Tyler County News

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By Chris Edwards
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DAM B – A woman who had recently been seen around the Dam B/Town Bluff area was arrested and charged with felony meth possession.

According to Tyler County Sheriff Bryan Weatherford, deputies with the Tyler County Sheriff’s Office were on patrol on the evening of Monday, May 22, when they made contact with Kayla Slemmons, a 28-year-old woman with no known address. Slemmons, according to Weatherford, had been seen in the area “in recent days,” and while the deputies spoke with her, they detected the odor of marijuana, which she admitted to being in possession of.

The deputies were able to locate a pipe which contained a small amount of marijuana, and Slemmons also had three unloaded syringes, along with a clear container with a crystalline substance, which field-tested positive for methamphetamine.

Slemmons was transported to the Tyler County Justice Center and charged with felony possession of a controlled substance. Her bond was set by Pct. 1 Justice of the Peace Trisher Ford at $2,500, and she bonded out, according to records, two days later.

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By Chris Edwards
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WARREN – A search warrant of a Warren residence yielded narcotics and a wanted fugitive.

According to Tyler County Sheriff Bryan Weatherford, on the morning of Sunday, June 4, at approximately 1 a.m., deputies and investigators with the Tyler County Sheriff’s Office executed the warrant at the residence, located on US Hwy. 69 South, north of Hickory Creek in Warren. They were able to locate Jo Lynn Groze, a 27-year-old Fred woman, who was wanted by the Pardon and Parole board for a controlled substance charge. Groze, along with John Lawrence Conner, age 30, of Spurger, were located in a travel trailer near the back of the property, according to Weatherford.

“After a thorough search of the residence, narcotics (meth) and paraphernalia were found, along with all the necessary items to package, weigh and distribute,” Weatherford said.

Both Groze and Conner were taken into custody. Groze is charged with manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, in addition to her hold through the Pardon and Parole board for a previous possession of a controlled substance charge. Her bonds on the two new charges total $17,000.

Conner was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by felon; hindering apprehension or prosecution of a known felon and manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance. His bonds total $32,000.

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By Chris Edwards
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Brian Babin (R-Woodville) voiced support for the recently passed Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023; calling that bill “the most significant conservative win since Joe Biden took office.”

Babin voted for the legislation, which was passed into law on Saturday when President Biden signed it and ended the threat of a default on the national debt. The bill also put limits on government spending for two years.

Biden’s signature on the law came two days prior to the X-date, when, according to Treasury secretary Janet Yellen, the government would run out of funds to pay its debts.

After voting for the bill, Babin issued a statement to media. “Considering the urgency, the Fiscal Responsibility Act is far better than the two alternatives,” Babin said.

Those alternatives, according to Babin included not taking action and defaulting on the nation’s debts, “which would cause economic disaster,” he stated, as well as “[l]etting establishment swamp creatures like Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, Mitch McConnell and Hakeem Jefferies pass a ‘clean’ debut limit bill, giving Joe Biden a blank check courtesy of the U.S. taxpayer.”

Economists had predicted, leading up to the negotiations on the debt ceiling, that if default were to occur, the resulting collapse in the country’s ability to pay its debts would result in widespread, worldwide economic instability.

The Fiscal Responsibility Act suspends the nation’s debt ceiling and allows the federal government to borrow what funds it needs in order to meet obligations. Biden had said prior to signing the bill that an agreement between House Republicans and Democrats was crucial.

Babin, in his statement, noted that his district, the 36th Congressional District of Texas, is the “epicenter of American energy,” and that the current presidential administration has “waged an all-out war against us, our jobs and the security of our families.”

The bill, Babin noted, caps spending, rescinds $28 billion in unspent COVID funds and cuts $20 billion from the IRS slush fund, among other provisions. It also has built-in automatic spending cuts if Congress should fail to pass appropriation bills on time.

“This bill is not perfect, but it is a step in the right direction toward the goal of bringing fiscal responsibility back to D.C.,” Babin said.

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AUSTIN – The Office of the Attorney General (“OAG”) issues this consumer alert to help ensure that Texans are not deceived by companies appearing as though they may be government agencies.

In particular, the OAG has received complaints against Texas UCC Statement Services. The company has recently been mailing consumers a solicitation that asks consumers to pay $90 to obtain a form that they are unlikely to need and is available from the Texas Secretary of State for a much smaller fee.   

The OAG is cautioning consumers that the company’s mailer is designed to mislead Texans to believe that it was sent by a government agency and that the $90 is already due. The solicitation discloses that Texas UCC Statement Services is not a government agency, but that disclosure is not clear and conspicuous, and the net impression is misleading.

The OAG has recently seen several companies using similar deceptive solicitation tactics. The OAG encourages consumers to report when they receive suspicious mailers that appear like they may be from an official governmental body and that lead consumers to believe they must contact the company and pay a fee.   

Consumers can report suspected fraud to the Texas Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division by calling toll-free 1-800-621-0508.