Lincoln Man Seriously Injured in Auto Accident

Giddings Times & News

• Joseph Kalani Quadrelli, 20 of Lincoln, was rushed to an area hospital with serious injuries after his pickup crashed into a tree that fell onto his truck on Sept. 3 at 2:48 p.m. He was taken by ambulance to Dell Seton Medical Center in Austin. He was needing several surgeries and stayed in the ICU for several days with internal bleeding, a laceration to his liver, bleeding in the stomach, and bleeding near his heart. He also suffered a broken femur, broken foot, broken jaw in three places, and facial fractures. He was driving a 1997 Mazda B-Series pickup eastbound on Hwy. 21 in an unknown lane of travel. After talking to witnesses, Quadrelli’s parents, and the lack of physical evidence in the roadway the cause of the crash was determined to be because the driver was fatigued or asleep, according to DPS troopers.

The Sealy News

• A brawl broke out at the Kenney Store in the early morning hours of Aug. 30 involving up to as many as 30 people and sending two to the hospital. One man, age 22, was driven by a private vehicle to Bellville Medical Center with head injuries from being struck by a beer bottle. He was released from the hospital about three hours later, according to a news release by the sheriff’s office. A second man, age 21, was reportedly hit in the head with a beer bottle and was taken by Austin County EMS to a Brenham hospital for evaluation. Many of the people involved fled the scene before officers arrived. A person with knowledge of the incident informed The Sealy News that “four black boys were jumped by 30 white men” for allegedly dancing with a white girl. The person referred to it as a hate crime and included a photo of the bloodied face of one of the alleged victims. No arrests have been made yet and officers are reviewing video from the Kenney Store. “The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission has also been notified of this matter,” Sheriff Jack Brandes said.

The Gonzales Inquirer

• Gonzales District 1 City Councilman Gary A. Schroeder plead guilty to a Class A misdemeanor charge of assault bodily injury stemming from an incident in 2017, according to court papers filed June 30. The misdemeanor charge does not prohibit Schroeder from continuing on the city council. His current term is up for election in May 2021. The sentence included two years of deferred adjudication, a $1,000 fee, $275 court costs and fees, as well as standard conditions of community supervision under deferred adjudication. The plea deal closed a case that started with an alleged incident on Aug. 18, 2017 and resulted in a Sept. 4, 2019 indictment by the Gonzales County Grand Jury of third-degree sexual assault. The sexual assault case was dismissed as part of the plea bargain. Schroeder was not arrested and turned himself into the Gonzales County Jail on Sept. 8, 2019.

• The Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary has requested a change of venue in the trial over the Estate of J.B. Wells Jr. on the grounds that the case is too well known to have a fair trial in the city of Gonzales. A decision had not yet been made on the request. Originally filed in July of 2017 by the APT Seminary, the petition asks that the Estate of J.B. Wells, Jr. be awarded to the Seminary. The petition states that the city has not met the requirements of J.B. Wells, Jr.’s will by the construction of the park, arena, and expo center. The current trial dates are October 5-16 with alternate dates in January and February of 2021.

The Smithville Times

• Many of Smithville’s population of 4,000 within the city limits and 12,000 in the school district do not have adequate access to broadband or internet services. Thanks to a grant from the Union Pacific Foundation, four WiFi hotspots were added to increase internet coverage for the families who need it. The $10,000 grant was awarded to the Friends of the Smithville Public Library. The grant will pay for the equipment and installation, as well as part of the first year’s contract.

Burleson County Tribune

• The Somerville Police Department is working to get its staff back up to a full force. Interim Police Chief Otto Arnim announces some new hirings. Preston Goode was hired for a patrol officer’s position and joins Sgt. James Watson, who already served for two years under previous Chief Craig Wise. Goode joins the force from the Grimes County Sheriff’s Office. Reserve Officer Jack Nickell, a peace officer since 2010, has served Somerville for about a year and a half. Arnim said he is still looking to fill two additional patrol officer positions in the coming weeks, which would give the department a staff of five. That would include a chief, sergeant, and three patrol officers. Arnim said he is working to get the best possible officers to serve under the next police chief, who is expected to be hired later this month.

What the Neighbors Are Talking About

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