Settlement Reached in Custody of Seized Cattle; Press Conference Held Wednesday Morning
There will be no Wednesday hearing in Justice of the Peace court regarding the custody of hundreds of head of cattle owned by George Bergin, 61, of Sulphur Springs. A settlement has been reached in the custody of the starving cattle seized by Hopkins County Sheriff’s deputies and the SPCA of Texas. Justice of the Peace B J Teer announced the Tuesday settlement in a press conference (see video below) Wednesday morning in his courtroom...
Cattle Custody Hearing Moved to District Courtroom Wednesday
The custody hearing concerning the future of hundreds of head of cattle seized by the Hopkins County Sheriff’s deputies and the SPCA of Texas will be held on Wednesday, December 13 at 1:30 p.m. in the District Courtroom of the Hopkins County Courthouse. The hearing will only focus on the custody of the cattle and not any criminal charges against the owner of the cattle, George Lawrence Bergin, 61, of Sulphur Springs. Bergin was...
Bergin Arrested for Cruelty to Livestock
George Lawrence Bergin, 61, of Sulphur Springs is in Hopkins County jail following his arrest for Cruelty to Livestock-Fail to Provide, a state jail felony. The between 200 and 400 head of starving cattle appeared to be suffering from malnutrition. The livestock were transported to an undisclosed location to be treated by a Veterinarian and to receive proper nourishment. According to the SPCS of Texas, Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office...
Two Arrested for 2016 Burglary on CR 3521
A traffic stop in Fate, Texas led to the arrest of two individuals who confessed to committing a burglary on CR 3521 in Hopkins County in 2016. Several items were taken in the burglary including pistols, pocket knives, cash, and other items. During the traffic stop in Fate, law enforcement found a stolen gun under the seat of the vehicle. The weapon found was taken in the burglary in 2016. Two individuals, occupants of the vehicle,...
Death of Inmate Under Investigation
On the morning of Tuesday, November 14, 2017, a Hopkins County Jailer delivering breakfast to an inmate found the inmate breathing but unresponsive, according to Hopkins County Sheriff Lewis Tatum. Melvin Williams, 60, was transported to CHRISTUS Mother Francis Sulphur Springs who sent him to Tyler. At the Tyler hospital, Williams died. Sheriff Tatum said he does not know the cause of death or why the local hospital forwarded...
Updated: Local Insurance Agent Arrested for Theft; Fake Auto Insurance Cards Issued; Manufactured Home Insurance
At 6:41 a.m. Wednesday, November 08, 2017, Kristi Lynn Hooten, 40, of Sulphur Springs, was arrested for theft of property. Her arrest followed a lengthy investigation by the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office. Hooten, an insurance agent who operated Connect Insurance Agency, 101 Bill Bradford Road, was selling insurance, creating fake auto insurance cards but is not providing the auto insurance coverage. She had been keeping the...
Know Someone Who Needs Blue Santa this Christmas? It’s Time to Pitch In!!
Grownup wishes for their children to have a bright Christmas are as enduring as Santa Claus himself. In Hopkins County, that’s where Blue Santa comes in with the help of law enforcement agencies and other leaders in the community. Now, individuals are being invited to “pitch in” during the 2017 campaign. Hopkins County Sheriff Lewis Tatum with staffers Pinky Cooper and Lee Glenn shared more information during a KSST...
Local Man Admits Theft of Cattle; Additional Charge Added
Monday afternoon, Hopkins County Sheriff’s Investigators met Lane Wesley Keller, 21, of Sulphur Springs at his attorney’s office where he confessed to his involvement in an ongoing investigation into the theft of cattle in Hopkins County. Keller took investigators to the location where the cattle had been loaded into a trailer for transport to Oklahoma to be sold. He was also served an outstanding warrant for Unauthorized Use of a...
Resident on Plano Street Charged With 10 Counts of Possession of Child Pornography
According to Sheriff Lewis Tatum, two weeks ago, Hopkins County Sheriff’s Investigator Sgt. Corley Weatherford received several complaints from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Weatherford, who heads up the local task force, began investigation that led to the arrest of River James Graham, 21, a resident on Plano Street in Sulphur Springs. Graham has been charged with 10 counts of possession of child...
Two Local Men Arrested for Cattle Theft
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Investigator Dennis Findley and Texas State Cattle Raisers’ Special Ranger Toney Hurley arrested two local men for the theft of 12 head of cattle and selling them in Oklahoma. Landon Dee Harness, 22, of Sulphur Springs and Lane Wesley Keller, 21 were arrested for Theft of Cattle, less than $150,000. The pair had secretly fed the cattle for a period of time and were able to load them into trailers using the...
