Tyler County News

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CHASTYN GRAHAMBy Chris Edwards
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The Tyler County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in tracking down a wanted fugitive.

Tyler County Sheriff Bryan Weatherford put out a bulletin last week seeking information on the whereabouts of Chastyn Malone Graham, a 43-year-old man wanted on a felony theft warrant. Graham is, according to the bulletin, known to stay in the Colmesneil area, as well as in Hardin County.

He is described as a white male, standing 6’ in height and weighing between 180-200 lbs., with brown hair. 

He was believed to be driving a 2004 white Chevrolet Tahoe.

Weatherford said that anyone who encounters Graham should not attempt to apprehend him, but anyone with information regarding his whereabouts should contact TCSO at 409-283-2172 or Crime Stoppers.

In order to submit a tip to Crime Stoppers regarding the location of Graham, or in regard to another wanted felon in the county, tipsters can visit the website 639TIPS.com, or they can call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 936-639-TIPS.

All tips and calls made directly to Crime Stoppers are anonymous, and any tip that leads to an arrest might be eligible for a reward.

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Roy McDanielBy Chris Edwards

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CHAMBERS COUNTY – A Woodville man with an extensive criminal history was arrested last week in Chambers County on charges of a stolen vehicle and drug possession.

Last Tuesday, a detective with the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office made contact with Roy Harrell McDaniel, a 39-year-old Woodville man, after observing an older model wrecker-style truck attempting to hook up to an abandoned vehicle.

The vehicle, according to Chambers County Sheriff Brian Hawthorne, had been abandoned a few days near the Trinity River bridge. 

According to a news release from Hawthorne’s office, the detective on the scene observed an absence of Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation numbers on the side of the truck, prior to making contact with McDaniel. When the detective spoke to McDaniel, he observed multiple discrepancies in his story.

Some additional information turned up the fact that the vehicle McDaniel was operating was stolen out of Orange County, and after a probable cause search of the stolen vehicle, approximately 2.5 grams of methamphetamine was uncovered.

McDaniel was taken into custody and transported to the Chambers County Jail on the charges of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and possession of a controlled substance (penalty group one.)

Hawthorne said he appreciated the “dedicated service of Chambers County deputies and detectives as well as their pro-active police work and commitment to keeping Chambers County safe,” after McDaniel’s arrest.

In 2019 McDaniel was wanted in Tyler County on charges regarding a stolen travel trailer. He had been arrested for parole violations in Jefferson County but bonded out before a warrant could be issued out of Tyler County on the felony theft charge.

At the time Tyler County Sheriff Bryan Weatherford said his agency had handled McDaniel on numerous offenses, including felony theft; tampering with identification numbers and unlawful possession of a firearm. He was later arrested that November on the travel trailer theft charge.

Records show that McDaniel has since bonded out of the Chambers County Jail.

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Believe it or not, there was an election last week.

Also, believe it or not, less than 10 percent of the people of Texas showed up for it. In Trinity County, the number of people who participated in the government was a mere 982; a little more than 8 percent of registered voters, but just under 7 percent for the population of the county.

That’s a bad, terrible, horrible, no good number. Kudos to the voters, but shame on the rest of us that didn’t participate.

I grew up hearing an adage that if you didn’t vote, you didn’t have the right to complain about anything. To me, that didn’t ring quite true: anyone can complain about anything, as we all have the right to free speech.

What you don’t get to complain about, though, is the results that occur based on the people (or bonds, or amendments) that are elected.

I’m pretty sure that everyone at one time or another, or if you’re like me, all the time, complain about government at every level. We pay too much in taxes, the government is too intrusive (or not enough, based on your flavor of politics), things are not done to our liking, etc., etc.

For me (as an example), what’s going on at the federal level, and slowly is trickling down into the lower levels of government, such as the state, is an abomination. Our legislators are not listening to us, and are running rampant with an agenda that in my view puts the responsibilities best left to individuals under the auspices of the federal government.

For instance, Unca Joe just issued a mask mandate — through OSHA — that employees of private businesses with more than 100 hired must be vaccinated against COVID. He’s now considering a similar one for the rest of the businesses.

