Tyler County News

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The cause of death of an officer at Gib Lewis Unit was due to a self-inflicted injury, as sources indicate.

By Chris Edwards
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WOODVILLE – Last week, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice confirmed the death of a corrections officer at the Gib Lewis Unit in Woodville.

A TDCJ spokesperson, Amanda Hernandez, said the agency is investigating the officer’s death, which occurred Monday, June 27. The cause of death was due to a self-inflicted injury, as sources indicate.

A name was not revealed of the deceased. The Office of Inspector General is also part of the investigation.

Incidents of suicide among corrections workers is greater than most other occupations, according to the National Institute of Corrections, which operates under the federal DOJ.

In 2019, 13 cases of suicide among correctional officers were reported, for the highest total ever, according to the head of their union, a report stated.

For years, U.S. Bureau of Prisons officials have called for an increase in staffing to match the rising incarceration rates. Staffing shortfalls is one stress factor that experts have said could contribute to suicide among corrections officers, but there is no data to support the claim.

According to the TDCJ website, Gib Lewis, which opened in 1990, houses up to 2,232 inmates and employs a staff of 570.

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By Chris Edwards
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WOODVILLE – Firefighters responded to a fire at the popular Woodville Tex-Mex eatery La Enchilada last Friday night.
According to Woodville Volunteer Fire Department Chief Alan Gartner, the call came in from a woman who was working out at the Anytime Fitness gym, located in a shopping center near the restaurant.

Gartner said the fire started in the kitchen and spread to the roof from the Vent-a-Hood ventilation canopy. Firefighters began working on the fire at 11:43 p.m.

Along with responders from Woodville VFD, firefighters from Colmesneil and Shady Grove VFDs also assisted on the scene. The fire was contained to the kitchen area of the restaurant, and the firefighters were able to stop it there.

By 1:40 a.m., Woodville’s units were back in service from the scene. Gartner said that the assisting personnel from Colmesneil and Shady Grove were released earlier, but the Woodville firefighters stayed on site to make sure everything was extinguished.

Gartner said he also wanted to thank officers with the Woodville Police Department for their assistance, as well.

He said it would likely be a month or a month and a half, at most, depending on the contractors, as to how long before La Enchilada would reopen. According to the owners, the Vent-a-Hood has to be replaced as well as the wiring.

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By Chris Edwards
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WOODVILLE – A suit challenging the results of the Woodville ISD May bond election was dismissed on Friday morning.

During a hearing in Tyler County’s District Courtoom, visiting judge Robert Trapp, who represents the state’s Second Administrative Judicial District, heard arguments from counsel for the plaintiff, Charles G. Rawls and for the listed defendants Lisa Meysembourg and County Clerk Donece Gregory.

Rawls’ suit alleged that voters within the WISD balloting area were given incorrect ballots for the May 7 special election. The outcome of the election was that the $47.8 million bond passed by a slim 51.2% majority. When canvassed at the regular May meeting of the WISD Board of Trustees, the tally was 621 voting “for” and 592 “against.”

Gregory was named as co-defendant, in her official capacity, because, according to the suit, she “intentionally, recklessly, or negligently made inaccurate or false statements regarding the length of time to contest [the] election.”

The counsel for Meysembourg/WISD explained, in an opening statement, that the suit must be filed against the president of the WISD Board, Jimmy Tucker, and not the district itself. 

Bruce Partain, who represented Rawls, argued that as the ordering authority, the suit was properly directed at Meysembourg, in her capacity as WISD Superintendent.

David Iglesias, who represented Gregory, asked Trapp for his client to be granted qualified immunity, for in spite of the agreement between Tyler County and WISD to hold the joint election for the bond, the school district was responsible for conducting and canvassing the election as a political subdivision itself.

Iglesias said that “in this particular case, it’s very clear that Donece Gregory is not one of those people” responsible for the election.

According to the suit, Gregory falsely stated that a constituent who wishes to contest an election’s outcome must go to the county clerk’s office, along with an attorney, for the contest to be brought.

Rawls’s suit claims that he “identified at least [30] votes in question,” which did not include 60-80 votes on private roads shown on maps obtained through the Appraisal District.

Partain said that there were at least 45 people willing to sign a declaration stating their ballots were improperly printed.

The bond covers a district-wide series of improvements, including the construction of a new elementary school campus, which is to be located under one roof and near the Woodville High School campus.

After the election results were announced, Rawls spoke to the WISD board about his concerns with regard to improper balloting, but also possible safety issues with the new elementary campus being located so close to the high school.

Another issue addressed following the election, but not covered in the suit, was allegations of voter intimidation. Woodville businessman Phil McClure spoke to that issue before the board in May, particularly to Tucker whom he said “should not serve on the board.”

After giving his final word on the suit, Trapp concluded with “good luck to everyone.”

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On Aug. 1, 2013, Smith’s then-unidentified remains were found by survey workers near South County Road 1160 and FM 1213, south of Midland.

AUSTIN – Human remains found in Midland County in 2013 have now been positively identified as Sylvia Nicole Smith following an extensive investigation by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). A homicide investigation is now underway.

On Aug. 1, 2013, Smith’s then-unidentified remains were found near South County Road 1160 and FM 1213, south of Midland. Workers surveying near an oilfield wellsite discovered her partial remains. The Texas Rangers, DPS Aircraft and the Midland County Sheriff’s Office conducted an extensive search of the area to ensure all evidence was gathered. The remains were sent to the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification, where an anthropology report was completed, and DNA was extracted. The results revealed the victim was a female between the ages of 14-21 who was likely the victim of a homicide.

The DNA results were put into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). No results came back over the next several years, and in 2020, working with the Midland County District Attorney’s Office, the Rangers looked for additional means to identify the remains. They were sent to DNA Labs International and, ultimately, to Parabon Nanolabs for advanced DNA analysis to determine what the victim looked like.

The results revealed the victim was of African-American descent, and identified eye color, hair color and skin tone. A genetic genealogist who examined the DNA assisted with a match which led to a distant relative. Rangers have interviewed numerous potential relatives to gather family information and in May 2022, information led to the victim’s mother in the Midland area. In speaking with the mother, she stated one of her daughters — Sylvia Nicole Smith — had been missing since 2000.

Her mother last saw her 16-year-old daughter on Feb. 14, 2000. Smith’s mother filed a runaway report with the Midland Police Department on Feb. 18, 2000.

Texas Rangers collected DNA samples from Smith’s family for analysis and on June 9, 2022, the University of North Texas verified that the remains of the person found on Aug. 1, 2013, was indeed Sylvia Nicole Smith.

The Rangers are now conducting a homicide investigation into her death and ask anyone with information into her disappearance or homicide to come forward with information.

To be eligible for cash rewards, tipsters MUST provide information to authorities by calling the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477). All tips are anonymous. Individuals can also submit information through the Texas Rangers’ Cold Case website or by phone to the Missing Person Hotline at 1-800-346-3243.

The Texas Rangers’ Cold Case website provides information on more than 125 cases in an effort to garner public interest in unsolved or cold cases.