Shelby County Today

June 5, 2023 - Over the week of May 28th through June 3rd the Joaquin Volunteer Fire Department responded to 4 calls. Here’s a summary of the week’s events.

Tuesday afternoon at 3:10pm a call was received for an unresponsive 85 year old patient at a residence on FM 3082. Allegiance EMS was already on scene when the JVFD medical team arrived and the patient had been loaded into the ambulance.

Tuesday night at 11:31pm another call came in, this time for a COPD patient unable to catch their breath at a residence on Jackson Street. The JVFD medical team arrived on scene and collected the patient’s vitals before assisting Allegiance EMS with moving the patient into the ambulance.

Wednesday night at 8:26pm a page was received for a baby that had been knocked unconscious at the Bethlehem Church on Highway 7 East. Once the medical team arrived the young patient was awake and moving, but the mother opted to have him checked out at a hospital to be on the safe side.

Friday morning at 8:49am a call came in for a motor-vehicle accident involving 2 tractor trailers on Highway 84 East. One of the rigs had clipped the other causing a rollover in which the cab of the rolled over rig was detached from the frame. Once on scene, the JVFD went right to work extricating the driver from the detached cab and getting him to the ambulance where he could be transported to a landing zone that had been set up at the baseball field. From there he was taken by helicopter to an emergency room. The driver of the other tractor trailer was unharmed in the accident. 

With that, this edition of the report will come to a close. The Joaquin Volunteer Fire Department hopes everyone has a great and safe week ahead. 

June 3, 2023 - U.S. Highway 84 was the location of a major truck tractor collision Friday, June 2, 2023, just outside of Joaquin in front of Crystal Lake.

Emergency personnel responded to the scene of the incident sometime just before 9am where a tanker truck had rolled over and was up against a tree line on the westbound side of the roadway.

According to Texas Department of Public Safety State Trooper Keith Jones, a white 2023 Peterbilt truck tractor owned by Tri State and driven by Robert Williams, Jr., 52, of Dallas was eastbound on U.S. Highway 84 when the truck crossed the center stripe.

The Peterbilt struck a 2001 Kenworth truck tractor driven by Daniel Reagan Holbrook, 29, of Carthage in the left rear of the trailer before exiting the roadway and rolling over. 

Williams was life flighted by helicopter to LSU for treatment of his injuries.

Holbrook was not reported to have been injured as a result of the incident.

Williams will be issued a citation for wrong side not passing.

The Joaquin Volunteer Fire Department assisted at the scene with Williams at the scene and in establishing a landing zone for the life flight helicopter. They provided traffic control until the scene was clear.

Roy Cheatwood, Constable Precinct 3; and Shelby County Sheriff's Deputies assisted Trooper Jones.

June 1, 2023 - Two tragic deaths which have occurred in the Shelby County area over the past couple years have reached resolutions in their cases involving the accused, and families left behind in both situations are not happy with the outcomes.

The first incident, which took place in February 2020, involved the death of Angel De La Rosa, who was 16 at the time, at the hands of Heston Avery, who was then 17, through the discharge of a shotgun.

Avery was initially charged with criminally negligent homicide, state jail felony.

According to court documents, through a plea agreement with the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office Avery pleaded guilty to manslaughter, 2nd degree felony, on January 23, 2023. He received 10 years deferred adjudication probation, a fine of $6,000 at a rate of $55 a month, court costs of $300, 60 hours of community service restitution. He’s required to pay a fee of $60 a month to the supervision officer of the court, and a fee of $5 per month for substance abuse testing.

Restitution was not assessed, nor a Court Appointed Attorney fee.

The next incident took place in May 2022, involving the death of Kelton Tremaine Jones, who was 22, also the result of the discharge of a firearm but this time at the hands of Reggie Lamar Daniels, who was 22 as well at the time.

Daniels was charged with manslaughter, 2nd degree felony, and according to court documents on April 19, 2023, he pleaded guilty and agreed to a plea bargain with the Shelby County District Attorney’s office of eight years deferred adjudication probation, a fine of $3,000 at a rate of $35 per month, court costs of $300. Daniels is also required to pay a supervision fee of $60 per month to the supervision officer of the court. Daniels is also required to perform 100 hours of community service at a minimum rate of 16 hours per month and during the period of community supervision, pay a fee 0f $5 per month for substance abuse testing.

