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San Jacinto County News

One arrested in shooting incident

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042921 shootingMUGSHOT 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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Man found murdered

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sjsoLOGO 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.

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Helping Hands (GALLERY)

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042221 fundraiser 1TONY FARKAS | SJNT Volleyball players helped raise $480 that went toward senior scholarships at the Shepherd Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Fundraiser on Saturday.

Shepherd Chamber raises funds for scholarships

By Tony Farkas

SHEPHERD — Townspeople, volleyball players, chess masters and singers were among the throngs of people who turned out Saturday to give toward a worthy cause — high school seniors.

Chamber President Yvonne Cones said there were upwards of 25 vendors selling everything from food to toys, and entertainers Eddie B of Albuquerque, N.M., and the band Crosstown Renegades provided musical interludes.

Chamber member and master of ceremonies Brenda Myers said 12 eight-member teams signed up for volleyball at $5 a head as part of the fundraiser; and 20 cornhole teams at $20 a pop lent close to a third of the $3,000 raised.

Cones said she was pleased with the turnout, and offered her thanks to everyone.

TONY FARKAS | SJNT 

Shepherd ISD cheerleaders outclass their male counterparts in tug of war at the Shepherd Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Fundraiser on Saturday.
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TONY FARKAS | SJNT Shepherd ISD cheerleaders outclass their male counterparts in tug of war at the Shepherd Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Fundraiser on Saturday.
TONY FARKAS | SJNT 

The competition on the pad in chess was fierce at the Shepherd Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Fundraiser on Saturday.
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TONY FARKAS | SJNT The competition on the pad in chess was fierce at the Shepherd Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Fundraiser on Saturday.
TONY FARKAS | SJNT 

Eddie B, a Christian singer from Albuquerque, N.M., entertains the crowd at the Shepherd Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Fundraiser on Saturday.
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TONY FARKAS | SJNT Eddie B, a Christian singer from Albuquerque, N.M., entertains the crowd at the Shepherd Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Fundraiser on Saturday.
TONY FARKAS | SJNT 

Children and their parents participated in a Hula Hoop contest at the Shepherd Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Fundraiser. For every child that brought a parent to the event, a dollar was donated to the cause.
042221 fundraiser top

TONY FARKAS | SJNT

Children and their parents participated in a Hula Hoop contest at the Shepherd Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Fundraiser. For every child that brought a parent to the event, a…

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Court holds special session on flood infrastructure

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SJchildabuseawareness1EMILY KUBISCH-SABRSULA | SJNT The Courthouse lawn is festooned with Marvel and DC comic book characters and stars in honor of Child Abuse Awareness Month.

By Emily Kubisch-Sabrsula
SJNT staff writer

COLDSPRING — Residents of San Jacinto County can soon expect to see prescribed burns and surveyors with the U.S. Forest Service wrapping up their jobs around the Sam Houston National Forest, with improvements to come from them.

During a special session on Wednesday, the court discussed plans to bid on CDBG-DR Harvey Round 1 projects, including on streets in the Waterwood subdivision and other roads in the county including Butch Arthur, Jeanette, Pelican, and Chipmunk roads.

Improvements include plans to install culverts, clean neglected ditches and perform other means of flood mitigation, since several roads and bridges in the county historically flood via the San Jacinto river and several of its creeks.

Pending the completion of the surveys and updates of county records, that information will be used to complete Harvey related projects as well as other potential areas of improvement including running new power lines and means to reduce speeding on the county’s curvier roads.

Those still seeking to receive their first shot of the Covid-19 vaccine, either Pfizer or Moderna depending on availability, can reach out to the San Jacinto Office of Emergency Management at (936) 653-8714 for upcoming clinics.

Those seeking a vaccine do not need to live in the county to receive one. This includes those participating in the ongoing Save Our Seniors Initiative, which aims to prioritizing getting the vaccine to those 75 years or older.

The Enterprise Lease program continues to provide Chief Tim Keen with weekly check-ins but production cutback from pandemic-related problems have left the department without new vehicles, something that has been ongoing since late 2020.

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Students lend helping hand

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042221 Chemo Kits 1COURTESY PHOTO | CASSIE GREGORY Members of the Coldspring-Oakhurst High School FBLA and the Order of the Eastern Star worked together to collect donations for chemo bags to encourage struggling cancer patients in the Coldspring area. Shown from left: Lisa Lewis, Marissa Martinez, Neveah Piles, Ethan Manshack, Desiree McFadden, Amanda Ready, Marydith Hebert, Luc Butler and COHS Business Teacher and FBLA Sponsor Kelly Presley.

Special to the News-Times

COLDSPRING — Under the guidance of Coldspring-Oakhurst High School Business teacher Kelly Presley, COHS Future Business Leaders of America members, together with the Order of the Eastern Star, worked on a donation drive to collect items for chemo bags to present to patients struggling with cancer in the local area.

The group created 130 handmade cards to be placed into each bag to offer words of encouragement, and collected more than 100 items to help fill the bags.

042221 Chemo Kits 2COURTESY PHOTO | CASSIE GREGORY COHS FBLA member Desiree McFadden helped fill chemo bags to encourage local cancer patients.

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