Vehicle and Fire Fatalities in Lee County
Giddings Times & News
Elizabeth Lara, 27 of Lexington, passed away and her 23-year-old boyfriend Johnathan Segundo, from Giddings, was airlifted with serious injuries after their vehicle slammed into the back of a farm tractor pulling a hay rake on FM 2440 on July 30 at 5:25 p.m. Segundo was driving Lara’s black 2016 Chevrolet Equinox SUV westbound when he struck the back of a 2020 Vista farm tractor being driven in the same direction by Erik Gilmore of Giddings. Segundo suffered a broken femur, broken arm, fractured spine, concussion, and gashes on the back of his head and forehead. Lee County Sheriff Casey Goetz said “This fatal accident was caused by driver inattention and the driver and the passenger of the SUV were not wearing their seatbelts and they were both ejected from the vehicle as it rolled over one time before coming to rest upright on its wheels.”
Giddings firemen were dispatched to a structure fire at the Shade Tree Apartments at 497 S. Polk St., Apt. #39, in Giddings at 4:38 a.m. on Aug. 1. It was reported that two occupants were in the apartment and were unable to get out. The front room appeared to be filled with smoke and police officers busted down the door to gain entry. Flames and smoke made it impossible for officers to actually enter the residence and assist the occupant in the living room area who was later to be determined to be 66-year-old James Eans of Giddings. Eans’ brother Ted Eans was trapped in the bedroom unable to get through to save his brother or escape through the front door. Officers assisted Ted at the bedroom window. Unfortunately, James perished in the fire. James likely fell asleep on the couch in the living room with a lit cigarette and that was the source of the fire. James was not very mobile and required assistance and was recently diagnosed with cancer.
A Giddings man was killed and his friend seriously injured after they were ejected from a pickup in a rollover accident while riding around after midnight on Aug. 1. David Dela-Rosa, 21, died at the scene of the crash about two miles east of Paige. He was driving a 2018 Didge Ram 1500 pickup eastbound on Hwy. 290 when the truck ran off the right side of the road in the grass for a substantial distance before reentering the hwy. The truck entered a right side skid and traveled across the eastbound lanes and the front of the pickup struck a concrete barrier causing it to overturn with left and top side damage before coming to rest on its top facing north. DelaRosa and his friend, 20-year-old Ray Garcia of Giddings were not wearing seatbelts. Garcia was taken to the Dell Seton Medical Center in Austin with serious injuries. There was a substantial amount of alcoholic beverages at the scene.
Lee County sheriff’s deputies are investigating a grand theft burglary after Trivista Operating Co., an oilfield company yard, had hundreds of thousands worth of trucks and machinery stolen from their yard in the Serbin area. A large 300-gallon fuel tank used to provide gasoline for the company trucks was also reportedly drained by the intruders. The heist occurred in the overnight hours between 5:30 p.m. on July 26 and 6:30 a.m. on July 27 and was reported at 8:26 a.m. Locks were cut on a fence to gain entry.
Lexington Leader
A Lexington woman and four kids were injured in an accident after an ATV crashed and rolled onto its side on a county road in Tanglewood, ejecting the driver and passengers on July 28 at 2:39 p.m. Taylor Martinez, 13, was driving a 2015 Polaris Ranger ATV eastbound on CR 419 attempting to negotiate a curve in the roadway which caused it to overturn onto its left side. Two of the passengers were seated in aftermarket bucketstyle high seats located in the cargo bed area. The driver and four passengers were ejected as the ATV rolled over. Taylor along with three of the passengers were taken by ambulance to Dell Children’s Hospital in Austin. The fourth passenger, Avery Rodriquez, 12, was airlifted to McLane Children’s Medical Center in Temple with serious injuries.
The Weimar Mercury
The Columbus Police Department received a call of an unresponsive male in the 1100 block of Robson St. right after midnight on Aug. 1. The male was identified as David Anthony Rios, 38 of Columbus, and was transported to the Columbus Community Hospital ER. Rios later succumbed to his wounds from multiple gunshots. After further investigation, it was determined that unknown suspect(s) fired multiple shots at the Rios. The Columbus Police are working this case as a murder and are asking the assistance of any person who may have knowledge of this crime to contact (979) 732-3351.
The Brenham Banner-Press
Some may know her as an employee in the housing department at Blinn College in Brenham or from her childhood growing up in Waller, but she is also the reigning Miss Central Texas. Lydia Brooks, 26, was crowned Miss Central Texas USA this past June and is now facing her next challenge: competing for the title of Miss Texas USA on Sept. 3-4 against 132 women ages 18-27.