Giddings Officer Not Charged in Fatal Shooting

Are Talking About

A look at what’s making news just over the county line.

Giddings Times & News

• Sgt. James Catchings with the Giddings Police Department will not face any criminal charges after he fatally shot Derrick Canada, who had stabbed four people around town on June 24. After being notified of the shooting, City of Giddings Police Chief Haril Walpole requested that Texas Rangers lead the investigation. The Grand Jury considered all the evidence presented and concluded that the use of deadly force in this instance was justified.

• In a rare move, the Giddings City Council overruled the decision by the Hotel-Motel Board to only give the HOT tax funds to non-profit organizations. The board has awarded the funds to three entities. The Texas Wendish Heritage Society received $10,000, the Chamber of Commerce received $127,500 and the Lee County Sheriff’s Posse received $62,500. Those figures had some reductions to include two for-profit local businesses. The Silos on 77 received $26,000 and Dime Box Distillery LLC received $4,000. This action was taken despite some decisions from those in attendance and without the HOT board being present.

The Examiner

• On August 31 multiple agencies responded to a vehicle that was submerged in the Navasota River underneath the Texas State Highway 6 Bridge. According to Navasota Police Chief Shawn Myatt, at approximately noon, a passerby noticed a portion of a vehicle protruding from the Navasota River and called it in. When officers arrived, they noticed a vehicle submerged in the water. “Officers entered the water and conducted a sweep, but no victims were located,” stated Myatt. A dive team from the Montgomery County Fire Department was dispatched to assist in the search for possible victims. During the course of the investigation, Myatt said it is believed the Ford truck was traveling northbound on Highway 6 and exited the roadway to the left just before the guardrails begin on the bridge. The vehicle traveled down a steep concrete embankment and into the river. A tow truck was dispatched and the vehicle was lifted from the bridge out of the water. Dive crews searched but no victims were discovered. While investigating it was learned the driver Jenna Sands, 43, from College Station and the passenger Cory Doyle, 28, from Dobbin were alive and well in College Station. Sands will be charged with failure to report an accident. More charges may also be added as the investigation continues. Sands was unsure of the exact time the accident occurred but believed it was at approximately midnight or 1 a.m. the same day the truck was discovered. Myatt said the truck Sands was driving was not reported stolen as other media outlets have reported.

The Bastrop Advertiser

• A $20 million settlement has been awarded to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department to help restore the Bastrop State Park after a major wildfire nearly nine years ago. The cause of the fire was ruled to be started by the failure of Asplundh Tree Expert LLC to properly manage vegetation growth in the area. It is said that unmaintained trees damaged power lines, sparking the fire that destroyed 1,700 homes and burned 96% of the Bastrop State Park, which is one of seven state parks across the U.S. that have been designated a National Historic Landmark.

The Banner-Press

• A dispute allegedly about ice cups not being available led to shots fired outside a local gas station on August 29 around 9 p.m. Brenham police responded after receiving reports of a firearm discharging in the 1600 block of South Day Street. Comments on social media imply the suspect shot the ice storage machine outside of the store after getting angry about the loose ice cups being removed inside the convenience store due to the ongoing pandemic. There was property damage on-site and no arrests have been made as of August 31.