Restitution was not assessed, and a Court Appointed Attorney fee was not required.

In both instances family members of the victims have reached out to Shelby County Today and expressed upset over the outcomes of the cases.

Shelby County Today made contact with Karren Price, Shelby County District Attorney, regarding the concerns of family. 

“They seem to believe that they have some control over the outcome. And, I understand the misconception, but it's still a misconception that they have control of the outcome and that I represent them individually, because that's not the law,” said Price. “That's hard, and I get it completely. But what they all fail to understand is that I have to make these decisions on evidence, not on what I want to be the outcome.”

Price referred to the Avery case in which he agrred to probation, and she said she had explained that to the De La Rosa family; however, she says they couldn’t accept that as even a potential outcome.

“I understand that their son, their baby's gone. I get it. But they can't, and I understand that, but I can't change that,” said Price. 

Although, the outcome may not have been what the families were seeking in both cases, Price suggests that it’s more than would have resulted when presented to a jury.

“I waited a year for Ms. De La Rosa to come to grips with it and asked her, talk to the family over and over. I came three or four different times. I contacted her, ‘Please understand that it's evidence and not emotion, that I have to make these decisions on.’ And the evidence tells me that the jury will give him probation, and she just couldn't accept that.”

In the case of Reggie Daniels, while there was an eye witness in that case, Price says there was no one in the car or close enough to the car to show anything indicated that anybody was mad at anything, to suggest a malicious intent.

“I think it's youthful stupidity in both these cases that has a terrible and predictable outcome in both events. But are either of these young men, premeditated murderers? The evidence doesn’t support that,” said Price.

At least one of the families involved has written a letter to the editor (Letter to the Editor: “Gone Too Soon”), and Price responded to the allegation that the decision to put Daniels on probation was somehow racially motivated.

“I have a couple of cases pending that are, absolutely murder cases. One is probably defensible, the other is a straight up murder, and the victims are black in those cases. And, they're on the trial docket,” said Price. “So, I think it's unfair to label me as not caring about black on black crime. I'm fighting it about as fast and as hard as I can under the circumstances. So I don't think folks who actually live here and are involved in this community believe that about this office.”

Related articles:

• Shooting Results in Fatal Incident, Arrest of 17-Year-Old
• Center PD Investigates Shooting Incident Behind City Hall
• Grand Jury Indicts 50 Cases; Includes Murder, Manslaughter, Improper Student/Teacher Relationship
• Letter to the Editor: “Gone Too Soon”

May 30, 2023 - The week of May 21st through 27th was an eventful one for the Joaquin Volunteer Fire Department with 6 separate calls. Here’s a summary of the week’s events.

Sunday afternoon at 2:33pm a call was received in regards to a man who had been attacked by a dog on Chalk Street. In the process of the attack, it was reported that the man fell and possibly broke his hip. The JVFD medical team responded as well as Allegiance EMS to provide medical attention.

Monday morning at 9:51am the JVFD was dispatched to the intersection of Highway 7 East and Highway 84 East for an oil spill in the roadway. Members of the department provided traffic control while TxDOT cleaned up the spill.

Monday night at 7:55pm a call came in for a tractor trailer broke down in the road on FM 2787 beside Nu Way. Again, the JVFD provided traffic control until the rig could be removed from the road.

Tuesday evening at 6:14pm a page was received for a female patient that had thrown out her back and had lost feeling in her leg at a residence on County Road 3193. The JVFD medical team responded in association with Allegiance EMS to help the patient.

Wednesday night at 8:54pm the JVFD was dispatched to an approximate address where a 911 caller with speech difficulties was requesting medical attention. At first it was thought that the address was in the vicinity of a neighborhood on Highway 7 East, but the search for the patient was moved to Woodland Shores after further communication with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. After knocking on several doors trying to locate the caller, and no more information able to be provided from SCSO, the search was called off. 

Thursday afternoon at 12:36pm a call came in for an assault in progress on Morris Street. The JVFD medical team was called to stage until the scene could be cleared for them to provide medical attention to the victim. The Joaquin VFD was later told to cancel their response.

In other news, the JVFD hosted a successful blood drive on Saturday with LifeShare Blood Center, with 36 units of blood being donated. Thank you to all the generous donors.

With that, this edition of the report will come to a close. The Joaquin Volunteer Fire Department hopes everyone has a great and safe week ahead.