Family of Former Washington Co. Jail Inmate Files Federal Lawsuit
The Brenham Banner-Press
• A federal lawsuit was filed on Feb. 12 in Austin on behalf of the family of a man who died at the Washington County Jail in 2019. The lawsuit claims the defendants violated 31-year-old Cameron Pritchett’s constitutional rights to reasonable medical and mental health care, to be protected, and not to be punished as a pre-trial detainee. Pritchett had the classic signs of a person who commits suicide in jail and the jail allowed Pritchett and other prisoners to block viewing of their cells with blankets, said the lawyer representing Pritchett’s family. He had been in the jail before and the jail had significant information regarding his serious mental health issues.
Hallettsville Tribune-Herald
• A head-on crash at the Rocky Creek Bridge on Hwy. 77 six miles south of Hallettsville claimed the life of a Hallettsville woman and her unborn child on Feb. 12. Responders were called to the accident scene around 8:25 a.m. The two-vehicle collision took place when a Ford F-250 pickup traveling north driven by Maldonado Flaviano Loredo, 36, slid on ice causing the pick-up to skid into the southbound lane and collide into a Chevrolet Suburban SUV driven by Kristy Turner, 35 of Hallettsville. The collision caused the truck’s bed to be separated from its chassis. Turner was pronounced dead at the scene at 9 a.m. In addition, Turner’s unborn child also died in the accident
Giddings Times & News
• A security guard at the Luminant Mines property west of Lexington was sacred for her life after a man allegedly trying to steal copper pulled out a machete and started walking toward her on Feb. 19 about two hours before midnight The security guard was able to get away from the man without getting injured and the man left the area. He was last seen running toward FM 696 West near CR 303 and CR 304. The man was apparently just trying to scare away the guard so that he could escape and did not make any physical contact with her. The suspect was described to the dispatcher as a white male in his 30s or 40s weighing 110 pounds, wearing a plaid shirt, blue jeans, and a blue beanie hat
• Two men were arrested on felony drug charges after a traffic stop by a Giddings police officer on Hwy. 290 in the early morning hours on Feb. 10. Sgt. Dustin Kieschnick was working traffic and pulled over a vehicle for a violation. During the stop, police drug dog K-9 Edy was deployed and a search of the vehicle was conducted. More than 500 grams of meth was recovered from the car, along with heroin, Xanax, and Hydrocodone. The total street value of the drugs is nearly $50,000. Wesley Warren Carter, 36 of Austin, and Dustin Alan Harris, 30 of Austin, were booked into the Lee County Jail on multiple charges.
Lexington Leader
• On Feb. 23 Lee County started an information center staffed by volunteers to assist with providing information on the coronavirus vaccination program. Volunteers will not provide medical advice. Citizens may contact the Lee County Call Center at 866-212-1502, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., or email Covid19@co.lee.tx.us.
The Bellville Times
• The Austin County-led Westside Narcotics Task Force says it has arrested two suspects at the head of a months-long investigation involving methamphetamine and weapons trafficking. On Feb. 24, at about 6:30 a.m., the task force executed a search and arrest warrant in the 6000 block of East 2nd St in Sheridan. Due to the nature of this operation, the Austin County Special Response Team (SRT) executed the warrants and arrested 31-year-old Wesley Connell of Houston on drug trafficking and federal weapons charges. Task force investigators also arrested 33-year-old Pedro Cortez at his residence in Eagle Lake on charges related to the investigation. Connell was transported by federal agents to the Federal Detention Center in Houston. He was federally indicted for felon in possession of a firearm. Cortez was booked into the Austin County Jail for theft of a firearm. The Austin County Sheriff’s Office says several narcotics charges are pending for narcotics-related offenses. The Westside Narcotics Task Force, a Houston High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area initiative, is a multi-county unit that covers Austin, Colorado, Fayette and Waller counties. The agency conducted this investigation jointly with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), the Austin and Colorado County District Attorney’s offices, and the Colorado County Sheriff’s Office. The Austin County SRT is comprised of members from the Austin County Sheriff’s Office, Bellville Police Department, Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, Sealy Police Department, and Washington County Tactical EMS.