Bearden Arrested; Charged with Theft
August 1, 2023 – CLASTON WAYNE BEARDEN was arrested this week and charged with theft.
At around 9AM Monday, Bearden was observed to be in possession of a trailer with a four-wheeler on it. The items did not belong to him. Hopkins County Sheriff’s Deputies questioned Bearden about the items. He denied stealing them.
While arresting Bearden, he attempted to resist, was uncooperative and allegedly threatened one of the Deputies. Another Deputy pulled his Taser, and Bearden then immediately complied. His Chevy pickup was impounded. Bearden is charged with:
1 31.03(F) THEFT PROP >=$2500<$30K ENH IAT
This is not the first time Bearden has been in jail:
In 2010 he was indicted by a Wood County Grand Jury on assault, with previous convictions, causing bodily injury to a family member.
In 2016 he was arrested and charged with Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a convicted felon. He was indicted by a Hopkins County Grand Jury on the charges. See that story here.
In 2018 he was arrested in Franklin County Texas and charged with Probation/parole violation; Theft of property $2500<$30k; Possession of controlled substance PG 1<1G
In 2020 he was arrested and charged with possession of controlled substances. See that story here.
If you have an emergency, dial 9-1-1
The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office is located at 298 Rosemont Sulphur Springs, TX 75482. You can reach them for non-emergency matters at (903) 438-4040.
Morning Trip Lands Bucher in Jail
August 1, 2023 – With the help of a Texas State Park Police Officer, ZACKERY MICHAEL BUCHER was arrested after he tore through a local truck stop parking lot.
At around 10AM Monday, A Texas State Park Police Officer observed a black Ford Mustang enter a local truck stop at a high rate of speed. The Ford nearly missed an SUV pulling out of a parking space. The driver then barreled in a packing space nearly colliding with an adjacent vehicle’s open door. The driver, 30 year-old Bucher, did back up and allow the other driver to open their door and exit their vehicle.
Police observed this reckless behavior and performed a records check on the vehicle. The owner was found to have warrants. Bucher was then observed exiting the parking lot in the same reckless manner. A traffic stop was initiated a few block away. Bucher admitted to not having a valid driving licence, and no insurance. He was then arrested and taken to Hopkins County jail without incident. His mustang was released to a friend.
Bucher is charged with:
22A1217 1 FAIL TO MAINTAIN FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Z55357 1 CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL BY A MINOR
22A1216 1 DRIVING WHILE LICENSE INVALID
213315 1 CPF DWLI (SSPD)
230504 1 DWLI (SSPD)
230505 1 FTMFR (SSPD)
This is not the first time Bucher has been in Hopkins County Jail. In February of 2023 he was arrested and charged with:
3656 EXPIRED REGISTRATION
521.457 DRIVING WHILE LICENSE INVALID
3001 SPEEDING >10% POSTED SPEED LIMIT
521.457 DRIVING WHILE LICENSE INVALID
If you have an emergency, dial 9-1-1
The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office is located at 298 Rosemont Sulphur Springs, TX 75482. You can reach them for non-emergency matters at (903) 438-4040.
Amanda Lowe Selected as Texas A&M University-Commerce Director of Alumni Engagement
COMMERCE, TX—Texas A&M University-Commerce has hired Amanda Lowe as the new Director of Alumni Engagement. Lowe will assume the role on Monday, July 31.
As the new director, Lowe will lead the university’s alumni engagement programming and serve as executive director of the A&M-Commerce Alumni Association. She has served on the Alumni Association Board of Directors for the past six years.
“I have been blessed to already understand the inner workings of the board. I’ve met amazing alumni through that connection, so I’m super excited to continue those relationships and build more,” she said.
A&M-Commerce President Mark Rudin said he looks forward to working with Amanda as she continues to expand Alumni Engagement.
“A strong alumni base is the backbone of a great university,” Rudin said. “Amanda is a talented leader who will help us grow our Alumni Association as we increase engagement with and participation from our Lion alums around the world.”
A proud A&M-Commerce alumna, Lowe earned her Bachelor of Science and Master of Education degrees from A&M-Commerce. She also earned a Master of Education from Texas Tech University.
Lowe comes to her new role from Greenville ISD, where she devoted 18 years to her career in public education. Most recently, she served as the district’s dean of instruction, where she analyzed student data and implemented classroom intervention programs.
Lowe set her sights on the alumni director position for several reasons. Foremost, she is passionate about A&M-Commerce and wants to continue giving back to her alma mater. She is especially excited about directing alumni initiatives to support students in their pursuit of higher education.
