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January 21, 2016 - U.S. Attorney John M. Bales announced today the indictment of three individuals charged in a kidnapping conspiracy in the Eastern District of Texas.
Cory Carnell Mitchell, 27, of Tenaha, Texas; Gary Eugene Cutright, 21, of Zwolle, LA; and Quannell Newton, 35, of Many, LA, were named in the three count indictment charging them with conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping and possession of a firearm during a violent crime. The indictment was returned by a federal grand jury late Jan. 20, 2016.
According to the indictment, in early December 2015, Mitchell, Cutright, and Newton conspired to kidnap an individual and transport the victim from Louisiana to Carthage, Texas. The victim was shot twice during the kidnapping, but survived.
If convicted, the defendants each face up to life in federal prison for the kidnapping and a minimum of 10 years for the firearms violation.
This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Texas Department of Public Safety – Criminal Investigation Division. The U.S. Marshals Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Lufkin Police Department, Nacogdoches Police Department, Center Police Department, Carthage Police Department, DeSoto Parrish Sheriff’s Department, Sabine Parrish Sheriff’s Department and the Panola County Sheriff’s Department assisted in the execution of the arrest warrants. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul A. Hable.
A grand jury indictment is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
January 20, 2016 - FM 699 was the scene of a single-vehicle crash Wednesday morning, January 20, 2016. Officers with the Center Police Department and Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) directed traffic until the vehicle could be removed from the ditch in which it was stuck.
According to Center Police Officer John Welch, at 7:18am a blue GMC Sierra SLE driven by Oscar Contreras, 24, of Center with passenger Javier Gonzalez, 24, also of Center was traveling south on FM 2468. As Contreras was preparing to make a right turn onto FM 699 he failed to control speed, hit water, lost control of the truck and left the roadway coming to rest in a ditch.
No injuries were reported at the scene. Contreras was cited for no driver's license.
Assisting at the scene were Center Police Officer Angela Neal and Texas DPS Trooper Taylor Buster.
January 20, 2016 - On Tuesday, January 19 at 6:13 p.m., the Shelby County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call in reference to a shooting incident that occurred on FM 417 West in Center. Shelby County Sheriff Willis Blackwell, deputies and investigators responded along with officers from Center Police Department.
Upon arrival it was found that an altercation had occurred and one subject identified as Joshua Kellum had been critically shot. Kellum was transported by ACE EMS to Nacogdoches Medical Center - Center Emergency Room where he was pronounced dead by Maxie Eaves, Justice of the Peace Precinct 1. The other individual involved also received injuries during the altercation and was treated at the Nacogdoches Medical Center - Center Emergency Room.
This case is being investigated by the Shelby County Sheriff's Office investigators.
Submitted by Leah Chase
January 18, 2016 - A fire at the Highway 87 Auto Salvage was the focus of the Center Fire Department on Monday, January 18, 2016 at 1:20pm. En-route to the fire a large pillar of black smoke could be seen rising from the location.
When the firemen arrived, it was discovered a large trash pile filled with tires of varying sizes was in flames. The firemen sprayed the fire with water and then applied foam to extinguish more of the flames.
They worked until the majority of the flames had been cooled, and the fire was prevented from spreading.
January 18, 2016 - The Center Police Department and Shelby County Sheriff's Department have arrested suspects responsible for the theft of several newspaper boxes in the area.
Detectives were able to make contact with suspects on Thursday, January 14, 2016 and began locating the stolen boxes. Shelby County Today was on scene as Shelby County Sheriff's Investigators Kevin Windham and DJ Dickerson, as well as Deputy Jim Ed Matthews and two inmate trusties recovered two of the stolen newspaper boxes from both the Daily Sentinel and the Light and Champion. The boxes had been dumped beneath the new Loop 500 overpass not far from U.S. Highway 96 North.
The inmates and investigators retrieved the boxes and placed them on the Shelby County Sheriff's Department Kawasaki Mule to transport them up to the roadway. The four other missing newspaper boxes were recovered from a creek on Thursday evening on FM 138 just over 2 miles from Hurst Street in Center. Two of those four recovered were missing from the San Augustine Tribune.
Center Police Detective Stephen Stroud was lead investigator and he along with Jamie Hagler, Constable Precinct 2, were integral in completing the investigation and locating the boxes.
Additional information on those arrested in connection with the stolen boxes is pending and will be posted on Shelby County Today as soon as it is made available.
