Dumpster Dive Leads to Arrest
June 2, 2016 – While going through dumpsters behind a closed business on Gilmer Street Thursday morning, June 2, at 12:43 a.m., Sharon Ann Ball, 67, met Sulphur Springs Police Department Special Crimes Unit Investigator Harold McClure. The result of the meeting was a charge for possession of a controlled substance (Methamphetamine) over 4-grams and less than 200-grams, a Felony 2.
Sharon Ann Ball
In light of the suspicious activity, McClure gained consent to look through Ball’s purse and her belongings. There she was found to be in possession of two tablets that were identified as dangerous drugs. At that time, she also gave consent for investigators to search her Beasley Street residence. When at her residence, Ball went to her bedroom where she attempted to hide a white money bag from investigators. The bag contained 6.2 grams of suspected methamphetamine.
Ball is in Hopkins County Jail held on a $20,000 bond. In April of this year, she violated probation for manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance under 28-grams (methamphetamine) and served one month in the local jail.
Floods and Wildlife: Catching Snakes
Mario Villarino DVM, Ph.D.
Hopkins County Extension Agent for Ag and NR
1200B Houston Street
Sulphur Springs, Texas 75482
903-885-3443
by Mario Villarino
During severe days of rain, the accumulation of water in the ground creates a problem to native and non-native plants and animals in our county. Because a high percentage (depending on the size of the component of the soil) of the soil is air, when air gets displaced by water plants can get water logged and animal dens can get flooded too.
A common unwanted visitor to higher areas of you properties can be snakes among others. We at the Hopkins County Extension Office have received several calls of residents needing to displace or identify snakes found around homes and barns. It is important to be cautions when approaching snakes, since even non-toxic species can be aggressive and inflict damage due to bites. Their damage is more severe in venomous snakes and potentially fatal. Do not let children neither pets wonder near wood stacks nor buildings before checking for snakes. Depending of the type of snake, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension recommends using rodent control glue boards since those are effective for catching snakes that have taken up residence inside a building. The glue board is coated with a sticky substance on one side; this causes the snake to become stuck as it attempts to cross the board. Several rodent glue traps can be attached to a plywood board approximately 24 inches by 16 inches. The trap should then be placed near the wall where snakes travel. Captured snakes can be released or destroyed (if legal). Glue boards are available at feed stores, hardware stores and/or grocery stores. Funnel traps also can be effective in capturing snakes. A funnel trap can be constructed by rolling a 3-foot by 4-foot piece of ¼-inch hardware cloth into a cylinder about 1 foot in diameter and 4 feet long. An entrance funnel is of the cylinder. The other end of the cylinder is closed with hardware cloth. The trap can then be placed next to a fence or building where snakes are likely to crawl. There are currently no toxicants or fumigants registered for the control of snakes.
Registered commercial repellents are available for some species of snakes and should be used according to the label. Where legal, snakes can be shot using either a rifle or shotgun. Since most of the snakes found in Texas are non-poisonous and cause little damage, they should not be indiscriminately killed. It is sometimes possible to remove snakes from a house or other building by placing piles of damp burlap bags in areas where the snakes have been seen or are likely to be. Snakes are attracted to damp, cool, dark places such as the burlap bags. The bags should be checked every few days for captured snakes. In rural areas, snake populations can be reduced by means of an organized den hunt. Hunts usually are held in early spring when snakes are about to emerge or have just emerged from their dens. Fall hunting can be conducted when snakes are gathering to hibernate. Many snakes in Texas are protected by state law, and indiscriminate killing or any other control is illegal. Before using any snake control measures or relocating captured snakes to another area, contact local representatives of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. For additional information contact the nearest office of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service–Wildlife Services.
Coming Up: A great opportunity for residents interested in learning basic skills in beef managements is scheduled for June 22, 2016 at the Hopkins County Regional Civic Center starting at noon. The Beef Quality Assurance Training organized in collaboration of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Services, Texas Beef Council, Beef Check Off Program, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and NETBIO will serve a steak lunch and provide basic information in food safety, cattle and beef quality, environmental stewardship , animal handling and well being, proper injection techniques, vaccination and drug residue avoidance. Interested participants must RSVP by calling TSCRA at 800-242-7820 or the Hopkins County Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office at 903-885-3443. There is no cost for the training for registration is needed to secure the meal.
