Weimar Man Shoots Wife, Arrested For Criminally Negligent Homicide
The Weimar Mercury
• On Aug. 8 at 2:43 a.m. Colorado County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to 1134 FM 532 near Weimar about a shooting. On arrival, it was discovered that a female victim had been shot by her husband while they were in the front yard of the residence. The female, identified as 38-year-old Teresa Sierra of Weimar, was deceased. Further investigation revealed the incident did not appear to be an intentional act and was the result of negligent behavior. The suspect, 46-year-old Regulo Sierra of Weimar, was taken into custody at the scene for criminally negligent homicide. The case is still under investigation.
• The Weimar Volunteer Fire Department reported that on Aug. 15 at 10:45 a.m. the department was dispatched to the St. Michael Catholic Church for a fire behind the altar in a back room. Two firefighters attending mass quickly sprang into action grabbed a nearby fire extinguisher to knock the fire down. Upon arrival, an additional extinguisher was used to extinguish the remained embers and all smoldering items were removed from the building. The building suffered minimal damage and no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was undetermined.
Burleson County Tribune
• The Department of Public Safety has confirmed that a woman struck by a pickup near Lyons in Burleson County has died. The victim has been identified as 49-year-old Kimberly Rene Griffin of Port Arthur. Investigating troopers say she was struck by a 2013 Chevy pickup about 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 16 on FM 60 about 1.8 miles east of Lyons. The pickup was driven by a 62-year-old Houston man and was eastbound when the woman was hit in the roadway. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation into the accident was still listed as open on Aug. 17.
• On the night of Aug. 17, a warrant service resulted in the shooting of Burleson County’s Chief Deputy and a standoff that lasted over 8 hours. Chief Deputy John Pollock was shot just before 7 p.m. while deputies conducted a search warrant at a home off of FM 60, west of Snook. The armed suspect then barricaded themselves inside the home, prompting a standoff involving multiple agencies. Pollock was hospitalized at CHI St. Joseph Regional Hospital in Bryan in serious but stable condition. DPS Sergeant Justin Ruiz said the home was secured on the morning of Aug. 18 at 3:15 a.m. Sgt. Ruiz said no information on the suspect can be released at this time.
Lexington Leader
• On Aug. 4 at around 2 p.m., three men were spotted walking near the car wash carrying guns. Lexington Interim Chief of Police Jarod Jarmon responded to the scene and spoke with the men who said they were with Open Carry Texas to educate all Texans about their rights, to condition Texans to feel safe, to encourage elected officials, and to foster a relationship with the local law enforcement. Chief Jarmon checked their identification information and bid them well being convinced that they had the right to walk through town with their weapons although it was not well received by everyone in town. Word also got out to Lexington ISD where several students were on campus for practices. The district issued a shelter in place which lasted a few hours until the men left town. Each man had a pistol on his hip and one was also carrying an AR-style weapon and another one was carrying a shotgun.
The Brenham Banner-Press
• A Washington County man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty to seven felony offenses, including several family violence charges. 60-year-old Clarence Williams, Jr. of Old Washington pleaded guilty on Aug. 16 to offenses including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of assault on a family member with previous conviction, assault by strangulation, two counts of burglary of a habitation, and evading arrest. Due to Williams’ extensive criminal history, all but one of the charges were enhanced to habitual offender status, with a punishment range of 25-99 years or life in prison, but by agreement, the punishment range was set at 25-50 years. One of the charges, evading arrest with a previous conviction, was enhanced to a punishment range of 2-20 years in prison. The charged offenses spanned a period of December 25, 2019, to Williams’ arrest date of July 13, 2020. At the hearing, the victim in the case testified to all of the instances of abuse that were charged. She described over a year’s worth of violence that had escalated from black eyes to strangulation, and finally to being held at knifepoint and threatened with death. The State also presented evidence of Williams’ criminal history, specifically 13 prior felony convictions, multiple misdemeanors, and pending charges of tampering with a witness. Evidence was also provided by a forensic nurse from Baylor Scott & White and a former deputy who was nearly stabbed by Williams 18 years ago.