Villarino, Carpenter Recognized As Top Seniors In SSHS Class of 2022
Joel Villarino and Dawson Pace Carpenter were recognized as the top seniors in the Sulphur Springs High School Class of 2022.
Villarino, son of Mario Villarino and Leah Larsen, is this year’s valedictorian. Carpenter, son of Rodney and Nikki Carpenter, earned salutatorian honors with a 4.43 weighted grade point average.
The pair have been friends since second grader when they were in the same class at Bowie Primary School. While the pair has often been linked together – they took home most of the class awards that first year leaving their other classmates disconsolate, the 2022 valedictorian and salutatorian expressed pride in their entire class for pushing hard to take and excel in as many academically challenging courses as possible.
“I may be a little bit biased in saying this, but the class of 2022 has been one of the greatest to go through these doors in the past several years. I know that we’ve really pushed the academics par of our education by pushing for more AP classes, pushing for more, higher and higher, than any other class I’ve seen in the past. I really think the people who come out of our classes are going to do excellent things – everyone, from top to bottom,” Villarino said.
The pair also attributed their successes not just to their hard work, but a reflection of the hard work and sacrifices their parents and families have made for them. Surrounding themselves with an “excellent” core group of friends, ranked 3-5 in the class, who also take academics extremely seriously and come from families who take it seriously has also helped spear them toward academic successes.
Villarino too credits his younger sister, Alexis Villarino, for her role in his successes as well.
“I’ve done a lot and really worked hard, but I think my sister is really the better of the two siblings, to be honest. I’m a little unorganized at time and she was the one, even before she was a freshman, who had a study plan for the SAT for me. She was my coach. She was making the curriculum, and I’m thankful for that. She is going to be great things and I truly hope that I’ve been a good role model for her,” the valedictorian said, adding later he hopes to see Alexis standing at the head of her class in a couple of years. She’s currently ranked first in the sophomore class.
“My parents and my entire immediate family has been amazing in supporting me in everything I do, whether its getting to events, getting me to events, it’s tough,” Carpenter said. He introduce his parents as his “support system,” always there whether for sports, academic or other extracurriculars, even when it means taking off work as they did for the valedictorian-salutatorian recognition event Tuesday morning, April 12, 2022, and finding a way to be there for and support him always. He noted his family also includes a younger brother, a sixth grader.
The salutatorian also credits the great staff at SSHS and SSISD, especially Gail Herman, who has been his AP English teacher for two years and UIL coach all four years of high school.
“She kind of took me under her wing as a freshman, kind of gave me somewhere to belong, even when I may not have known what I was going to do,” Carpenter said, adding that Gerald Grafton has been amazing to him, AP biology teacher Kaley Williams who’s been incredible, as well as Madison Millsap.
“I could name a ton. We really have a a great staff of teachers. They really work hard to get us to be the best we can be. Obviously, the administration is great. Mrs. Ladd, I just met her this year. When I asked her, ‘Hey can we meet. I need a counselor recommendation for a college application?’ she was on it. I’m really thankful for that,” Carpenter said, turning to Jamie Ladd to extend appreciation to the counselor.
Villarino too offered thanks to the administration for serving as facilitators, going the extra mile to help students when resources may not have been immediately available at the school. For instance, last year he and Carpenter decided to study for AP exams instead of going home on an early release day, and Steve Carter saw them in the library every day. Amy Jumper, upon learning the students wanted to take the test, ordered it so the students could take it at SSHS instead of having to drive to another school to take it. He says things like that showed them personally how the administration cares for their students.
“All this is a reflection of all everyone has done,” Villarino said sweeping his arms to include the entire school, their families and administrators. “We are just happy to have been part of that.”
The valedictorian said one of the memories he will take with him to college and life will be not only serving the last two year as drum major, but learning to play accordion over the summer, then performing an accordion solo in front of thousands.
“That was one of those top 10 moments in my life, probably type of thing,” Villarino said, brimming at the memory. “Just being able to cheese it up in front of other people, it was awesome, the screams. I’m the accordion guy when I go to other schools. I think that is so awesome.”
