Winnsboro Police Department Media Report – March 8-14, 2021
The Winnsboro Police Department media report for the week of March 8-14, 2021, included the following activity:
Arrests
- Timbre Reid, 32 years of age, of Winnsboro was arrested on 3/10/2021 on a Just of the Peace Pct. 4 warrant for driving while license invalid with previous convictions.
- Brian Lison, 20 years of age, of Winnsboro was arrested on 3/12/2021 on a Franklin County warrant for sexual assault of a child.
- Roy Wade, 52 years of age was arrested on 3/12/2021 for possession of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance, 1 gram or more but less than 4 grams.
- Missy Wylie, 45 years of age of Winnsboro was arrested on 3/12/2021 for driving while intoxicated.
Calls for Service
- The Winnsboro Police Department responded to a total of 143 calls for service during this reporting period.
Citations
- The Winnsboro Police Department issued 36 citations and 64 warnings during this reporting period.
FM 1567 Traffic Stops Result In Controlled Substance Arrests
Two FM 1567 traffic stops conducted by deputies overnight Friday resulted in controlled substance arrests, according to sheriff’s reports. Sulphur Springs police also arrested one person on a controlled substance charge Sunday night, arrest reports noted.
Late Night Stop
The first of the FM 1567 traffic stops occurred shortly before 10:20 p.m. Friday, March 12, 2021, on FM 1567 west at County Road 1137. Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Aaron Chaney reported stopping a Dodge pickup or speeding . Upon contact with the driver, Chaney recognized him as Kelly Wayne Gathright, a 49-year-old Mabank man he’d take into custody during a previous encounter for a narcotics offense. Thus, the deputy had Gathright step out of the Ram 1500 to speak with him and obtained the man’s permission to search the white truck, the HCSO officer noted in arrest reports.
Chaney found a small amount of a crystal-like substance he suspected to be methamphetamine in a cellophane wrapper inside of a clipboard container, the deputy alleged in arrest reports. Gathright denied ownership of the the substance and was taken into custody.
Deputy Chris Baumann then arrived to assist at the scene. Chaney noticed the upholstery on the driver’s seat of the truck to be loose. When Chaney lifted the upholstery skin, he found a burned glass pipe of the kind commonly used to smoke methamphetamine with residue underneath it. Next to the pipe, Chaney located a bag with suspected methamphetamine and a box with a digital scale, the deputy alleged in arrest reports. The contraband found during the FM 1567 traffic stop was secured as evidence and Gathright was arrested at 10:51 a.m. March 12 for possession of a controlled substance. Chaney took Gathright to jail while Baumann completed an inventory of the truck, which was then impounded.
The substance field tested positive for methamphetamine and weighed 3.6 grams, thus, Gathright was booked into Hopkins County jail at 12:31 a.m. Saturday, March 13, 2021, according to jail reports.
The 48-year-old Mabank man remained in Hopkins County jail Monday morning, March 15, in lieu of a $30,000 bond on the possession of 1 gram or more but less than 4 grams of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance charge, according to jail reports.
According to jail and prior arrest records, Chaney did stop Gathright on Dec. 19, 2020, for driving the pickup over the white lane marker into the roadside grass. Methamphetamine was found in his sweatshirt pocket and digital scales and two burned glass pipes were found in the truck, Chaney alleged in the 2020 arrest report. He was booked into the county jail early Dec. 20; he was released from the county jail on the Dec. 23, 2020, on a $30,000 bond on the charge, according to jail reports. Gathright was indicted on the December controlled substance charge during the March 5, 2021 Grand Jury session, according to court reports.
Early Morning Stop
The second of the FM 1567 traffic stops occurred just before 1 a.m. Saturday, March 13, 2021, on FM 1567 west at County Road 1118. Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chris Baumann reported stopping a blue Chevrolet pickup for swerving from the fog line across the center line and back again. Upon contact with the occupants, Baumann noted both the driver and passenger to appear noticeably nervous. The driver shook and wouldn’t make eye contacts while the passenger was standoffish when spoken, according to arrest reports.
