Houston County News 2

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By Jan White
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CROCKETT – The Crockett Police Department is partnering with Spellman’s K-Hill Ranch and Mimsy’s Craft Barbecue to present author and criminal profiler Phil Chalmers in Counter Homicide Training. The program will take place at the Crockett Civic Center on Saturday, August 27, from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Training topics are set to include school shooting trends, school safety tips, dangerous youth culture, and myths about serial killers.
Chalmers will show active shooter videos and provide hundreds of crime-scene photos. The program also features live interviews with teen killers, school shooters, mass murderers, and serial killers. Chalmers also speaks on the causes, warning signs, triggers, modus operandi, and signatures of these killers.

Law enforcement officers, school administrators and staff, counselors, probation officers, social workers, and anyone interested in learning more about the mindset behind the individuals who perpetrate violent acts is encouraged to attend.

Because of the graphic nature of the topic and content, no one under the age of 18 will be admitted.

The training is free, but the Crockett Police Department requests that you RSVP by emailing: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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AUSTIN — Texas Secretary of State John Scott encouraged all eligible Texas voters to make sure they are registered to vote by October 11th to participate in the upcoming November 8 General Election. Texas law requires eligible voters to be registered 30 days before Election Day, and since the 30th day before November 8, 2022 falls on the Sunday before Columbus Day, eligible Texas voters effectively have two extra days to register this year (Texas Election Code Sec. 13.143(e)). Secretary Scott urged Texas voters to visit the state’s official voting web site - VoteTexas.gov - for accurate and comprehensive information on voting in Texas.

“Even though we’re still two months away from the voter registration deadline, it’s never too early to make sure you’re registered, update your registration information if you need to, and prepare yourself to vote in the upcoming election,” Scott said. 

“If you’re renewing your Texas Driver License or personal ID card online, please take the extra second to check the box to register to vote if you’re eligible to do so. If you’re registering to vote for the first time, make sure your signed voter registration application is postmarked to your county voter registrar by October 11. If you simply need to update your voter registration information - such as your name, address or ID numbers - you can do so online through our portal available at Texas.gov.”

“Don’t let the deadline sneak up on you - get registered and start preparing for the upcoming election today by visiting VoteTexas.gov!”

Eligibility for Voter Registration in Texas

You are eligible to register to vote in Texas if:

• You are a United States citizen;

• You are a resident of the county where you submit the application;

• You are at least 17 years and 10 months old on the date your voter registration application is submitted, and you are 18 years of age on Election Day.

• You are not a convicted felon (you may be eligible to vote if you have completed your sentence, probation, and parole); and

• You have not been declared by a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be either totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.

Registering to Vote for the First Time

If you are a first-time Texas voter, make sure to complete your voter registration application and make sure it is postmarked to your county’s voter registrar by Tuesday, October 11th. To obtain and complete your application, you have several different options:

• Complete an application using the SOS Online Voter Registration Application form. Simply fill in the required information, print, sign and mail the completed application directly to your county voter registrar;

• Request a printed application from the Texas Secretary of State’s office. Our office will mail a postage-paid voter registration application to the address provided; OR

Contact or visit your county election office, public library or other local government office to obtain a voter registration application.

Register to Vote When Renewing Your Driver License

If you’re not already registered to vote but have an existing Texas Driver License or Texas Personal ID Card, you can register to vote online when renewing, replacing or changing your contact information for either of these cards through the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).

Follow the steps on the DPS web portal to update your driver license information, and you will be given the option to register to vote when renewing or updating your information.

You can also register to vote while obtaining your Texas Driver License or Texas Personal ID card in person from DPS.

Update Your Voter Registration Information Online

Whether you’ve recently moved or changed your name, you can now update all your information on your voter registration record through the Texas Secretary of State’s portal on Texas.gov.

You can also use the same portal to update your voter registration file with your Texas Driver License number, Personal ID card number, or the last four digits of your Social Security number to ensure the information is on file with your county voter registrar.

For more information on registering to vote and voting in Texas, visit www.votetexas.gov or www.votetexas.gov/es for voting information in Spanish.

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Two Crockett men have arrested after it was found they were in possession of controlled substances.

On Aug. 2, around 7:50 a.m., officers with the Crockett Police Department conducted a traffic stop near 2nd Street and East Houston Avenue on a Dodge Durango for a traffic offense.

During the traffic stop investigation, the officers were able to obtain probable cause to search the vehicle where they found a loaded syringe and clear baggie with what was suspected to be methamphetamine.

The driver, Stanley Maxwell, 19, from Crockett, was arrested for possession of less than a gram of controlled substance in a drug-free zone, a third-degree felony, and a Class C misdemeanor of possession of drug paraphernalia.

The passenger, Gauge Low, 19, of Crockett, was arrested for possession of controlled substance in a drug-free zone,  a third-degree felony, as well as several Class C misdemeanor warrants he had out of the City of Crockett.

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AUSTIN – The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is seeking information in the 2002 slaying of Dannarriah Finley, 4, of Orange.

An increased reward of up to $6,000 is being offered for information that leads to the arrest of those responsible if the tip is received before the next featured cold case is announced. A $3,000 reward for information leading to an arrest is routinely offered on all cases on the Texas Rangers’ Cold Case website.

On July 4, 2002, Finley was reported missing to the Orange Police Department. She was last seen alive sleeping in a bedroom at her mother’s house along with her siblings and cousins. Three days later, her mostly nude and partially decomposed body was found approximately 27 miles away, near a dredge pipeline ditch off State Highway 82 in Port Arthur, an area known as Pleasure Island.

Despite intensive investigation into what happened to the young girl, this case remains unsolved and anyone with details regarding the homicide is asked to come forward with information.

To be eligible for cash rewards, tipsters MUST provide information to authorities by calling the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477). All tips are anonymous. Individuals can also submit information through the Texas Rangers’ Cold Case website or by phone to the Missing Person Hotline at 1-800-346-3243.

The Texas Rangers’ Cold Case website provides information on more than 125 cases in an effort to garner public interest in unsolved or cold cases. Texas Crime Stoppers offers rewards (funded by the Governor’s Criminal Justice Division and administered by DPS) of up to $3,000 for information that leads to the arrest of those responsible for any Ranger cold case listed on the website.