Villarino explained that the halftime show typically features the drum majors at some point. This year the show featured a Paris theme, and originally instructors planned for the accordion part to be played on a synth. Joel’s friend Clayton Boykin voluntold him for the part, pointing to him and telling the instructor he could play accordion. So, he decided, “I guess I can,” and set out to do so. While hard to learn, it was a fun experience.
Carpenter cited his successes in UIL, especially being on the state champion literary criticism team and placing fourth individually at state last year as a particularly memorable experience.
“That was awesome for me, just to see that culminate all those years of hard work into a state championship was really cool,” said Carpenter, who is also part of the literary criticism team that this spring is also advancing from region to the state contest, where they hope to repeat their successes with another team championship.
Coached by Herman, who has a legacy of teams that win and place at state competition, Carpenter said it’s an honor to be able to be help continue her legacy and give back to the teacher who’s given so much to him.
“If there was a lifetime achievement for UIL directors, I feel like Herman would be one good candidate – winningest lit crit,” Villarino added. “A lot of the top students have been part of that. Last year’s val and sal were also on her team. She really does a good job pushing students beyond what they think they can do.”
“There are always moments where you’re not sure you can pull it off, meet her expectations, but you find a way,” Carpenter said.
Carpenter noted that his association with Herman began about a week before school started. When he picked up his schedule during freshman orientation (fish camp) there was a note attached to his schedule for him to see teacher Gail Herman. He was a little afraid because of Herman’s reputation for having hard classes.
While students were changing classes during the mock school day to become better acquainted with the campus, Carpenter spent the equivalent of a few class periods talking to Herman about UIL. She knew he’d participated won in district UIL spelling and vocabulary competition in seventh and eighth grades and recruited him to compete in academic UIL. She handed him thick stack of papers, which he demonstrated said appeared to be a few inches apart, for him to start working on. He was a bit lost for a few class periods the first day of school, but had met a teacher who would challenge him to push himself to be his very best.
The valedictorian and salutatorian credited their middle school GT teachers Clay Hansford and Brooke Howard, for having a monumental impact on their development as individuals.
“Those two especially had an extreme impact on myself, on my development throughout middle school, pushing us,” Villarino said of the gifted and talented instructors.
He recalled the formal dinner, “where you take these kids you would say are more nerdy,” and make them dance and eat food in a formal setting.” He says at 18, he’s already had occasion to use those skills and is so thankful to have had the experience.
Valedictorian Villarino plans to pursue a career in software engineering or software development. He hasn’t yet decided between the University of Texas-Austin Honors Program and Rice University in Houston, but knows he wants to major in computer science. His strengths are logic and mathematics and computer science involved applied math and applied logic.
He has competed in Business Professionals of America computer science events, and over the summer had the opportunity to participate in Texas Space Grants, working with the University of Texas and NASA. He said he used data from NASA space satellites to map areas using PYTHON and JAVA coding languages.
“It was very interesting to me because of the applications. There’s a lot of applications for it and the money’s nice. You get paid very, very well,” Villarino said with a laugh.
Salutatorian Carpenter is plans to attend Texas A&M University to prepare for a career in aerospace engineering.
“I’ve always been pretty interested in space. With that being on the forefront of exploration right now, it’s kind of the next frontier they want to explore, I want to be a part of that. I just want to build rockets,” he said with a smile.
While math and science have always been the 2022 salutatorian’s favorite classes, he has tried to be a well rounded student, taking a variety of different classes, as many of the core classes that are offered. He also has been involved in several activities in an effort to make as big an impact as possible while he’s at SSHS.
Carpenter was on the varsity baseball team, Student Council, National Honor Society, Hopkins County Leadership including attending RYLA, served as a Key Club officer, competed in five academic UIL events. Among the honors and recognitions Carpenter has also received are being named a National Merit Scholarship Commended Student, College Board National Rural & Small Town Recognition, and being an AP Scholar with Honor.
Villarino also is a National Merit Scholar, served as captain of the UIL computer science team, a member of the National Honor Society and the Hopkins County Youth Leadership group, received a Rotary Youth Leadership Award.
Avoid I-30 South Service Road East of Broadway
April 13, 2022 – A multi agency response to a vehicle crash is ongoing. Units from Cumby Police, Sulphur Springs Police, Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office and Texas State Troopers worked together to stop a fleeing white sedan. The pursuit of the vehicle started outside Hopkins County. This pursuit covered several surface streets in Sulphur Springs, and at one point went through the Wal-Mart Parking lot.
