Theft of Bicycle Becomes One Too Many
A white male was observed taking a bicycle from a residence near 331 Magnolia Street in Sulphur Springs and local police were called. When the police arrived to the theft, it wasn’t long until the bicycle was located by the victim at the Magnolia Street address.
James Allen Hall, 49, of Sulphur Springs was arrested for theft with two previous convictions, a state jail felony. He is in Hopkins County Jail being held on a $5,000 bond.
SSHS Cross Country Team Place At UT-Tyler Meet Saturday
New Wildcats and Lady Cats Cross Country Coach Ross Hicks said his teams had good days overall at a cross country meet at UT-Tyler last Saturday. The Wildcats finished fourth and the Lady Cats ninth among 27 teams. There were about 150 runners each in boys and girls competitions.
The Wildcats finished ahead of district foes Hallsville, Pine Tree and Mt. Pleasant. The Lady Cats finished third pitted against their three district rivals.
The Wildcats were paced by Peyton Vickery who placed twelfth. Teammate Landon Thornton was right behind Vickery and finished in thirteenth place. Top five Wildcats finishers included Eli Sellers, Andrew Escobar and Ed Ramirez.
Lauren Helm was the top Lady Cat finishing ending up in around thirtieth place. Coach Hicks said he entered ten girls in the varsity race so they could run a complete 5K. JV girls runners only do a shorter 2-mile run. Coach Hicks said he surprised his team with an intense workout Monday morning, just two days after the race.
The Wildcats and Lady Cats run next in a Hallsville meet Friday. More district foes are expected to participate there.
Paramanantham Named TxDOT Paris District Engineer
PARIS – Noel Paramanantham, P.E., was recently selected to serve as the new District Engineer for the Texas Department of Transportation’s Paris District in Northeast Texas, headquartered here. He succeeds Paul Montgomery, P.E., who retired Aug. 31.
In his new role, Paramanantham will oversee the planning, design, building, operations and maintenance of the state transportation system for the Paris District, which is comprised of nine counties.
He graduated from the National Institute of Technology with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1990, and earned his master’s degree in structural engineering from Lamar University in 1993. Prior to his work with TxDOT, Paramanantham served as transportation planner for the Sherman-Denison Metropolitan Planning Organization.
Paramanantham began his TxDOT career in November 1995 as an engineering assistant for the Sherman Area Office in the Paris District. In 1999, he earned his professional engineering license and became design section manager for the Sherman office. In 2003 he was named assistant area engineer for the Sherman Area Office, a role he held until 2013. During that time, he oversaw the design and construction of the $50 million US 75 reconstruction project – the largest transportation project in the Paris District. He was also named Employee of the Year in 1997, and Engineer of the Year in 2001 for the district.
In 2013 he was appointed East Dallas County area engineer for the Dallas Area Office in the Dallas District. Later the same year he was named Dallas County area engineer, following an administrative merger of East and West Dallas Counties. In this capacity he managed $450 million in projects and $20 million in maintenance projects for Dallas County.
Paramanantham and his wife, Tammy, live in Sherman. He enjoys attending sporting events, traveling and camping. TxDOT’s Paris District encompasses Delta, Fannin, Franklin, Grayson, Hopkins, Hunt, Lamar, Rains and Red River counties.
County Clerk’s Preservation of Records Continues Thanks to Document Fee
An ongoing project for the Hopkins County Clerk’s office was the focus of a funding hearing Monday morning during County Commissioner’s Court. The annual hearing focused on the $10 fee for filing documents such as plats and marriage license that funds the preservation and restoration of county records.
The fee, begun by legislation in 2003, increased from $5 to $10 in 2013 and has been a great aide to County Clerk Debbie Shirley. Shirley stated that the fee has assisted in paying for the backup of almost all county records. She said that should a disaster occur, her office could be back up and running in a short period of time. Records are stored on microfiche, digitally, and certain older books have been preserved. Some of the records are stored offsite in another county.
The fee is a separate account from the general budgeted items. Shirley said that she and an outside vendor plan an annual budget for the money received and spend the money according to a priority list for items to be protected.
