Polk County News

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From Enterprise Staff

State Trooper Cotye Lowrie, serving with District 2B of Livingston spearheaded a collaborative effort aimed at combatting illegal narcotic activity in the Blanchard/Scenic Loop area of Polk County.

The operation, conducted on Feb. 21-22, saw the concerted efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies including the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division, Texas Highway Patrol, Polk County Narcotics Division, and the Livingston Police Department.

With a focus on targeting the sale and transportation of illegal narcotics, as well as apprehending individuals with outstanding warrants, Lowrie’s initiative resulted in what law enforcement is calling “a highly successful operation that made significant strides in enhancing public safety within the county.”

The operation yielded the apprehension of several individuals involved in illegal narcotics activities, and the execution of warrants for individuals with outstanding charges. The following arrests were made by the aforementioned law enforcement agencies.

Christopher Perkey was arrested with a warrant for theft. Stephen Theis and Montana Lawrence had a warrant issued for possession of methamphetamine. Ginger Beatrice Brown had two felony warrants and is charged with manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) between four and 200grams. Savanna Mitcham had a warrant for felony theft. Jessie Gene Tolar had a parole warrant for unlawful possession of a firearm and charged with possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) between four and 200 grams. Kelley Ziegler, David Owen Barrow Jr. and Pamela Faye Barrow were charged with possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) between four and 200 grams. Haylee Cargle had a felony warrant for possession, a felony revocation warrant, and charged with possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine).

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A lengthy procession of local and area law enforcement, volunteer fire departments and first responders escorted the body of Audrii Cunningham home from the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office to Pace Funeral Home Monday. The procession even included Audrii’s school bus. Visitation will be open to the public from 5-8 p.m. Friday at First Baptist Church located at 106 Colt Rd. in Livingston. Private services will be held Saturday. Photo by Emily Banks Wooten

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In addition to being named as one of Forbes’ best large employers, Georgia-Pacific’s Polk County facilities were recently awarded the Large Business of the Year by the Polk County Chamber of Commerce. Pictured (l to r) are Georgia-Pacific employees Earlina Penson, Cathey Page, Yana Ogletree, Lester Knight, Andrew Boyce, former chamber president; George Standley, and Tatiana Wells.

Earns recognition from the business magazine for seventh time

Corrigan, Texas – Georgia-Pacific has been awarded on the Forbes list of America’s Best Large Employers 2024. This award is presented by Forbes and Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. The awards list was announced on Feb. 13 and can be viewed on the Forbes website.

America’s Best Large Employers have been identified in an independent survey from a vast sample of over 170,000 U.S. employees working for companies employing more than 5,000 people within the U.S.

The final score is based on two types of evaluations. The first is personal, given by employees themselves, also known as direct evaluations. The other is public, given by friends and family members of employees, or members of the public who work in the same industry.

Statista publishes hundreds of worldwide industry rankings and company listings with high-profile media partners. This research and analysis service is based on the success of statista.com, the leading data and business intelligence portal that provides statistics, relevant business data, and various market and consumer studies and surveys.

Georgia-Pacific has 11 facilities in Texas, including seven in East Texas—Diboll Lumber, Diboll Particleboard, Corrigan Plywood, Camden Plywood, Camden Lumber, Pineland Lumber, and a regional sales office. Together these facilities employ approximately 1,800 people. In Texas Georgia-Pacific invests $593 million in total combined compensation and benefits, including direct and indirect jobs, and has made $735 million in capital investments and acquisitions within the state since 2013.

“The employees at our East Texas facilities are keenly focused on meeting and exceeding the needs of our customers,” said Yana Ogletree, Georgia-Pacific Texas Public & Government Affairs Manager. “We are thrilled that our hard work and contributions have made an impact at this level, earning Georgia-Pacific an award from Forbes as one of the best employers in the U.S.” 

“Being recognized on the Forbes list of America’s Best Large Employers is a tremendous honor and a testament to the hard work and dedication of our employees,” said Megan Sirna, senior vice president of human resources at Georgia-Pacific. “Our employees and culture are the driving force behind our success. We are proud to have such a talented and committed team that makes Georgia-Pacific a great place to work.” 

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STOCK PHOTO

A Livingston woman is in jail after felony charges Thursday that involved an infant.

On Thursday, narcotics detectives with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested Mary Ann Burkett, 48, of Livingston, on the felony charge of endangering a child with criminal negligence.

The arrest stems from a Child Protective Services investigation where a one-year-old infant tested positive for methamphetamine at levels which show the child was exposed to the drug on a consistent basis.

Burkett was arrested without incident and booked into the Polk County Jail.