The south service road is partially blocked, but some traffic is moving. The area is a crime scene, and will be active for several hours.
Stay tuned to KSST for more details.
Traffic Backs Up For Over An Hour On Interstate 30 Due To 18-Wheeler Crash
Traffic on Interstate 30 west was slow going Tuesday afternoon due to an 18-wheeler crash near mile marker 122. Initial reports were that an 18-wheeler had jack-knifed in front of the Dodge dealership, causing damage to the trailer. The crash occurred around noon time.
As emergency responders arrived, after checking the condition of the occupant, reported to be only the driver, they began working to direct traffic away from the crash, allowing westbound traffic to flow as much as possible around the area until additional room was needed for emergency responders and wrecker unit to work to clear the roadway.
Traffic at 1 p.m. along that stretch was very slow going, backing up in both lanes for about 2 miles past League Street overpass and about half way to South Broadway Street overpass on I-30 west.
Motorists traveling west on I-30 out of Sulphur Springs are encouraged to seek an alternate route around the area or to plan for potentially lengthy traffic delays at lunch time.
All motorist are reminded to slow down as they near a work or construction area, especially during the spring thunderstorms as roads are especially slick during the deluge, and to be alert for emergency workers at the crash site and directing traffic. The law requires motorists to switch into the opposite lane, and when not possible to slow down. Be aware as the truck-trailer rig is cleared from the road that traffic may be diverted onto other roads, completely stopped, or stop and go depending on the stage of work.
Lady Cats Softball Crushes Texas High 12-0
Sulphur Springs won big in Texarkana 12-0 over Texas High on Tuesday, Apr. 12.
Coach David Carrillo’s team kept the hits coming in their 10th straight victory.
The Lady Cats put up two runs in their first at-bat. They then doubled their output in the second inning, scoring four more to lead big 6-0.
Sulphur Springs in the top of the 4th produced their second-straight district contest with a six run inning, blowing the game away en route to a 12-0 demolishing of the Lady Tigers in five innings.
Almost every single Lady Cat on the roster recorded hits in the 12-0 win Tuesday. Jadyn Harper and Reese Ragan led the way with two hits, both amounting to at least one RBI. Both Harper and Ragan crossed home twice in five innings, with the latter recording 2 RBIs and reaching home three times in the victory.
Kinz Smallwood also got 2 hits and 2 RBIs Tuesday.
3B Addison Caddell, Bryant, SS Parris Pickett, C Anahi Velasquez and DP Tia Nash all recorded a hit Tuesday in the 12-0 win. Nash’s hit went yard for a home-run.
Crimson Bryant won her ninth game in 10 starts pitching a complete 5 inning game. The junior gave up 5 hits but no runs, walking one batter but striking out 10 Tuesday.
The 12-0 crushing victory over Texas High gives Coach Carrillo’s softball team a 10-0 district record, now 19-1-2 overall. Tuesday’s win in Texarkana is also the 21st straight district win for the Lady Cats softball program.
It’s a quick turnaround for Lady Cats softball, as on Thursday, Apr. 14 Sulphur Springs hosts Marshall for Senior Night.
At least two seniors are set to be honored in their last home game.
Festivities begin prior to the 6 P.M. tee-off.
KSST is proud to be the official Wildcat and Lady Cat Station. We broadcast Sulphur Springs ISD games year round live on radio. When allowed, we also broadcast games via our YouTube channel.
You Would Not Drive Intoxicated, Why Drive Intexticated?
By Johanna Hicks
You have undoubtedly heard of the dangers of driving while intoxicated, but what about other driving distractions? Our roadways are more dangerous now than they were pre-pandemic and 2021 marks the second deadliest year on Texas roads. Calling attention to the dangers of distracted driving can help end this deadly streak on our roads.
In a study done by American Automobile Association (AAA) Foundation for Traffic Safety, researchers found that even using a hands-free system or texting when you are stopped at a light can produce a ‘hangover’ effect where your mind stays distracted for up to 27 seconds after using smart phones or even voice to text systems in vehicles. Fortunately, when we look at the cars surrounding us each day in traffic, we do not see many drunk drivers. Yet, looking around and seeing a driver staring at their cell phone is all too common. Distracted driving is much more pervasive than drunk driving.
