When contact was made with the two, one of the subjects, Edwin Trevon Carter, 35, of Dallas was found to be wanted on an outstanding warrant for Assault Causing Bodily Injury. He is now in Hopkins County Jail.
Former Teacher’s Appeal Dismissed by Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
Last week, May 26, 2017, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the appeal that had been made in the conviction and sentencing of former Cumby ISD Math Teacher Lucus Ray Hill. Hill was sentenced to 405 months (33 years, 9 months) in Federal Prison Friday morning, August 19, 2016. He was found guilty of enticement of a minor. He will also serve five years supervised release when he leaves prison after serving the day-for-day sentence. According to Lewis Tatum, then Chief Criminal Investigator and now Hopkins County Sheriff, the sentence was the maximum allowed by federal law guidelines.
HILL,LUCAS RAY
On May 30, 2015, Hill was arrested for impersonation—name and persona to create a page—and for possession of child pornography. Hill, 38, was accused of stealing an identity and establishing a fake social media account which he used to exploit children including the requesting of and soliciting of child pornography. He had maintained a large library of pages and pictures in the social media account. Corley Weatherford, Sergeant with the Hopkins County Sheriff’s office, working with the Internet Crimes Against Children and Amanda Weatherford of the Sulphur Springs Police Department, led the investigation. Accompanied by investigators from the Hopkins County Sheriff’s office and ICAC, Weatherford served warrants on Hill on the morning of May 30th following graduation exercises at Cumby High School. At that time, law enforcement seized numerous electronic devices used to obtain child pornography photos.
Hill had posed as a teenage boy. From October 2013, He is alleged to have contacted a number of females including children who may have attended Cumby schools. Officials say he chatted with females and persuaded them to engage in sexually explicit conduct, including producing images and videos of themselves engaging in sexual activity.
TxDOT Begins $8.8 Million Seal Coat Projects in Hopkins and Surrounding Counties
PARIS – Motorists traveling in Northeast Texas should pay special attention to all traffic control devices and flaggers, and slow down when they encounter work on area roads this summer. Texas Department of Transportation officials recently cleared CDM Holdings LLC and Brannan Paving to seal coat several roads in Delta, Fannin, Franklin, Grayson, Hopkins, Hunt, Lamar, Rains and Red River counties.
Construction will begin the week of May 31 in Rains County. This district-wide project is scheduled to be completed by mid-September, weather permitting, at an estimated cost of more than $8.8 million. Some work times and locations may overlap, and traffic control measures may include some one-way operation during construction.
CDM Holdings will begin seal coating the week of May 31 in Rains County and work its way north through Hopkins, Franklin, Delta, Lamar and Red River counties through the end of June. Brannan Paving is scheduled to begin seal coating the week of July 17 in Hunt County and work its way north through Fannin County and Grayson County through the week of September 8, 2017.
“This is preventative maintenance that is critical to seal out moisture and prevent damage to the pavement, as well as preserve our investment in these roadways,” said Daniel Taylor, TxDOT area engineer based in Sulphur Springs, Texas. “Provisions have been included in the highway contract to keep through traffic delays to a minimum, and access to adjacent properties will be maintained during this project.”
People traveling along roadways receiving a seal coat should slow down and be aware of construction activity. Motorists should not drive through an area where asphalt has been applied, but rock has not yet been placed. There will be some loose rock along roadways as well, and motorists should be prepared to stop for short durations while the work is in progress.
“We request that people traveling on these roadways recognize that the temporary inconvenience of this construction is necessary to preserve our roadways,” Taylor said.
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East Texas Horticultural Field Day Features Public Viewing and Presentations
OVERTON – The 2017 East Texas Horticultural Field Day will feature more than 500 ornamental plant and vegetable trial varieties for public viewing, along with presentations by experts at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Overton.
The event, slated for June 29, will be held rain or shine.
Gardeners, professional landscape managers and seed company representatives can learn which landscape plants and vegetables do well under East Texas conditions, said Dr. Brent Pemberton, Texas A&M AgriLife Research ornamental horticulturist. Pemberton said he started the trials in 1993 to meet the needs of commercial seed companies, local nursery managers and gardening enthusiasts.
There is no cost to attend or for the barbecue lunch provided by sponsors, but organizers ask that attendees RSVP by June 23 for an accurate meal count. The field day will begin with registration at 8:30 a.m. at the center’s East Farm 2 miles east of Overton on Texas Highway 135 N.
The Ornamental Trial garden is on County Road 133 just past the former Kilgore College Demonstration Farm on Texas Highway 135.
“Everyone should be aware we will be at a new location this year,” Pemberton said. “Directions to the trial garden will be available online and there will be signs placed to guide visitors.”
A tour of the ornamental trials at the Demonstration Garden at the Overton center will follow.
The center headquarters are about 2 miles north of downtown Overton at 1710 Farm-to-Market Road 3053. For driving directions to the center or the East Farm site, go to http://flowers.tamu.edu/field-
The trials include some standard varieties from previous tests, including both old and new varieties of begonias, New Guinea impatiens, salvias, coreopsis and pentas, Pemberton said.
“There will be plenty of good opportunities to make side-by-side comparisons between new series varieties and popular current series,” he said.
