Former Somerville Teacher Pleads Guilty To Improper Relationship with A Student

• Christopher Coronado, a former Somerville High School teacher and softball coach charged in 2018 with an improper relationship with a student, pleaded guilty to two counts and received seven years deferred adjudicated probation. He was also fined $2,000, plus court costs and a Crime Stoppers fee and was ordered to perform 120 hours of community service restitution, while agreeing to urinalysis, drug-alcohol evaluation and any treatment deemed necessary, according to the Burleson County Attorney’s Office.

• A protest against police brutality was again held on June 27 in Somerville with participants holding up signs stating their cause. The protest again caught the attention of passing motorists along State Highway 36 and others, but a pro-police group also appeared about two blocks north of them on the highway displaying American and Texas flags. No violence occurred at either location and both events remained peaceful.

Wise County Messenger

• In June the Wise County Sheriff’s Office arrested 17 people and charged them with cockfighting after serving a search warrant at a property on County Road 3678, south of Cottondale. Approximately 50 other people were issued citations for attending a cockfight. Since the shooting death that took place at a cockfight last August near Balsora, the Sheriff’s Office has tried to watch for similar activity in the county. When officers with the Sheriff’s Office, along with several game wardens entered the property, they found 58 roosters still in cages and a ring set up for fighting. The 58 roosters were taken by the county’s animal control officers to an animal rescue shelter. Two other roosters appeared to have been dead for some time.

The Rockdale Reporter

• After a year and a half of discussion, Milam County commissioners approved a move of several county departments from downtown Cameron into Cameron’s former hospital. The move will give the county 50,000-square-feet of usable space, including 35,000-square feet in the old hospital building alone. The 8.5 acre former Cameron hospital is being exchanged for nine buildings the county currently owns and occupies in downtown Cameron. Little River-Cameron closed in December 2018, along with Little Rover-Rockdale Hospital and the health care companies’ clinics. County offices set to make the move include the county clerk, tax collector, prosecutor, veterans assistance office, constables, Texas AgriLife Extension Service, adult probation, juvenile probation, Bea’s Kitchen, The HOP transportation and others. Commissioners also agreed to renovate the professional building located on the hospital grounds as an urgent care facility.

The Banner-Press

• Brandon Lynn Weige, 37-years-old of Brenham, is facing a felony burglary charge for what police say was a swipe from the safe at the local Denny’s. On April 2 Brenham police responded to the Denny’s in the 2900 block of State Highway 36 South to take a burglary report after the Denny’s began closing the 24-hour diner at night due to the pandemic. After reviewing surveillance footage, it showed a white male entering the store at 10:10 p.m. Weige was later identified by an officer with the Brenham Police Department. More than $100 in cash and coins had been taken from the safe and the safe was not secured. That same evening Weige came back into the restaurant and located two credit cards that were left by previous customers, grabbed two packages of kids drinking cups valued at $39.84 and he attempted to break into another cash register. He was arrested on April 8.

• Police in Brenham say Cedrick Leonard Gee, 25-yearsold of Brenham, is involved in an almost deadly shooting and he is being charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. On March 3 around 11 p.m. Brenham police responded to Brenham Village Apartments in reference to shots fired. Officers received numerous calls in regard to shots fired during what sounded like an active altercation and a woman screaming, “My God, what are you doing?” On the scene a deputy observed a vehicle leaving at a high rate of speed. The vehicle was stopped and it was found that the driver had a gunshot wound to his leg. Officers located a firearm in a wooded area near the residence and it was found to be stolen. Gee was booked into the Washington County Jail on March 5.

The Weimar Mercury

• The Weimar Independent School District Board of Trustees held a special meeting on June 25 to discuss and act on ratifying the action taken at its June 8 meeting on approving an addendum to Superintendent Jo Wunderlich’s contract for a stipend to perform additional duties as the bond manager on the Weimar ISD General Obligation Bond Projects. After several citizens voiced their concerns over lack of transparency involving the stipend, the motion passed on a 4-3 vote. Other concerns were how Wunderlich would manage both jobs, him being paid the stipend on top of his salary instead of hiring an outside bond manager, and that when the bond was originally presented to the citizens to be voted on back in the Nov. 5, 2019 election, there was never any talk about the superintendent getting a stipend out of the bond.