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August 13, 2024 - Shelby County Sheriff Kevin W. Windham reports that on Sunday, August 11, 2024, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Deputies responded to a disturbance at Williams Landing on County Road 3490 in Joaquin regarding a criminal mischief incident. Deputies arriving found that there was an issue between numerous individuals of the property and Shelby County Constable Precinct 3 Roy Cheatwood, and that there has been a lawsuit between the Williams family and Constable Cheatwood wherein there has been a dispute over land. There were numerous allegations made of criminal conduct of the Williams tampering with the well, as well as allegations of Official Oppression on Constable Cheatwood.
With such allegations involving an elected official, the case has been referred to the Texas Rangers to conduct an investigation. An initial report of the incident was completed by our agency and has been forwarded to the Texas Rangers.
August 12, 2024 - The Center Fire Department responded to a house fire on Louisiana Street Sunday, August 11, 2024.
When the firefighters arrived at the location in the 700 block of Louisiana Street just after 6:08am, both the house on the property and a travel trailer were engulfed in flames.
The house was discovered to be vacant and fire personnel worked to extinguish the blaze as quickly as possible.
A cause for the fire was not immediately able to be determined, and utilities to the house were not active. Firefighters cleared the scene at around 9am.
August 12, 2024 - West Shelby County Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to a two-vehicle crash on State Highway 7 in front of White Rock Missionary Baptist Church near CR 1240 Friday, August 9, 2024.
When fire department personnel arrived at the scene, an SUV was in the middle of the westbound side of the roadway and a tractor was on the shoulder of the same side.
After Texas Department of Public Safety State Troopers arrived, they were working to determine if the rear lights on the tractor were active just before the incident occurred,
According to information from the Texas Department of Public Safety, the preliminary crash investigation indicates that at approximately 10:35pm, a John Deere tractor driven by a 16-year-old minor driver of Center was traveling west in the outside lane and was struck in the rear by a silver 2011 Toyota 4Runner driven by Miriam Allan, 47, of Nacogdoches, which was also traveling west.
Allan was transported by ambulance for to Nacogdoches Medical Center for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
Citation information was not provided and DPS reports this is an ongoing investigation with no further information available at this time.
August 11, 2024 - U.S. Highway 59 in Tenaha was the scene of a two-vehicle crash involving a log truck and a passenger vehicle Friday, August 9, 2024, at around 10:30am.
Responding to the scene were the Tenaha Volunteer Fire Department, Taylor Fanguy, Constable Precinct 4; and Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) State Troopers.
According to Texas DPS Trooper Keith Jones, a silver 2013 Honda CRV driven by Michael Alen Loebig, 70, of Texarkana was southbound on U.S. Highway 59 when the Loebig took the Houston exit and while traveling off the ramp. The Honda entered into the southbound traffic lane and struck a green Peterbilt 389 truck tractor owned by Turnip Seed Trucking and driven by Jackie M. Cunningham, 68, of Mansfield.
Loebig and his passenger Vicky May Loebig, 68, were each transported by ambulance to a Nacogdoches Medical Center for medical evaluation.
Loebig was issued a citation for change lanes when unsafe.
August 10, 2024 - U.S. Highway 96 South 5 1/2 miles south of of Center was the scene of a two-vehicle crash involving a truck hauling hay and a passenger vehicle on August 7, 2024, at around 5pm.
Emergency personnel were dispatched to the location just north of CR 1008. Center Fire Department and Shelby County Sheriff’s Department were on scene with Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) State Troopers.
According to Texas DPS State Trooper Josh Gradberg, a 2006 Dodge pickup truck hauling a trailer loaded with round bales of hay and driven by James Bell, 68, of Center was turning right into the driveway to his residence. At that time a silver 2019 Nissan Sentra driven by Yuliana Santos-Carrillo, 35, of Center was northbound on U.S. Highway 96 in the outside lane and failed to control speed as she took evasive action into the northbound shoulder and struck the passenger door of the Dodge.
No injuries were reported to have resulted from the crash incident.
Santos-Carrillo was issued citations for no driver’s license and fail to control speed.
August 7, 2024 - A Timpson man has been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking and firearms violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs.
Austin Yarbrough, 31, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 188 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on August 7, 2024.
According to information presented in court, from 2021 through 2023, law enforcement conducted an investigation into a drug trafficking organization operating throughout East Texas. Yarbrough was identified as a member of that organization and a distributor of methamphetamine, as well as a firearms trafficker. As a member of the organization, Yarbrough would receive methamphetamine transported by his co-conspirators and then distribute the methamphetamine in the Timpson area. On multiple occasions, law enforcement conducted operations leading to the purchase of methamphetamine and firearms from Yarbrough, including a modified .45 caliber rifle with a shortened barrel and an adjustable stock.
Further investigation revealed Yarbrough has previous felony convictions, including possession of a controlled substance, burglary of a building, and bail jumping. As a convicted felon, Yarbrough is prohibited by federal law from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case was investigated by the Texas Department of Public Safety; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Angelina County Sheriff's Office; Drug Enforcement Administration; and FBI. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald S. Carter.
August 7, 2024 - The Shelby County Sheriff's Department reported Pleasant has turned himself in as of August 7, 2024 at 12:30 p.m.