Like drunk driving, distracted driving slows the driver’s reaction time. Distracted driving additionally takes the driver’s eyes off the road for as much 4-5 seconds while they read or send a text message. At 55 miles per hour, this would be the equivalent of driving the length of a football field with a blindfold on. While teens and young drivers are more likely to be driving distracted, many of these drivers do not see texting as a risk. A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration survey found 20% of drivers ages 18-20 said texting does not affect their driving, and nearly 30% of drivers ages 21-34 said texting has no impact.
Parents and caregivers need to be good role models and not have their children witness them driving distracted, just as they would not want to have their children see them driving impaired. So drivers need to put away their cell phones and wait until they arrive at their destination to use their phone. Children are paying attention and parents have more influence over their teens than they may think. This influence goes for any situation – not just driving.
Keep your eyes on the road and arrive alive!
District 4-H Contest Results are in!
I recently had the privilege of serving on various 4-H contest committees on the district level over a two-day period. I’m proud to announce that two of our Hopkins County 4-H members came home with numerous honors. Below are the results.
- Rylie Carroll: Public Speaking, 1st place; Food Show Side Dish, 2nd place; Fashion Show Specialty Division, 1st place; Healthy Lifestyles Invitations, 4th place.
- Diego Childs: Share-the-Fun Poetry, 2nd place; Food Show Main Dish, 4th place; Consumer Decision Making (Individual).
Congratulations to both of these 4-H members. As a first place recipient in Public Speaking and Fashion Show, Rylie has qualified for Texas 4-H Roundup contests to be held in College Station in June. We wish her the best!
Closing Thought
At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a child, a friend, or a parent.
Barbara Bush
Contact Johanna Hicks, B.S., M.Ed., Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Family & Community Health Agent for Hopkins County at P.O. Box 518, 1200-B West Houston, Sulphur Springs, TX 75483; 903-885-3443; or j[email protected].
Wildcats Baseball Falls in Tight One at Texas High 1-0
Coach Jerrod Hammack’s team ended up on the wrong side of a dead-even match-up, giving up an error that proved costly.
Sulphur Springs fought all 7 innings to get the win Tuesday which would have been two straight victories for the Wildcats.
Baseball had two runners on in three of their first four at-bats, but could not turn them into runs as the Wildcats left those innings empty handed.
For three and a half innings the game remained scoreless, but an errant throw in the bottom of the 4th proved to be the difference-maker.
Trying to make the double play to end the inning, Colt Silman tagged 2nd and tried to take out the batter at 1st, but his throw was not in reach of 1B Dawson Carpenter as the leading runner turned third base, crossing home to give Texas High the lead and the win 1-0.
Both teams ended the game with five hits. And while Texas High coughed up an error in the win over the Wildcats, the errant throw in the 4th inning proved to be the difference maker as Texas High edged by Sulphur Springs 1-0.
Baseball got the best outing of the district season from Colby Albritton on the mound Tuesday. The righty pitched all 6 innings in the loss, giving up 5 hits to the Tigers. Albritton walked two Tuesday.
3B Griffin Crawford led the way in hitting, getting two of the Wildcats’ five hits Tuesday in his last two at-bats.
SS Silman, 1B Carpenter, and RF Ty Stroud rounded out hitting with one apiece.
Tuesday’s 1-0 loss at Texas High ends a two-game road-stand with the Wildcats going 1-1, winning game one last Friday in Mount Pleasant before falling Tuesday in Texarkana.
The loss drops Wildcats baseball’s season record to 5-14 overall, 2-6 in district play.
Next up, Sulphur Springs heads back home for a Thursday match with Marshall.
That game tees off Thursday, Apr. 14 at 7 P.M.
KSST is proud to be the official Wildcat and Lady Cat Station. We broadcast Sulphur Springs ISD games year round live on radio. When allowed, we also broadcast games via our YouTube channel.
