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April 10, 2024 - Sheriff Kevin W. Windham reports the arrest of four individuals linked to a theft ring in Shelby County.
Ricardo Rodriguez
Armando Huerta
Jonathan Vicente
Marlana Poore
Investigators and deputies with the Shelby County Sheriff's Department responded to a call in the 7000 block of [State] Highway 7 West on April 8, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. Upon arrival at the residence, investigators recognized the property as a highly trafficked area for drugs and stolen property. By means of a search warrant, SCSO investigators and deputies spent over 34 hours on the grounds, and recovered over $150,000 in stolen property.
Items recovered include: skid steer stolen out of Houston; bumper pull RV stolen out of Beaumont; commercial power washer on 16-foot trailer stolen out of Center; two trucks stolen out of Nacogdoches; car hauler trailer stolen from U-Haul; and two portable toilets stolen out of Carthage. Other items include: three welding machines, numerous chainsaws, generators, thousands of dollars worth of tools, five AR rifles, and multiple other firearms. Multiple trucks with altered VINs were also located and removed from the property. Center Police Department was able to identify other items stolen out of the city. Narcotics were also recovered from the residence.
Individuals arrested include:
• Ricardo Rodriguez, 33, of Center: Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity (F-1); Possession of a Controlled Substance (F-2)
• Armando Huerta, 25, of Center: Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity (F-1); Possession of a Controlled Substance (F-2)
• Jonathan Vicente, 22, of Center: Violation of Bond/Protective Order
• Marlana Poole, 24, of Tenaha: Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity (F-1); Possession of a Controlled Substance (F-2); Violation of Parole OC: Manufacture/Delivery of a Controlled Substance (F-1)
The SCSO would like to thank the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office and Jason Burch of Hughes Wrecker for their support during this time.
April 10, 2024 - At 2:51pm, the National Weather Service, Shreveport, LA states a Wind Advisory remains in effect from 7pm this evening to 7pm Thursday. Northwest winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 35 mph expected in portions of south central and southwest Arkansas, north central and northwest Louisiana, southeast Oklahoma, and east and northeast Texas.
From 7pm this evening to 7pm Thursday, gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.
Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. Use extra caution.
Be advised the number of trees coming down recently has increased with the most recent freezes and droughts over the past several years contributing to the possibly of falling trees. Yesterday’s storm had the many of the Volunteer Fire Departments and the County’s Road and Bridge crews out assisting with removing trees off the roadways.
Pictured are (from left): Roscoe McSwain, Jimmy Lout, Allison Harbison, Lizzet Mendoza, Emma Skinner, Stevie Smith, and Tom Bellmyer.
April 10, 2024 - The Shelby County Commissioners’ Court issued a proclamation declaring April as Sexual Assault Awareness month during their meeting held April 3, 2024,
Family Crisis Center of East Texas had two representatives present for the meeting and they were Lizzet Mendoza, legal advocate for Shelby County, and Emma Skinner, Sexual Assault Advocate for Angelina County. Mendoza shared the agency serves survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
County Judge Allison Harbison read aloud the Sexual Assault Awareness month proclamation as follows:
“Whereas, Sexual Assault is a pervasive issue that affects individuals, families, and communities across our nation, and
“Whereas rape and sexual assault and sexual harassment harm our communities, and every one of us has a role in protecting the people we love the most.
“And whereas, every 68 seconds an American is sexually assaulted and on average only 33 out of 1,000 cases of sexual assault end up with a conviction
“And whereas young people experience disproportionately higher rates of sexual violence between the ages of 12 to 17 with college campus reports of one in five women and one in 16 men that are
sexually assaulted during their time in school
“And whereas we acknowledge the tireless work of advocates, allies, and community leaders who are committed to ending sexual violence and providing support to survivors
“And whereas the theme of the 2024 campaign is start by believing and calls on individuals to validate and honor the survivor's experience when it is shared and therefore it is proclaimed that the Shelby County Commissioner's Court joins the nation in recognizing April as sexual assault awareness month and commits to promoting awareness of sexual violence, supporting survivors and working towards the prevention of sexual assault in our community.”
Judge Harbison asked the representatives if they had any statistics to reflect the status of cases in Shelby County.
