Tyler County News

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By Chris Edwards
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WOODVILLE – Documentation from the state concluded that abuse took place at the Early Birds Learning Center in Woodville.

The facility has been the subject of investigations by the Texas Child Care Licensing Investigative Unit and the Woodville Police Department.

In a letter, dated Sept. 7, forwarded to the Booster, to one of the parents of one of the alleged victims, from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, the report, which was filed on July 23, states that the child, whose name is withheld, “was alleged to be a victim of Physical Abuse (sic) while in the care of Early Birds Learning Center.” The disposition determined the child is a victim of physical abuse.

The results of DFPS’s findings were provided to the Child Care Regulation division of the agency. 

According to the licensing records on the DFPS website, Early Birds was found to have five violations upon an evaluation of individual standards, dated August 15, 2022. 

Those violations range from a required annual sanitation inspection to non-compliance for background checks on employees, as a caregiver was found to not have an initial background check, but is no longer with the facility. The abuse findings are not listed on the website, at present.

While Woodville PD is handling the criminal investigation aspect, the state agency in charge of licensing the facility, has asked that the owner to voluntarily close down until the issue is resolved, and the owner complied with the request.

According to Woodville PD Captain Jathan Borel, there is more than one allegation of abuse concerning Early Birds.

Kelly Bass, the director of the facility, has denied the allegations aimed at the facility and its employees, and alleged that a disgruntled former employee has made the claims; that no wrongdoing has been done.

Once Woodville PD concludes its investigation it will be presented to District Attorney Lucas Babin, and up to him to decide whether or not to bring it before the Grand Jury.

According to records on the facility from the state department of Health and Human Services, Early Birds is licensed to serve infants up through school-age children. 

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COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M Forest Service is accepting applications for grants to help eligible Texas property owners with the cost of prescribed burning on their land.

The grants will reimburse landowners to offset the cost of having a prescribed burn conducted on their property by certified and insured prescribed burn managers. Last year, these grant programs provided more than $322,000 to landowners for a total of 11,667 acres treated.

The deadline to apply is Sept. 30. Interested landowners can determine eligibility and find an application at tfsweb.tamu.edu/cppgrant.

“Prescribed burning can be an important and effective tool for landowners to reduce wildfire risk, while enhancing wildlife habitat and promoting a healthier forest ecosystem,” said Weldon Dent, Texas A&M Forest Service Fuels Specialist.

Prescribed fire is a land management practice that eliminates brush, weeds, dried vegetation and downed trees. Prescribed fire also fosters seed and plant regeneration, reduces invasive plants and restores soil nutrients.

“This year’s extreme wildfire season is a good example of the importance of prescribed burning,” Dent said. “Prescribed fire in a controlled environment can reduce the intensity of an unplanned fire by reducing the fuel load on the ground.”

Texas A&M Forest Service offers grants to landowners to complete prescribed fires on private lands across the state, each with their own goals.

The Community Protection Program - Prescribed Fire Grant is available for property owners within 10 miles of a national forest in East Texas as well as property owners within 10 miles of the Caddo and LBJ national grasslands.

The State Fire Assistance for Mitigation Central and East Texas - Prescribed Fire Grant is available to all counties in the eastern part of the state, from Goliad County in South Texas to Cooke County along the Red River.

The Neches River and Cypress Basin Wastershed Restoration Program – Prescribed Fire Grant is for prescribed burning in priority East Texas watersheds.

The Texas Longleaf Conservation Assistance Program - Prescribed Fire Grant is available for East Texas landowners interested in enhancing longleaf pine ecosystems. This cooperative program is available in select counties throughout the year. For details on this program, visit https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/longleaf/.

For residents in parts of the Panhandle, West Texas and South Texas, applications for the State Fire Assistance Mitigation - Plains Prescribed Fire Grant are available each June 15 through August 15.

Texas A&M Forest Service does not conduct these prescribed burns. Grant recipients must select a certified and insured prescribed burn manager to be eligible for reimbursement.

For more information, including eligibility requirements and an application, visit https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/cppgrant/.

For information about other natural resource programs that offer financial assistance to Texas landowners, visit https://texasforestinfo.tamu.edu/fundingconnector/.

