Lexington Murder Suspect Declared Incompetent to Stand Trail
Giddings Times & News
• Jennifer Redden Kramer of Lexington, who was indicted for murder in connection with the death of Christopher Michael Gonzales, has been declared incompetent to stand trial.
Kramer, 41, is accused of the March 27 murder of Gonzales, 32, at the home they shared in the Blue area. The two of them were roommates before she allegedly took a knife and stabbed him numerous times in the chest. She allegedly dumped his lifeless body in a ditch several miles away. Kramer’s lawyer states she has been transferred to a mental health facility for restoration. The court ordered her to be held for up to 120 days.
• Custom fabricator Top J Metal Works is relocating and expanding its operations into Giddings. The company, which has operated a small shop in Manor since its launch in 2017, has purchased a 36,000 square foot facility located at 645 Dallas St. in Giddings and plans to open by March 2022. The Giddings Economic Development Corporation, with the approval of the City of Giddings, has agreed to provide the company with a $25,000 grant to upgrade the utilities and make other improvements to bring the building up to code.
The Gonzales Inquirer
• A canvass of security camera footage from local businesses by the Gonzales Police Department turned up a key clue that resulted in the arrest of a suspect in the early morning robbery of the Circle K store, 1107 E. Sarah Dewitt Dr., on July 6. Anthony Chavez, 21 of Honduras, was arrested and charged with aggravated robbery. Chavez lives in Gonzales but is in the US illegally. Police learned the male suspect was wearing a hat, mask, long-sleeve shirt, and black pants. He was brandishing a handgun as he demanded money. At about 4:30 p.m. that day patrolmen pulled over a car for a traffic violation. The patrolmen noted a painted Honduran flag on the car and contacted staff investigating the case. Chavez was taken into custody.
• Three people were killed and three more injured in a horrific two-vehicle crash on Hwy 183, just north of CR 230 by mile marker 586 in Gonzales County on July 5. A 2018 Ford Explorer traveling south on Hwy 183 lost control, possibly hydroplaning amid heavy rains, and crossed into the northbound lane, colliding with a 2020 Ford F-350 towing a flat-bed trailer. The driver of the Explorer, Somasundaram Ramesh, 50 of Sugarland, and two passengers, Kavitha Subramanian, 45 of Cupertino, CA, and a 15-year-old female died in the crash. A fourth passenger, Arrushi Ramesh, 20 of Sugarland, was transported to the San Antonio Military Hospital. The driver of the F-350, Patrick Beck, 25 of Cedar Creek, and a passenger, Sarah Sellers, 22 of Round Rock, were transported to Ascension Seton Edgar B. Davis Hospital in Luling.
Burleson County Tribune
• Two California men were arrested on July 6 and charged with felony arson, burglary of a building, and criminal mischief in connection with the June 28 fire at the Somerville Elementary School. Tyler Lonneman, 35 of Sacramento, and Chance Downard, 26 of Citrus Heights, were charged. Written complaints in the case showed that the men were seen on a security video in the building, entering at 1:53 a.m., and law officers were later able to identify the men after questioning residents.
• A Burleson County man has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to a 2019 sexual assault. 21-year-old Justin Batten of Snook entered a guilty plea on July 12. He was accused of attacking and sexually assaulting a woman outside her place of employment in June 2019. Batten was sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison for the charge of sexual assault. He was also sentenced to 18 years in prison for the offense of aggravated kidnapping. Batten was arrested after allegedly attacking an 18-year-old employee of a sandwich shop, who was closing up and getting ready to ride her bike home. Batten was an employee at a nearby business. He was arrested after police viewed surveillance video from an adjacent business.
The Examiner
• The body of a Navasota man who drowned in Lake Travis, 28-year old Lonnie Gray, was recovered on July 16. Gray, a father of four, went missing Fourth of July weekend while boating with family. On July 3, just before 5 p.m. he went missing near the Hatter Cove area of Lake Travis. Nearly two weeks later, at 11:30 a.m. on July 16, his body was recovered along the shoreline of Lake Travis. Gray was last seen swimming in an area of the lake that is 85-130 feet deep. The search area was several football fields in length with groves of trees at the bottom which are hazardous for sonar and divers. Despite using sonar technology with divers on standby, authorities were unable to locate Gray. Travis County Sheriff’s Office said deputies continued to search the shoreline daily and used sonar to try to locate the body. With Gray’s body now recovered, the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office has opened an investigation into the cause and manner of Gray’s death.
• A Navasota man, 37-yearold Leon Burrell Jr., is in custody and charged with the murder of Navasota High School alumni Clifton Love, 45, of College Station. On July 14, at 8:10 p.m., Navasota Police, Navasota Fire Department and St. Joseph EMS responded to a male with a gunshot wound at the Laredo Heights Apartment complex, on the 500 block of Laredo St. The victim, Love, suffered a single gunshot wound to the chest and was lying on the ground when officers arrived. He was air-lifted to St. Joseph Hospital in Bryan. Navasota Police and Grimes County District Attorney Investigators identified the shooter as Burrell who fled the scene in a tan colored Buick sedan. At 4:15 a.m., Navasota Investigators were notified that Love succumbed to his injury and a murder warrant was issued for Burrell.
On the morning of July 15 information was received about the location of the suspect’s vehicle and located it on the 500 block of East Dickson St. in Navasota. At 5:10 p.m. on July 15, Navasota Police Officers with the assistance of ATF conducted a traffic stop on the 700 block of Foster St. in Navasota. Burrell was the passenger in the vehicle and was arrested without incident. Burrell was charged with first-degree murder and booked into the Grimes County Jail.
• A blowout caused a 23-year old driver to lose control of his vehicle on Texas State Highway 6 in Navasota on July 7. Navasota Police Chief Shawn Myatt stated at 4:59 p.m., Christian Salazar, of Tomball, was traveling southbound on Hwy. 6, north of the FM Rd. 3090 exit when his tire had a blowout. Salazar lost control of the vehicle and entered the southbound median. His vehicle rolled and came to rest upside down on the Hwy. 6 feeder road. Salazar was ejected from the vehicle. CHI St. Joseph Air Medic 12 transported Salazar to CHI St. Joseph Hospital in Bryan.
The Bastrop Advertiser
• Cameron Cox, the Bastrop Economic Development Corporation’s (BEDC) former chief executive, has again filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the corporation and board members Connie Schroeder, Kathryn Nash, Kevin Plunkett, Ron Spencer and Sam Kier. Cox also claims in his suit the board members violated the Texas Open Meetings Act when dealing with his termination earlier this year.
Cox is seeking unspecified damages, court and attorney fees, and any other relief allowed under state law. Cox originally filed a whistleblower suit against the City of Bastrop, the BEDC, Schroeder, and Nash on March 24, two weeks after the BEDC board fired him without cause. On April 1, he withdrew his suit without prejudice, meaning he could refile it. On June 4, Cox again filed a whistleblower suit, an amended petition, in which he states he was wrongfully terminated by the BEDC’s board on March 11. He said he was fired in retaliation for requesting a legal opinion on Feb. 19 from the corporation’s attorney and the City of Bastrop’s attorney regarding whether it was legal for Schroeder, who is Bastrop’s mayor and also serves on the BEDC board, to ask him to endorse a candidate for City Council.
What the Neighbors Are Talking About
A look at what’s making news just over the county line.