San Jacinto County News

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COURTESY PHOTO The San Jacinto County Child Welfare Board and San Jacinto County decorated the Courthouse lawn to raise awareness of child abuse in the county.

By Judy Hester

Secretary, SJC Child Welfare Board

COLDSPRING — Each April the San Jacinto County Child Welfare Board, along with Child Protective Services and its parent agency, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, join hands with our local government, community groups, churches, service organizations and hometown citizens to put the spotlight on recognizing, preventing and reporting child abuse.

It is a time to focus on ways not only to protect children but also to prevent abuse from ever occurring. This is a great opportunity for our county to make a difference in young lives, so during the month of April, residents that are concerned about the problem of child abuse are asked to wear blue.

The Child Welfare Board's most dramatic statement concerning child abuse was the placement of a display of heroes on the courthouse lawn.

The signs indicate "Children Need Heroes, but Abused Children Need Superheroes." Each star placed on the courthouse lawn represents a child who was abused during 2020, with the one black star indicating one child's death that tragically occurred that year.

In Texas during 2020, there were 251 deaths with one in San Jacinto County. San Jacinto county had 205 investigations of child abuse, 76 of those being confirmed victims. This is a staggering number for our state and our county, and we should all accept the responsibility of making sure that in the future none of our children are ever included in these statistics.

We can look away and often do look away, but the repercussions of child abuse are affecting people every day. Abused children are more likely to be substance abusers, perform poorly in school, or become juvenile delinquents.

Millions of our tax dollars are spent annually to pay the financial price of child abuse from child protective services and foster care to the cost for court, law enforcement, hospital, medicine, and mental care.

In 1989 a heartbroken grandmother, Bonnie Finney, took a stand against child abuse by tying a blue ribbon to the antenna of her minivan in remembrance of her late grandson, 3-year-old Bubba Dickenson.

The body of Bubba was found bound, beaten and bruised in a weighted toolbox at the bottom of a canal. He had been killed by the boyfriend of the child's mother. Bonnie vowed to never forget the battered and bruised body of her grandson and uses the wearing of blue as a reminder to fight for the protection of all children against abuse.

As you drive by the San Jacinto courthouse, you will notice the Child Abuse Prevention flag displayed on the flagpole during the month of April.

Judge Fritz Faulkner and the Commissioner's Court issued an official proclamation declaring April as Child Abuse Prevention month. The Child Welfare Board decorated the gazebo on the courthouse lawn with blue ribbons to highlight the fight to end child abuse. April 25th was "Blue Sunday" and all churches in the county participated in a day of prayer for the children and families who have suffered.

We must be the voice for our children and give them hope, courage  and love. Remember, residents are obligated by law to report suspected child abuse. If you suspect a child is in immediate danger, call 911. For all other cases in Texas, call the abuse and neglect hotline at (800) 252-5400. Let's all join hands and stop child abuse.

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COURTESY PHOTO Coldspring VFD Chief Emmitt Eldridge presents Paramedic Kristin Loftice with a Lifesaver’s Award for his help with the delivery of a baby.

Coldspring paramedics receive lifesaving awards

By Tony Farkas

COLDSPRING — Two paramedics with the Coldspring Volunteer Fire Department were honored with lifesaving awards recently.

Kristin Loftice and Timothy King helped with the birth of a child, who was in danger because the umbilical cord had wrapped around its neck, on the side of FM 3081 near Willis on Nov. 26, 2020.

The mother and child were not identified for privacy reasons; and King was out on a medical leave.

“We got a call at around 4 a.m. for a lady in labor,” Loftice said. “By the time we got there, the Punkin-Evergreen VFD was there, and had her laying down on a pallet because she was going through contractions. I was trying to calm her down as she was pretty hysterical and hurting, and I tried to get her to not push so we could transport her to the hospital.”

While prepping the woman for transport, she did a hard push and the baby’s head had crowned, so Loftice told her partner to get the OB kit because a baby was on the way — in the dark, in a driveway, and just flashlights for light.

It wasn’t only the conditions that were a problem; the birth was a problem as well.

“When the baby’s head came out, I noticed the baby was blue, and I felt around and found the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck,” she said. “I had gotten my fingers in and was able to spread out the cord, and at that time, the baby started to move its mouth.

COURTESY PHOTO Coldspring VFD Chief Emmitt Eldridge presents Paramedic Timothy King with a Lifesaver’s Award for his help with the delivery of a baby.

“I told mom to push and let’s get the baby the rest of the way out; I was able to guide the baby out (of the birth canal) so the umbilical cord didn’t wrap any tighter,” Loftice said. “King took care of the mother and prepared her for transport; I took the baby into the ambulance and began taking care of it. The baby then started crying, and he pinked up very good, and he started trying to feed on the way to the hospital.”

In the end, they delivered a strong, healthy boy.

“We got them to a hospital and everything turned out great,” she said. “Mom and baby checked out OK. My first baby delivery, and with it being one with an umbilical cord wrapped around the neck, it was scary, I’m not gonna lie. But I went with my gut and my training and toughened up. Still, it was intense.”

There was a point that Loftice had questioned her career choice, having seen quite a lot of bad things as a paramedic. However, birthing a child has given her a new outlook.

“That, as well as helping people, is why I got into paramedic work,” she said. “It warms my heart up. It’s why I’m here and do what I do. Bringing a life into the world, instead of trying to keep it from going out, was a breath of fresh air, a big change.”

Loftice keeps tabs on the family, and said that all reports indicate mother and son are doing fine.

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MUGSHOT Misael Ortuno Gomez Jr.

Special to the News-Times

WILLIS — A Willis man was seriously injured after being shot three times in the stomach on Wednesday, and a suspect in in custody on a charge of aggravated assault.

Misael Ortuno Gomez Jr. is being held in the San Jacinto County Jail on a $100,000.00 bond after being charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

According to SJCO reports, on April 21 at about 5 p.m., deputies were notified about a shooting in the 100 block of Foxfire Lane in Willis. The victim was shot three times in the midsection of his body.

Law enforcement personnel immediately began lifesaving procedures, along with the Bear Creek Fire Department firefighters and EMS crews. The victim was then taken by helicopter to a nearby hospital where he went into surgery and was listed in stable condition.

The report states that further investigation revealed the name of the suspect, who had fled back into the house at the original address and barricaded himself in.

The suspect reportedly was heavily armed, and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, its 30-man SWAT Team, a robot, Bomb Squad, and two drones were sent to the scene.

Officers began a search of the area, which was about eight to 10 acres large with outbuildings and houses; however, the suspect had fled out the back door of the house, the report states. He was arrested Thursday without incident.

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LOGO San Jacinto County Sheriff's Office

Special to the News-Times

CLEVELAND — The San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the identity of a shooting victim and details of his death.

According to a press release, on April 22, at approximately 4:30 p.m., the Sheriff’s Office received a call about an unresponsive male laying in the ditch, about two miles down Forest Service Road 201 from FM 1725 in the Cleveland area, deep inside the National Forest.

Deputies arrived and found the victim to be deceased then immediately notified the Detective Division, and preliminary investigation showed the victim had been shot one time in the head.

The victim is described as a white male, approximately 25-30 years of age, with a brown short haircut and a goatee. He was wearing brown shoes, blue jeans and a plaid black/white short sleeve, button-up shirt.

Anyone with information about the identity of the victim or about the circumstances of the crime, please call the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office Detective Division at (936) 653-4367 and or the Multi-County Crime Stoppers at (936) 539-7867.