“Here in the last two months the number of clients from Shelby County who have been coming in for services have increased, and you know that just means of course domestic violence sexual assault continues to happen in the county,” said Mendoza. “We're just getting more clients and connecting them with resources to hopefully prevent it from happening in the future, and that's all thanks to all of you and law enforcement and our partnering agencies.”
Commissioner Roscoe McSwain moved to sign and declare the proclamation and his motion was seconded by Commissioner Jimmy Lout. The motion carried.
When the commissioners meeting were set to open sealed bids for Janitorial Services, Judge Harbison stated they have received no bids.
An individual who was providing janitorial service on a part-time basis until someone was hired has already quit before the position could be filled, and Judge Harbison explained departments would need to continue to pitch in and clean in their areas.
The discussion continued on what options might be available and that a lot of services clean at night, which would not be an option for the courthouse due to the sensitive nature of legal and financial documents stored there.
A motion carried to table the janitorial services issue until the next meeting.
The commissioners had on their agenda to possibly approve the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office to have its duct system assessed; however, it had already been performed before they had the opportunity to consider moving forward with the assessment.
“We got a really good report,” said Judge Harbison. “We just need to do some cleaning of the duct system and everything.”
Judge Harbison read a synopsis of what was found of the system and nothing major was reported in the findings.
“We have mold growing in the duct system, not affecting the air quality. Nothing jumps out of being a problem other than visual mold,” said Harbison. “The AC contractor is to clean the air ducts and replace the ceiling tiles that were damaged by moisture.”
Judge Harbison said the consensus of opinion was that the moisture may have generated when the HVAC system was down during the winter, and as a result there was nothing major like mold spores to be concerned over. She said she spoke with the HVAC company that works on the jail systems and someone to clean the ducting was being located.
Not only was the assessment already completed, but a bill was already presented to the court.
Commissioner Tom Bellmyer confirmed the assessment was only for the office area, and Judge Harbison said she would insist that the entire system including office and jail be cleaned. Not just the office area.
With the work to be considered already having been done, the court deemed it a discussion item only.
Judge Harbison said she has spoken with Chief Ruth Gonzales about finding someone to clean the ducts and that she would make sure she is aware the cleaning will be for the entire ducting.
Paxton Water Supply Corporation requested Shelby County sponsor a 2025/2026 Community Block Development Grant (CDBG) application through the Texas Department of Agriculture.
“We did this with Precinct 4 as a county and City of Timpson on the Rose Hill Road,” said Judge Harbison.
Judge Harbison told the court an email recently was received informing that a project previously submitted by the county almost two years ago was being considered.
“No entity can apply for these grants without the approval from the entity they’re in, which Paxton would be in Shelby County,” said Judge Harbison. “If this water system was in the city it would have to go through the city council so they can't just go out and do it without us being partners with them.”
Clint Porterfield, County Auditor, questioned if these grants are fully funded up front, or if they are reimbursable grants, which would require the county to pay for a project and then be reimbursed at a later date.
Discussion continued further and it was decided to table the project for further clarification of several questions.
Commissioner Stevie Smith moved to table the item until the next meeting, and the motion was seconded by Commissioner Lout. The motion carried.
The commissioners were presented with a quote for repair of plumbing issues in the County Clerk’s office.
Commissioner McSwain moved to approve the quote of $1,853 for the repairs to be performed by McWilliams and Sons Inc, to be taken out of the Courthouse Repairs fund, and the motion was seconded by Commissioner Bellmyer. The motion carried.
The final agenda item for the meeting was to discuss radio communications. Instead, Judge Harbison suggested a workshop in the near future for the commissioners to help decide what course of action needs to be taken.
She suggested several entities who would be useful for the workshop.
Earlier in the meeting during public comment, Richard Lundie addressed the court regarding the county radio towers involving emergency personnel and he suggested they seek the Army Corps of Engineers to assess the area and help the county determine what radio equipment is needed to make the system work.
He asked if the county has reached out to them because they work with FEMA and Homeland Security and could help save some expense for the county.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:14am.
