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A family's home was engulfed in flames on Walker Street when the Center Fire Department was dispatched to the scene shortly after 8pm Sunday night, December 14th.
According to the Center Fire Department the call came into at 8:07pm for a house fire at 294 Walker Street. Upon arrival on scene a back left bedroom was fully involved and the fire had broke through the roof.
The fire department responded with two tanker trucks and the Center Police Department arrived on scene to assist with traffic on Walker Street which had to be temporarily blocked off for access to a fire hydrant located across the roadway.
Firemen worked diligently to extinguish the flames preventing the whole house from being a total loss. They were challenged with accessing the back side of the house where the fire was located due to a fence but managed to fight the fire from the side of the house initially until another hose could be pulled into the house to the back. The fire was under control at 9:50pm and the trucks were back at the station at 11:30pm.
The source of the fire is suspected to be a space heater. The house, belonging to Dwayne and Samantha Sanford, received substantial damage to the back left side and heavy smoke and heat damage to the whole house.
A house fire which ignited on on Saturday morning, December 13, 2014 resulted in a total loss to the building.
Center firemen responded to a mobile home fire on CR 3267 just off FM 414 at 8:20am, and when they arrived the mobile home was engulfed in flames.
The firemen sprayed water to the interior and exterior of the building to extinguish the hotspots. As the firemen worked on the fire they worked to ensure the fire didn't spread and that the majority was extinguished.
At the scene the cause of the fire was unknown. The house was not currently being resided in at the time of the fire and belongs to Brian Borders who according to the fire department has been renovating the house.
The firemen returned to the station at 9:34am.
The Joaquin Fire Department was dispatched to a grass fire on FM 139 at 1:04 pm Sunday afternoon, December 14, 2014. Fire department units arrived on the scene at 1:09 pm and had the fire under control by 1:25 pm.They remained on scene knocking out hotspots until 1:50 pm. The fire was started when wind gusts caused a pile of burning leaves to spread to a pasture.
Two bags of trash were recently recovered by the Road and Bridge Department in Precinct 1 on County Road 1140, and they appeared to have been illegally dumped by the roadside. Identifying information was also located within the bags.
The Shelby County Commissioners will be seeking charges against anyone linked to illegal dumping in Shelby County.
Dumpster Schedules
Precinct 1 dumpster is available the first weekend of each month. The dumpsters will be open this weekend on January 3rd from 7am until 1pm.
Precinct 2 and 3 dumpsters are open during business hours during the week and closed on weekends.
Precinct 4 has a dumpster available when needed and announce through local news media when the dumpster will be downtown in Tenaha. Contact your commissioner for scheduling.
Precinct 5 dumpster is available every other month with the next one due February 7th in Timpson.
Hurst Street at the entrance to Walmart and McDonalds was the scene of a two-vehicle collision on Tuesday evening, December 9, 2014.
As has happened in the past at the same exact location, a driver attempted to cross Hurst Street only to collide with another as they attempted to reach Foster Street.
According to Center Police Sgt. Duane Gordon, Arthur Cloudy, 65, of Joaquin was traveling north on Hurst Street in a silver Honda as he approached the intersection with Foster Street and the Wal-Mart parking lot entrance.
Sheaqua Stanley, 35, of Center was leaving the Wal-Mart parking lot in a grey Malibu and failed to yield right of way to Cloudy as she left a private drive resulting in the crash. ACE EMS responded to the scene and transported Cloudy to ETMC Carthage. Stanley was cited for failure to yield right of way.
Emergency personnel responded to a two-vehicle crash on Wednesday morning, December 10, 2014 on U.S. 96 North which resulted in injuries to parties from both vehicles involved.
According to Texas Department of Public Safety State Trooper Jimmy Faulkner, at 7:55am on U.S. Highway 96 North just south of the Center Country Club a 1989 Chevrolet pickup truck driven by Andres Olvera, 46, of Henderson with passengers Francisco Olvera, 48, and Jose Fierro, 30, was traveling south.
As Olvera stopped and was preparing to turn left into a private driveway a 2015 Toyota driven by Dayna Thomas, 32, was all traveling south in the inside lane when the car crested a hill and struck the truck from behind. Trooper Faulkner stated Thomas has a Florida driver's license, but that she lives in Texas now.
Thomas and Francisco were transported from the scene by ACE EMS to Nacogdoches Memorial hospital for treatment of their injuries. Thomas was cited for failure to control speed.
The Center Fire Department assisted with the injured parties in the crash and handled traffic control at the scene along with Shelby County Shberiff's Deputies Jim Ed Matthews, John Pope, Roy Bailey as well as Zack Warr Constable Precinct 1.
