Tyler County News

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By Chris Edwards
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PORT ARTHUR – Last Tuesday, Daniel Andrew MacGinnis pleaded guilty to the 1988 murder of Patricia Ann Howell Jacobs.

MacGinnis, a Warren man, was sentenced to 20 years for the slaying. That sentence will run concurrent with a previous 99-year sentence handed down on unrelated drugs and weapons charges in Tyler County.

The length of the sentence came as part of an agreement MacGinnis made with the prosecution in exchange for the plea.

The trial lasted three days and had to go into recess on Sept. 14 when MacGinnis experienced an unnamed medical issue.

According to reports from court, MacGinnis said to presiding Judge John S. Stevens, Jr., that he “just don’t care anymore” and “[does not] want to be here anymore.”

Mike Laird, a prosecutor for the state, said that he was happy there is some closure for Jacobs’s family, following MacGinnis’s sentencing.

MacGinnis’s 20-year sentence will run concurrently with the 99-year sentence. According to comments made by his attorney, he has numerous “very serious health problems” and has been hospitalized numerous times.

In a press release from the Texas Rangers Unsolved Crimes Investigation Program, when Jacobs’s body was found in the Neches River in Port Arthur, investigators had identified MacGinnis as a suspect, following two other incidents involving women, but did not have enough evidence at the time to charge him.

When the case was reopened in October of 2018, some of Jacobs’s clothing, which had not been DNA tested, as well as other items, were submitted to the Houston Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Lab for testing and re-testing, which identified a match with MacGinnis’s DNA profile.

The Rangers issued a word of thanks to the Port Arthur Police Department for assisting in the investigation, and for the Jefferson County DA’s office for prosecuting the case.

MacGinnis, who is listed as a registered sex offender, with numerous convictions, was also looked at as a suspect in other unsolved crimes, following his 2019 arrest for Jacobs’s murder.

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A Peter Criss and Paul Stanley sighting in Colmesneil? Well, maybe not, but these two Colmesneil residents could’ve been mistaken as members of KISS at the recent homecoming parade. Can you guess who they are? There’s no prize or anything for the correct answer but give us your guesses and we’ll publish them in the next edition. COURTESY PHOTO

By Mollie LaSalle
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COLMESNEIL – The Colmesneil City Council held its regular monthly meeting last Tuesday and packed a lot of information into a short period of time.

Mayor Duane Crews was excited to announce that the city has (finally) purchased a new truck. After months of looking and stressing the need for one, Mayor Crews found one at Weaver Brothers in Jasper, a 2022 Dodge Ram. The total cost for the new vehicle was $33,569 and the city got $2,000 on trade in for the old truck. Council voted to transfer funds from the general account to the water and sewer account to cover the purchase of the truck. Mayor Pro-Tem Billy Andrus congratulated Crews on all his hard work in getting the new vehicle.

Two agenda items dealing with ordinances # 124 & 125 were approved in short order. Ordinance#124 was the declining of the rate change request by Entergy and ordinance #125 was the cancellation of the November 8 election for the city due to no opposition. Entergy’s rate change request is declined every year by the city.

Council opted to approve the purchase of a new ice machine for the Community Center at a cost of $469, and City Secretary Wendy Bendy reported that August 19 was the last day that the city offered the check free pay service. To date, no other business in town has expressed an interest in taking this service on. Bendy also reported that the city has four CDs which will mature Oct. 7, and after that date, she has 10 days to decide if they want to keep them where they are (Citizens Bank) or try to get better interest rates by moving them elsewhere. She also announced that the Fall Festival will take place Oct. 29 form 6-8 pm. This will be the third year, and it just keeps getting better every year; the last two years were well-attended, and a good time was had by all; this year promises to be bigger and better than ever.

Colmesneil held a parade prior to last week’s homecoming, and judging by some comments from council members, everyone had a great time. 

After approving all reports and minutes from last month’s meeting, and discussing all agenda items, council adjourned at 7:25 p.m. Colmesneil City Council will meet again on Oct. 11 at 7 p.m.

