Gonzales Police Seek Tire Slasher; Cattle Uninjured In Lee County Rollover
The Gonzales Inquirer
• The Gonzales Police Department is seeking the public’s help in locating a suspect in the slashing of tires on more than 60 vehicles in the city on July 17-18. Hayward Kent Harper, 49 of Sheridan, is sought on a state jail felony warrant for criminal mischief in connection with the incidents. The criminal mischief case moved from a misdemeanor to a felony when the estimated value of the damage exceeded $2,500. Witnesses and security camera footage showed a tall, slender black man in a t-shirt kneeling by vehicles. It was also determined that the suspect was driving a gray Dodge pickup truck.
Lexington Leader
• On July 24 at 11:27 a.m. the Lee County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from a motorist who reported a cattle trailer full of cows had been involved in an accident. When first responders arrived, they found a Chevrolet Tahoe upright in the roadway and a cattle trailer that it had been towing on its side with approximately 10 cattle inside. Members of the Blue Volunteer Fire Department which were dispatched out to the scene since the accident happened on FM 696 West, north of the Blue fire station, began helping to unload the cattle but they ended up having to cut off the top of the trailer to rescue the last animal. All the animals were in fairly good shape besides the possible trauma of the accident. The Examiner
The Examiner
• The historic Big Boy 4014, a Union Pacific historic steam engine that was retired and believed to never travel the tracks again, was restored and chugged the tracks in celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad’s Completion in 2019. On Nov. 9, 2019, the epic steam engine made a scheduled stop at historic Railroad St. in Navasota and is scheduled to return on Aug. 16. Big Boy No. 4014 will depart Cheyenne, Wyoming, on Aug. 5, traveling through Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming. The steam engine is scheduled to arrive on the 100 and 200 block of Railroad Street in Navasota near the McAlpine St. Crossing at 10:25 a.m. and depart at 11:10 a.m. Railroad Street from Washington Avenue to Johnson Street will be closed to vehicle traffic that day from 8 a.m. until noon to allow for pedestrian traffic and viewing. McAlpine St. will be closed from the Prosperity Bank drivethru entrance to the alleyway east of Railroad St. Washington Ave. will be closed from 10:10 a.m. till 11:20 a.m. from Farquar to Tenth St.
• Four men were taken into custody in Grimes County after a multi-county pursuit on July 24. According to the Grimes County Sheriff’s Office, a black Toyota Camry reported stolen out of San Antonio was seen on N. Lasalle St. in Navasota. The vehicle was moving at high speeds when a deputy attempted to stop the vehicle, which led authorities on a chase with speeds reaching 130 mph. After receiving an agency assist request from Washington County, Waller police deployed spikes on Hwy 290, west of FM 362. Police say the vehicle was disabled shortly after the spikes punctured its two left tires. The driver, Erwin Cruz Guzman, is charged with evading arrest or detention with a vehicle. Three passengers, who have not been identified, are charged with minor drug possession. According to the Grimes County Sheriff’s Office, the suspects are persons of interest in three aggravated robbery cases in Bryan.
• A College Station bank robbery suspect was apprehended in Navasota after fleeing from College Station Police on July 20. Waseem Khalil, 21, of Houston is suspected of robbing two Wells Fargo Bank locations in College Station, one on Southwest Parkway and Texas Avenue and the other at Rock Prairie Rd. and Longmire Dr. Khalil reportedly passed a note to employees at both locations demanding money and stating he had a handgun in his pocket. Authorities stated Khalil fled southbound on Texas State Highway 6 toward Navasota. Navasota Police Lieutenant Mike Mize stated Navasota Police Department was dispatched for assistance and successfully engaged spike strips to disable the vehicle. Khalil was arrested without incident and charged with two counts of robbery and one count of evading in a vehicle.
The Brenham Banner-Press
• The man accused of seriously injuring a Burton man during a drive-by shooting at a Burton convenience store has been indicted by a Washington County Grand Jury. Joshua Christopher Crowley, 36 of Round Rock, was indicted on two counts of aggravated assault while discharging a firearm while driving a motor vehicle, four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, deadly conduct – discharge of a firearm, two counts of attempted assault of a peace officer, and assault of a public servant. Crowley is suspected of randomly firing multiple rounds from his moving vehicle at several people at the backside of the Burton Short Stop on May 2. His 4-year-old son was with him at the time of the shooting and was at the center of an Amber Alert before being reunited with his mother. The man wounded in the shooting, 38-year-old Bradley Locke, continues to recover after being flown to St. Joseph Hospital in Bryan.
• The City of Brenham’s public water system will temporarily convert the disinfectant used in its distribution system from chloramine to free chlorine. The conversion started on Aug. 1 and will end on Aug. 30. During this period city residents may experience taste and odor changes. Also some discoloration or cloudiness in the water and if this occurs city officials are instructing residents to run water through the tap until it clears. Customers may also notice open fire hydrants. The water is safe to drink throughout the process.
Burleson County Tribune
• At least two people were seriously injured the afternoon of July 29 after a vehicle drove into the side of a restaurant in Somerville. According to DPS Sergeant Justin Ruiz, a vehicle was pulling into Mama’s Kitchen off Hwy 36 when the driver accidentally hit the gas instead of the brake. The vehicle crashed into the side of the building where the oil fryers are located. Sgt. Ruiz said two employees were flown to Memorial Hermann Hospital with severe burn injuries. The extent of any other injuries is unknown at this time. Somerville police and firefighters continue to investigate.
Hallettsville Tribune-Herald
• An auto/pedestrian accident about seven miles east of Moulton along FM 532 claimed the life of an elderly Hallettsville woman on July 14. The accident occurred at about 5:10 a.m. after Jerrilyn Mueller, 79, apparently abandoned her vehicle after it became mired in a rain-soaked roadside ditch along CR 532E following the recent rains, and she took off afoot along FM 532, about halfway between Moulton and Komensky. Given the dark conditions along that road at that time of day 2008 Chevy Silverado driven by Trent Roy Patterson of Shiner never saw Mueller as he drove to work that day. She was reportedly walking along the FM road as he passed. Why Mueller was traveling at that time of day and what caused her vehicle to leave the roadway remains under investigation.
Yoakum Herald-Times
• Yoakum police responded on July 18 around 1 a.m. to a shooting that had taken place just outside of a quinceanera at the Yoakum Community Center. The shooting sent a 26-year-old man to a hospital in Kyle with gunshot wounds to the arm and abdomen and another 21-yearold man to a Victoria hospital with a single gunshot wound to the upper thigh, buttocks region. The 26-year-old victim required surgery while the 21-year-old, who told officers he did not want to press charges, was treated and released. Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact the Yoakum Police Department at (361) 293-5234.