“Giving back is important, so I’m ready to do that,” Lowe said. “Moving from K-12 into higher education, I can still impact students’ lives. As a first-generation college graduate, I know how difficult it is. When I was a college student, I knew nothing, but through the support of advisors and people at A&M-Commerce who cared, I was successful.”
She also loves connecting with alumni and hearing their stories.
“Coming back to the university and reconnecting with the people who set me on my path and mentored me—like Jency Holbert—make Lion alumni special to me,” she said. “I enjoy listening to all the stories and legacies people have created here, and I love hearing about the connections that were made here.”
As the new director, Lowe aims to increase alumni engagement levels. To that end, she is designing outreach campaigns, planning events and updating database systems to connect with more alumni. She is also planning initiatives to introduce the Alumni Association to current students.
“I want our students to get to know the Alumni Association as soon as they set foot on campus, not just upon graduation,” she said.
Devin Girod, vice president of Philanthropy and Engagement at A&M-Commerce, said Lowe is well positioned for the directorship.
“We are thrilled that Amanda is joining our team to lead Alumni Engagement for the Lion community. As an alumna and former Alumni Association board member, she understands our vision for advancing all facets of a top-tier, Division I university through the support of our alumni and friends,” Girod said.
The previous director, Derryle Peace, retired in May 2023 after leading Alumni Engagement for more than 18 years.
Lowe has been married for 18 years to Kyle, assistant chief of police at A&M-Commerce. The couple have a 10-year-old daughter, McKenna. The family makes their home in Commerce. Lowe enjoys gardening (her back porch is her solitude and her happy place), singing (she has a music theatre background) and spending time with her family and their core group of friends, most of whom are Lion alumni.
About Texas A&M University-Commerce
Texas A&M University-Commerce serves rural and metropolitan East Texas with a dedicated mission to Educate. Discover. Achieve. With an enrollment of 10,754 students, A&M-Commerce is the fourth-largest member of The Texas A&M University System. Students choose from among 135+ academic degrees at the undergraduate and graduate levels and learn from world-class faculty who conduct nationally recognized research. A vibrant student experience includes a thriving Greek community and more than 100 student-led organizations. As a member of the Southland Conference, A&M-Commerce features 14 NCAA Division I athletic teams. The university offers classes online and on-site in Commerce, Corsicana, McKinney, Mesquite, Bryan (RELLIS) and the newest location at 8750 North Central Expressway in Dallas.
Contact: Michael Johnson
Executive Director of Marketing and Communications
903.886.5128
Holly Rena Daniel Arrested; Charged With Fraud
Jul 31, 2023 – Hopkins County resident Holly Rena Daniel, age 44, was arrested in Hopkins County on July 28, 2023.
Daniel’s bond was set at $10,000. She was released from jail the same day she was arrested. Daniel is charged with:
1 32.51(C-1) FRAUD USE/POSS IDENT INFO # ITEMS <5 ELDERLY
An online records check shows Holly Rena Daniel to be a realtor in the Tyler, TX area and in Hopkins County. KSST reached out to Daniel by phone, she had no comment.
If you have an emergency, dial 9-1-1
The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office is located at 298 Rosemont Sulphur Springs, TX 75482. You can reach them for non-emergency matters at (903) 438-4040.
CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Sulphur Springs Receives Highest Rating
CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Sulphur Springs Earns National Recognition for Nurse Communication
(Sulphur Springs, Texas) – CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Sulphur Springs has received
the highest rating for nurse communication in a recent survey conducted by the Hospital Consumer
Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) data.
The hospital is one of 27 in Texas and two in East Texas to earn five stars for nurse communication.
The nurse communication star rating combines data from three HCAHPS survey questions and
summarizes how well patients feel that their nurses explained things clearly, listened carefully to the
patient, and treated the patient with courtesy and respect. “Patient experience is one of the core items we focus on every single day,” said Anitha Sanderson, chief nursing officer. “We are constantly striving to provide the very best to our patients, no matter what level of care they require.”
The star rating is based on survey data collected from hospital patients from July 2021 through June
2022.
The American Hospital Association lists the total number of hospitals in the country as 6,129.
Of that group, just 364, including Mother Frances Hospital – Sulphur Springs, earned a five-star
rating for nurse communication.
“For our nurses, this is a great recognition that reflects the incredible work they do,” Sanderson
said.
Firefighter Evan Brown Dies From On-Duty Accident
A Honey Grove firefighter has died from his injuries sustained in an on-duty vehicle accident on July 9, 2023. According to the Honey Grove Fire Department, Brown was responding to another crash call when he struck a cow in the road in his personal vehicle. His vehicle rolled, and Brown was ejected and severely injured. Brown was transported to Plano Medical City Hospital and remained in ICU until his passing. Another firefighter, Bryson Braley, was also in the vehicle and suffered minor injuries from the crash.
