Jarrod Arnold Smith Sentenced to 10 Years
May 13, 2015 – Early Wednesday evening May 13, the same Hopkins County jury that found Jarrod Arnold Smith guilty of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon sentenced him to 10 years in the state penitentiary. During the afternoon Wednesday, the jury twice notified 8th Judicial District Judge Eddie Northcutt that they were divided regarding the sentence.
Jarrod Arnold Smith
The punishment phase of the trail began Wednesday morning around 8:45 with witnesses who testified to the defendant’s drug use and violence. A female, who lived with Smith from August, 1998 until December, 1998 testified that she and Smith were in a volatile relationship and that he had struck her in the head with the butt of a shotgun. One of her friends also testified to witnessing the violent interaction. In early afternoon, Smith’s son took the stand and testified to observing his father’s violence toward his mother including holding a knife to his mother’s throat and holding a gun to her head in 2014.
The early evening verdict relieved the stress of County Treasurer Jim Thompson, who told KSST news that due to the number of jury calls and jury trials in recent months, his funds to pay jurors would not be able to pay the jurors should they need to assemble Thursday.
Tuesday afternoon May 12, a Hopkins County Jury returned a guilty verdict in the trial of Jarrod Arnold Smith, 41. Smith was found guilty on one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The verdict was given after a day and a half of testimony given by Texas Ranger John Vance and the victim of the assault who had been shot. The victim had been shot with a .45-caliber pistol at a distance of two feet. The projectile had traveled through his chest, lungs, and exited his back. The victim testified that Smith had then pointed the weapon toward his knee and followed him around a kitchen island begging him not to shoot.
The testimony in the trial took only a day and a half with closing arguments made Tuesday shortly after noon. Assistant District Attorney Clay Harrison tried the case for the prosecution. The jury took approximately two hours and 44-minutes to deliberate the guilty verdict. Frank Long represented Smith in the trial.
Johnson Honored at SSHS FFA Banquet
Longtime Ag Teacher at Sulphur Springs High School Dannie Johnson is retiring at the end of the school year. He was given a fond farewell at Tuesday night’s FFA Banquet in the High School Cafeteria.
Former Ag teacher Dan Froneburger made several presentations to Johnson. He received a gift card and a .45-caliber rifle engraved with the FFA emblem. The calibur of the rifle represents each year Johnson served as a teacher.
Johnson said he was suprised by the presence of administrators, teachers, and students that he has worked with in previous years. He said he had good years in teaching because he was surrounded by good people.
Students Honored Thursday
Thursday is a big day for academic recognition at Sulphur Springs High School. The annual Honors breakfast takes place Thursday morning and then the annual Honors Assembly Thursday night.
High School Principal Josh Williams said 27 students will be honored with the Thursday morning breakfast. The students have presented an autobiography of their academic history and will be accompanied parents and by a teacher of their chosing. Williams said he will speak with all about their opportunities as they take their next steps beyond high school. Williams said the students this year have chosen not only high school teachers but also teachers from middle school and elementary school as well as administrators past and present. He said it is an honor for the teachers and staff to be chosen but it also recognizes their contributions to the life of the student.
Thursday evening in the regional civic center auditorium, students will be recognized for campus based honors and also scholarship presentations will be made.
County Road Work Challenging Due to Heavy Rainfall
Precinct 1 Hopkins County Commissioner Beth Wisenbaker says it’s been a real challenge trying to keep county roads in any kind of shape with all the rain we’ve had. She says this is the wettest year she’s seen in her 18 and a half years in office. Ms. Wisenbaker says she has already had to spent funds she was counting on using this summer. She says pot holes are numerous and are deeper than usual.
Regarding the pot holes, Wisenbaker said the oil sand has to be placed over a rock filled pothole due to depth of the holes. “It’s been a challenge,” stated Wisenbaker.
