Shelby County Today

August 30, 2021 - Garrison ISD announced via Facebook on Sunday, August 29th they are closing until Tuesday, September 7, 2021. A letter to the Bulldog Family citied the closure is due to the high number of staff members and students experiencing battles with COVID-19. The closure includes all extracurricular practices and games during the time of closure. Practices may resume on Monday, September 6th at 2:30pm.

The letter stipulates the closure will allow for the school to be deep cleaned and complete installations for providing clean air cycles in classrooms through new thermostats. To read the complete letter, click here.

August 28, 2021 - North Center Street in Tenaha was the scene of a structure fire Friday afternoon, August 27, 2021.

Emergency personnel was dispatched to the scene of the fire at around 1pm.

When they arrived, the majority of the structure was already burned to the ground.

While the Tenaha Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) personnel worked at extinguishing flames and preventing further spread of the fire to nearby houses, Tenaha Police Department officers blocked both ends of the roadway to prevent traffic interfering with the fire fighters.

Once the fire fighters were confident the blaze was contained to what remained of the structure, they returned to the station around 2pm.

According to the Tenaha VFD, the structure was not occupied, there was no electricity being supplied to the structure, nor natural gas at the time the fire ignited. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.

August 27, 2021 - One individual has been arrested and charged in connection to a stabbing incident which took place August 22, 2021.

According to the arrest affidavit of Center Police Detective Bobby Walker, when officers arrived at the scene of the stabbing incident in the 200 block of McCowan Street, the victim was determined to be Eric Jermaine Gardner who had been stabbed in the lower torso. Emergency medical services transported Gardner by ambulance to Nacogdoches Medical Center - Shelby Emergency Department where officers showed him a photo of Shya Nekisha Stansberry-McDaniel. At that time Gardner identified Stansberry-McDaniel as his assailant, and advised her hair was in braids at the time of the incident.

The affidavit alleges, Stansberry-McDaniel stabbed Gardner with a knife during the assault.

According to Shelby County Jail records Tenaha Police Chief Scott Burkhalter arrested Shya Nekisha Stansberry-McDaniel, 25, of Center August 25, 2021, on the Center Police Department warrant without incident. She has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, felony 2. A bond of $200,000 has been set by Donna Hughes, Justice of the Peace Precinct 1.

The Center Fire Department was called out to assist with traffic control at the scene of this incident as there was a large crowd. Just previous to this incident, the fire department had also been called out to the shooting incident at the new Tyson Feed Mill road located just off Loop 500.

Related Article:

• Sheriff's Department Seeking Whereabouts of Suspect in Murder; Victim Identified
• S.C.S.O. Reports Murder Suspect in Custody; Gives Thanks

August 26, 2021 - According to the Texas DSHS Covid-19 Dashboard, 12 new cases, 1 new death, and 19 new recoveries were reported Thursday. Estimated active cases lowered to 180.

The new cases pushed August Covid-19 numbers to 287 new cases for the month.

August 26th Numbers: (changes since Aug. 25)
Confirmed Cases - 1,391 (8 new)
Probable Cases - 961 (4 new)
Fatalities - 76 (1 new)
Active Cases (Estimated) - 180
Recovered (Estimated) - 2,097 (19 new)

August 25th Numbers: (changes since Aug. 24)
Confirmed Cases - 1,383 (15 new)
Probable Cases - 957 (2 new)
Fatalities - 75
Active Cases (Estimated) - 187
Recovered (Estimated) - 2,078 (18 new)