The Honey Grove Volunteer Fire Department has put out a call to other first responders around the region to take shifts at Cooper Sorrells Funeral Home in Honey Grove, where Brown’s body is under Honor Guard Watch. A link to a sign-up sheet is provided below as well as a link to a GoFundMe fundraiser for Brown’s family is available below. The Honey Grove Volunteer Fire Department urges anyone with question to reach out to them on the HGVFD facebook page or call Adam Aldridge (903) 715-2943.
Texas Governor Approves Tax Cut
Texas Governor Greg Abbott recently signed an $18 billion tax cut for Texas property owners, and now the measure will go before Texas voters in November.
Texas has some of the highest property taxes in the country, with Texas lawmaker working feverishly this year to find common ground on a way to cut property taxes in the midst of one of Texas’ largest budget supluses.
This new law, if approved by Texas voters, will increase the homestead expemtion for homeowners from $40,000 to $100,000 as well as a temporary 20% appraisal cap on yearly value increase for non-homestead properties under $5 million of valuation. Also in the new law, there are some adjustments to the franchise tax that will benefit small businesses.
The appraisal cap and franchise tax changes will be a huge benefit to small businesses as they cannot have their appraisals increase more than 20% in one year although this measure is not retroactive so the high appraisal increases over the past few years will stay.
As for the franchise tax, two changes will occur. Small businesses will see the franchise threshold increase from one million to two million dollars and also those not meeting the threshold will no longer have to file any forms.
All of these changes will be on the ballot in November as one referendum and are certain to pass.
Pickton Man Arrested on Theft Warrant
July 31, 2023 – RICKY LEE SCHAKOSKY aka Ricky Lee Schakasky was arrested this weekend in Hopkins County on a Tarrant County warrant for Theft.
Sulphur Springs Police received a tip that Schakasky, who lists himself as a self employed mechanic, was at a Jennings Street address in Sulphur Springs. They confirmed a warrant for his arrest. Schakasky was arrested and transported to Hopkins County Jail without incident. His Ford was released to his wife.
This is not the first time Schakasky has been in jail.
In July 2012 Schakasky was arrested in Houston County by authorities after being linked to seven battery thefts. Schakasky was caught with 13 batteries in his vehicle, six were linked to gas well sites in Angelina, TX.
In June 2014 the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office arrested Lee Schakosky, of Nacogdoches. He was booked into the Cherokee County Jail on charges of burglary of a building. He was caught robbing engine parts from a Cherokee County man’s garage.
KSSTRadio.com publishes Sulphur Springs Police Department reports and news. The Police Department is located at 125 Davis St., Sulphur Springs, Texas. Non-emergency calls can be made to (903) 885-7602.
If you have an emergency dial 9-1-1.
The Sulphur Springs Police Department continues to serve its citizens with pride in its overall mission and will strive to provide the best possible police force in the 21st century.
If you have an emergency, dial 9-1-1
The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office is located at 298 Rosemont Sulphur Springs, TX 75482. You can reach them for non-emergency matters at (903) 438-4040.
Toles Back in Hopkins County Jail
July 31, 2023 – Eighteen year-old Bradyn James Toles was arrested over the weekend for violating his probation on an Evading Arrest/Detention charge.
Toles was arrested at his family home without incident and transported to Hopkins County Jail.
This is not the first time Toles has been in Hopkins County Jail. In November of 2022, he was arrested and charged with felony assault of his 11 year-old brother. See that story here.
In 2021, Toles was arrested and charged with Minor in Consumption in Precinct 1.
If you have an emergency, dial 9-1-1
The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office is located at 298 Rosemont Sulphur Springs, TX 75482. You can reach them for non-emergency matters at (903) 438-4040.
Evening Chapel CME in Sulphur Springs Holding a Plate Lunch Fundraiser August 3rd and 6th
Evening Chapel CME will hold a Plate Lunch Fundraiser Thursday, August 3rd, beginning at 11:00am, and then again on Saturday, August 6th, beginning at 12:30pm. Evening Chapel CME is located at 199 Putman Street, in Sulphur Springs, Texas. The Menu includes Barbecue pulled pork, ribs, or sausage, with choice of two sides. The sides are Potato Salad, Pinto Beans, or Mac and Cheese. Cost is a $12.00 donation. They will deliver.
For more information, or to place an order, call 903-951-3558. They need orders in by Wednesday, August 2nd, at Noon for count.