Friday’s PJC Graduation Ceremony Moved to Paris High School
A record number of prospective graduates at Paris Junior College and the likelihood of inclement weather have led to the relocation of the PJC spring commencement ceremony. It will now be held at the Paris High School gymnasium on Friday, May 15, beginning at 7:00 p.m.
Students and faculty will need to report to the auxiliary gym located adjacent to the main gymnasium at 6:00 p.m.
Students should park in the parking lot north of the main building and/or the north end of the stadium parking lot. Students will enter the gym through the north entrance marked with balloons. Family should enter through the east entrance. Doors will open at 6:00 p.m.
Seating is limited, so prospective graduates should limit their family and friends attending to five per student when possible.
There will not be a reception after the ceremony. The Paris High School gymnasium is located at 2255 South Collegiate Drive in Paris. For more information call 903-785-7661.
Kojak Prepares for Second Knee Surgery
After a brief respite at Sulphur Springs Health and Rehab, Dennis Lewis, also known as Kojak, will return to Dallas Wednesday May 13th for evaluation and to schedule surgery on a knee. He is currently unable to walk but rehabilitation is expected to being following the surgeries on his knees.
Tuesday, in honor of National Health Care Month, 80 fourth grade students from Sulphur Springs Elementary School sang for residents at the local skilled nursing facility. After their performance, the students recognized Kojak and lined up to give him a hug of encouragement.
Sulphur Springs most famous pedestrian was injured in an vehicle pedestrian accident in the turn lane on Gilmer Street outside Brookshire’s in Sulphur Springs at 9:13 p.m. Sunday, May 3. Kojak was taken by helicopter to the Plano hospital shortly after the accident. According to his family, he had two broken ribs, a broken wrist, and a broken knee, and lots of bruises. He suffered no head injuries.
New Tool to Plan Land Development
COLLEGE STATION, Texas—Want to put in a road on your land? Protect your water resources? Enhance wildlife, harvest trees or clear vegetation? Texas A&M Forest Service’s newest online tool, Plan My Land Operation, is designed to help you protect your property and ensure sustainability as you begin your next land improvement project.
Geared toward landowners, contractors and land managers, Plan My Land Operation is key to planning any improvement to your land. This tool helps you plan and layout your project based on your specific terrain, soil and water resources. As a user, you can quickly map a property boundary, identify sensitive areas, place a buffer around critical features and determine things needed like the proper size culvert.
“Planning any land operation is a critical first step to protecting your land and water resources. Without a good operational plan, your land may be at risk,” Hughes Simpson, program coordinator for Texas A&M Forest Service said.
As a service-based state agency, TFS strives to provide land managers advanced tools to help efficiently and effectively implement land operations.
“Ordinarily, in order to do something like this you need an extensive GIS system or to be a land operation expert. Now, anyone with access to the Internet can map their property and generate detailed operation planning reports,” Simpson said.
A unique feature of the Plan My Land Operation tool is that it is also useful to hikers and outdoor enthusiasts. Users can map out their trail and it will show the distance, elevation and slope of that trail. While full capability of the tool is statewide, this function is available nationwide.
Plan My Land Operation is the newest online tool added to an already extensive lineup of interactive online tools located at texasforestinfo.com. This website provides landowners, managers, government officials, local community groups and the public state-of-the-art access to custom Web mapping applications with capabilities to discover and explore an array of maps depicting forest conditions, and query and download data on a variety of forest interests.
House Advances E-Cigarette Ban for Minors
by Ryan McCrimmon, The Texas Tribune – May 11, 2015
Texas moved a step closer to banning the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors after the state House gave early approval Monday night to a measure that lawmakers say would prevent young Texans from purchasing dangerous nicotine products.
House members voted 123-20 in favor of a proposal by state Rep. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, that extends current restrictions on tobacco products to e-cigarettes. Texas retailers are banned from selling cigarettes and other tobacco products to customers younger than 18, but the sale of e-cigarettes isn’t currently regulated.