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A portrait of Dr. George W. Barclay, Jr. Courtesy of Elizabeth Joy SingletaryBy Chris Edwards
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WOODVILLE – World-famous medical pioneer and author Dr. George Willis Barclay, Jr., died at his Woodville residence last Wednesday at the age of 92.

According to a caregiver, he died in the early morning hours and was with his beloved chihuahua, Clementine.

Barclay, who was a cardiologist and brought the procedure of heart catherization to Southeast Texas, was equally famous for his large body of literary work. Barclay wrote 45 novels, such as Murder on the San Jacinto and Murder on Pine Island Bayou, many of which feature sleuth Sandra Lerner.

He described his writing acumen as being about “mystery, mysticism, metaphysics, science fiction, mayhem and murder.” 

Prior to his careers in medicine and then writing, he wore many other hats, including a stint as a chemical engineer at Mobil Oil and service in the Army, where he worked to rise to the rank of captain.

His daughter-in-law Elizabeth Joy Singletary said that Barclay’s service began when he joined the Naval reserves during the Korean War. At the time, he was working for Mobil, and was not allowed to enlist when the draft began, as he was considered essential.

When the ban was lifted, Singletary said, he immediately joined the Army, and for a while was a member of both branches of the armed forces.

He decided to go to medical school when he came up for officers’ training school, and during his training, he studied alongside Drs. Michael E. Debakey and Denton Cooley, who were cardiovascular medicine pioneers.

Barclay practiced in Beaumont for more than 25 years and brought heart catherization to both Baptist and St. Elizabeth’s hospitals. 

Singletary said that after retiring from medicine, Barclay “transitioned from checking patients twice a day to checking his chickens twice a day, still making rounds.”

It was then that he also began travelling widely and a post-retirement career as a writer. Aside from his mystery novels, Barclay also studied the stock market closely, and wrote financial articles for various markets, and began a blog on financial matters when online blogging was in its infancy.

One aspect of his ancestry that gave Barclay great pride, and likely attributed largely to his decision to retire to Tyler County, where he developed properties, along with his other endeavors, was that his family were among some of the earliest settlers in the county.

His grandfather James Barclay was the first Indian Agent, before the county was established. Barclay’s father, George Sr., was a superintendent of schools in Tyler County.

Alongside his many other activities, Barclay was active and an athlete throughout his long life, Singletary said. When he was young, his nickname was “Rooster,” and he had the opportunity to play collegiate sports, but a knee injury turned him toward the academic side of the college experience. 

In his later life, he enjoyed fishing and loved the house he purchased, which formerly belonged to the late Don Forse, because it had a dancefloor. “He loved ballroom dancing, and it was his favorite form of exercise next to walking his dogs and fishing,” Singletary said.

A funeral service is scheduled for Sept. 17 for Barclay, with arrangements handled by Stringer and Griffin of Woodville.

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DeesBy Chris Edwards
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DOUCETTE – A Doucette resident with a previous record of aggravated sexual assault of a child was arrested last week and charged with indecency with a child (sexual contact).

Johnathon Broussard Dees, age 46, was arrested by deputies with the Tyler County Sheriff’s Office. Dees was booked into the Tyler County Jail and bonded out the same day on a $75,000 bond on Wednesday, August 31.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety Sex Offender Registry database, Dees is classified as a low-level offender, with a requirement for annual verification.

On his profile on the DPS database, Dees registered with the Tyler County Sheriff’s Office as a sex offender in 2018.

At press time, the details of Dees’ arrest are unavailable.

Dees was previously convicted of a sex crime charge, and the case drew a high level of attention due to his career in law enforcement.

The charges stemmed from an investigation on an incident from 2006, where he was allegedly sexually assaulted a child under the age of 14, according to one account of his crime. He had worked as a sheriff’s deputy for both Jasper and Jefferson counties.

The four-month investigation that resulted in the charge was headed up by the Texas Rangers.

Dees was indicted in December of 2011 for the charge of aggravated sexual assault of a child, a first-degree felony. He took a plea bargain in 2016, and avoided jail, with seven years’ deferred adjudication, a $2,500 fine and 160 hours of community service, along with the lifetime sex offender registration requirement and a permanent surrender of his peace officer license.

According to statute, the charge Dees is faced with is a second-degree felony, and if convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison as well as a fine of up to $10,000, or both.