The story headline links to a better view of the story and share features.
News
July 14, 2015 - FM 414 was the scene of a single-vehicle crash Friday, July 10, 2015 which resulted in a life-flight for the driver. Emergency personnel was dispatched to the crash scene at 4pm on Sardis Road (FM 414).
Gina Furra, 37, of Center was traveling westbound on FM 414 two miles from U.S. Highway 87 South in a Hyundai Accent when, due to a medical condition, she left the roadway to the right. The Hyundai then traveled back across the roadway and through a fence where it continued through a field and rolled multiple times before coming to rest on its roof.
A landing zone for a medical helicopter was established in the field by the Shelbyville Volunteer Fire Department and ACE EMS. Life-Air Rescue transported Furra to Good Shepherd hospital in Longview as a precautionary measure due to the nature of the crash.
No citations were issued as a result of the crash. The crash was investigated by Texas Department of Public Safety State Trooper Jade LaVergne.
July 14, 2015 - The driver involved in a single-vehicle crash Tuesday, July 14, 2015 was transported to the hospital following a crash on U.S. Highway 96.
Center firemen were dispatched to the scene of the crash located just south of the Center Country Club where a vehicle was in the outside southbound traffic lane on its roof. Firemen, EMS and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) assisted one another in moving the driver to a waiting ambulance.
According to Texas DPS State Trooper Jade Lavergne, Haley Christine Chaddick, 19, of Ovilla was traveling southbound on U.S. Highway 96 North in a grey 2009 Honda when according to witnesses the vehicle began fishtailing.
The Honda left the roadway to the right and traveled in the barrow ditch before traveling over a culvert and rolling. The Honda then came to rest back in the outside lane on its roof facing north. Chaddick was transported from the scene by ACE EMS to Nacogdoches Medical Center - Center Emergency Department for minor injuries.
No citations have been issued at this time.
July 14, 2015 - The intersection of State Highway 7 East and U.S. Highway 84 was the scene of a two-vehicle crash in Joaquin on Monday, July 13, 2015.
The Joaquin Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to the crash at 4:43pm and held the scene until the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) arrived to investigate the crash scene.
According to Texas DPS Trooper Ricardo Segura, a red 2000 Ford Expedition driven by Nettie Gibbs, 73, Joaquin was traveling east on U.S. 84 turning left onto U.S. 84 where it meets with Highway 7 and ran the red light. A 2011 Silver Toyota Camry driven by John Eason, 71, with passenger Leslie Norvell both of Converse, LA was traveling west and collided with the driver side of the Expedition, causing damage.
ACE EMS arrived on scene and transported Gibbs to Nacogdoches Medical Center - Center Emergency Department as a precautionary measure. Gibbs was issued a citation for running the red light.
July 14, 2015 - A motorcycle rider was sent to the hospital following a two-vehicle crash on Tenaha Street in Center Monday, July 13, 2015.
Center Police Officers and ACE EMS were dispatched to the scene at 3pm where a motorcycle had collided with a Jeep and a passenger from the motorcycle was laying in the intersection of Church Street and Tenaha Street. Once on a stretcher, ACE EMS personnel were able to move her to a waiting ambulance and transported to Nacogdoches Medical Center - Center Emergency Department.
According to Center Police Officer Jake Gross, a Harley Davidson motorcycle ridden by Jacob Touchet, 59, with passenger Susan Potter, 52, both of Iowa, LA approached the intersection of Church Street and Tenaha Street and ran the stop sign. The motorcycle struck a tan Jeep Liberty driven by Dean Wright, 23, of Timpson causing minor damage to the driver's side of the Jeep.
Porter was listed as having minor injuries when she was transported from the scene, and both riders were wearing helmets. The motorcycle was disabled and could not be ridden from the scene. Touchet was issued a citation for running a stop sign. Wright, his passengers Maryiah Wright, 20, and a 1-year-old girl and 4-year-old girl were uninjured.
Officer Gross was assisted at the scene by Sgts. Duane Gordon and Scott Burkhalter.
July 14, 2015 - A residential fire occurred Saturday, July 11, 2015 bringing fire fighters out during the heat of the day to Bolton Street.