Dr. Joe Masabni, AgriLife Extension vegetable specialist, Overton, will also present plants in ongoing vegetable trials at the center. This year, Masabni will feature ongoing trials of grafted tomato varieties.
“We try to assemble as many species as we can,” Pemberton said. “There are some that have been around for years, recent releases and new ones, but some varieties on display won’t be seen on the market until next year.”
The field day will move to the ornamental trials and demonstration garden at the Overton center headquarters from 10:30-11:45 a.m.
Lunch is from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Afternoon speaker programs will be indoors at the Overton center’s Bruce McMillan Jr. Auditorium. Speakers and topics will include:
— Pemberton, Top Performers from Recent Trials – the Labor Day Report.
— Jenny Wegley, Dallas Arboretum horticulture director, Dallas, Top Performers at the Dallas Arboretum.
— Suzanne Wainwright, Buglady Consulting ornamental entomologist, Using Biological Control in Production.
— Dr. Dotty Woodson, AgriLife Extension water resource specialist, Dallas, Rain Barrel Demonstration.
Pemberton said prior to the trials, there was little information available to greenhouse growers and the industry as to whether particular bedding plant varieties were suited to the East Texas climate and soils.
The bedding plant industry has had a $500 million annual economic impact in East Texas over the past decade, Pemberton said. Ornamental plants remain in high demand every planting season.
“For everyone who likes to have flower color in their landscape, this is a great place to see the newest and the best for East Texas and this region of the country,” Pemberton said.
Wood County Beekeepers “Save the Bees” Event
About 50 members of the newly-formed Wood County Beekeepers Association will be waiting to meet and greet you at Winnsboro Farmer’s Markets during their Save the Bees events during June. Custom-painted decorative beehives and fresh honey will be just a part of their awareness-and-fundraising efforts for 2017. Mary Smith, President of the Beekeepers group says that public awareness and education are essential to help save the bees struggling to survive with pressure from pesticides, lack of forage, imported parasitic mites and an ever-changing climate for these creatures which are vital to our ecosystem. There are ways that you can help.
How can you play a role in this cause and have fun at the same time? Meet with the Beekeepers on Saturday June 3, 10 and 17 between 8am and noon on Market Street in downtown Winnsboro. Attend free demonstrations and children’s activities including a visit by the Texas Honey Queen, vote on your favorite painted hive and pick up some local honey and beeswax products offered each week at the Farmer’s Market. You can also view all ten of the decorative hives on display this week at the Winnsboro Center for the Arts. Also, an Artists’ Reception is set for Sunday June 4 at 2 pm at the Arts Center open to the public. Find out more about “Save the Bees” on the Association’s Facebook page, the Winnsboro Farmer’s Market Facebook page, and at woodcountybeekeepers.org
Winnsboro Police Report May 22-28, 2017
Winnsboro Police arrested one, investigated two non-injury accidents, issued 40 citations and 25 warnings, and responded to 158 calls during the report period May 22-28, 2017.
Leon Morgan, 23, of Winnsboro was arrested May 24, 2017 on a Hopkins County warrant.
On May 22, police responded to a minor two vehicle accident in the 400 block of West Broadway.
On May 23, the police responded to a one vehicle accident in the 600 block of North Main. The vehicle was traveling southbound on Main when it left the roadway striking a telephone pole.
Representative Flynn Summarizes Legislative Session
State Representative District 2, Dan Flynn called the 85th Legislative Session a busy but successful session. During the session he served as the Chairman of the House Pensions Committee and as a member of the House Defense and Veterans Affairs Committee.
Flynn navigated the Houston and Dallas Police and Firefighters pensions through the session. Both passed.
The Texas House gave final and overwhelming approval Saturday to a budget proposal that keeps state spending flat while making significant investments in child protection and mental health care. The budget, Senate Bill 1, appropriates about $107 billion in General Revenue and almost $1 billion from the state’s Economic Stabilization Fund. Including federal funds and other dollars, the budget totals $217 billion.
The Mental Health Care budget provides $300 million for new construction, significant repairs and increased capacity at state mental health hospitals. It also appropriates $62.7 million to eliminate projected waiting lists for community mental health services for adults and children and $37.5 million for a new mental health jail diversion program.
The budget also appropriates $350 million to increase the contribution rate and address a projected shortfall in TRS-Care, the health care program for retired teachers. Flynn said that without that funding, retired educators would have faced significant increases in their health care premiums and deductibles. In addition, the budget avoids the severe cuts to higher education that were discussed earlier in the legislative session.
Two Sulphur Springs Women Arrested After Deputies Find More than Marijuana
Two Sulphur Springs women were arrested following a stop for a minor traffic violation. A strong odor of marijuana led to the women admitting a marijuana joint was in the vehicle. They denied knowing about the methamphetamine that found during a probable cause search. However other evidence cast a shadow over their doubt.
The marijuana joint was found in a container inside the driver’s purse and a syringe with clear color liquid believed to be methamphetamine was also found in the vehicle. During a pat down, a glass pipe used to smoke meth was found inside the bra of the passenger in the vehicle.
The driver, Skye Lynn Hargett, 26 of Sulphur Springs is charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1, less than 1-gram. The passenger, Chrystal Gail Hayes, 37, of Sulphur Springs is charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1, more than 1-gram but less than 4-grams, Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1, less than 1-gram, and with Tamper/Fabricate Physical Evidence with intent to impair.