April 13 Chamber Connection: Educational Lunch And Learn Coming Up On April 20
By Butch Burney
Education will be the topic of the Chamber’s next Lunch and Learn, scheduled for 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 20, at The Oaks Bed and Breakfast.
Cumby ISD faculty will be on hand to talk about their PTECH program and how student internships can benefit businesses and students alike.
Sulphur Springs ISD Superintendent Mike Lamb will also be on hand to discuss the $93 million bond proposal that will go before voters in May.
Cost of the Lunch and Learn is $15 for Chamber members and $20 for nonmembers. To register, call the Chamber at 903-885-6515 or email me at [email protected].
Kids Kingdom Help
Kids Kingdom needs your help the weekend of April 22-23, just as it did when it was built 25 years ago. The Sulphur Springs Leadership Class has selected to rehab Mary Bonham’s Kids Kingdom in Buford Park. And just like when it was constructed quarter-century ago, everyone is invited to help.
Friday and Saturday, April 22-23, have been designated as work days to re-stain all the wood in Kids Kingdom and spread mulch. It will be professionally power-washed before that weekend to prepare for the staining.
The class is also planning to replace and/or repair the equipment, such as the handicap swing, chains, swings, tires, etc. for the playground, restore the ground mulch and install lighting for safety and security.
Church and civic groups, as well as individuals, are encouraged to help with the project.
To sign up to help, go to the website (https://forms.monday.com/forms/bcbe10e346b300167c125ad23b7dd17c?r=use1) or contact the Chamber at 903-885-8515 or [email protected] to sign up to help that weekend!
Golf Tournament
Congratulations to JB Weld, who won the 33rd Annual Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament on Friday at the Sulphur Springs Country Club.
Other winners were second low net, Triple Crown Roofing; third low net, Team North Texas; first low gross, RPM Staffing; and second low gross, Texas Golf Carts.
We had 40 teams that powered through a very windy day to have great fun and competition. Thanks to all the sponsors and volunteers who made it happen!
Wildcat Jazz
Wildcat Jazz Band’s 2 nd Annual Jazz on the Square is coming to downtown at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 21. They will feature songs from Three Dog Night, The B-52s, the Blues Brothers and more.
Be a Kids Superhero
You can be a superhero in attire and deed with the CASA Superhero Virtual Walk to promote Child Abuse Awareness. During the month of April, you are encouraged to walk or run anytime anywhere while wearing a superhero costume, cape or simply a blue shirt. Post your photo on social media with the hasthtag #lakecountrycasa.
Spring Market
The Spring Market on Main is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 23, on Main Street. Come out, shop, eat and purchase from vendors, booths and shops.
Rodeo Weekend
The Nottingham’s Sulphur Springs Dodge UPRA Rodeo will be contested April 15 and 16 in the Hopkins County Civic Center Arena at 7:30 p.m. nightly. Tickets are $10 for adult, $5 for children ages 6-12, and 5-and-under are free.
Tickets can be purchased at Circle E Western Store.
Pop Up Shopping
Beauty Grace, at 220 Connally St., will have a pop up shop Spring Fling from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 16, a perfect time to shop for Easter attire.
Ribbon Cutting
Let ‘Er Rip will have a ribbon cutting at 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 20, at 1441 Shannon Road. Please welcome them to the business community.
The Shave Shop will have a ribbon cutting at noon Friday, April 22, at Kids Kingdom, as part of the renovation weekend.
SSISD Board Of Trustees Accept Application, Agree To Consider Chapter 313 Agreement For Proposed Manufacturer
Sulphur Springs ISD Board of Trustees Monday evening agreed to review an application for an appraised value limitation on qualified property for completion, then send it to the state for review for Chapter 313 compliance then, if approved, to consider the request from business considering establishing a Sulphur Springs facility.
The application will be reviewed by the superintendent as well as Powell Law Group for completeness, then submitted to Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts to determine whether the applicant meets all requirements for a Chapter 313 agreement. This does not obligate the district to approve the application, just to accept it and submit it to the Comptroller’s Office. If approved by the Comptroller, then the district would have the option to consider approving the application for appraised value limitation on qualified property from Ashoka Steel Mills LLC.
