Texas Rangers Investigating Eagle Lake PD; Dime Box Woman Accidently Shot in Shower
The Colorado Co. Citizen
• Eagle Lake Police Department has encountered its share of difficulties in the past three years. Three police chiefs, a staggering turnover rate for police officers, and a department with an emotionally and physically exhausted staff. An investigation by the Texas Rangers has been opened on the department at the request of current interim Police Chief Federico Garza, Jr. Garza was brought in as interim Chief in Oct. 2020. At the March 9 Eagle Lake City Council meeting, the city government heard from Garza and longtime ELPD Officer Sgt. David Weatherall regarding the department’s obstacles. “I have been through four city managers; five police chiefs and I have seen dozens and dozens of officers come and go since I have been with the department. These transitions are killing us,” Weatherall said in his address to council. “Our crime rate is on the rise, particularly with the youth in the community. Our crime rate was at its lowest in 2016, and I believe that was because we had structure then. Our department doesn’t have the coverage we need for a town this size. We are constantly undermanned and underpaid. We put our lives on the line out there and we would really like more support from city council. I love this community, that is why I am still here,” Weatherall continued. Garza reported to council that the evidence room was “in shambles” when he first started as interim Chief last fall, including possible missing weapons from the evidence room. Sergeant Stephen Woodard, Public Information Officer for the Texas Department of Public Safety said, “At the request of the Eagle lake Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Texas Ranger Division is conducting an investigation into allegations of criminal misconduct. This remains under investigation, and further details are not available at this time.” Garza confirmed there are three active investigations into the police department at this time.
• The City of Eagle Lake announced on March 15 that Pintail Hunting Club LLC, its farming affiliate 3S Real Estate LLC, and their operators Lance Stancik and Adam Sinn are donating $100,000 to the recently established City of Eagle Lake Winter Storm Uri Relief Fund. The relief fund has been established to pay up to $1,000 of an at-need City of Eagle Lake residential customer’s plumbing expenses associated with damage caused by the winter storm.
Giddings Times & News
• The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has concluded the investigation into an accidental shooting that occurred on March 8 in Dime Box. A 21-year-old male was handling a firearm in a bedroom when the 9mm handgun discharged. The bullet traveled through an interior wall and into the bathroom where a 19-yearold female was showering. The bullet struck the female in the back. The victim was airlifted to Dell Seton Hospital in Austin and released two days later. The bullet was not surgically removed and remains in the victim at this time.
Brenham Banner-Press
• The Texas Rangers are currently investigating a death at the Washington County Jail. Sheriff Otto Hanak reports that they are investigating the death of 33-year-old Bryan O’Neal Dixon of Brenham. Dixon had been court-ordered to jail on March 11 for violating terms of his probation. Dixon was found to be unresponsive on March 16 at approximately 6:15 a.m. during routine cell checks. The family of Dixon believes his death to be the result of negligence. Tyrika Scyrus, Dixon’s sister, said he was diagnosed as schizophrenic and bipolar. According to Scyrus, Dixon repeatedly told jail staff he was not feeling well. She alleges officers did not call paramedics to check on him and instead put him in a padded cell, returning later to find his body in the cell. Scyrus believes Dixon would not refuse medical help, and calls this “murder from neglect.” She further stated, “I think they killed my brother.” Hanak said Dixon was evaluated and treated by several health officials since entering the jail on March 1 including checks by EMS, the jail doctor, and jail medical assistants. He also said Dixon was moved to a padded cell “for his own protection” and that he was checked on a regular basis. He said the investigation by the Texas Rangers is ongoing at this time, and that no further comments would be made on the matter. Dixon’s mother, Tracie Dixon, says there are a lot of unanswered questions on what happened and how it happened. She says she was not notified of Dixon’s death before officials arrived at the jail to pick up his body, and questions what events led to him being put in a padded cell in the first place. Dixon’s family says his body has been taken to Austin for an autopsy.
• More than 30 emaciated horses were recently removed from a property in Washington County. According to the Houston SPCA, 31 Paso Finos have been rescued after the owner contacted the organization for help. The rescue took place over two days. During the removal of multiple carcasses and scores of bones, including a skull of what appeared to be a young horse. The rescued horses are being treated and rehabilitated at the Houston SPCA Equine and Farm Animal Rehabilitation Center.
• A Houston-area man was killed on the afternoon of March 18 in a roadside accident on Highway 290, just east of Brenham city limits. DPS reports that around 5:30 p.m., a 62-year-old man was working on his 2001 Chevy Silverado 3500 after it broke down on the side of the highway. As the man tried to fix the truck, it began to roll away to the east. According to DPS, the man attempted to get into the truck but fell, and the vehicle ran over him. The name of the victim had not yet been released, as officials had been unable to contact the family to provide notification at press time.
• Multiple residents and staff at Focused Care in Brenham have tested positive for COVID-19 with some testing positive after receiving at least the first dose of the coronavirus vaccination. The outbreak began when a staff member tested positive on Feb. 22. Since then a total of 17 residents and six staff members have tested positive for COVID-19. At that time 12 residents received both the first and second vaccine shot. Seventeen additional residents were vaccinated for the first time during the second clinic. On March 4 nine of 17 received their second shot as the CDC recommends those testing positive for COVID-19 not take the vaccine until they are cleared of the virus.
Burleson County Tribune
• Lake Somerville is now in Stage 1 drought status. The Brazos River Authority (BRA) on Monday announced that a Stage 1 drought watch has been implemented for the lake. The move is a result of the area near the reservoir meeting a trigger set in the BRA’s Drought Contingency Plan associated with the Palmer Hydrologic Drought Index (PHDI). The PHDI is a product of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and indicates the level of wet or dry conditions within a particular area. The BRA says that due to the drier-than-normal conditions in the lower Brazos River basin, the monthly PHDI has fallen below the -2.4 trigger for Lake Somerville. The stated goals of a Stage 1 drought watch are to raise awareness of the developing drought situation and achieve a voluntary five percent reduction of normal water use.