Traffic Stop Ends With Money Laundering Charge
Fayette County Sheriff Keith Korenek reports that on Monday, March 1 around 10:15 a.m. Drug Interdiction Investigator David Smith conducted a traffic stop on Interstate 10 westbound at the 661 mile maker near Flatonia for a traffic violation on a 2020 Toyota pickup. After contact with the driver Smith observed many criminal indicators and requested a K-9 for assistance. Sgt. Randy Thumann and his K-9 Kolt assisted Smith at the stop. Kolt alerted to the vehicle and a subsequent search revealed five vacuum sealed bundles of US currency hidden in the tailgate of the truck. Arrested and transported to the Dan R. Beck Justice Center was 42-year-old Jorge Cortez of Laredo who was charged with Felony Money Laundering. Currency amount recovered totaled $75,775.
The Great Train Heist at Flatonia in 1887
The gang of train robbers met at night in the Flatonia graveyard on June 15, 1887. Around the campfire they plotted the details of their next move: robbing a train about a mile and a half east of Flatonia near Mulberry Creek. The robbery would make international headlines, would secure the notorious gang’s place in Texas history, and would make the town of Flatonia known as the site of “the most daring robbery ever in Texas,” as the New York Sun described it.
Parkinson’s Support Group Plans Meeting
Plans are being finalized for the upcoming meetings of the Fayette County Area Parkinson’s Support Group. The next meeting will take place on March 17 at 10 a.m. at the Randolph Recreation Center. The topic will be related to foods (the speaker has been arranged by one of our members). The members expressed an interest in learning more about specific foods that would be beneficial for Parkinson’s patients. The April 21 meeting will feature a Zoom presentation by a representative from the Parkinson’s Assistance Network. Questions related to hallucinations and the drugs that cause them. will be the topic. The meetings are open to patients who have been diagnosed with PD, their caregivers, families, and anyone who would like to learn more about this terrible illness. For more information, please call 832-561-1447.
Two Welders Fight Fire With Buckets Until Help Arrives
La Grange Volunteer Fire Department battled a grass fire on Knape Rd. Thursday, March 3. The fire department got the call around 2:30 p.m. Two metal workers were welding a pipe fence on the property (pictured above) when the fire started. One of the workers told the Record that he was welding some pipe with a protective hood over his head when he felt his leg get hot. The welder said he removed the hood and discovered that sparks had ignited the surrounding dry grass. The two welders fought the fire with buckets of water. La Grange Fire Chief Frank Menefee was the first firefighter to show up. He battled the blaze with a rake (left) until fire trucks arrived and quickly extinguished the flames (below). There were no injuries or major property damage. Photos by Andy Behlen