Sulphur Springs-Hopkins County Economic Development Director Roger Feagley, during the public forum at the beginning of Monday night’s regular board meeting, noted that the EDC and local officials have been working on a project they hope to bring to Sulphur Springs, one that has been dubbed Project Superman to this point. Sulphur Springs is in competition with the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma to get the project. This would be the company among two of the company’s first manufacturing facility in the US.
The company is looking to make a $265 million investment, which would create over 300 jobs, would be a boost to the local economy, the school board was told Monday night. Talent would be mostly local, with a few experts in from Italy and Germany to help during the construction period and potentially with training of technicians and engineers.
The Ashoka Steel Mill would be located in the center of the City of Sulphur Springs’ property which previously housed a coal mine. It would initially occupy about 250 acres, with a 150 acre expansion later, out of the total 4,857-acre former Thermo/Luminant mine property, officials were told Monday.
The proposed electric arc furnace steel mill would produce 350,000 tons of rebar annually. The facility, according to documentation in the application, would use an electric arc to heat metals instead of a blast furnace. The mill estimates 402,500 tons of scrap metal from local areas would be used to produce the rebar; the steel recycling, according to the application, would reduce carbon emissions. The scrap metal would be brought in mainly by rail, amounting to an estimated 8,000 railcars a year, and about 40 trucks.
One of the factors the deal depends on is Sulphur Springs ISD approving the Chapter 313 agreement, provided the application is approved by the Comptroller’s Office, according to Feagley. The business also is expected to ask for incentives from Hopkins County, the City of Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County Hospital District as well, which would also be determining factors in whether or not the business establishes a facility in Sulphur Springs.
A KE Andrews representative said, based on experience assisting other entities submitting the applications, while the state agency has 150 days to review the application, the typical turnaround time is about 90 days. SSISD authorized the superintendent to approve any request for an extension of the deadline for board action beyond the 150-day school board review period, provided additional time is needed. The cutoff deadline by which the state has determined no new Chapter 313 tax incentive agreements of this type may begin is Dec. 31, 2022. If approved by the school by that time, the Chapter 313 agreement should continue to be valid, trustees were told.
The appraised value limitation requested for Ashoka Steel Mill LLC would limit the amount property valued the business would have to pay in SSISD maintenance and operations taxes for 10 years. The minimum required qualified investment for project for SSISD to consider the application is $30 million. That’s the amount of appraised value limitation for which Ashoka Steel is applying.
Ashoka Steel Mill LLC, according to the application, is being developed in collaboration with Melwa group and Ashoka Capital Group. Melwa is an international conglomerate headquartered in Sri Lanka that operates three steel mills in Asia and Africa.
The company provided a $75,000 check to Sulphur Springs ISD to cover the application fee which covers costs associated with processing the application requesting in the limited tax valuation.
The company anticipates if the application is approved, it would then be presented again to SSISD Board of Trustees on or around Aug. 1, 2022 for consideration. Construction could then begin as early as September 2022, with Jan. 1, 2023 the beginning of the qualifying time and Jan. 1, 2025, the first year of the limitation. Commercial operations then are projected to begin by Dec. 31, 2024.
The trustees also each attested they had no conflict of interest with the application for appraised value limitation on qualified property for Ashoka Steel Mills LLC, in accordance with Chapter 313 of Texas Tax Code.
Five Men Arrested On Felony Warrants Over the Past Week
At least five men were arrested over the past week, April 6-11, 2022, on felony warrants.
CR 4761 Arrest
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office Deputies Aaron Chaney and Alvin Jordan obtained information Monday that a 29-year-old had a warrant for his arrest and that he was known to be living at a County Road 4761 residence. The deputies arrived at the address, contacted Bennie Le Hackbarth-Thompson, took him into custody at 10:50 a.m. Monday, April 11, 2022, on the Bowie County charge.
The Sulphur Springs man was booked into Hopkins County jail at 11:27 a.m. on the Bowie County warrant for violating probation, which he was on for intimidation that including stalking, according to arrest reports. Hackbarth-Thompson was released from Hopkins County jail Tuesday, April 12, 2022. Bond on the charge was set at $20,000, according to jail reports.