She is pleased with the success her office has had in preserving items. She said that every document in the current office has been scanned and that scanning of older documents is ongoing. Deeds dating back to 1846, marriage licenses, and death records have been scanned and her staff is currently working on indexing the items.
Como Man Arrested at Disturbance
September, 2016 – William Ryan Miller, 25, of Como was being held down by a white male when Sulphur Springs police arrived at the corner of League Street and Camp Street in response to a disturbance Sunday. The responding officer knew there was an outstanding warrant for Miller.
Miller is in Hopkins County Jail for Violation of Parole for Felony Burglary of a Building.
Miller was indicted for one count of Burglary of a Habitation in February of this year. The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Department made the initial arrest in connection with a burglary where a thief made off with lots of items inside a rural county home including Christmas gifts and toys. Sheriff’s Chief Criminal Investigator Lewis Tatum said William Ryan Miller, 25, of Como, was arrested for the burglary. Tatum said weapons and televisions along with Christmas gifts and toys were taken from the residence. The weapons and televisions were recovered and the residents of the home inventoried the gifts and toys recovered Tuesday, December 15th to determine if all were recovered. The items taken had been hidden in several locations according to Tatum. A tip through social media regarding the sale of a television led to the arrest.
“Updated” North Hopkins Volunteer Fireman Arrested for Arson
Justin Blake Saffel
Hopkins County Fire Marshall Mike Matthews’ investigation of a structure fire on County Road 4582 has led to the arrest of Justin Blake Saffel, 21, a volunteer with the North Hopkins Volunteer Fire Department. Saffel was arrested Saturday for arson, a Felony 2.
During an interview with Saffel, he confessed to committing the arson. He explained how he started the fire and the reason for starting the fire. He started the fire so that he cold return to the scene with fellow volunteers and put the fire out. He acted alone in the arson incident.
A house fire Labor Day weekend near Birthright at County Road 4587 and CR 4582 was suspect when a structure, vacant for several years, was fully engulfed when county firemen responded to a grass fire and found the structure as they began their work.
In response to Saffel’s act, the North Hopkins Volunteer Fire Department made the following statement: “The North Hopkins Fire Department regrets the recent incident involving one of our volunteers. Member Justin Saffell has been terminated for his actions. We do not condone his actions nor should this be reflective of the members of the Department. Saffell had been a member for only six months. We apologize to the community for this unfortunate event but assure you that our standards are much higher. When a person applies to become a Volunteer there is little that we can obtain in the way of background due to a persons right to privacy. Beyond a local reference and check of driving record there is little more that can be obtained. The North Hopkins Fire Department will continue to deliver service to the Community and has many dedicated members that will to do so in a professional manner. The best thing we can do for this particular situation is pray for this young man. We would hope the Community will continue to support us and have confidence.”
Saffel is in Hopkins County Jail on a $20,000 bond. He was arrested in September, 2015 for Aggravated Assault with a weapon.
Veterans Honor 9/11 Fallen Sunday
At the Hopkins County Veterans Memorial, the Hopkins County Marine Detachment partnered With American Legion Post 66 in posting all flags at half staff.
Bright Star Baseball Begins Fall Season Monday
MFirst pitch of the season for Bright Star Baseball’s fall season is set for 6 p.m. Monday, September 12 at Buford Park. Bright Star Baseball provides the player experience of baseball to special needs youth who are assisted in the game by buddies.
Players and buddies are asked to be at the field in Buford Park by 5:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend the games and to cheer on the athletes as they play the game known as America’s past time.
Commissioners Court Receive Donation; Discuss Plan for Preserving County Clerk’s Records
A plan for funding the preservation and restoration of the County Clerk’s Records Archive will be the focus of Hopkins County Commissioners Court when commissioners meet Monday at 9 a.m.
Commissioners will also consider appointing a Selection Committee to perform procurement of professional services for the county’s anticipated 2017-2018 Texas Community Development Block Grant, hold a public hearing on the proposed 2017 budget and property tax rate, and accept a donation of $1830 for 100 tons of Flex Base Sandstone made by Justin and Melissanne Collier.