Agenda items approved during the meeting include: 1. Pay weekly expenses. 2. Proclamation declaring April as “Sexual Assault Awareness Month”. 3. Quote of $1,853.00 from McWilliams and Sons Inc. for repair of plumbing issues at the County Clerk’s office building and move forward with the project. To be paid for out of Courthouse Repairs fund. 4. Adjourn. Agenda items tabled during the meeting include: 1. Discussion and possible approval of the request from Paxton Water Supply Corporation for Shelby County to sponsor a 2025/2026 Community Block Development Grant (CDBG) application through the Texas Department of Agriculture.
April 9, 2024 - Travelers on U.S. Highway 96 North and in the northern end of Shelby County should use extreme caution during the storm, and to even stay off the roads until the storm has cleared, as there are several reports of trees down in the roadway.
Editor's note: Shelby County Today has received reports of heavy weather at 3:20pm in the Timpson area, with heavy debris including bricks becoming an issue on the Timpson square.
April 9, 2024 - (Update: 3:16) - The National Weather Service in Shreveport has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Western De Soto Parish in northwestern Louisiana, Southwestern Caddo Parish in northwestern Louisiana, Panola County in northeastern Texas, Southeastern Rusk County in northeastern Texas, North central Nacogdoches County in eastern Texas, Northern Shelby County in eastern Texas...
Until 4pm CDT.
At 3:11pm CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near Pinehill to 8 miles southwest of Carthage to near Garrison, moving northeast at 50 mph.
Hazard: 60 mph wind gusts and penny size hail.
Source: Radar indicated.
Impact: Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees.
Locations impacted include: Carthage, Stonewall, Logansport, Tenaha, Timpson, Garrison, Beckville, Joaquin, Deberry, Pinehill, Gary City, Keachi, Grand Cane, Longstreet, Stanley, Keat Chie, Front, Spring Ridge, Fairplay, and Midyett.
Precautionary/Preparedness Actions: For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building.
A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 9pm CDT for northwestern Louisiana, and eastern and northeastern Texas
A severe thunderstorm warning remains in effect until 3:30pm CDT for southwestern Panola, southern Rusk, northern Nacogdoches and western Shelby counties.
At 2:50pm CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from 8 miles northeast of New Salem to 7 miles southwest of Minden to near Trawick to near Douglass, moving east at 45 mph.
Hazard: 60 mph wind gusts and penny size hail.
Source: Radar indicated.
Impact: Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees.
Locations impacted include: Nacogdoches, Timpson, Garrison, Martinsville, Douglass, Minden, Trawick, Appleby, Mount Enterprise, Gary City, Stockman, Lawsonville, Brachfield, Arcadia, Dotson, Looneyville, and Laneville.
Precautionary/Preparedness Actions: A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 9pm CDT for eastern and northeastern Texas.
For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building.
April 8, 2024 - (Updated: 8:28) - Tornado watch 92 is in effect until 1am CDT for the following locations:
Anderson, Cherokee, Freestone, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Leon, Limestone, Marion, Nacogdoches, Navarro, Panola, Robertson, Rusk, Shelby, Smith
The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for several counties in Texas until 8pm Monday, April 8, 2024.
Texas counties Included are: Anderson, Angelina, Brazos, Burleson, Cherokee, Falls, Freestone, Grimes, Houston, Jasper, Leon, Limestone, Madison, Milam, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Newton, Panola, Polk, Robertson, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Trinity, Tyler, Walker, Washington.
April 8, 2024 - (Update: 4:22pm) - A strong thunderstorm will impact northeastern Nacogdoches, southwestern Shelby and northwestern San Augustine counties through 4:45pm CDT.
At 4:08pm CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over Martinsville, or 13 miles east of Nacogdoches, moving northeast at 30 mph.
Hazard: Wind gusts up to 40 mph and pea size hail.
Source: Radar indicated.
Impact: Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects. Minor hail damage to vegetation is possible. Locations impacted include... Martinsville, Neuville, Arcadia, Jericho, and Stockman.
Precautionary/Preparedness Actions: If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building. Torrential rainfall is also occurring with this storm and may lead to localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways. Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm. Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe shelter inside a building or vehicle.
A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 8pm CDT for eastern Texas.
The National Weather Service in Shreveport has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Southeastern Nacogdoches County in eastern Texas, Southeastern Angelina County in eastern Texas, Southwestern San Augustine County in eastern Texas until 3:45pm CDT.
