Austin Man Causes Major Accident in Giddings

Giddings Times & News

• A speeding driver caused a major crash that injured himself and another man on Hwy. 290 West near the Giddings City Cemetery on Sept. 20. Involved in the collision was a 2015 BMW 328 sedan driven by Felix Geovanny Torrez-Torres, 19 of Austin, and a 1999 Ford F-250 pickup driven by Calvin Hannes, 86 of Giddings. The BMW was traveling eastbound on Hwy. 290 at a high rate of speed when the driver failed to drive in a single lane, striking the side of the pickup, which was just leaving a stop sign on N. Dallas St. attempting to turn right onto the highway. Torrez-Torres refused treatment and was booked into jail for reckless driving. Hannes was taken by ambulance to Dell Seton Medical Center in Austin with possible injuries.

• A public art mural is scheduled for late October, adding to the many popular murals in Giddings. Matt “Kiptoe” Dean, who has painted murals around the world, has been commissioned to do the mural, which will be near the “Bull Durham” tobacco billboard and visible from Hwy. 290. The mural will be a conceptual piece that incorporates Giddings’ railroad heritage, Buffalo pride, the oil and gas industry, and other distinctive Giddings elements. This public art supports the Lee County Transportation and Economic Development Strategic Plan.

Yoakum Herald-Times

• A narcotics investigation involving officers from the Yoakum Police Department, Lavaca County Sheriff’s Office, Victoria County Sheriff’s Office, and Homeland Security descended on a local motel room on Sept. 11 to secure two arrests on a multitude of drug charges. Arrested at Yoakum’s Oyo Hotel were Moises Garcia Jr., 33 of Yoakum, and Destinee Stanford, 33 of Victoria. Investigators reportedly seized several types of drugs during the arrest, including 96 grams of methamphetamine, 4.5 grams of crack cocaine, 6.7 grams of Ecstasy, 40.1 grams of Tramadol, 12.8 grams of Sildenafil, and half a gram of Pregabalin, along with more than $3,000 cash and a Mercedes Benz E320.

The Sequin Gazette

• A Leesville man is accused of throwing packages of marijuana-type products and other illegal narcotics wrapped in candy-like packaging out of a car window after he refused to stop for police and evaded them during a 60-mile chase on Sept. 18. The man eventually stopped the car and ran before an officer with the Seguin Police Department captured him on Friday night. The chase began on Interstate 10 in Guadalupe County and went through to Gonzales County, where Patrick Eugene Ford, 19, was arrested. Investigators seized 864 grams of THC-infused edibles; 179.53 grams of THC liquid, 4 grams of THC cartridge/liquid, 5.9 grams of marijuana with THC kief in pre-rolled cigarettes, 6.13 grams of Ecstasy, 2.73 grams of THC wax, 567.68 grams of marijuana, and 4.94 grams of Xanax pills. The incident began about 10:35 p.m. on Friday when Guadalupe Narcotics Task Force Highway Investigation Officer Clayton Deagen tried to make a traffic stop on a red 2016 Toyota Scion due to alleged traffic violations near I-10’s mile marker 596.

The Examiner

• Navasota Police Officers arrested a man in Navasota wanted for child molestation out of Grand Junction, Colorado. A notice was sent to law enforcement stating Tristan Stewart, 20, from Grand Junction, Colorado may be living in the area. Stewart had multiple outstanding warrants including six counts of sexual assault on a child/pattern of abuse and two counts of aggravated incest. Stewart was located by Navasota Police Officers in the 500 Block of Laredo Street. He was arrested and booked into the Grimes County Jail awaiting extradition to the Colorado jail facility.

• Navasota Independent School District Board of Trustees unanimously approved the purchase of air purifiers totaling $201,563 that will be used throughout the campus and on buses. NISD Assistant Superintendent of Operations Dr. Ronnie Gonzalez said $160,993 will be used to purchase air purifiers for classrooms, instructional areas, nurse’s stations, cafeterias, kitchens, libraries, gyms, locker rooms, and offices throughout the district. He also stated the amount of $40,570 will be used to purchase air purifiers for school busses in the district. According to Gonzalez, each bus will require two air purifiers. “Using advanced technologies including active radiant catalysis, activated oxygen, and ionization, these air purifiers will help us combat bacteria, viruses, odors, pollen, mold, allergens, and dust in our schools,” stated Gonzalez. “We view this implementation as an additional step in helping keep our students, staff, and community healthy and safe.” Gonzalez said NISD has been working closely with Grimes County officials including Grimes County Judge Joe Fauth and Pct. 3 Commissioner Barbara Walker to see if the purchase of the air purifiers can be reimbursed as part of the Coronavirus Relief Fund. According to Gonzalez, the district could begin receiving the air purifiers within the next 3-4 weeks.

• Rattler’s Den Cafe opened early this year in Navasota in Feb. and was sadly destroyed by a fire on Sept. 24. The building is totaled, but business owners say they still plan to operate out of the back with a smoker selling barbecue sandwiches and chips. According to Navasota Fire Chief Jason Katkoski, the call came in around 6:45 a.m. No one was inside the building at the time. Officials are still trying to determine what caused the fire, but they say there’s nothing suspicious. It took about 10 minutes to put it out.

The Bastrop Advertiser

• A recalculation of legal expenses related to a lawsuit against the Asplundh Tree Expert Co., the tree trimming company accused of causing the 2011 Bastrop County Complex Fire resulted in another $245,622 flowing into the bank accounts of governmental entities in Bastrop County. The Tuck Law group, which represented Bastrop County, the Bastrop school district, the Smithville school district and Bastrop County Emergency Services District No. 2 in the suit, returned $245,622 to the four governments after the firm determined legal expenses were lower than originally anticipated. The $245,622 in unused legal expenses was divided proportionally among the four governments and disbursed to them on Sept. 16.