Animal Of The Week: Daisy
Meet Daisy, a 2-3 year old Pit-bull mix. An owner surrender, this dog is just looking for a new family to love. She’s been at the shelter for about 8 days. “She is loving, sweet and great with other dogs.” Animal Shelter Officer Annie Patridge laughed as Daisy gave her a bunch of kisses. “I would adopt her if my husband would let me.” She hasn’t been fixed, but her heart-worms test was negative. “She gets along great with other animals-she even loves kitties!” Animal Shelter Officer Barbi Blanch said. This bundle of joy is a perfect family dog. She has a lot of energy, loves to play, and loves to be tickled. She does good on a leash but still needs a little bit of hands on training.”She has the most amazing ears!” Officer Patridge said. “[Daisy just] want’s someone to give [her] the love [she] will give them [everyday].”
Also this Saturday, August 20th, the shelter will hold an off-site adoption at Tractor Supply from 11 to 4, unfortunately Daisy will not be there. But be sure to come out and see all the other animals on Saturday! For more information about the off-site adoption or to meet Daisy: call: (903) 438-9369, or visit the Sulphur Springs Animal Shelter’s Facebook Page.
Fall Festival Friday Concert Moved to Civic Center Banquet Hall
News Release–Due to inclement weather this week and a great possibility of rain on Friday, the Emerald City Band concert hosted by the Fall Festival board, will now be held at the Hopkins County Regional Civic Center Banquet Hall, this Friday evening, August 19th
Dinner for the VIP tables will be served from 7pm – 8:30 pm. The concert will begin at 8pm. Photographs for the VIP area will be from 7:30pm – 9:30pm. Everyone in the VIP area must have their armbands on and bring their drink tickets that were provided.
There are still a few VIP tables for sale at $500, that will seat 8 and includes a buffet dinner, 2 buckets of beer or 2 bottles of wine, and a complimentary group photo. You may also purchase 2 seats for $125 or half a table for $250, and those will receive the buffet dinner, complimentary photo and 1 bucket of beer or 1 bottle of wine. All VIP seats and tables will have tea and water provided for them throughout the evening.
This is a FREE concert and we encourage everyone to come out and enjoy an exciting and energetic show. Please remember to bring your lawn chairs, just like you would for the plaza. There will not be extra seating provided.
We are carrying out a Beach theme and encourage everyone to participate if they wish to do so. There will also be beer, wine, soft drinks and water for sale.
If you are interested in a VIP table or seats; or have any questions about the event, please call 903-243-1925 or 903-243-6225.
Kids Kingdom Closed Aug 18, 19, 2016
According to Sulphur Springs City Secretary Gayle Roberts, Kid’s Kingdom will be closed on Thursday August 18 and Friday August 19, 2016. Trees containing bee hives are being cut and cleared by city crews.
Lone Star Heritage Quilt Guild Quilt Show!
There will be the Lone Star Heritage Quilt Guild Quilt Show at First Baptist R.O.C. September 16-17. On Friday Sept. 16th its from 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. and Sat. 17th from 9 a.m.- 3 p.m.
The admission is $5 per person (children under 12 get in free). There will also be activities for children of all ages. Also, The Quilt Show Cafe will be open for breakfast, lunch, and snacks. All of the food will be prepared by the Culinary Arts Students.
The special speaker will be The Master Quilter, Linda Neal. There will also be a Quilt Raffle designed by Joy Gregory.
Over 100 Quilts, Door Prizes, and Vendors, for more information go to www.sulphurspringstxquilts.com
Hughes Sentenced to Two Years Day-for-Day
Two years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice will be served day for day by Jerrett Dakota Hughes, 26. Hughes made a plea Wednesday during his arraignment in Eighth Judicial District Court. He had been charged with Manufacture Delivery of a Controlled Substance, Penalty Group 1 over 1-gram in February of this year. The offense was a third degree felony.
Friday Scrimmage Location Depends on Rain
As much as Wildcats Football Coach Greg Owens would like to scrimmage Liberty-Eylau Friday at Gerald Prim Stadium, he said if rain continues the scrimmage would be moved to the Multipurpose Building field. He doesn’t want to start football season with a torn up field at Prim Stadium. The football field inside the track, is being worked on and Coach Owens described it as mushy. It is being prepared to be home for soccer teams this year while Prim Stadium undergoes renovation once football season ends.
If the scrimmage ends up in the indoor facility, very few fans will be able to watch. They would probably be restricted to end zones and doorways since the field on the sides comes almost all the way to the walls.
The varsity will scrimmage Liberty-Eylau starting at 9 a.m. Friday. Plans call for a game-like four quarters of about ten minutes apiece with the game clock being stopped like a regular game. There will be no kickoffs. The Wildcats JV and freshmen teams are expected to start scrimmage at around 10:30 a.m. Friday.
Forensic Testing of State Highway 19 North Almost Complete; Repair Begins in September
PARIS – Texas Department of Transportation engineers in the Paris District said today that forensic testing on State Highway 19 north of Sulphur Springs to the Delta County line is almost complete.
Once the tests are concluded, engineers will be able to pinpoint a solution for the rough pavement surface that developed during 100+ degree summer heat following a pavement rehabilitation of that roadway. They assured drivers that they are gearing up to repair the roadway surface beginning in September.