Guilty Plea Nets Two Years for Possession; Awaits Rains County Trial
Wednesday afternoon in Eighth Judicial District Court Shawn Edward Harvey, 29, pled guilty to Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty group 1 (methamphetamine). Harvey’s court appearance was the result of a traffic stop by a Game Warden. It was his second offense.
If he is convicted of a new third degree offense or higher in the future, he will face a 25-year to life sentence under the habitual offender statute.
Currently, Harvey has two case pending for manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance Penalty Group 1 (methamphetamine) in Rains County. He has been in Hopkins County Jail since February 14th on a total of $100,000 bond.
One Win, One Loss for Wildcats 7-on-7 Tuesday
The Wildcats varsity 7 on 7 team looked really good and not so good at all during 7 on 7 play against Van Tuesday afternoon in the Multipurpose Building. The Wildcats were really clicking in their first game outscoring the Vandals, 35-13. Van turned things around in the second game winning handily, 37-6. Wildcats Offensive Coordinator Matt Young said the Wildcats scored five times in six chances in the first game. He said quarterback Ryan Humphries had command of the offense and spread the ball around. Coach Young said Simeon Taylor, Searn Rodgers, D.J. Hall, Lawrence Worth, Cor’Tavius Pruitt, Austin Dodd, Landry Tyson and Matt Reynolds all did a good job of catching passes in the first game. He said the tide turned in game two. Coach Young said the team might have relaxed and he added they were not as sharp and just a little bit off. Still he was pleased by all the reps throwing and catching for players.
Wildcats Defensive Coordinator Triston Abron also commented on the defensive play against Van. Coach Abron noted in the first game the defense did an outstanding job of making it hard for the Vandals to move the ball. He said defenders were in the right places to cover the routes they saw. Coach Abron said the second game was the total opposite. He was reminded of his grandmother who would refer to someone as being too big for their britches. Coach Abron said defenders were doing some free lancing and some things that they shouldn’t be doing to play solid defense. He said the result was some easy scored for Van. Coach Abron called it a learning experience. The JV Wildcats won both of their games against the Van JV. The Wildcats will play in a state qualifier tournament on June 17 in Rowlett.
Respected Educator: Dan “Danny” Allen Durham
Funeral services for retired long-time Sulphur Springs Independent School District Administrator Dan “Danny” Allen Durham, 80, are scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday, June 3, at League Street Church of Christ with the Rev. John Ginn officiating. Military graveside honors conducted by the Hopkins County Military Coalition will follow at Sulphur Bluff Cemetery.
Eulogies will be delivered by Tim Gee and Roy McCasland, LeaAnne DeVega. Pallbearers will be Paul Glover, Jan Cummings, Harold Glaze, Benny Deaton, G.V. Hughes, Don Deaton, Richard Teer and Roy McCasland. Honorary pallbearers include Bruce Fielden, George Bassham, James Waller, Rex Acker, John M. “Jack” Chubb, Vaden Richey, Spencer Hinkle, Lewis Watts, Dr. Jack Ammons, Gary Kesting, Rex Wilemon, Tommy Long, Herman Salter and members of the Sulphur Springs Corvette Club.
Visitation will be 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, June 2, at West Oaks Funeral Home.
Durham passed away Tuesday, May 31, at Zale Lipshy University Hospital – UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas after suffering a major hemorrhagic stroke at home a few days prior.
Durham was born July 15, 1935, in Cooper, the son of Dozier Durham and Verda Brymer Durham. They preceded him in death. He married Mary Lou Owens Durham of Sulphur Springs on Aug. 3, 1963, in Waco. She survives.
Raised on a farm near Sulphur Bluff, Durham’s primary education included three years as a student in the “Training School” at East Texas State Teachers College in Commerce. The “Training School” was a state accredited elementary/secondary school conducted on campus as part of the college’s Teacher Training Program. He graduated Sulphur Bluff High School in 1953.