Surrender at Sheriff’s Office
Chase Miguel Medina turned himself in at Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office at 10:40 a.m. April 8, 2022, on a warrant. The 26-year-old Sulphur Springs man was escorted into the jail by Precinct 1 Constable Norman Colyer and booked in at 11:03 a.m. for violation of probation, which he was on for evading arrest or detention with a vehicle charge, according to jail and arrest reports. He remained in Hopkins County jail Tuesday, April 12, 2012, on the charge, jail records show.
He was first arrested on a warrant for the charge on May 8, 2017; he was released on a $10,000 bond on the charge two days later. He returned to jail Oct. 31, 2017 through Jan. 27, 2018 to serve a 90 day state jail commitment. He returned to jail Feb. 11 to March 12, 2018 and from Oct. 15, 2018 to Jan. 12, 2019, for violation of probation on the charge, according to jail reports.
Jail Warrant
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Aaron Chaney was notified by Investigator Dennis Findley of an active warrant a 24-year-old Sulphur Springs man in custody at Hopkins County jail, that needed to be served.
Cristian Lonnie Jackson has remained in the county jail since Jan. 24, 2022, when he was taken into custody to serve a controlled substance commitment and has remained there ever since, according to arrest and and jail reports.
Jackson was served with the first-degree felony aggravated robbery warrant at 5:24 p.m. Thursday, April 7, 2022. Bond on the charge was set at $50,000, according to jail reports.
FM 71 Arrest
Dallas Police Department Fugitive Division contacted HCSO Sgt. Scott Davis regarding a 28-year-old Sulphur Bluff man. Deputies confirmed Jeffrey Kyle Boswell was at the FM 71 address given. Sgt. Davis and Deputy Josh Davis found Boswell in the residence and took him into custody at 11:32 p.m. April 5 on the warrant, deputies noted in arrest reports.
Boswell was booked into Hopkins County jail at 12:15 a.m. Wednesday, April 6, 2022, on a Dallas County warrant for an alleged assault of a family or household member that impeded breathing charge. The offense is alleged to have occurred on Oct. 8, 2022. Bond on the charge was set at $10,000. He remained in Hopkins County jail until April 10, 2022, according to jail reports.
Probation Office Arrest
HCSO Sgt. Todd Evans was alerted Brayden Lynn Brown was being held at the Adult Probation office at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 6, 2022, on a warrant.
The 21-year-old was alleged to have been armed with a large closable knife, which was open in his front jacket pocket, and had two separate glass pipes of the kind used for smoking controlled substances. The knife was given to a member of his family by a probation officer.
Brown was transported by Sgt. Evans to Hopkins County jail, where he was held on a warrant for violation of probation on a burglary of a habitation charge; he also was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, according to arrest and jail reports.
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.
Texas Reports First West Nile Case Of 2022
Public health officials have confirmed the state’s first case of illness caused by West Nile virus in 2022. Dallas County Health and Human Services reported that a resident of Dallas County has been diagnosed with West Nile neuroinvasive disease.
West Nile virus is transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitoes. Most people exposed to the virus don’t get sick, but about 20 percent develop symptoms like headache, fever, muscle and joint aches, nausea and fatigue. In a very small proportion, less than one percent, the virus affects the nervous system, leading to the more serious West Nile neuroinvasive disease that can cause neck stiffness, disorientation, tremors, convulsions, paralysis and even death.
The Texas Department of State Health Services urges people to not give mosquitoes a biting chance by following these steps to protect themselves and their families from West Nile and other diseases spread by mosquitoes.
- Wear long sleeves and pants. Create a barrier to mosquito bites by covering up.
- Apply insect repellent. Use EPA-registered repellent such as those containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol or 2-undecanone.
- Remove standing water. Emptying out water that accumulates in toys, tires, trash cans, buckets, clogged rain gutters and plant pots will deny mosquitoes a place to lay their eggs and reproduce.
Repellant
People should also keep mosquitoes out of their homes by using air conditioning and making sure window and door screens are in good repair. DSHS urges people with West Nile symptoms to contact their health care provider and mention any exposure to mosquitoes.
There were 112 cases of West Nile disease in Texas last year and 14 deaths (Cases and attributed deaths for 2021 are provisional.) Over the last five years, Texas has had 547 cases and 61 deaths. Mosquitoes remain active in much of Texas into November and December.