When asked if there was anything illegal in the Silverado, the 57-year-old passenger denied there was. After being refused permission to search the truck, Baumann called for a police canine at the location. The police K-9 gave a positive alert on the truck during a free air sniff search, resulting in a probable cause search, the deputy noted in arrest reports.
Baumann and Sgt. Scott Davis reported finding a bag containing a crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamine, a glass pipe used for smoking meth with two large unsmoked shards of suspected meth in its bowl and drug paraphernalia in the vehicle. When asked about the contraband, 57-year-old Scott Arthur Gorton of Sulphur Springs claimed it all as his.
As a result, Gorton was taken into custody at 2:12 a.m. March 13 on a possession of less than 1 gram of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance charge, according to arrest reports. The substance was seized as evidence; it field-tested positive for meth. The total weight of the bag was 0.362 gram and the total weighed of the unsmoked shards of suspected meth was 0.048 gram.
Gorton was released from Hopkins County jail on a $10,000 bond on the felony controlled substance charge later Saturday, March 13, according to jail reports.
Jail records also showed Gorton has a prior controlled substance charge, for possession of 1-4 gram, on April 24, 2013. He served from Aug. 20 to Oct. 27, 2016, in Hopkins County jail as part of a three-year prison sentence for violation of probation on the controlled substance charge, according to jail reports. Gorton was last jailed in Hopkins County from Feb. 19 to Feb. 25, 2020, for violation of parole and on a traffic warrant.
Sunday Night Arrest
Sulphur Springs Police Officer Silas Whaley just before 8 p.m. Sunday, March 14, contacted a 31-year-old Sulphur Springs man seen walking with traffic near his South Broadway Street residence.
A search of Nicholas Anthony Reynolds’ pockets turned up a bag with a crystal-like substance the officer believed to be methamphetamine in a wallet in his pocket, Whaley alleged in arrest reports.
Whaley took Reynolds into custody and to jail on a possession of less than 1 gram of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance charge, according to arrest reports. Reynolds remained in Hopkins County jail Monday. Bond was set at $5,000 on the felony controlled substance charge, according to Hopkins County 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.
The Hopkins Rains Local Work Group Listening Session Will be Held April 20th
The United States Department of Agriculture National Resources Conservation Service will present the Hopkins-Rains Local Work Group Listening Session on April 20, 2021. The meeting will be held via conference call due to COVID-19 restrictions. The Conference Call Number will be 602-580-9853, Access Code 6399187. The Meeting will begin at 10:00 A.M. A request for accommodations for persons with disabilities should be made at least 48 hours before the meeting. The purpose of the meeting is to help determine natural resource priorities and criteria for USDA-NRCS conservation and programs planning for the upcoming fiscal year. You are invited to: Help shape plans and priorities future projects. Identify where the best investments can be made to address natural resource issues. Review the work that has already been done in the county, and… Share your vision for what the country will look like when these natural resource concerns have been addressed. The meeting is being brought to you in part by the Texas State Soil & Water Conservation Board, and the Hopkins-Rains Soil and Water Conservation District.
Emergency Sirens to be Tested Today
Emergency Sirens will be tested in Sulphur Springs today, Monday March 15, 2021. The test will be conducted by the Sulphur Springs Emergency Management office. The test will be conducted at noon.
The test is to gauge the reliability of the emergency warning system and is conducted to find any potential flaws in the system. Recent tests have shown the emergency sires to be a ready source of warning in case of emergencies such as weather or other threats to safety.
This is only a test.
How to Spot Freeze Damage on Trees, by Mario Villarino
Over a week after severe winter weather in East Texas, many landowners may just now be seeing signs of freeze damage to forest trees and having concerns that some trees may not make it.
“The most common sign of freeze damage on trees is the turning of needles and leaves from a dark green to a strange reddish-gray color,” said Eric Taylor, Texas A&M Forest Service silviculturist, Overton.
“Other than the strange color, the crowns of these trees seem to be fully intact and show minimal breakage from ice loads.”
