Polk County News

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A Livingston man has now been charged with murder from an incident occurring in November.

On Nov. 16, 2022, The Polk County Sheriff’s Office received an emergency call near Holly Hill Road in Livingston back on Nov. 16, 2022, in reference to a male subject who had sustained a gunshot wound. 

Sheriff’s deputies and detectives arrived on the scene and located the male victim, subsequently identified as Raymond Herrera, Jr., 72, also of Livingston. 

Deputies then located the suspect on the scene, identifying him as 70-year-old Kenny Wade Fisher. 

Fisher made the emergency call to the sheriff’s office and stated to investigators on the scene that he had shot Herrera.

Fisher was detained and the victim was transported to a medical facility in Conroe, for medical treatment. He succumbed to his injuries months later.

Subsequent to the completion of the investigation and consultation with the Polk County District Attorney’s Office, Fisher was arrested and charged with murder.  Fisher was booked into the Polk County Jail with a bond set at $150,000.

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By Tony Farkas
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COLDSPRING — The San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the shooting death of a man that occurred during an attempted robbery on March 8.

Sheriff Greg Capers said that between 5:20 and 5:40 a.m. Wednesday, Jeffrey Vance Gunter, 22, broke into Frank’s Liquor, located in the 13000 block of Highway 150 in Coldspring.

The owner of store, who was not immediately identified, was sleeping at the store because he was too tired to drive home; when the suspect broke in, the owner, Chea Alexander, woke up, Capers said.

The preliminary investigation indicates that Gunter was seeking to rob liquor, as several bags with bottles were laying around the store.

Capers said that during the robbery, the owner fired a round from a 9 mm pistol, hitting the suspect.

When deputies arrived at the scene, they found Gunter lying on the floor of the business with a single gunshot wound. Allegiance Mobile Health arrived on scene shortly after and began performing medical care to the male subject. The suspected thief was transported to a hospital in Cleveland, where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators took evidence and reviewed surveillance camera footage that showed the suspect entering the closed business through a drive-through window. The footage then showed the subject move around inside of the liquor store and place cigarettes and bottles of liquor inside of a bag before moving to a back storage room.

The video also showed the store owner heard a noise and began checking his business. The owner came across the storage room, saw the subject in the back room and yelled out. The subject appeared to rapidly move towards where the owner was standing, and the store owner discharged one round from a handgun.

Capers said the store owner immediately called 911.

The shooting still is under investigation, and the body was sent to the Jefferson County Morgue for autopsy.

Capers also said that no charges have been filed against the owner; however, everything will be presented to the San Jacinto County District Attorney’s Office and a grand jury to determine if any charges will be filed in this case, which is standard procedure.

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Tribal Gaming in the United States ($Billions)

From Enterprise Staff

The total economic benefit of Naskila Casino continues to grow, with the facility injecting $212 million into the Polk County economy in 2022, according to a new report commissioned by the Texas Forest Country Partnership.

The study by the economic analysis firm TXP found that Naskila – the electronic bingo facility run by the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas on its reservation near Livingston – is responsible for 825 permanent local jobs with a collective payroll of $22.5 million, including 400 jobs at the casino.

“This economic impact and these jobs would simply not exist without Naskila. Because 95% of Naskila’s customers come from outside of Polk County, and more than 80% come from outside the region, Naskila is an economic engine that benefits every stakeholder in the region,” the study says.

This is the third time that the Texas Forest Country Partnership has commissioned a study of Naskila’s impact. The amount of economic activity that Naskila generates has grown from $140 million in 2018 and $170 million in 2020 to $212 million today. During that same period, the number of jobs supported by Naskila has increased from 550 to 700 to 825.

“We are grateful that our guests, our employees and our neighbors in Deep East Texas have allowed the impact of Naskila Casino to continue to grow,” Ricky Sylestine, Chairman of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas Tribal Council, said. “This facility helps sustain our tribe and our region.”

Beyond the benefits to those directly employed, revenues from Naskila provide funding on the reservation for scholarships, additional housing, as well as supporting a health clinic, day care center, and retail shops that serve the tribe and the surrounding community.

Naskila Casino is the second-largest employer in Polk County, the study found. The average salary and benefits package for Naskila employees is $50,000.

“The growth of Naskila’s success is very good for Polk County,” Polk County Judge Sydney Murphy said. “Naskila draws visitors into our region and provides stable income and benefits for its employees. We know that Naskila will continue to play an important role in our county’s future.”

After a long legal fight between the tribe and the State of Texas, the U.S. Supreme Court last year affirmed the tribe’s right to offer electronic bingo. The tribe continues to work with members of the U.S. Congress to support legislation that would put the tribe under the same regulatory framework – the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act – as hundreds of other tribes across the country, including the Kickapoo Tribe in Eagle Pass, Texas.

Cathy Bennett, chair of the Texas Forest Country Partnership, which is an economic development organization serving the 12-county region of Deep East Texas, said, “We have been honored to have the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas as a member of our organization and were thrilled once again to request an updated impact study to verify what was already apparent. Naskila’s economic impact is very important to our region, especially since we are basically rural.”

The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas has the oldest reservation in Texas, located on approximately 10,200 acres near Livingston. The tribe is a fully functioning sovereign government with a full array of health and human services, including law enforcement and emergency services. There are more than 1,400 members, about half of whom live on the reservation. The tribe is governed by an elected tribal council and advised by the principal chief and second chief.

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From Enterprise Staff

State Rep. Mary Gonzalez of El Paso filed legislation this week proposing a state constitutional amendment requiring the governor to enter into gaming compacts with the three federally recognized tribes in the state.

The proposed amendment in Gonzalez’s bill – HJR 156 – would have to be approved by two-thirds of the Texas House and Senate and then approved by a majority of voters to take effect. It would allow the tribes to sue the state if the governor fails to negotiate in good faith.

Currently, the three federally recognized tribes – the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas in Polk County, the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas near the Texas-Mexico border, and Ysleta del Sur Pueblo near El Paso – offer electronic bingo at gaming facilities on their reservations in compliance with federal regulations related to tribal gaming. The state gaming compact would ensure consistency in how the tribes are treated by the state with regard to Class III gaming activities.

“These indigenous communities are very important to the life and culture of our state and to the economic success of their regions,” Gonzalez said. “It’s important that we treat these communities with fairness and respect as they go about the work of providing for themselves. Amid all the speculation about more gaming coming to Texas, we must remember and respect the Texans who are already engaged in lawful gaming to sustain their communities.”

Alabama-Coushatta Tribal Council Chairman Ricky Sylestine added, “We are grateful for the leadership of Rep. Gonzalez. Her proposal would help ensure that we would be treated with the fairness and equality that we have long sought so that we can continue to provide for our tribal citizens and invest in the Deep East Texas economy.”