An explosion was reported to be heard by the home owner, James Stanley, who ran to a neighbors house to call for help. The Center Fire Department was dispatched at 1:05pm to 1224 Bolton Street in Center. The fire department responded with two fire trucks and upon arriving on scene, smoke was billowing out of the single family dwelling and flames could be seen on the right front corner of the home.
Volunteer fire fighters quickly went to work extinguishing the flames. The fire damage was reported to be contained to the front bedroom where the fire appears to have started. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time and is still under investigation.
July 14, 2015 - Center Dixie League Youth baseball had four teams participating in the state baseball tournament held at Center’s Lion’s Ballpark. Center’s Coach Pitch Large Division kicked off local action on the Fourth of July. They held a 10-6 lead in the fifth inning but saw Athens make a comeback to win in a late inning rally by a 13-10 margin.
Center later lost to Bullard in their second game.
Joaquin’s Machine Pitch Junior team was eliminated in two hard-fought contest with Chapel Hill.
Center’s Machine Pitch team was taken down by the Henderson A.M. team and the Huntington Red squad.
Center’s T-Ball Large team was defeated by the Diboll Red team and the EMC National team.
On Tuesday, July 7 the Center 13 and 14 year old baseball team faced off with White Oak during a Texas Dixie League State Tournament game. Center came in facing elimination after beating Henderson and losing to Sulphur Springs. White Oak came in with a loss to Sulphur Springs and a win over Huntington and also faced elimination.
Center gained a 6-4 lead by the midway point of the contest and held the advantage until the top of the seventh, and final inning. White Oak took advantage of three uncharacteristic Center errors in route to scoring six unanswered runs in the seventh inning which allowed them to win by a 10-6 score.
Center State Baseball Tournament photos - Album1, Album2, Album3, Album4, Album5, Album6
July 13, 2015 - The Shelby County Commissioners approved the repair of the elevator in the 1885 Historic Courthouse at their meeting on Monday, July 13, 2015 and approved right of way deeds for land involving several roadways in the county.
During the wedding of Jessica Bridges and Cody Dawson on April 5, 2014 the elevator in the courthouse became stuck between floors with several people on board. The Center Fire Department was called in and the occupants eventually were safely extracted from the elevator. The elevator has remained shutdown since that time.
A proposal from ThyssenKrupp Elevator Corporation at a cost of $5,418 was presented to the commissioners and Shelby County Judge Allison Harbison explained some of the options available regarding the elevator, "That elevator over there is not a commercial elevator, it is what they call a private elevator. I talked to the company and to get anything more heavy-duty there would have to be some destruction of the historic courthouse because there's not room in that space."
Judge Harbison had representatives from the company look at the elevator and see what could be done instead of causing damage to the courthouse. A work order listing troubleshooting the elevator, bringing the phone into working order, replace batteries, hull testing, and hydraulic oil in attempts to bring the elevator back into normal service. Repairing the elevator will help to return more tours to the second floor courtroom.
Judge Harbison explained $2,709 will need to be paid to get working on the elevator and after completion the second installment would have to be paid. Ann Blackwell, Shelby County Treasurer, stated there is $1,696 left in the historic courthouse budget for repairs.
A motion was carried to move forward with the elevator repairs and to pay the remainder of the cost out of the contingency fund.
A motion was carried approving right of way deeds for the following parcels of land: A. CR 4323 at Flat Fork Creek Relief No. 1 CJS:0911-39-044; B. CR 4323 at Flat Fork Creek Relief No. 2 CJS:0911-39-042; C. CR 4323 at Flat Fork Creek, CJS:0911-39-045; and D. CR 1006 at Mill Creek, CJS: 0911-39-043. Judge Harbison stated a title attorney has reviewed the deeds and stated he would approve them and Harbison stated once they received approval from the commissioners checks could be sent to the current owners for purchase.
