San Jacinto County News - Breakout

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By Emily Kubisch-Sabrsula
SJNT correspondent

COLDSPRING — Returning to the San Jacinto Community Center, the Commissioners Court met for the first February meeting, noting that some prescribed burns have been happening around the county.

The local District Attorney’s Office has tasked the court with being in accordance with the 86th Legislature and requiring that the court establish a Sexual Assault Response Team. Members are to be appointed, including representatives from surrounding County’s Sheriff’s offices and DA’s office of the counties involved, members from Children’s Safe Harbor in Montgomery County, and a SANE Nurse. 

This is an ongoing item and will be on the agenda at a later time.

Presented by Trisha Basham, clarifications were made to the road name change verification form. Customers will need to present three different name proposals to court along with the already established $500 fee for the private road creation, half of which goes to the 911 Department and the other half to the precinct who will provide a blue sign with installation. 

The court emphasized that legally, green signs are reserved for county roads and blue signs are for private, non-county roads.

The court approved the purchase of a new sanitation truck for $161,720 from Santex Truck Centers Ltd. 

Plans to hire an architect to design a renovated county law enforcement center have been established for future agendas. The law enforcement center is a project that has been in the works for more than a year now.

A bid for work on the Innovation Center will be on the next agenda.

The next Commissioner’s court meet will meet Wednesday, Feb. 23, at 9 a.m. in the Emergency Shelter in Coldspring, across from the courthouse. Public comment can be made at the beginning of the meeting.

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San Jacinto County Chief Deputy Tim Kean, Commander Lt. Ray Bowen and Sheriff Greg Capers discuss plans for a community policing effort in the county. Courtesy photo

Special to the News-Times

 COLDSPRING — Mounting concern about what is perceived as the new normal in criminal activity, San Jacinto County law enforcement personnel are looking to take policing to the next level.

SJC Sheriff Greg Capers said he is not only aware of the epidemic in crime, he has dedicated his entire policing staff to a program of Proactive Policing with the assistance of many community leaders.

By example, Capers cited that Houston and Harris County, just to the south of the county, has become national leaders in homicide, according to recent statistics.

“Within the next few months we will be taking our initiative on the road,” Capers said. “With the cooperation of community leaders, we will host a series of meetings with the residents of the county for us to ‘listen and learn’ of their fears and concerns, and to provide them with valuable insight to preclude them from becoming victims.”

Capers said the details of how the programs will work will be released at a later date.

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Special to the News-Times

COLDSPRING — The San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office picked Michelle O’Laughlin as Employee of the Month.

Sheriff Greg Capers said being named “Employee of the Month” is not the easiest recognition bestowed on law enforcement personnel at the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office.

O’Laughlin has been dedicated to the oversight of inmates since 2015 and is responsible for and in many cases accountable for their whereabouts and their well-being while under the care and custody of San Jacinto County. 

Capers said that nowadays, inmate well-being has taken on a whole new definition for correction officers.

“The COVID outbreak has redefined what is expected of these correctional professionals who to a large extent put themselves at high risk of contracting this deadly disease while in service to the community,” he said. “It was therefore my pleasure as sheriff to accept the recommendation to bestow this award and acknowledgment for tremendous dedication always giving above and beyond what is expected.”

Capers went on to explain that not everyone in our custody has been convicted of a crime — many are awaiting trial — so it’s our responsibility to guarantee all the rights and privileges afforded them, which includes health and safety.

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HUNTSVILLE — The students listed on the President’s Honor Roll at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville are undergraduates who have achieved a perfect 4.0 grade point average in all work attempted while enrolled in not less than 12 semester hours. The university would like to recognize the following students for earning the honor for the Fall 2021 semester.

Local students include:

• Cleveland: Peyton Bond, Katelynn Daugherty, Cory Harper, Jessica Preuss, Carolina Salgado

• Coldspring: Kynadee Benestante, Sanshae Goffney, Patrick Jordan, Sean Palmer, Kathleen Simmons

• Oakhurst: Jacelynn Head

• Shepherd: Riley Rodgers, Kirsten Schlagel

The students listed on the Dean’s List of Academic Honors at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, are undergraduates who have achieved a grade point average of at least 3.5 out of a perfect 4.0 in all work attempted while enrolled in not less than 12 semester hours. The university would like to recognize the following students for earning the honor for the Fall 2021 semester.

Local students include:

• Cleveland: Bailey Anderson, Peyton Bond, Cristi Broyles, Katelynn Daugherty, Kylann Dillard, Lindsey Eddins, Amanda Ferguson, Christa Grissom, Cory Harper, Ariel Meadows, Madison Moody, Jessica Preuss, Haylee Reinhart, Carolina Salgado, Rebecca Taylor, Gitzel Vargas

• Coldspring: Kynadee Benestante, Katrina Bennett, Kai Caraballo, Sanshae Goffney, Kari Jordan, Patrick Jordan, Sean Palmer, Jacob Seagraves, Kathleen Simmons, Allyson Smith, Curtis White, Shatrine Zachary

• Oakhurst: Victoria Birmingham, Jacelynn Head, Alexis Wilson

• Pointblank: Jonni Houser, Makayla Lane, Addy Ward

• Shepherd: Crystal Campbell, Martia Foreman, Destry Lunsford, Autumn Phillips, Riley Rodgers, Kirsten Schlagel, Leslie Thomas