Upheaval in Weimar and Eagle Lake Governments

A pre-trial hearing was set last week in Gonzales for the ongoing embezzlement case involving two former directors of the Gonzales County EMS directors James Edward Russell and Carla Jean Russell. They are being charged with theft of a public servant of more than $30,000 after being accused of using EMS funds for personal use.

Burleson County Tribune Caldwell Police Officer Coleman Decker was shot June 17 while responding to a report of several burglaries. After a pursuit and a physical struggle, Decker was shot, returned fire and killed one person, who has been identified as 15-year-old Isaiah Martin. Decker has since been released from the hospital.

A 12-year-old boy, Ke’Shun Anthony Johnson died on June 12 as the result of a ATV accident in rural Burleson County.

Bellville Times

A former Bellville High School sports standout, Colton Kaase, 19, died June 5 in Fort Collins, Colorado, where he was a student track athlete at Colorado State University. He died of a sudden pulmonary embolism.

Yoakum Herald-Times

Joy Kroger, 74 of Bellville, died from injuries suffered on a two-vehicle accident June 8 in Yoakum after her vehicle was hit by a dump truck.

Giddings Times and News Plans for a proposed chicken plant that could have processed as many as 200,000 birds a day in Giddings’ Business Park has been scraped because the city’s wastewater capacity could not handle the additional strain on its system that the plant would cause.

Weimar Mercury

Weimar city manager Mike Barrow and police chief Todd Jacobs have both resigned. At the June city council meeting several citizens voiced concerns about the leadership of both individuals. Barrow had been city manager for nearly eight years. Jacobs had been police chief roughly that same amount of time.

Colorado County Citizen Eagle Lake Police Chief Kris Abbott was terminated by the city manager June 14 after numerous policy violations were uncovered.