If you’re like me, you probably feel this is wildly unfair, inappropriate, and an egregious example of executive overreach. Also, you lament the fact that as things stand, there’s nothing that can be done about it.

Until the next election.

In order to affect change in the republic system of government we enjoy, it requires our participation. We have to stop sitting in comfortable recliners and lamenting the issues, and start getting involved.

Or, in the words of Sonnie Johnson, an excellent talk show host, activate.

Regardless of your passion, of your point of view, or your politics, the only way to change the world is start by changing yourselves. 

Is there a candidate you particularly believe will be an excellent judge, or school board member, or state legislator? Become part of the campaign, knock on doors, and get the message out. Hold voter registration drives.

Become a member of a political party, not just by choosing it on a voter registration, but join the county party. If you’re real inclined, run for office. Be the change you want to see.

An excellent example of what I’m talking about just happened in Virginia. A population, unhappy with the status quo, mobilized. Through every means available, from the shoe-leather express to social media, ad campaigns, and the result was a 60 percent voter turnout, and a change across the board in the governor of that state.

I promise you, that 10 percent won’t cut it. So jump in, get started, and make your reality the best it will be. Because if you don’t participate, you’ll get someone else’s vision, and you probably won’t like it.

Tony Farkas is editor of the San Jacinto News-Times. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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By Tom Purcell

I never parted with a $20 bill faster.

It happened at one of my favorite diners. The Western omelet and Diet Coke I often get wasn’t the $11 it had been for as long as I remember. It was $16.

That expense, with my tip for the excellent waiter, consumed my entire $20 bill.

I feel bad for the diner’s owner. He told me that soaring food costs have been killing his profits for months. He’s been forced to raise his prices, yet he’s making half of what he used to. Why?

First, his labor costs are up because there is a shortage of workers and he has to pay them a higher hourly wage or they won’t take the job.

And second, because he has to charge higher prices, his customer base is dwindling.

As wonderful as a diner breakfast is, more people, getting hit by inflation across the board, are choosing to stay home and eat a bowl of Wheaties or Kix instead. I’m certainly no economist. But I know this: inflation stinks.

According to one financial advisor quoted in Forbes, there are a few driving factors behind our current spike in prices – high demand and low supply.

COVID-19 lockdowns caused Americans to sit on their money for months but lately they’ve been injecting those dollars back into the economy with abandon.

The nearly zero-percent mortgage interest rates we’ve been enjoying since March 2020 are driving up the demand for houses – and therefore their sales prices. And global supply chains for many products are all goofed up because of the pandemic’s disruptions.

For instance, due to a shortage of vehicles for sale — new vehicles are being held back by car makers because of a shortage of computer chips — new and used car prices are ridiculously high.

I bought a new Toyota Tacoma Off Road truck in December of 2019 and it’s done something no other vehicle I’ve bought has ever done in my life: gone up in value. Kelly Blue Book tells me that my truck with 11,100 miles on it is worth $3,000 more than I paid for it brand new.

That is one of the few upsides to inflation. Owning property is another. If you have a fixed-rate mortgage, but the dollar “value” of your home keeps rising, you at least keep pace with inflation.

But if you are retired, as my parents are, and living on a fixed income, inflation is an invisible  tax that nibbles at the buying power of your money.

Your limited dollars buy fewer groceries and other increasingly expensive basic items you need to sustain yourself.

I trust in the efficiency of the many very talented businesspeople in our mostly free economy to adjust to inflation and get our markets running smoothly again.

But I don’t trust our government leaders who have been spending recklessly for years and are currently attempting to ram a massive, ridiculous spending bill down our throats that could make high inflation a lasting problem.

I fondly remember the Clinton presidency when, for a blip in time, our government actually took in more money than it spent.

But since 2001 Presidents Bush ($6 trillion), Obama ($9 trillion) and Trump ($6 trillion) have reversed that trend and added trillions to our total debt.

Way too few people in Washington seem to care about our $28 trillion national debt or the inflation they’ve caused.

They don’t care a whit about struggling diner owners or cash-strapped patrons who now eat cereal for breakfast.

Tom Purcell is an author and humor columnist for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Email him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..