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April 8, 2026 - The jury that has been summoned for Monday, April 13, 2026 for the 123rd Judicial District Court Honorable LeAnn Kay Rafferty presiding has been cancelled.
Anyone receiving a summons for that day is released from jury service until they receive a future summons.
Thank you,
Dee Dee Green
District Clerk
Shelby County, Texas
April 8, 2026 - The Shelby County Commissioners lifted the burn ban during their April 8, 2026, meeting.
Commissioner Tom Bellmyer commented that it seems a lot greener after the most recent rain and a pasture fire seems a lot less likely.
Commissioner Bellmyer moved to lift the burn ban and Commissioner Roscoe McSwain offered second to his motion. It carried with all in favor.
Caution was encouraged. County Judge Allison Harbison said that if she begins to receive an influx of calls from volunteer fire departments regarding an excessive amount of fires she can put another ban in place, and the commissioners can consider ratifying that ban.
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April 7, 2026 - The Center Police Department has confirmed the arrest of an individual following a barricaded subject scenario that required a tactical response early in the morning on March 31, 2026.
While Center Police Department officers engaged the situation at a residence on the 800 block of Price Street, Center Fire Department and EMS personnel were staged on Martin Luther King Drive for quick response. Shelby County Sheriff’s Department deputies also responded to assist.
According to the Center Police Department, officers were dispatched to the disturbance on Price Street at around 3:30am and after officers arrived the situation escalated and it was determined the suspect was armed. This resulted in a SWAT team response at around 4:10am and a brief standoff. The individual eventually was taken into custody without incident by 6:45am.
Timothy Shawn Calhoun
According to Shelby County Jail records Timothy Shawn Calhoun, 45, of Nacogdoches was arrested for terroristic threat against peace officer/judge, state jail felony, $25,000 bond; resist arrest, search or transport, $15,000 bond; aggravated robbery, first degree felony, $50,000 bond.
April 6, 2026 - U.S. Highway 59 at the intersection of Garrison Street in Timpson was the scene of a single-vehicle rollover crash incident on April 2, 2026 at around 2pm.
Emergency responders were dispatched to the location and according to Texas Department of Public Safety State Trooper Dustin Ramos, Troopers were dispatched to a single-vehicle rollover crash on U.S. Highway 59 in Timpson. Upon arrival at the scene it was determined a red 2015 Chrysler driven by Tytiannah Moore, 29, was northbound on U.S. Highway 59 at an unsafe speed for wet roadway conditions when the vehicle hydroplaned. The Chrysler traveled off the roadway to the right and rolled.
Moore was transported by ambulance to Nacogdoches Medical Center in Nacogdoches for treatment of possible injuries. She was issued a citation for unsafe speed.
Timpson Volunteer Fire Department personnel assisted at the scene.
April 2, 2026 - Beginning Monday, April 6, 2026, road maintenance will be conducted on Shelbyville Street within the downtown square, between San Augustine Street and Nacogdoches Street. During this period, thru traffic will not be permitted between San Augustine Street and the alleyway at Farmers State Bank.
All traffic will be detoured to adjacent side streets. Road maintenance activities are expected to continue through early May 2026.
Motorists are advised to plan accordingly and use alternate routes.
April 4, 2026 - The National Weather Service in Shreveport has issued Tornado Warning for North Central Shelby County in eastern Texas, Southeastern Panola County in northeastern Texas on April 4, 2026 until 3:15 pm CDT.
At 2:25 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located over Timpson, or 15 miles northwest of Center, moving northeast at 20 mph.
Hazard: Tornado.
Source: Radar indicated rotation.
Impact: Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage to roofs, windows and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is likely.
Locations impacted include: Tenaha, Woods and Paxton.
Move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a well-built building away from windows. If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris.
April 3, 2026 - (Update): The Joaquin Volunteer Fire Department has confirmed the scene is clear as of 2pm.
April 3, 2026 - A cleanup operation is in progress on FM 2787 at U.S. Highway 84 in Joaquin area due to an oilfield by-product spill April 3, 2026, as of 10:30am.