Durham earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from East Texas State Teachers College in 1956 with a major in Business Administration and a minor in English. He earned a Masters Degree in Educational Administration from East Texas State University in 1965.
In 1958, he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He completed basic training at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, and advanced Signal Corp training at Fort Gordon, Georgia. A year’s tour of duty followed as a member of the First Calvary Division in Korea. Upon returning from Korea, he served an assignment at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. In October 1961, he was recalled to active duty and served several months at Fort Polk, Louisiana, as a member of the 49th Armored Division.
Durham’s public education career spanned more than 42 years, both before and after military duty, and began with various elementary, junior high and high school teaching/coaching positions. As an administrator, he served as assistant principal, principal, curriculum director, assistant superintendent and superintendent. Early years included work at Bardwell ISD, Hawkins ISD and Garland ISD, but Durham is more prominently known locally for his more than 22 years at Sulphur Springs ISD. He was most notably instrumental in the introduction and development of computer science classes in Sulphur Springs in the early 1980s, a time when computers were considered new and foreign. He began as curriculum director there in 1969, and became assistant superintendent in 1975, followed by superintendent in 1988. He retired in 1992.
After retirement, Durham held a part-time educational consultant position at the Region VIII Education Service Center in Mount Pleasant from 1992 to 2002. He spent his final retirement years enjoying daily time on his family’s farm in Sulphur Bluff and participating in Corvette car shows, gatherings and functions.
Through the years, he was involved in various community and civic activities, among them the Sulphur Springs Lions Club, Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce, Hopkins County Civic Center and the Student Teaching Advisory Board at ETSU. He was currently serving on both the Sulphur Bluff Cemetery Association and the Sulphur Springs Corvette Club, where he served three times as a former director and was recognized as a charter and the group’s senior member.
Other survivors include daughter, Dana Durham Cleaver, and son-in-law, Jay Stonaker, both of Sulphur Bluff; son, Dr. John Durham, of Clarksville; grandson, Jesse Dozier Durham, and his mother, Sandy Pavliska Durham, both of Paris; and cousins Harold Glaze of Carthage and Mary Nell Hubbard of Arlington.
Memorials may be made to the Veterans Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 533, Sulphur Springs, Texas, 75483, or the Sulphur Bluff Cemetery Association, 3490 Farm Road 3389, Brashear, Texas, 75420.
SSMS Destination Imagination Wins Global Competition
by Allison Bledsoe
Destination Imagination is a very unique, non-profit organization that challenges student’s problem solving skills and fosters creativity. Student teams are given open-ended academic challenges in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, fine arts, and service learning. After given months to prepare and time to propose a solution, teams showcase their solutions to the “Challenges” at a tournament. Each individual team has a Team Manager that is an adult. The Team Manager doesn’t interfere or assist with the team’s project, but helps them stay on track. Sulphur Springs Middle School’s Technical DI team consists of Chase Berry, Brayden Wooten, Mady Posey, Madison Garner, Andrew Westlund, Mariam Tran, Dawson Carpenter, and their Team Managers Clay Hansford and Chip Vaughn.
The Sulphur Springs Middle School Technical DI team went to Global competition last week in Knoxville, Tennessee and won first place in a field of 77 teams from 21 different countries around the world. The team was given an open ended challenge that consisted of them needing to create a vehicle that is propelled by two different systems using two different methods, be able to make 40 trips of 14 ft 1 in, carry a single team member, and incorporate that vehicle into a story they make up themselves. Their solution to get across the 14 ft included building a ramp that their vehicle, a piece of wood that one of their team members sat in with a motor attached to the bottom and ball bearing casters that helped the vehicle go any place it was guided. So, the motor helped the vehicle go up the ramp and the casters allowed it to roll back down. The team was allotted 20 extra points for using ball bearing casters because technically, the team didn’t use wheels. The team had the highest scoring vehicle at Global competition. For the story, the team came up with a love story between two cellphones that communicated with emojis carried by the vehicle. With this solution, the team won first place at East Texas Regional, second place at State competition in Anna, Texas, and then won first place at Global competition.