Typically, ice loads during winter storms bring physical damage to trees. February’s storm was a different story though. Only rarely, in confined areas, were mechanical breakage or severe bending of forest trees found. Texas A&M Forest Service conducted an aerial timber assessment survey last week over 509,000 acres in East Texas and found no significant damage to the timber resource.
Normal freeze response: The extreme cold triggered a normal physiological response in the trees of East Texas. Needles and leaves of trees showing signs of freeze damage were impaired, likely from the formation of ice crystals inside the leaf cells causing the cell walls to rupture. However, native trees are adapted to this and responded by shutting off, abscising, their leaves or needles that were no longer functioning, causing a discoloration of leaves.
Fortunately, trees are resilient and have the ability to leaf out again when the initial growth is damaged or destroyed. Landowners may see freeze damage symptoms on some trees, but not all. Tree species differ when it comes to freeze tolerance as some can tolerate extreme cold better than others. With pine species, longleaf and slash seem to have less tolerance for freeze than loblolly. Shortleaf pine is more resistant to freezing temperatures and seems to be much less affected than the other pine species.
Recovery prospects: In addition, trees along the forest edge and/or those trees that are taller than surrounding trees, with their crowns fully exposed, may also experience freeze damage to a greater extent than those with crowns somewhat protected by other trees. Most trees in East Texas will survive the freeze damage though. “This is another example of how it pays to proactively manage forests,” Taylor said.
“There will likely be some losses, but if the tree was relatively healthy before the freeze, it should have enough available, stored carbohydrates (food) to set new buds and form new leaves (needles) this spring.” If the tree was unhealthy prior to the freeze, then it may not be able to recover or might be the target of insects and disease later this year. There is always the worry that trees become so stressed from these events that they are lost to insects.
However, the freeze also severely impacted and reduced insect populations, which should provide a period of respite and time for trees to recover their leaves and needles. Texas A&M Forest Service foresters are asking landowners not to panic. Damaged trees may have only suffered a temporary setback and healthy trees should produce new growth within a few weeks.
If you are a homeowner with a freeze-damaged tree near your home or other buildings on your property, you may wish to contact a certified arborist for a closer inspection. A certified arborist will assess whether a tree poses a safety hazard, needs corrective pruning and the overall health of the tree.
For more information on this or any other agricultural topic please contact the Hopkins County Extension Office at 903-885-3443 or email me at [email protected].
Vehicle Pursuit In Sulphur Springs Ends With Controlled Substance, Warrant Arrest
A vehicle pursuit in Sulphur Springs concluded with a wanted man being arrested on controlled substance, evading arrest and two warrants. A traffic stop also resulted in another Sulphur Springs man’s arrest on a Delta County evading arrest charge, according to arrest reports.
Vehicle Pursuit
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Justin Wilkerson attempted to stop a westbound silver Hyundai Elantra just before 5 p.m. Friday, March 12, after seeing the wanted man driving fail to stop at more than one designated stopping point on Gilmer Street. Instead of stopping, however, the driver reportedly traveled through parking lots on the north side of Tapp Funeral Home and exited onto Oak Avenue at a high rate of speed, Wilkerson alleged in arrest reports.
When the car continued, ignoring the emergency lights on Wilkerson’s patrol vehicle, the deputy turned on the patrol unit’s siren and continued past the stop sign on Oak Avenue at College Street. Wilkerson reported pursuing the car as it turned onto College Street, then Jackson Street. The pursuit continued onto Jefferson Street at a high rate of speed, then Alabama Street and Jennings Street, back onto Jefferson Street and back to College Street. The motorist turned onto Mitchell, then back toward Jefferson Street, Wilkerson wrote in arrest reports.
The fleeing car on Jefferson Street until reaching apartments in the 600 block of Jefferson Street, where it entered a parking lot and continue to the back of the parking lot before stopping. Wilkerson approached and the 19-year-old driver surrendered and was taken into custody. Additional units from Texas Department of Public Safety, Sulphur Springs Police Department and HCSO arrived on scene at that point, according to arrest reports.