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Chassin TauschBy Chris Edwards
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COLMESNEIL – The Tyler County Sheriff’s Office is investigating terroristic threats made by a Colmesneil ISD student.

According to Tyler County Sheriff Bryan Weatherford, deputies with TCSO responded to a report of terroristic threat on Wednesday, Sept. 21. 

Weatherford said that while on the scene, the deputies gathered multiple witness statements and video footage, and were made aware of a 17-year-old student, Chassin Tausch, who had allegedly made threatening statements.

Tausch, according to Weatherford, had allegedly made threats to shoot other students following an argument earlier that day. 

“Deputies then interviewed multiple students who corroborated this threat,” Weatherford said. Also, the video footage showed the student appearing to mimic pointing a rifle toward other students.

CISD issued a statement via social media on Wednesday concerning the incident, stating that the district was aware of the comments, and that “school officials are continuing to investigate the comments,” as well as local law enforcement.

A probable cause affidavit signed by Pct. 2 Justice of the Peace Ken Jobe resulted in an arrest of Tausch, who was arrested the same day.

Tausch currently remains in custody, charged with Felony Terroristic Threat. No bond amount has been set at this time.

Following the incident, CISD stated that its goal is to ensure the safety of all students and staff throughout the school day.

“Thank you for your concern and efforts in this matter as we strive to keep all students safe tomorrow and every day,” the statement issued on Wednesday read.

In the aftermath of the Uvalde school shooting in May, there has been an increased focus on safety in schools, and Weatherford committed to increasing the presence of law enforcement on all five of the county’s school districts.  

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AUSTIN – The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has added two fugitives to the Texas 10 Most Wanted Lists. Antonio Gonzalez, of Midland, is now on the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives List, and John Ashley, of Fort Worth, is on the Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders List. Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward of up to $7,500 for information leading to Gonzalez’s arrest and up to $2,000 for information leading to Ashley’s arrest. All tips are guaranteed to be anonymous.

Antonio Martinez Gonzalez, 41, is affiliated with the West Texas Tango gang and has been wanted since February 2021, after the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles issued a warrant for his arrest for a parole violation. In May 2021, the Midland County Sheriff’s Office also issued a warrant for his arrest for assault by impeding breath/circulation.

In 2006, Gonzalez was convicted of injury to a child and sentenced to two years of probation. That was later revoked and replaced with a six-month sentence in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) facility. In 2009, he was convicted of assault against a public servant and received a two-year sentence. In 2017, Gonzalez was convicted of possession of a controlled substance and received an eight-year sentence. He was released on parole in June 2019.

Gonzalez is 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs about 180 pounds. He has tattoos on his head, neck, chest, abdomen, back, left shoulder and hand, fingers, both ears, arms, wrists and legs. In addition to Midland, he also has ties to Mexico. For more information or updates in the event of his arrest, view Gonzalez’s wanted bulletin.

John Edward Ashley, 33, has been wanted since December 2020, when the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office issued a warrant for his arrest for a probation violation.

In December 2021, the Fort Worth Police Department issued a warrant for his arrest for failure to register as a sex offender. In May 2020, Ashley was convicted of sexual assault of a child after an incident involving a 16-year-old girl. He was sentenced to 10 years of probation.

Ashley is 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs about 125 pounds. For more information or updates in the event of his arrest, view Ashley’s wanted bulletin.

Texas Crime Stoppers, which is funded by the Governor’s Criminal Justice Division, offers cash rewards to any person who provides information that leads to the arrest of one of Texas’ 10 Most Wanted Fugitives or Sex Offenders. So far in 2022, DPS and other agencies have arrested 50 people off the lists, including 19 gang members and 27 sex offenders. In addition, $75,000 in rewards has been paid for tips that yielded arrests.

To be eligible for cash rewards, tipsters MUST provide information to authorities using one of the following three methods:

Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477). Submit a web tip through the DPS website by selecting the fugitive you have information about then clicking on the link under their picture.

Submit a Facebook tip by clicking the “SUBMIT A TIP” link (under the “About” section).

 All tips are anonymous — regardless of how they are submitted — and tipsters will be provided a tip number instead of using a name.