Lee County Courthouse Struck By Lightning
Giddings Times & News
• County offices got hit by a double whammy in less than two months, from flooding at the county clerk’s office in early April to lightning hitting the courthouse over the Memorial Day weekend. The most damage was caused by a lightning bolt from a thunderstorm passing over Giddings that hit the peak of the historic courthouse, knocking out the clock at 4:08 p.m. on May 23. It also caused other costly damage inside the building, such as the elevator computer board, 25 phones and four computers being knocked out.
• The Immanuel Lutheran Church congregation was shocked by the death of Pastor Chris Nietubicz, who suffered a brain aneurysm. Pastor Nietubicz, 39 years old, had served Immanuel for the past four years as associate minister of the congregation.
• Texas Juvenile Justice Department Executive Director Camille Cain has announced that a Youth Development Coach at the Giddings State School has tested positive for COVID-19. The staff member had not been on campus during the month of May for unrelated reasons and she reported back to work on June 1. During that shift, she began to feel ill and left early. She has not returned to campus since that time. The agency is identifying any youth or staff members who might have had contact with her on that day.
New Ulm Enterprise
• Austin County Commissioners authorized a contract amendment with Burns Architecture to allow the architectural firm to design a new EMS Station for Industry. Negotiations have begun for a site for the upgraded station, but are not firm at this time. Judge Tim Lapham stated that the current station in Industry is too small for a twoperson crew and that money is in the budget for EMS improvements.
Lexington Leader
• Two Lexington residents were transported by ambulance to St. Joseph Hospital in Bryan on June 2 following a collision that happened at 5:45 p.m. Several people called 911 to report a two-vehicle accident on FM 696 East near CR 408. Witnesses said the wreckage was significant enough that both drivers could not get out of their vehicles. Donald Boettcher was driving a 1999 Chevrolet S10 pickup truck eastbound while Victoria Mathis was driving a 2013 Ford Focus westbound. As the two vehicles approached each other, Boettcher, who was driving very slow, went to turn left onto PR 7043, crossing over the westbound lane. He failed to yield to Mathis. Mathis, driving at 60 mph, hit Boettcher with such force that it smashed Mathis’s engine compartment, peeling it back like a sardine can. Both drivers suffered serious injuries, Mathis had a broken collar bone and a number of cuts and abrasions. Boettcher’s injuries were not known at press time.
The Banner-Press
• Washington County Commissioners voted to not appoint an acting constable to Precinct 2. This position was left vacant after the death of Butch Faske on May 29. According to his obituary, Faske was the longest serving elected official in Washington County history and was the first Republican elected to county office since Civil War Reconstruction. Washington County Judge John Durrenberger said the court believed placing someone in the position would give the interim constable an unfair advantage come November for the general election.
Burleson County Tribune
• Makayla Thompson, 18 years old of Houston, was killed in a motorcycle accident at 12:48 a.m. on June 8 on Park Road 4 about seven miles from Lyons. The driver, David Anthony Corleone, 27 of Houston, and Thompson, a passenger, were traveling southbound on a 2007 Suzuki 600 motorcycle when a deer entered the roadway. The motorcycle struck the deer and went onto its right side, going southbound before coming to rest in the middle of the roadway. Thompson was thrown off the motorcycle upon impact. Corleone had non-incapacitating injuries.
• Ike Dashawnne Newton, 24 years old of Snook, was charged with murder on June 2 in connection with the May 29 death of Loretta Aguirre, 53 years old of Bryan, at her home in Bryan. The arrest was made following a June 2 interview at the Bryan Police Department. Aguirre was found with laceration injuries on her back and stuffed in a large, black duffel bag. She also suffered traumatic head injuries.
The Bellville Times
• One man is dead and another was charged with murder following the shooting death of a Bellville resident on June 4. At an apartment located at 729 E. Hill St. in Bellville, David Adam Kehlenbeck, 36 of Bellville, was shot just under the rib cage in close range by a nine-millimeter bullet. Kehlenbeck had a pulse, but was not breathing when authorities arrived. He was taken to Memorial Hermann by Lifeflight at 9:55 p.m. and was later pronounced dead. Arrested and charged with murder was 41-year-old Jason Edward Geick. Geick has the apartment address as his residence. A female was also in the apartment with Kehlenbeck at the time of the shooting.