Sheriff’s Office Seeks Information in Death of Columbus High School 2020 Graduate
The Colorado Citizen
• Sterling Noles, 18, a 2020 graduate of Columbus High School and an employee of H-E-B was found deceased on a stretch of FM 102 approximately one mile south of I-10 the night of May 29. According to the Colorado County Sheriff Office, his cause of death is still under investigation. Lt. Troy Neisner advised the department is still waiting on the autopsy results, which could take up to three months. If anyone has any information about Noles’ death, please call (979) 732-2388 ext. 232.
• Local business owner Joey Maredia said that in his 20 years of owning and operating convenience stores, he has never been robbed twice. Unfortunately, both of his Columbus stores were robbed recently. The Highway 71 Shell Station located at 1003 Walnut was robbed on May 28 at about 3:30 p.m. by a Black male wearing construction-type clothing and work boots. He waited for the clerk to be occupied and then entered the office and escaped with an undisclosed amount of money in a bank bag. He was driving a white 4-door Nissan truck. The Columbus Food Mart at 1709 S Hwy 71 was the scene of the second robbery on June 24 at about 7:30 p.m. A Black male suspect entered the store, displayed a knife to the female clerk and forced her to open her register. An undisclosed amount of money was taken. It is believed that the robber may have parked at the storage units behind the convenience store and the vehicle is allegedly a dark colored Jeep.
The Gonzales Inquirer
• Spaces Sublime owner Suzanne Zait said she noticed a particular problem with the COVID-19 pandemic, people were choosing politeness over personal safety preference. Zait said watching people choose between being polite and asking for their space contributed to her decision to sell social distancing bracelets. The bracelets are color-coded with red indicating that a person is strictly social distancing, yellow representing a person’s willingness to socialize without touching and green showing that they would like to socialize normally with like-minded people. Zait is selling her bracelets online at www. spacessublime.com.
Lexington Leader
• A Giddings man was arrested on June 25 in Burleson County and charged with burglarizing two Caldwell businesses. According to a report from the Burleson County Sheriff’s Office, at approximately 5:30 a.m. deputies re sponded to a suspected burglary in progress at the Caldwell Truck & Food Stop located on Texas 21 and FM 908, just west of Caldwell. As deputies were investigating that suspected burglary, they were alerted to another burglary in progress at the Hwy 21 Food Mart at the turnoff to Deanville, further west of the Truck Stop on Hwy 21. Surveillance footage from both stores showed images of a suspect and the suspect’s vehicle. Deputies patrolling the area soon located a vehicle matching the suspect vehicle description. The driver of the vehicle was Jaquinton Deun Whatley, 34, of Giddings.
The Bastrop Advertiser
• A free coronavirus testing site began operating in Bastrop County on July 7 as Austin Public Health, in partnership with the county, expanded the virus testing network. Bastrop County residents are now able to fill out an Austin Public Health testing enrollment form and if they qualify, they can schedule a free drive-thru test at Mayfest Park in Bastrop. To qualify for a test, individuals must meet criteria which include either having symptoms, being exposed to others who have tested positive for the virus or other high-risk factors identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For people who do not qualify, they are still able to reapply for a free test at any time if their symptoms change or they’re exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. The new testing site is able to test 192 people per day. Appointments will be available on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays only from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Bastrop County Emergency Management Coordinator Christine Files said the county will be working with a new lab and hopes to have test results within three to four days. Anyone who registers online for their test will be able to check their results on the online portal.
The Examiner
• A family violence suspect from Caldwell led Navasota Police Officers on a chase into Washington County and barricaded himself before officers took him into custody. On June 11 at approximately 11 p.m. Navasota Police Officers were dispatched for a disturbance at the 500 block of West Washington Avenue. A female at the scene said she was assaulted by her boyfriend. The suspect fled in a white Ford F150 truck and officers attempted to pull the suspect over. Officers pursued the suspect westbound toward Brenham. Officers engaged spike strips and the suspect eventually crashed into a business on the corner of Highway 105 and Farm to Market Road 577. Joshua Schoen, 37-yearsold from Caldwell, was armed with a knife and barricaded himself for 30 minutes before surrendering to officers without incident. The victim told officers she was assaulted by Schoen in College Station and when the couple stopped at a business in Navasota she tried to flee, but he choked her and assaulted her further.
• The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) continues to report additional offender deaths at the Wallace Pack Unit in Navasota. According to the latest numbers on the TDCJ website, as of July 6, Pack Unit now has 15 presumed COVID-19 related deaths. Pack is a geriatric unit that houses many elderly offenders who have medical conditions requiring special healthcare.
New Ulm Enterprise
• The Austin County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the recent robbery of a fireworks stand near Bellville. Deputies and Bellville Police Officers responded to the Mr. B Fireworks Stand on Hwy 36 just south of Bellville on July 4 around 11:40 p.m. after a 911 call. The fireworks stand was being closed by the clerk when she was confronted by a young male carrying a baseball bat. The victim described the baseball bat as having bright colors. The suspect struck the victim on the back with the bat and grabbed the cash receipts of the business. A cell phone was also stolen. The suspect fled on foot and is described as a light skinned black or mixedrace male wearing a faded orange hoodie and khaki shorts. He had a bandana covering his mouth and was about 5’4” with a slight muscular build. The victim, 19, did not require medical treatment. Anyone with information should call Austin County Crime Stoppers at 979-865-2949.
Giddings Times & News
• After mass testing of the youth at the Giddings State School last week, there were 35 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the total cases here to 64 youth. Texas Juvenile Justice Department spokesman Brian Sweaney said that 11 of these new cases at the Giddings State School are asymptomatic. Four additional Youth Development Coaches at the Giddings State School also tested positive.
The Shiner Gazette
• Ronnie Leck officially retired from his post as police chief in Shiner on June 30, ending what’s nearly five decades of public service. Leck announced his plans to retire earlier this year at a meeting of the Shiner City Council. Leck leaves behind some mighty big shoes to fill.
The Brenham Banner-Press
• As Washington County grows, so has a major problem for taxpayers and their respective city and county governments. With more new construction in Brenham accompanied with rising landfill fees, illegal dumping has become so prevalent in Washington County, the county has removed almost 100,000 pounds of sometimes dangerous waste since 2015. Washington County Environmental Health Director Mark Marzahn said they have received over 75 complaints of illegal dumping per year on average over the past five years. According to data provided by Marzahn, disposal costs to taxpayers to clean everything, from medical waste and dangerous chemicals from illegal narcotics manufacturing to old couches and mattresses, have trended upward over the last five years. The data also shows such illegal dumping cost county taxpayers in 2019 $2,057.40 from 107 total incidents.
The Bellville Times
• A string of auto thefts in Bellville may have been solved with the arrests of two adults and two juveniles in Bryan on July 6. A Chevrolet Equinox was one of two vehicles stolen in Bellville either on the night of June 28 or in the early morning hours of June 29. According to reports, four people were taken into custody after Bryan police followed a stolen vehicle to a Bryan convenience store. The police were tracking a car stolen from Bellville when it stopped at a gas station on Booneville Rd. at around 7:30 p.m. on June 29. Police approached the Chevrolet Equinox and the driver and another passenger fled on foot. Two other individuals remained in the car and police officers tracked down the two who fled on foot in a nearby neighborhood. The two adults, 18-yearold Jecorius Travon Kennedy and 18-year-old Brandon Jamaal Hollis, along with two juveniles were arrested on several charges including unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, unlawfully carrying a weapon and various drug possession charges.
What the Neighbors Are Talking About
A look at what’s making news just over the county line.