Sometime overnight the spill occurred and Joaquin Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to the scene at 6:15am.
The roadway is down to one lane and drivers are encouraged to use FM 139 until the roadway is clear.
April 2, 2026 - The Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM) is conducting a Public Warning System Statewide Drill on Thursday, April 2, 2026, between 10am and 12:30pm CST.
You may receive email, phone, or text message alerts. This is only a test to ensure systems are ready for real emergencies.
The City of Center uses CodeRED as their emergency notification system. Residents are encouraged to sign up for notifications at https://accountportal.onsolve.net/cityofcentertx.
More information is available at https://www.centertexas.org/fire-department/code-red-emergency-notification-system.
April 2, 2026 - Be advised a Texas Statewide Emergency Alert Test will be performed on Thursday, April 2, 2026 between the hours of 10am and 12 noon. Alerts will be sent to phones, emails, and possibly outdoor sirens if available. There is a potential for individuals to receive several alerts. The test of the system will include local agencies, schools, and law enforcement.
The Shelby County Emergency Management Coordinator (EMC), Luciana Barr, shared a way to sign up to receive Emergency Alerts for Shelby County with the Shelby County Emergency Alert System. Simply visit https://shelby.genasys.com/portal/. You must have an email address and phone number. After registration, you can use the portal to update or add additional numbers and email addresses.
The EMC for Shelby County has a Facebook page as well - Shelby County, Texas Emergency Management.
TDEM Announces Statewide Drill for Local Public Warning Systems
The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) announced today a statewide test of local alerting systems to evaluate effectiveness and functionality of these public warning tools.
TDEM has begun notifying local partners of the planned drill, which has been scheduled for April 2, 2026.
“Regular training and testing of public warning systems builds readiness before disaster strikes and is an important component of community safety,” said Texas Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd. “Conducting drills to reaffirm procedures, promote confidence in technological tools, and identify potential shortfalls is key to ensuring these systems operate with precision, accuracy, and timeliness when they are needed the most.”
This test of local warning systems is part of TDEM’s commitment to working with Texas communities to prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of disasters and emergencies throughout the state.
To create consistency and unified coordination across the state, a designated testing window has been established for local jurisdictions to utilize their primary, alternate, and contingency systems, allowing for verification of continuity within alerting local processes.
TDEM has requested participation from designated local alerting authorities, along with local emergency management programs, school districts, primary and secondary education programs, college and universities, councils of government, river authorities, sovereign tribal nations, law enforcement agencies, and any other entities with emergency alerting capability.
TDEM has also requested participating organizations share with state emergency management officials an update after completion of the drill with a summary, key takeaways, and any relevant details that may provide context about the success of the local system test.
April 1, 2026 - State Highway 7 West in the Mt. Herman community was the scene of a two-vehicle crash incident involving a passenger vehicle and a truck hauling stock dogs on March 28, 2026.
West Shelby County Volunteer Fire Department personnel responded to the scene of the incident, as well as Texas Department of Public Safety personnel. The passenger car involved was located on the westbound side of the roadway, and the K9 hauler had traveled down an embankment on the eastbound side of the roadway where it had come to rest in a tree line on top of a gas line.
According to Texas Department of Public Safety State Trooper Keith Jones, at around 6:45pm a silver 2024 Lexus IS350 driven by Lateisha Cassaundra Hinton, 49, of Houston was westbound in the outside lane in front of a white 2018 GMC 3/4 ton pickup truck driven by James Bobby Butler, Jr., 57, of Center. As the GMC transitioned from the outside lane to the left inside lane to pass, Hinton attempted to make a lane change prior to arriving at a private drive on the eastbound side of the highway and collided with the GMC.
The pickup continued across the highway and collided with a guardrail before traveling backward down an embankment where it came to rest.
No injuries were reported of either driver, and the dogs from within the truck appeared unharmed.
Hinton was cited for change lane when unsafe.
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