Giddings Man Scammed Out of $3,000

Giddings Times & News

• A Giddings man who nearly lost $3,000 in a scam was saved a lot of money by bank tellers telling him to contact law enforcement authorities about the situation on Jan. 6. The man said that an attorney from Bastrop contacted him and said his grandson was involved in an accident. The so-called attorney said the man’s grandson hit a pregnant woman in Oklahoma City, OK, and was being detained in court. The scammer said they needed $6,000 to bond the grandson out of jail then called back and said the judge reduced the bond to $3,000 and to take the money in cash to his office at 808 Main St. in Bastrop.

• Charles Edward Daffron Jr., 54 of Corpus Christi, was killed when a pickup hydroplaned and slammed head-on into the van he was driving on Hwy. 77 near the American Legion Hall south of Giddings. The accident occurred during a mixture of rain, sleet, and snow falling on Jan. 10 at 12:15 p.m. Daffron’s wife, Tracy, 53, and their 16-year-old son, Morgan were taken to Dell Seton Medical Center in Austin with non-life-threatening injuries. The pickup driver, 41-yearold Damericers Mondra Flowers of Bryan, was treated at the scene for minor injuries.

• AT&T Mobility in Giddings called the Lee County Sheriff’s Office on Jan. 6 at 3:55 p.m. wanting to file a missing persons report on an employee who they had not heard from and had been calling his phone with no answer. Co-workers stopped by his apartment and spoke to the apartment manager who stated he had not paid his rent for the month and his truck has not been there. The case has been turned over to Giddings Police.

• Amanda Nicole Mathis, 30 of Ledbetter, was taken to Dell Seton Medical Center in Austin with serious injuries after her car was struck by a pickup near the Giddings Plaza shopping center on Hwy. 290 East at 2:40 p.m. on Jan. 8. She was northbound in the Walmart parking lot attempting to exit by making a left turn when a Walmart delivery truck was eastbound on Hwy. 290 turning into the parking lot. Mathis made a blind spot left turn in front of the truck and did not see a 2017 Chevrolet Silverado pickup driven by Jeremy Michael Tatum of Houston. The front of the pickup hit the driver side of Mathis’ 2016 Chevrolet Impala which was pushed across the road before coming to a stop directly in front of a metal utility pole.

• Landowners in northeastern Lee County are reporting the failure of their domestic and livestock water wells only months after a massive export of the area’s groundwater to San Antonio began. At the same time, the Lost Pines Groundwater Conservation District, which covers Lee and Bastrop counties, is considering granting another permit for extensive pumping and export of groundwater. These well failures are most likely the direct result of pumping from the Vista Ridge project, which began full-time pumping last summer. The permit request pending before the LPGCD is from the LCRA, which seeks to pump and export up to eight billion gallons annually from eight wells it plans to drill in northeastern Bastrop County, near Paige.

Lexington Leader

• On Christmas Eve, at about 9:40 p.m. Lexington Police Officer Rosano was dispatched to Hwy. 77 in front of the Dollar General for a male pedestrian-vehicle accident. Michael Hawkins, 42 of Lexington, was crossing Hwy. 77 after leaving the store. He had made it to the center turning lane. At the same time, Savannah Jones was driving a 2020 Toyota Prius southbound in the inside lane of the roadway near the location where Hawkins was crossing. Jones said she never saw him. He allegedly stepped right out in front of her and into her driving lane causing Jones’ vehicle to clip Hawkins in the legs. Hawkins was transported to an area hospital in stable condition with a lot of bruises and scrapes.

The Navasota Examiner

• Three poaching suspects, Timoteo Serrano Lopez, 54 from Navasota; Wilmer Flores Sr., 43 from Washington; and Wilmer Flores Jr., 19 from Washington, were arrested on Dec. 27 after they were caught illegally hunting on private property south of Millican. On Dec. 27, Texas Parks and Wildlife Management Game Warden Forrest Schmidt responded to an active trespassing call off of White Switch Rd. A Navasota Police Officer, two Grimes County Deputies, and a Brazos County Deputy were on the scene when Schmidt arrived. The three suspects were located. During questioning one of the suspects stated they saw an open gate and decided to go in to hunt. Once on the property, one of the suspects shot and killed two raccoons. One of the other suspects also possessed a firearm. The affidavit states the suspects ignored visible “no trespassing” signs posted on the gate. Serrano Lopez was charged with criminal trespass and unlawful carrying of a weapon. Flores Sr. was charged with taking wildlife resources without consent. Flores Jr. was charged with criminal trespass, unlawful carrying of a weapon, and also has an immigration hold. They were booked into the Brazos County Jail.

• Navasota Police Chief Shawn Myatt said the department, along with numerous other agencies, responded to the Brazos River Bridge on Highway 105 around 12:45 p.m. on Jan. 12 after receiving a call from someone reporting they could see the top of a vehicle in the river. According to Myatt, authorities found a 2018 Nissan Rogue in the water. Through investigation, it was determined that the vehicle had been reported stolen the day before out of Houston. Myatt said the case has been turned over to Brazos County. No injuries have been reported in the incident.

The Brenham Banner-Press

• A gravestone in the Brenham Masonic Cemetery has been pushed over for the second time after being previously repaired roughly 18 months ago. The vandalized site was discovered by gravestone conservator Lowell Herzog, who restored the stone nearly four years ago. The stone is for John Kendall Gray, who died Aug. 12, 1847, at the age of 34. Due to the direction the stone fell on the ground, Herzog said it could not have been knocked over by heavy winds. The Graham Masonic Lodge of Brenham filed a report with the Brenham Police Department but doesn’t know if anything will come of it.

• The city of Brenham issued $90.8 million in building permits during 2020, a $52 million increase from the previous year. A total of 311 permits were issued last year, totaling $90,834,963 for new construction, renovations, and additions. New commercial buildings led all categories with 18 permits being taken out and homebuilding jumped with 94 permits.

• Brenham Animal Services has a new vehicle in tow to serve citizens. Animal Services’ new Community Outreach Vehicle hit the streets of Brenham, after being repurposed from use with the Brenham Police Department. The vehicle, a 2013 Chevy Tahoe, will be used for purposes like transporting animals and responding to welfare concern calls, and will also be on display at community events. Animal Services Manager Allison Harper says the goal was to have a vehicle that is more approachable for the public, while also helping to shed light on what Brenham Animal Services does. The vehicle was previously used by the Brenham Police Department’s K-9 Unit, but in September, K-9 Robbie and her handler, Officer Andrew Adams, retired. The vehicle already comes equipped with an enclosure to hold animals during transport. Harper hopes that this vehicle can help put residents at ease, especially in circumstances that they may consider uncomfortable.

The Weimar Mercury

• Weimar City Manager Mike Barrow and Weimar Mayor Milton Koller put together and buried a time capsule, wanting it to be remembered of how 2020 was a year of tough times for families and friends. Items placed in the capsule included a few coins, a mask, the latest chamber magazine, a Weimar Mercury newspaper, a cell phone, and a few other little odds and ends. A marker placed on top of where the capsule is buried will have a plaque on it stating that it should be opened on Dec. 31, 2070.