Marcus Isaac, 19, of Center has turned himself in to the Shelby County Sheriff's Department at 6:45pm. Isaac has been being sought by authorities following an alleged murder of 24-year-old Dominique Brooks in Nacogdoches on Railroad Street on December 5, 2014.
Authorities located a maroon Mercury Grand Marquis he was last seen in on the day of Brooks' death and found it on Tuesday, December 9, 2014 in Shelby County at the end of County Road 3215. U.S. Marshals, Center Police Officers and Shelby County Sheriff's Deputies all responded to the scene.
After interviewing and releasing a man at the scene identified as Tyler Martin, the vehicle was towed and taken to Nacogdoches for the Nacogdoches Police Department investigation.
Up until the time Isaac turned himself in, authorities have been searching Shelby County for his whereabouts.
Composed by Scott Flowers, Photos by J.J. Ford
A two-vehicle crash sent three people to hospital Sunday, December 21, 2014.
First responders were dispatched to the scene of the crash inside the Center city limits on Louisiana Street (State Highway 7 East) to see to the injured and provide traffic control.
According to Center Police Sgt. Duane Gordon who investigated the crash, at 4:10pm a light blue Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck driven by Douglas Williams, 25, of Converse, LA, with passenger Anthony Hemphill was traveling east in the outside lane on Louisiana Street.
As the Silverado entered the intersection with Railroad Avenue, a black Chevrolet Impala driven by Francesca Jenkins, 23, of Center with a 17-year-old passenger and 46-year-old passenger was traveling south on Railroad Avenue and failed to yield right of way to the Silverado as it entered the intersection causing the vehicles to collide.
The Impala was spun around and faced west and the truck continued off the roadway to the right and into a ditch where it came to a stop.
Williams and Hemphill were transported by ACE EMS to San Augustine Memorial Hospital and Jenkins was transported to Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital by ACE EMS. Jenkins passengers were not reported to have been injured.
Jenkins was cited for failed to yield right of way leaving a stop sign, no driver's license in possession, no proof of insurance in possession.
Assisting at the scene of the crash were the Center Fire Department, Texas Department of Public Safety and Shelby County Sheriff's Department.
Shelby County JP Pct 2 O. B. "Bert" Furlow was honored along with JP Jim Powers and JP Larry "Dude" Jones during an open house at the Shelby County Sheriff's Department Tuesday, December 22, 2014.
Shelby County Sheriff Willis Blackwell presented Judge Furlow with a plaque engraved with the dates July 2, 1984 through December 31, 2014 for his years of service to Shelby County. Shad Sparks, Chief Deputy and former Constable Precinct 2, said with humor, "Now you did notice his was gold plated. I figured anybody putting up with it that long needs to have gold." Furlow served as Justice of the Peace Pct. 2 for 30 years.
Furlow expressed his appreciation for the Sheriff's Office and then said, "Most of all I thank the good Lord for giving me the strength and the health to do what I've done. I thank the people of Precinct 2 for putting me back in office all these years. Thank you."
Certificates of appreciation were presented to Judge Powers from Timpson and to Judge Jones from Tenaha for their many years of service to Shelby County. Sheriff Blackwell presented the certificates and thanked them.
Also present at the open house was Shelby County Judge Rick Campbell, Commissioner Bradley Allen, Commissioner Roscoe McSwain, and Commissioner Jimmy Lout.
(L to R) Sheriff Blackwell, Judge Powers, and Constable Stanley Burgay
(L to R) Sheriff Blackwell and Judge Jones
(L to R) Judge Powers, Judge Furlow, and Judge Margie Anderson
(L to R) Investigator Kevin Windham, Judge Furlow, and Chief Deputy Sparks. Windham and Sparks are both former Constables of Precinct 2 and worked with Furlow.
Judge Furlow with his family
The West Shelby Volunteer Fire Department (WSVFD) responded to a 9-1-1 call by a passerby of a house fire on County Road 1211 on Friday, December 26, 2014 at 10:34am.
When the firemen arrived at the residence of Vicky Campbell the mobile home was engulfed in flames. Several fire trucks arrived on scene and firemen actively worked to extinguish the fire. Some flames had spread beyond the boundaries of the home, but the firemen were able to prevent its further spread.
The house was a total loss and according to WSVFD Chief Jerryl Adams the fire appeared to have been electrical in origin. The firemen cleared the scene and returned to the station at 12:40pm.
The firemen once again were dispatched to the scene when the house flamed up again at 1:11pm and they returned to the station again at 1:45pm
Campbell was not home at the time of the fire as she has been staying with relatives while dealing with a seasonal illness.
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