Electronic cigarettes are considered less toxic than traditional tobacco cigarettes because they create vapor instead of smoke, but e-cigarettes also contain the addictive substance nicotine. They’re often marketed to smokers as way to help them quit tobacco cigarettes, but health officials say there’s not enough evidence to support that claim.
Officials also warn that e-cigarettes could act as a gateway to more harmful tobacco products for young users.
“As a parent, I’m not comfortable with this situation,” state Rep. Nicole Collier, a Democrat from Fort Worth and one of the authors of the e-cigarette bill, said at a House committee hearing in March. Right now, she said, her 14-year-old daughter could walk down the street from her school, enter a store and legally purchase an e-cigarette.
Texas is one of eight states that allow minors to buy e-cigarettes, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Similar e-cigarette legislation by state Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, passed the Senate in March and was sent to the lower chamber. A House committee changed Hinojosa’s measure, Senate Bill 97, to match Alvarado’s proposal, House Bill 170, and the full House initially approved the measure Monday. If it receives final approval, it will return to the Senate, which will then decide to either approve the changes or try to resolve its differences with the House in a conference committee.
State Rep. Jason Isaac, R-Dripping Springs, who co-authored the legislation, said last week he thinks the House version is likely to be adopted by both chambers.
Both chambers have also passed identical measures to ban e-cigarettes on school property and at school functions.
E-cigarettes have grown in popularity since they were introduced in 2005 and now represent a $3 billion industry worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
Several e-cigarette companies like Altria and Logic Technology support restricting sales to minors. Miguel Martin, the president of Logic, said in an interview that his company has already decided not to sell its products to minors whether a state bans it or not.
“We believe these products are adult-oriented products,” Martin said. “They contain nicotine. We have warning labels on our products [that] it’s an addictive substance.”
The World Health Organization has also warned that fruit and candy-like flavors can make e-cigarettes even more appealing to young people.
Martin said Logic only sells e-cigarettes in menthol and tobacco flavors. He also said e-cigarette companies need to take more responsibility to ensure that minors can’t buy e-cigs on the internet, adding that Logic verifies online buyers’ age by checking financial and driving records.
“The vast majority of sites, a kid can go on and say, ‘Yes, [I’m over 18 years old],’ and they can have e-cigarettes sent to their house,” Martin said. Alvarado’s measure contains beefed-up security measures for internet sales.
On Monday, Republicans Matt Rinaldi of Irving and Tony Tinderholt of Arlington tried unsuccessfully to derail the bill on procedural grounds. Rinaldi said he opposed the bill because it restricts e-cigarette use in public places like airplanes, movie theaters and hospitals, arguing that it should only target sales to minors.
“It’s a complete regulation of e-cigarettes to the same extent as tobacco products,” he said.
Edgar Walters contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/11/house-gives-initial-ok-e-cigarette-ban-minors/.
Smith Found Guilty; Punishment Phase Begins Wednesday
May 12, 2015 – Tuesday afternoon May 12, a Hopkins County Jury returned a guilty verdict in the trial of Jarrod Arnold Smith, 41. Smith was found guilty on one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The punishment phase of the trial will begin Wednesday morning in the 8th Judicial District Courtroom in the Hopkins County Courthouse.
The testimony in the trial took only a day and a half with closing arguments made Tuesday shortly after noon. Assistant District Attorney Clay Harrison tried the case for the prosecution. The jury took approximately two hours and 44-minutes to deliberate the verdict. Smith was being tried on three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Wednesday morning, Assistant DA Matt Harris will represent the state in the punishment phase of the trial. Attorney Frank Long is defense attorney for Smith.
According to District Attorney Will Ramsay, Smith was charged in 2012 with aggravated assault for holding a gun to his then wife’s head. That charge ended in a mistrial. He did not fire the weapon as stated in a previous story here. In the 90’s, he was placed on probation for beating a female about the head with the butt of a long gun.
Jarrod Arnold Smith AKA Jarred Arnold Smith