August 6, 2024 - The Shelby County Sheriff’s Department is seeking the whereabouts of Christopher Lamar Pleasant, 48, of Center. Pleasant is described as a 5’10” white male and weighs approximately 210 pounds. He is bald, and has hazel eyes.
Pleasant has an active felony warrant out of Shelby County for Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon (F-2).
The SCSO is seeking assistance of the public with locating Pleasant.
If you have any information regarding his whereabouts, please contact the SCSO (936) 598-5601 or Sergeant Investigator Aaron Jones at 936-572-7559.
Anyone found to be hindering the apprehension, harboring or concealing, providing or aiding with any means of avoiding arrest or effecting escape, or warns Pleasant of impending discovery or apprehension, will be arrested and charged in accordance to Penal Code 38.05 Hindering Apprehension or Prosecution, a Felony 3 offense.
August 7, 2024 - The Shelby County Commissioners moved forward on seeking quotes for a proposal from District Attorney Karren Price during their July 24, 2024, meeting to upgrade the video system in the District Courtrooms for the benefit of jurors.
A few years past, the commissioners agreed to install a large screen in each courtroom to allow for the viewing of evidence, and since then Price has heard feedback from jurors.
“Here's what we hear from jurors, they can see what's going on on that screen and they can hear, but they can't see a lot of tiny detail and they can't hear as well as they would like to be able to hear,” said Price. “So, I got to thinking about what we can do to help them be able to hear the evidence, which is the only reason we want that technology, is to help these jurors.”
Price described a system of three monitors to sit directly in front of the jurors in the jury box wall when operational, and when not displaying evidence, the screens can drop down the behind the wall and out of their view.
Commissioner Tom Bellmyer moved for the District Attorney to seek an estimated cost for a turnkey installation of the system she described and to know how long it would take for the project to be completed and then for her to return to the court with that information, the motion was seconded by Commissioner Roscoe McSwain and the motion carried.
The commissioners discussed donating the cost of an Opioid Educational Curriculum to Excelsior ISD with Opioid Litigation funds in the amount of $619.41.
County Judge Allison Harbison stated, “This is going to be kind of a test run for the school system, and that money is sitting, I believe, in that fund.”
Judge Harbison confirmed with Clint Porterfield, County Auditor, none of the Opiod Litigation funds have been used yet.
“I think this is a great opportunity for a smaller school to see how it works, and then maybe we can do some help for the other school districts,” said Harbison.
Commissioner McSwain said he has spoken with Porterfield in the past about what could be done with the funds, which have been collecting over some time, because there are limited options on how the money can be spent.
“I serve on a security board of Excelsior ISD so a while back I asked them would they be interested in trying opioid addiction educational for like fifth graders sixth graders,” said McSwain.
Commissioner McSwain heard back from Excelsior ISD representatives who were interested in a curriculum for the fifth grade class.
Commissioner McSwain moved to donate the $619.41 to Excelsior ISD to acquire the curriculum for opiod schooling. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Bellmyer and the motion carried.
“If we can save one Shelby County child by taking this curriculum and giving them the encouragement and the chance to say, ‘no, I'm not gonna do this and I'm gonna take these drugs,’ I think if we just save one kid's life it’ll be well worth it,” said Judge Harbison.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:51am.
Agenda items approved during the meeting include: 1. Pay weekly expenses. 2. Payroll. 3. Reappoint John Howard Shelby County Representative to Burke Board of Trustees for a two-year term. 4. District Attorney, Karren Price to seek quotes on Courtroom technology upgrade. 5. Donate the cost of an Opioid Educational Curriculum to Excelsior ISD with Opioid Litigation funds in the amount of $619.41 6. Adjourn 9:51am.
August 6, 2024 - A county road in precinct 3 is scheduled to be temporarily closed due to railroad work to be conducted August 8, 2024 per Stevie Smith, Commissioner Precinct 3.
Commissioner Smith states, County Road 3831 at U.S. Highway 84 will be closed Thursday morning for the railroad to repair the railroad crossing.
Work will start around 5am and will probably take five or six hours.
August 5, 2024 - Emergency personnel responded to crash incident on State Highway 87 North July 27, 2024, where one vehicle involved is reported to have fled the scene.
When emergency officials arrived at the location just north of CR 4020, a box truck carrying household appliances was visible overturned beside the southbound traffic lane.
According to Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) State Trooper Keith Jones, at approximately 10:55am in July 27, 2024, an unknown red vehicle entered onto State Highway 87 North from CR 4020 and failed to yield right of way to oncoming traffic. This action interfered with a northbound white 2011 Hino box truck driven by Frank Sanchez, 36, of Houston who took evasive action and lost control of the truck before it rolled off the roadway on the southbound side coming to rest on its passenger side.
Sanchez was transported by ambulance to Shelby Emergency Department for treatment of minor injuries.
At the time of the crash report the suspected vehicle remained at large.
Once a towing service arrived on location, Timpson Volunteer Fire Department personnel remained on scene to divert traffic for an extended period of time. This was to allow for the truck to be unloaded of its contents of kitchen appliances and so the truck could be removed from the scene.
Also assisting at the scene were DPS Trooper Josh Gradberg, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department and Constable Precinct 5.
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