January 18, 2016 - The jury that has been summoned for Tuesday, January 19, 2016 for the 273rd District Court Honorable Charles R. Mitchell, Presiding, has been cancelled due to the scheduled cases being resolved or passed. Anyone receiving a summons for that day is released from jury service until they receive a future summons.
January 17, 2016 - The Center FD responded to a house fire on Thomas Street at the residence of Connie Sanders on Thursday, January 14, 2016 at 5:54pm. When the firemen arrived, smoke was emanating from the home and was carrying down the street.
Firemen dressed in breathing apparatus and entered the home in search of the origin of the smoke. Fire was located in the kitchen and the firemen were able to extinguish the flames. Considerable damage was incurred within the kitchen as a result of the fire. A search was conducted throughout the home for more flames.
A fan was used to ventilate the smoke from the house, while the firemen continued their search. No other part of the house was determined to be on fire. The majority of the house received smoke damage, while the flame damage was contained to the west side of the house where the kitchen was located.
The cause was undetermined at the time of the fire. A family member at the scene stated to Shelby County Today there had been issues with a leak in a bathroom on the second floor which may have traveled through the wall.
Once the firemen were assured the fire was out they returned to the station at 7:38pm.
January 16, 2016 - Firemen with the Huxley Volunteer Fire Department (VFD), Shelbyville VFD, and Center Fire Department responded to a house fire on FM 3184 Sunday, January 10, 2016 at around 4pm to find the home engulfed in flames.
The firemen worked to extinguish the fire at the residence of Bill Faust; however, the home could not be saved and the house was a total loss.
Shelbyville VFD firemen responded to the same home on the previous night January 9, 2016 at 8:34pm. It was reported a cat in the home had knocked a candle off of a table, which lit drapes on fire and damaged a wall at the front of the home. The Faust's were able to extinguish the fire before it got out of control and firemen used a fan to ventilate the home of smoke.
A cause for the fire on the following day could not be determined at the time of the fire on January 10.
January 15, 2016 - The jury that has been summoned for Monday, January 25, 2016 for the 273rd District Court Honorable Charles R. Mitchell, Presiding, has been cancelled due to the scheduled cases being resolved or passed. Anyone receiving a summons for that day is released from jury service until they receive a future summons.
January 13, 2016 - Sometime between Friday, January 8th and Saturday, January 9th unknown suspects went to Brookshire Brother, H&S Foods and Tec Co Gas Station located in Center, Texas. There they took three (3) Nacogdoches Daly Sentinel newspaper machines one (1) from each location. They then went to Shelbyville Log Cabin store and took a Light and Champion newspaper machine from that location.
Update: According to a press release issued by the Center Police Department, on Friday, January 8, 2016 Center Police Department Officers took a theft report from the Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel. They reported that three newspaper machines were stolen from three locations Brookshire Brothers, Tetco Gas Station and H&S Foods all in the City of Center.
Later in the day, Detective Stephen Stroud was advised by Precinct 2 Constable Jamie Hagler that someone had stolen the newspaper stand from Shelbyville Grocery that belongs to the Light and Champion. On the same day, Stroud was advised that two newspaper stands were stolen out of the City of San Augustine that belong to the San Augustine Tribune.
Constable Hagler received a tip from an informant identifying one of the suspects as Tevin Garrett, 23, of Center, Texas. Constable Hagler and Stroud drove to the suspects address and were unable to locate the suspect but found evidence from thefts. Judge Margie Anderson, Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace, issued an arrest warrant for Theft on Garrett who was located and arrested later in the day.
Upon speaking with Garrett, he confessed and identified the other suspect as Jeremy Edwards, 35, of Center from Center and took Stroud, Constable Hagler, Shelby County Sheriff Investigators Dickerson and Windham to two locations where they dumped the six newspaper stands. One location was in a water filled creek off of FM 138 and the other was off the new overpass located on the new loop 500.
Investigators were able to recover four of the machines off of FM 138 late Thursday night with Sheriff’s Deputy Adam Renfro winching them out of the creek water. Investigators then went to suspect Jeremy Edwards residence where Investigator Dickerson arrested Edwards for a failure to appear warrant out of DeSoto Parish.
Upon interviewing Edwards he confessed to the thefts and was arrested for a theft warrant issued by Judge Anderson related to this case. On Friday, January 15, 2016 Shelby County Sheriffs Investigators Windham and Dickerson recovered the remaining two machines from under the overpass on the new loop 500.
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