At 2:39pm CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 8 miles northwest of Rockland, moving northeast at 30 mph.
Hazard: 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.
Source: Radar indicated.
Impact: Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees.
Locations impacted include: Zavalla, Broaddus, and Dolan.
Precautionary/Preparedness Actions: For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a
building.
A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 8pm CDT for eastern Texas.
April 8, 2024 - Notice is hereby given that a Regular meeting of the Governing body of the Shelby County Commissioners’ Court will be held on the 10th day of April, 2024 at 9:30am in the Courtroom of the Shelby County Courthouse at 200 San Augustine Street, Center, Shelby County, Texas to deliberate and consider action on the following items:
1. Approve the minutes of March 6, 2024 Special meeting, March 13, 2024 Regular meeting, March 13, 2024 Special meeting, March 20, 2024 Special meeting, March 27, 2024 Special meeting of the Shelby County Commissioner’s Court.
2. Approve and pay weekly expenses.
3. Approve and pay current Payroll.
4. Approve Officers Report.
5. Public comments on Agenda item.
6. Open quotes for Janitorial Services.
7. Discuss and possibly approve an increase in the County’s yearly contribution of $7,000.00 to the Shelby County Soil and Conservation District #449.
8. Discuss and possibly rescind the action taken in Commissioners Court on March 27, 2024, to go out for bids to replace the roof and gutters on the Courthouse Annex.
9. Discuss and possibly utilize the TIPS-USA Purchasing System to receive bids for the replacement of the roof and gutters on the Courthouse Annex.
10. Discuss and possibly approve a Purchase Contract between Shelby County and Darin Borders for pugmill sand.
11. Adjourn.
April 8, 2024 - Flood Watch now in effect from 12-noon CDT today through Wednesday evening.
What: Confidence continues to increase in a widespread flooding event beginning late today and continuing through Wednesday caused by excessive heavy rainfall.
Where: Portions of Arkansas, including the following counties, Columbia, Hempstead, Howard, Lafayette, Little River, Miller, Nevada, Sevier and Union, Louisiana, including the following parishes, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Claiborne, De Soto, Grant, Jackson, La Salle, Lincoln, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Red River, Sabine, Union, Webster and Winn, southeast Oklahoma, including the following county, McCurtain, and Texas, including the following counties, Angelina, Bowie, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Franklin, Gregg, Harrison, Marion, Morris, Nacogdoches, Panola, Red River, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby, Smith, Titus, Upshur and Wood.
When: From 12-noon CDT today through Wednesday evening.
Impacts: Excessive runoff will result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations.
Additional Details: Scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms will begin impacting portions of the Four State Region late this afternoon, eventually becoming widespread overnight and continuing through the day Tuesday and into Wednesday. During this timeframe, excessive heavy rainfall will be likely across portions of the region. Flash Flooding will become a concern in some locations, especially across low lying and poor drainage areas. Look for widespread 4-8 inches of rainfall during this timeframe with isolated higher amounts possible.
Precautionary/Preparedness Actions: You should monitor later forecasts and be alert for possible Flood Warnings. Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop.
April 8, 2024 - Flood watch remains in effect from this afternoon through Wednesday afternoon.
This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for south central Arkansas, southwest Arkansas, north central Louisiana, northwest Louisiana, southeast Oklahoma, east Texas and northeast Texas.
Day One: Today and tonight - Showers and thunderstorms will increase in coverage and intensity today through tonight with some of these possibly becoming strong to severe. Large hail and damaging thunderstorm wind gusts will be the main threats, but an isolated tornado cannot be ruled out as well.
Excessive heavy rainfall will begin this afternoon across portions of the region with this threat becoming widespread overnight tonight.
Days Two Trough Seven: Tuesday through Sunday - Excessive heavy rainfall will continue to be a very concerning threat with possible widespread flooding across portions of the Four State Region Tuesday into Wednesday. In addition, there will continue to a severe weather threat across much of the region through Wednesday as well with large hail, damaging thunderstorm wind gusts and isolated tornadoes possible. The rainfall should taper off Wednesday Night from west to east across the region but area waterways will likely see possible significant rises with crests not expected until the upcoming weekend into early next week.
Spotter Information Statement: Spotter activation will be possible as early as this afternoon.
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