HCSO Sgt. Scott Davis and Deputy Chris Baumann assisted in completing a vehicle search. A pipe of the kind commonly used to smoke marijuana, a small amount of what the teen, identified in arrest reports at Aaron Kristopher Huddleston, stated was marijuana and a vape pen containing as mall amount of yellow wax-like liquid he said was THC oil, Wilkerson alleged in arrest reports.
After Wilkerson and Deputy Kevin Lester complete their search of the car, it was released to a towing service for impound. Wilkerson transported Huddleston to jail, where the vape pen cartridge containing the suspected THC oil weighed 5.911 grams, the deputy noted in arrest reports.
Huddleston was booked into Hopkins County jail at 7:20 p.m. March 12, 2021, for evading arrest or detention with a vehicle and possession of a Penalty Group 2 controlled substance, as well as warrants for bail jumping and failure to appear and bond forfeiture on a burglary of a habitation charge, according to arrest reports.
The 19-year-old Sulphur Springs man remained in Hopkins County jail Monday morning, March 15, in lieu of $165,000 bond: $30,000 bond each on the evading arrest and controlled substance charges, a $5,000 bond on the bail jumping/FTA charge and a $100,000 bond on the burglary warrant, according to jail reports.
FM 275 Traffic Stop
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Justin Wilkerson stopped black Dodge 2500 pickup at 10:50 p.m. Saturday, March 13, on FM 275 south at County Road 1143 for a defective right head light.
Upon contact with the driver and passenger, Wilkerson alleged he detected an odor of burnt marijuana emitting from the truck. Wilkerson had both get out of the truck and asked HCSO communications operators to conduct a records check using the pair’s ID information while he conducted a probable cause search of the pickup. A small amount of drug paraphernalia was reportedly located. Dispatchers advised the passenger was wanted in Delta County on an evading arrest or detention with a vehicle charge.
Thus, Deputy Chris Baumann, who arrived to assist Wilkerson, took 33-year-old Curtis Oneal Adams of Sulphur Springs into custody and transported him to jail on the Delta County warrant. The driver was released in the vehicle without incident, the deputies alleged in arrest reports.
Adams was held in Hopkins County jail Monday morning, March 15, 2021, for Delta County, according to 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.
Edits Emphasized at PJC-Sulphur Springs
English Instructor Dr. Ken Haley emphasizes a point to students Briceida Chavez and Gino Medina in his class at the PJC-Sulphur Springs Center.
Social distancing is being practiced in all classrooms, like Dr. Haley’s lecture shown above.
Call PJC-Sulphur Springs Center Campus at 903-885-1232 for more information.
Paris Junior College — located in Paris, Texas, about 100 miles northeast of Dallas — has been a part of the Lamar County community since 1924.
Paris Junior College offers Associate in Arts, Associate in Science and Associate in Applied Science degrees, as well as Certificates of Proficiency in technical/workforce fields. The college has expanded its academic curriculum through the years to encourage associate degree and university transfer candidates. Since establishing its first vocational program — jewelry and watchmaking in 1942 — the college has been aggressive in adding technical/workforce programs that will benefit students entering the workforce.
The campus of 54 tree-shaded acres includes 20 major buildings and residence halls and provides students a unique and pleasant environment for learning.
Paris Junior College also operates centers in Sulphur Springs, Texas, and in Greenville, Texas.
Vision
To be the educational provider of choice for the region.
Mission
Paris Junior College is a comprehensive community college serving the region’s educational and training needs while strengthening the economic, social and cultural life of our diverse community.
Six SSHS Students Qualify For National BPA Competition
Six members of the Sulphur Springs High School Business Professionals of America Chapter have qualified for the National BPA Competition in May.
The SSHS BPA students competed in the BPA State Leadership Conference the week of March 1-5 in virtual competitions. Six students scored either in the top five in individual category or top 10 in nonjudged events to qualify them to participate in the National BPA Competition, which will be May 5-9.
“Normally, these students would be traveling to Orlando, Florida. However, this year students will be competing virtually for National Competition. We are excited for these students and their accomplishments this year,” said Jenny Arledge, Director of College & Career Readiness/ Career & Technical Education Director for Sulphur Springs High School.