The students had 8 minutes to set up and complete their story with at least 40 trips or “text messages”. They completed all that was required of their performance in 7 minutes and 59 seconds. During the performance each student had a unique and specific job, a student was placed inside each cellphone, one music technician\clergyman performed, there was one student who rode on the vehicle to deliver the messages, and a student who flipped the vehicle in the right direction. In addition to the Challenge that the students are given months to prepare for, they are also faced with an Instant Challenge that accounts for a quarter of the teams overall score. Typically, it’s some sort of building, hands on challenge or an acting\verbal challenge. These Instant Challenges test the team’s ability to work together and exhibit their problem solving skills.
At the competition the students learn additional skills, such as economics and bartering. Students from all teams come to competitions with pins that they have designed themselves and\or ordered from their affiliates. During the course of the meet the students interact with each other and trade pins they’ve made or acquired. Some pins go up in value due to rarity, etc.
These students were the first Destination Imagination team from Sulphur Springs to ever win Global Competition. They began working on their solution to the Challenge in November and began competing in February. The team members that will be moving on to Sulphur Springs High School next year aspire to start up a high school level team.
Country Road 1445 Closed; Alternative Routes Announced
This graphic warns about driving around barricades during a flood, and encourages people to be safe. The text reads as follows: “Please do not drive around barricades. Be safe.”
With public safety and emergency services as a top priority, Precinct 1 Commissioner Beth Wisenbaker has closed County Road 1445 Wednesday morning, June 1, due to concerns that would endanger life safety. Alternative routes are available to the highly traveled roadway, according to Wisenbaker. She said this county road serves a heavy traffic flow in her precinct.
The road is closed due to a large tank car being underlined by flowing water due to flooding conditions being experienced this week. The tank car is a petroleum tank car that, like other road construction done in previous years, was used for a culvert. The 45 ft. long tank car is in good condition, said Wisenbaker, but “the dirt under it has been washed away so its integrity has been compromised.” Wisenbaker stated that the tank car base will be re-plated and the tank car reset when weather conditions allow.
Alternative routes for those who normally travel CR 1445 will also have some repair needs as well. Alternative routes include CR 1442 which will undergo temporary repairs. Until the repairs are completed, drivers will need to “dodge the holes”, Wisenbaker said. CR 1441, which is a dirt roadway will be worked with rock and should serve as an alternative.
Fingerprints Return Felon to Hopkins County
Using a different name, Juan Octavio Chapa, 45, was found in Davidson County Jail in Nashville, Tennessee under the name Francisco Renteria-Escamilla. His fingerprints placed on the national data base for wanted felons by Hopkins County Sheriff’s Communication Administrator Ron Lowrie enabled the find. He is now back in Hopkins County Jail having been transported from Davidson County.
Chapa was wanted in Hopkins County for a 2004 case that involved a traffic stop which found him in possession of over 50 lbs but less than 2000 lbs of marijuana. Chapa failed to appear for a court date and a warrant for his arrest was issued. He had been held in Webb County Jail on a charge there and a hold had been placed on him by Hopkins County at that time. However the Webb County Jail released Chapa in error.
Flash Flood Watch Issued Through 7 p.m. June 2
A flash flood watch for Hopkins County and all of North and Center Texas has been issued through 7 p.m. Thursday, June 2 according to the National Weather Service in Fort Worth. Several rounds of showers and thunderstorms are expected across the area through Friday. Many areas have already received 1 to 3 inches of rain since yesterday.
Conditions will be tropical-like with thunderstorms producing very heavy rainfall in short periods of time. Many areas have already received heavy rainfall over the last week and additional rainfall is likely to cause flooding. Widespread rainfall amounts of 3 to 5 inches can be expected through Friday. Isolated heavier amounts in excess of 6 inches will be possible.
A flash flood watch means that conditions are favorable for heavy rain which may lead to flash flooding. You should monitor the latest forecasts from the National Weather Service and be prepared to take action should flash flood warnings be issued for your area.
