Trinity County News 2

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By Tony Farkas
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TRINITY —A Leon County man is in custody after a car chase reaching speeds of more than 100 mph ended after deputies shot out the vehicle’s tires and a short foot chase.

Brandon Yates, 36, has been taking into custody by TCSO deputies on multiple charges, including aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault causing bodily injury and burglary of a habitation. Additionally, he reportedly was in violation of several court orders and parole requirements.

Yates allegedly had taken a baseball bat and assaulted a woman.

According to Trinity County Sheriff Woody Wallace, Leon County officials put out a wanted poster and reached out to surrounding counties to be on the lookout for Yates, who was considered to be armed and dangerous.

Yates had been seen in Polk County, where he ran from law enforcement officials, Wallace said. Then, on March 28, Yates tried to escape arrest in a vehicle down FM 356 near Trinity.

Numerous cars were forced off the road by Yates’ driving, so Investigator Alissa White shot out one of the tires of the vehicle; Wallace said even after the tire was shot, Yates continued fleeing at speeds of more than 80 mph on the rim.

Sgt. Richard Harrelson then used the pit maneuver, using his patrol truck to ram the back of Yates’ vehicle causing it to crash into the ditch. Wallace said that Yates then fled on foot, where he learned that Harrelson’s reputation of chasing criminals down on foot wasn’t just a rumor.

“Deputies with TCSO are trained to get fleeing subjects off the road quickly, using any means necessary before they can get into populated areas, run red lights or stop signs and hurt innocent people,” Wallace said. “Wanted felons, especially those who are violent and have a history of fleeing, will be captured if at all possible before they can victimize anyone else.”

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Special to the News-Standard

HUNTSVILLE — One of the taglines of Court Appointed Special Advocates is helping children to find a “Safe, Permanent Home-As Quickly as Possible.”

In that same vein, CASA’s desire for permanency, in order to better serve the communities of Walker, San Jacinto, and Trinity counties, has led this organization to purchase a new home at 2515 Pine Shadows Drive, the former First Financial Bank Annex Building, in Huntsville.

Although it may seem on the surface that the decision to buy, the selection of the new location, and the move have happened quickly; the process began around five years ago with planning and resource development.

When Debbie Price became the CASA Board President in August 2022, she wanted the conversations to become intentional plans, investigate buildings, and have feet on the ground looking for an existing structure.

“Once the decision was made, Realtor Stacey Roberts joining the Board was pivotal,” Price said. “We had the knowledge; we had the person who could maneuver the process. Her wisdom was critical. That is when it started feeling the most real. We started talking about the investment and the finances.”

The contributions of so many friends of CASA throughout the community and the diligence of those within the CASA family brought the dream of this organization of a permanent Home to fruition.

The Facilities Committee consists of Russell Humphrey, Carlton Boaz, Stacey Roberts, Chris Supan, Pat Stephenson, Price, Jill Pagels, Mary Petron and Sharon Dieringer, and each impacted the process in a variety of ways.

Price said Humphrey and Boaz made it clear that building something was going to be too expensive.

“Carlton is doing the work on the building that we are buying, not just as a contractor but as a Board Associate,” she said. “He brings a totally different mindset to our Board. His perspective is very practical.”

The support of this project extended from within the program out to other entities in Walker County. The people of First Financial Bank (FFB) committed to CASA in a way that was critical.

“The $150,000 contribution from FFB was essential in making this purchase possible, and we are humbled by their evident commitment to CASA’s future success,” Executive Director Kim Weiser said.

Facilities Committee Chairman Ernie Smith said the bank was happy that CASA was in a position to buy the building, and were supportive of us growing and interested in helping the organization meet its needs.

While First National Bank will be losing CASA as a tenant, they also have been supportive of the organization’s desire to vacate and flexible with the timeline of this process.

Executive Assistant Emily O’Rear said she “is looking forward to people being able to come to our facility and staying, feeling at home. That is our mission, to make children feel safe. I love the correlation; we have found our forever home.”