Stanley Alba qualified by earning top honors in advanced interview skills-associate competition. Jacob Semler earned top honors in intermediate word processing at state.
Emily Atkinson finished second in administrative support project-individual at state and is advancing to national competition.
Talley Brown placed fourth in interview skills while Jessica Snyder earned finished fifth in advanced spreadsheet applications and Jack Bain placed sixth in legal office procedures at the BPA State Leadership Conference.
Congratulations to these students and their sponsors on these achievements.
Dinner Bell Menu For March 17, 2021
Cross County Cowboy Church is the COMMUNITY PARTNER
It’s ST. PATRICK’S DAY So we are having an IRISH MENU!!!
MENU
Corned Beef and Cabbage with Potatoes, Carrots and Parsnips
Garden Salad
Irish Soda Bread
Green Sugared Cookies
CONTINUE TO KEEP DISTANCES; WASH HAND OFTEN; AND WEAR MASKS.
DINNER BELL CARES ABOUT YOUR HEALTH!!!
Dinner Bell remains a Grab and Go distribution system for meals. Meals may be secured by driving under the covered driveway on the Northeast Corner of The First United Methodist Church Campus after 11:00 a.m. on Wednesdays.
Small Child Allegedly In Car During FM 1870 Drunk Driving Crash
A 21-year-old Cumby man arrested following a FM 1870 drunk driving crash reportedly lied to the trooper investigating the crash. The driver allegedly claimed there was no child in the car seat in the car during the crash, but was later reported to have called someone who removed the child from the crash site before officials arrived, a trooper alleged in arrest reports.
Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Warren Williamson reported responding in the early morning hours Sunday, March 14, on FM 1870 to a vehicle crash. Upon arrival, the trooper observed a Ford Mustang in the middle of the road with numerous open alcohol containers visible inside the car.
“At the scene, it was apparent there was a car seat in the rear seat. Based on the blood in the car it was readily apparent that someone had retrieved a child from the car seat but there was no child present at the scene,” Williamson wrote in arrest reports.
Cole William Peterson of Cumby reportedly identified himself to the trooper and admitted to being the driver of the red Mustang at the time of the crash. Williamson reported smelling a strong odor of an intoxicating beverage on 21-year-old Peterson’s breath while talking with him. Peterson admitted to consuming numerous alcoholic beverages prior to operating the car, but denied that a child was in the car at the time of the crash, Williamson alleged in arrest reports.
Peterson was unable to successfully complete standard field sobriety tests and demonstrated he did not have the normal use of his mental and physical faculties due to alcohol, Williamson noted in arrest reports. At that point, Peterson was place under arrest for driving while intoxicated and taken to jail. He blew 0.147 and 0.142 on breath tests, well over the 0.08 legal limit for blood-alcohol content, Williamson stated in arrest reports.
“I contacted the mother of the child who confirmed she had lied to deputies who responded to her residence to check the welfare of the child. The mother confirmed the female child,” Williamson alleged in arrest reports, “approximately 1.5 years of age, was with [Peterson], in the vehicle at the time of the crash and that he had called someone to take the child from the crash scene to the mother in Como. The mother also confirmed that the child had received minor injuries during the crash.”
Williamson alleged that Peterson, by not seeking medical attention for the child considering the severity of the crash and his actions, acted with criminal negligence for the child’s safety and wellbeing. Peterson’s actions were a “gross deviation from the standard of care that an ordinary person would exercise under all the circumstances,” Williamson wrote in arrest reports. The trooper alleged in arrest reports that Peterson “tampered with evidence by having the child removed from the scene and attempting to conceal that the child was involved in the crash.”
Peterson was subsequently charged with driving while intoxicated with a child passenger under the age of 15 years in the vehicle, abandoning or endangering a child with criminal negligence, and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair.
Peterson remained in Hopkins County jail Sunday evening March 14, 2021 on all three charges stemming from the alleged FM 1870 drunk driving crash. Bond was set at $30,000 on the tampering with evidence charge, and $10,000 each on the DWI with child passenger and child endangerment-criminal negligence charge, according to 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.