The commissioners then carried motions individually to approve construction and maintenance agreements between the Texas Department of Transportation and Shelby County for the following bridge replacements: A. CR 3564 at Hilliard Creek, CSF# 0911-39-051; B. CR 3455 at Spinney Creek, CFS# 0911-39-052l; C. CR 3455 at Shoat Creek, CSF# 0911-39-053; D. CR 4256 at Flat Fork Creek, CSF# 0911-39-054; and E. CR 4916 at Flat Fork Creek, CSF# 0911-39-055.
During the meeting a presentation by Charles Poland regarding County Health Insurance was heard regarding a self-funded insurance plan. The commissioners and Judge Harbison agreed they are happy with the current insurance the county uses.
"Personally I'm very happy with our health insurance, we're in a pool and we don't pay any HR department to implement our plan, we simply sign them up and TAC (Texas Association of Counties) handles all of the rest. Our health plan, I think as of right now most health plans are going up by 7.6% and this year ours is only going up 5.16%," said Judge Harbison. "I'm just reluctant to change insurance especially to one that's partially self-[funded] because before we had this health insurance with Blue Cross/Blue Shield we had nothing, and before that we had something like you're talking about that was a self-[funded] sort of thing and it went broke."
Ann Blackwell gave the Treasurer's report during the meeting. The fee reports for June are as follows: Debra Riley, Tax Assessor/Collector - Property Division $113,073.86; Motor Vehicle Division - $39,909 for a total of $152,982.86. Jennifer Fountain, Shelby County Clerk, quarterly collection was $45,423.67. Lori Oliver, District Clerk - $17,789.22; Maxie Eaves, Justice of the Peace Precinct 1 - $7,729; Marla Denby, Justice of the Peace Precinct 2 - $1,404.30; Margie Anderson, Justice of the Peace Precinct 3 - $2,811; Jenny Hicks, Justice of the Peace Precinct 4 - $4,420; Mike Crouch, Justice of the Peace Precinct 5 - $3,811; Zach Warr, Constable Precinct 1 - $180; and Jamie Hagler, Constable Precinct 2 - $180.
A new depository contract has been entered with Farmers State Bank and according to Blackwell the contract with the bank has been established for the past seven years and the interest rates have gone down. The current value of the county's CDs are INS $34,651.34 which earned $10.51 in June. Health and insurance CD earned $7.70 for a balance of $25,334.89. Currently the money market is $1,718,178.99, but some interest is still owed for June, which should be corrected by next meeting. A motion was carried to approve the treasurer's report.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:16am.
Agenda items receiving approval include: 1. Minutes of the June 8th, 2015 Regular Meeting and June 22, 2015 Special Meeting. 2. Pay monthly expenses. 3. Officers' report. 4. Right of Way Deeds for A. CR 4323 at Flat Fork Creek Relief No. 1 CJS:0911-39-044; B. CR 4323 at Flat Fork Creek Relief No. 2 CJS:0911-39-042; C. CR 4323 at Flat Fork Creek, CJS:0911-39-045; and D. CR 1006 at Mill Creek, CJS: 0911-39-043. 5. Construction and maintenance agreement between the Texas Department of Transportation and Shelby County for A. CR 3564 at Hilliard Creek, CSF# 0911-39-051. 6. Construction and maintenance agreement between the Texas Department of Transportation and Shelby County for B. CR 3455 at Spinney Creek, CFS# 0911-39-052l. 7. Construction and maintenance agreement between the Texas Department of Transportation and Shelby County for C. CR 3455 at Shoat Creek, CSF# 0911-39-053. 8. Construction and maintenance agreement between the Texas Department of Transportation and Shelby County for D. CR 4256 at Flat Fork Creek, CSF# 0911-39-054. 9. Construction and maintenance agreement between the Texas Department of Transportation and Shelby County for E. CR 4916 at Flat Fork Creek, CSF# 0911-39-055. 10. Move forward with elevator repairs in the historic courthouse at a cost of $5,418 with partial payment coming from historic courthouse budget and the remainder of the cost to be paid from the contingency fund. 11. Shelby County health insurance renewal with Blue Cross/Blue Shield through the Texas Association of Counties. 12. Adjournment at 10:16am.