Meanwhile, TxDOT officials requested that drivers who travel this route slow down and drive to road conditions and not use the road shoulders as a main travel lane.
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Tilley Given a Second, Second Chance by 8th Judicial Criminal Court
He has been to prison more than once and sitting in Eighth Judicial District Court Tuesday afternoon with his wife, who is pregnant with his fourth child, and three children sitting in the rows behind him, he now faced the possibility of 25 years to life for his fourth DWI. However, Eric Wydell Tilley was given a second, second chance when Judge Eddie Northcutt pronounced what he called the toughest decision he has had to make in the just over three years he has been on the bench. Tilley was sentenced to 10 years deferred and be required to wear an ankle monitor that would detect alcohol content of his body from sweat. The deferred sentence means he is on probation for 10 years but will have to serve the sentence should he fail to keep the terms of his probation.
Tilley had been to prison for robbery, burglary, retaliation—threatening to kill a police officer–burglary again, and after his third DWI probation was revoked. His third DWI probation was his first second chance given by then District Judge Robert Newsom. Northcutt referred to the first second chance given by Newsom and had State’s Exhibit 20, which he held in his hand, as he pronounced the struggle he had with the sentencing. State’s Exhibit 20 was a compendium of charges and sentencing that Tilley had faced in the past as compiled by Assistant District Attorney Clay Harrison, who was seeking the maximum penalty in the sentencing phase of the trial.
Harrison has spent a great deal of time in discovery and called a number of witnesses to confirm Tilley’s previous difficulties with the law. Harrison called Sulphur Springs Detective Sgt. David Gilmore to prove all Tilley’s prior convictions using fingerprints. Corporal Michael Russell with SSPD testified that in 2013, he was arresting Tilley for assaulting his wife after she tried to stop him from drinking and driving. Tilley also resisted arrest at that time and tried to kick out the window of the patrol car. Jail Administrator Kenneth Dean played jail calls from July, 2016 when Tilley told his wife to “…put Officer Moon on blast.” He was referring to SSPD Officer Eddie Moon who had made the arrest for the fourth DWI.
In his decision, Northcutt stated that he had decided the sentencing in three murder trials, several aggravated sexual assault cases, and a number of other matters but none compared to the difficulties he had faced in deciding this sentence. He commended Harrison and Defense Attorney Frank Long for their outstanding work in presenting their case. He stated that he had personally prayed for wisdom, knowledge, and understanding in deciding the sentence. Noting that he had changed his mind several times over the past days while making the decision, Northcutt said he was firm in the decision he presented Tuesday.
Northcutt had looked into the legality of his decision questioning if the enhanced punishment due thanks to the multiple charges could be ignored. He found that it could be ignored. He did ignore the enhancement in the sentence given.
Northcutt spoke directly to law enforcement and the public as the said he was painfully aware of decisions made in district court that carry impact on the community. The judge affirmed his confidence in the law enforcement officers involved in the case and their work. He said that if this was a first time offense, that would be one thing but this circumstance was not a first time. He said he remembered as an attorney sitting in court as Judge Newsom assessed the first second chance punishment. He stated that Newsom had given a lesser penalty in 2000 shortly after Tilley had been released from prison where he had served a 1998 sentence of three years for retaliation.
In State’s Exhibit 20, Northcutt had noted the information given regarding the 10 years’ probation, a chance given, and the arrest on January 1, 2003 for evading arrest and intoxication which broke parole and sent him to prison. Northcutt noted that Tilley served the time and then completed his supervised release. Northcutt called the 2001 chance “…that a Golden Opportunity that didn’t last.”
Northcutt stated that the phone conversation between Tilley and his wife reflected statements of retaliation and did not fall in line with Tilley’s statements of life change brought about by being in church and possessing a changed nature. The judge called Tilley an alcoholic, even if he thinks he isn’t one. The judge noted that Tilley could hold his alcohol better than others when it came to blood tests.
Noting the struggles of Tilley’s wife and her work ethic, the judge said she continues to struggle to pay utilities. However, the judge also noted Tilley’s work history calling it impressive. He stated that Tilley was able to get a job and hold it even with the lengthy past record. He called Tilley a good provider for his family. Northcutt stated that if Tilley’s children thought society, the court, the police, or ethnicity is a reason for his convictions “… you have failed.” The judge affirmed that Tilley himself had created the circumstance that brought him before the court.
Northcutt did not levy a fine citing the cost of the ankle monitor that Tilley must purchase and wear. He gave him credit for the 35 days served in county jail and released him from custody Tuesday.
Tilley turns 50 years of age Thursday, August 18, 2016. He will not be in prison but with his family. Northcutt told him to make the most of this second second chance.
Bag of Marijuana Under Pickup Hood Leads to Arrest
Rodney Jerome Clayton, 45, of Sulphur Springs is in Hopkins County Jail on a $10,000 bond following a traffic stop Tuesday. Clayton was nervous when speaking with the officer. Given consent to search the Chevrolet pickup, the officer found a clear plastic bag of green leafy substance believed to be marijuana under the hood of the vehicle. The stop was made within 1000 feet of the Early Childhood Learning Center, a Drug Free Zone.
Clayton is charged with possession of more than 4 oz but less than 5 lbs of a controlled substance in a Drug Free Zone, a third degree felony.