Program Director Rachel Drake said that she is “most excited about the opportunity for growth. We will be able to grow into the ideas we have now; we will see more needs, and have more ideas implemented without having to move again.”

Chris Supan, a 10-year advocate, said he is thrilled for the staff.

“They will have sufficient room to conduct all of the trainings and the ability to serve the needs of the advocates in this location,” he said.

With the move, CASA gains greater visibility and exposure in the community.

Smith said, “With greater exposure, we will have a chance to tell what we’ve accomplished in our support of children in the three counties.”

The doors will be open for business on April 4; CASA invites the public to attend a ribbon cutting and grand opening to be held at 4:30 p.m. May 11,. Refreshments will be provided.

For more information about CASA and how to become involved with this organization, visit www.casaofwalkercounty.org or call 936-291-CASA.

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Trinity Fire Department personnel assisted in a search for a missing man, who was found dead early Wednesday morning.

By Tony Farkas
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A resident of Trinity County died March 21 after high winds capsized his boat in Lake Livingston.

Sheriff Woody Wallace said in a release that Jerry Lynn Bailey, 74, a resident of the Hawg Heaven subdivision, was found dead, floating in the water near his favorite fishing spot.

A search began Tuesday after authorities were notified Bailey was missing. Family members told police that he had been last seen at around 1 p.m. March 21 on his boat by a private dock. Bailey told his family members he was headed out to check fishing lines between Brown Creek, the power lines and 190 bridge near Onalaska.

Keith Johnson, Assistant Fire Chief for Trinity Fire Department, said they brought their rescue boat to assist Trinity County Sheriff’s Department and Texas Parks and Wildlife Game wardens in the search.

The search began around 6 p.m., and other agencies participated, including the Onalaska Fire Department and the Department of Public Safety, which used a helicopter.

Johnson said the search continued into the night with search crews battling high winds and choppy water; around midnight the search was suspended until Wednesday morning.

He said the search resumed at 6 a.m. multiple boats on the water and DPS in the air, searching the area north of the Highway 190 bridge. The missing boater was located at approximately 10:30 a.m.

Wallace said the boat was not located and authorities suspect it capsized in high winds.

Trinity County Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Mary Wallace was called to the scene for an inquest, Johnson said.

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Kayla Kembro brought home a $12,000 scholarship from the Fort Worth Stock Show. Courtesy photo

Special to the News-Standard

FORT WORTH — A $12,000 scholarship was recently awarded to Kayla Kembro of Trinity FFA by the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo’s Calf Scramble Scholarship Committee.

She is the daughter of Kimberly and Brian Kembro.

Kembro participated in the 2022 Fort Worth Stock Show Calf Scramble program making her eligible for the scholarship program. Sixty-six youth shared in $425,000 in Calf Scramble scholarship dollars.

Kembro’s scholarship was the result of the hard work and dedication necessary for participants to complete the rigorous Calf Scramble program. The moment they caught a calf during a 2022 Stock Show rodeo performance their Calf Scramble journey began.

These youth utilized Stock Show funds toward the purchase of a calf that they cared for in 2022. Her Simmental heifer project was sponsored by Dodson Family Farms of Robstown. Caring for their heifer, submitting monthly reports, exhibiting at the 2023 Fort Worth Livestock Show and submitting a final essay were required for scholarship consideration.

Meeting in February, the Committee awarded Kembro her scholarship.    

Sponsors for Kembro’s scholarship include Austin Clinkscales; Dalio Foundation Inc.; Hillwood Land & Cattle; Dee J. Kelly Jr.; Mr. and Mrs. David McDavid; Melville Excavating Inc.; R. Watson Boots; Railhead Smokehouse; Roto-Rooter of Tarrant and Parker County; Schutts Land & Cattle Co.; Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show; W&B Service Co.; Walsh Companies; and Jerry L. Wood, Attorney at Law.

The 2024 Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo is scheduled for Jan. 12 through Feb. 3. Rodeo tickets will be available beginning Sept. 11. For more information go to www.fwssr.com or call (817) 877-2400.