July 13, 2015 - A Tenaha man has pleaded guilty on Wednesday, July 8, 2015 to the murder of his 6-month-old infant daughter earlier this year.
William Bryce Moore, 28, of Tenaha pleaded before Charles "Brick" Dickerson, 123rd Judicial District Court Judge, to murder in the first degree which is a reduction of the original charge of capital murder. According to the plea agreement, Moore has been sentenced to 40 years incarceration in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Institutional Division with 140 days credit for time served and no fine.
Moore's defense attorney was Dexter A. Jones. Without the plea agreement, Moore faced a punishment of 5-99 years or life in prison and a fine not to exceed $10,000.
According to the original information provided by the Shelby County Sheriff's Department, deputies responded to the Kyle Parmer Trailer Park located on County Road 4356 at 3:49am on February 16, 2015. 6-month-old infant Ariana Moore was transported from the scene by ambulance and was pronounced deceased by Maxie Eaves, Justice of the Peace Precinct 1, at Nacogdoches Medical Center - Center Emergency Department.
The mother of the infant Angela Marie Moore, 25, of Tenaha pleaded guilty to manslaughter, 2nd degree felony, in the 273rd District Court on Friday, June 19, 2015. She received 5 years incarceration in prison and agreed to testify against her husband William Moore in his capital murder trial.
Angela Moore is currently being held in the Carol Young Medical Complex due to pregnancy. Her maximum sentence date is February 20, 2020; however, her projected release date is June 11, 2017. She will be eligible for parole on September 18, 2015.
July 10, 2015 - A driver reportedly attempted to avoid a collision with another vehicle on Friday, July 10, 2015 on U.S. Highway 59 near Timpson, yet a crash still resulted.
According to Texas Department of Public Safety State Trooper Jade Lavergne, a gold Chevrolet Tahoe driven by Gerald Kirk Reed, 45, of Brown was traveling north in the outside lane on U.S. Highway 59 two miles outside of Timpson. As the Tahoe approached FM 1645, another northbound vehicle drifted into the lane of travel of the Tahoe and Reed took evasive action by traveling to the right to avoid a collision.
Reed swerved back to the left and lost control of the Tahoe, crossing into the southbound traffic lanes and onto the other side of the roadway. The Tahoe then rolled right and onto its top before coming to rest in the tree line on its wheels and facing the southbound direction.
The Timpson Police Department, Tenaha City Marshal's Office and Timpson Volunteer Ambulance Service all arrived on scene to assist those involved in the crash. It was determined Reed and his passenger, Jaquelin Reed Houston, 51, of Brown were uninjured in the crash and no injuries were reported at the scene.
Reed was cited for wrong side of roadway not passing.
July 3, 2015 - A scam is currently being used on Shelby County residents involving computers and the suggestion the caller on the other end of the phone line is calling to help with a software issue.
A Shelby County Today viewer has received four phone calls, including two on their cell phone and two on their home phone. The person on the other end of the phone line spoke with a foreign accent and said they are from "Geek Central or Control" and told the viewer there is something wrong with the viewer's computer. They wanted the viewer to turn it on while the caller was on the phone.
The viewer immediately recognized this as a scam and kept the conversation going with the caller, trying to get the caller to reveal what the "problem" was. The caller had the IP address of the viewer and said the problem was with Microsoft Windows and they could fix the so-called problem. This "help" comes at a price via your credit card information.
Shelby County Today has also received a similar phone call. Microsoft Windows and any software company associated with Microsoft Windows is not going to make an unsolicited phone call to someone directly and offer to fix a problem on a computer. If you receive a phone call like this, do not provide the caller with any information.
The first line of defense for anyone receiving a call of this nature is to just hang up because it's a high probability that if you do what the caller says, the end result will be a messed up computer and you having to pay to get your computer back working. If you are able to glean any information from the caller, you may want to turn your information over to law enforcement.
A website at the following link suggests contacting the Federal Trade Commission and filing a complaint with that agency http://geeksupportlivescam.com/#maintext
Another website to learn more about scams and what to beware of visit online https://texasattorneygeneral.gov/cpd/frauds-and-scams
Pages
