Man in custody on cruelty to non-livestock animal charges

Arrest comes after firestorm backlash from Facebook post

 By Larry Briscoe

Correspondent

After bragging about killing two dogs on Facebook last week, a Royse City man turned himself into authorities Wednesday morning at the Hunt County Detention Center in Greenville, according to Hunt County Precinct 1 Constable Terry Jones.

Timothy Glen Conatser, 21, was charged with two felony counts of cruelty to non-livestock animals. Bond was set at $5,000 on each count.

The dogs appeared to be Lab-mixed breeds, Jones said. “An individual led us to them,” he said. “The two dogs were located in a rural area away from housing.”

After recovery of the animals, Jones said they were returned to the owner at his request.

The arrest came on the heels of a firestorm backlash from a post on Facebook of a graphic photo of two dogs, apparently dead and lying on the ground, with what appeared to be blood at one of the dog’s head.

The photo is accompanied by the caption, “Somebody didn’t put any truth my warning. Keep your d(expletive deleted) dogs on your property.”

Thousands responded internationally to widespread news reports that Conatser was a Union Valley volunteer firefighter who was subsequently suspended by the department.

“The news brought up the fire department,” Jones said. “People don’t need to judge all because one made a mistake.”

He called attention to the fact Hunt County has a great group of fire departments, staffed by a large number of volunteers that provide many services to citizens.

Jones said the Facebook post was the beginning of the investigation. “It was what prompted the report to the sheriff’s office. The sheriff’s office contacted our office,” he said.

Jones then undertook the investigation which led to contact with the owner of the dogs.

The constable said his office had conducted several interviews and taken photographs. The offense allegedly occurred Feb. 24 and Jones said he was notified the next day.

“No livestock were involved. I don’t know where that came from,” the constable said.

The case “met the elements of the offense,” he said. “Probable cause was found.”

He said the results of his investigation were first discussed with the county attorney, and later, the district attorney.

Although the dogs appeared to be on Conatser’s property, that doesn’t justify the killing of the animals, Jones said. “You have a right to protect yourself and your property,” he said. “I would never just give people permission to destroy an animal. There are guidelines to go by.”

If a property owner were confronted with a vicious animal, the proper authorities should be notified, Jones said. “Call the sheriff’s office,” the constable advised.”

He said Texas laws on the subject were available online.

Brock, Goleman seek Quinlan mayor’s job

Hawk Cove race develops; no contests in Quinlan ISD, East Tawakoni

 By Larry Briscoe

Correspondent

Two Quinlan officials will square off for a run at the mayor’s office in the May 9 election.

Incumbent Mayor Donny Brock will be challenged by Councilman Jacky Goleman. Goleman is the incumbent in Place 2.

Candidate filing closed Friday, Feb. 27.

Brock is serving his first term as mayor. Goleman is serving in a position in which he served previously as a councilman but with a several-years gap between terms.

A contest also developed for Goleman’s Place 2 council position. Sarah Autrey and Tim McDaniel filed as candidates for that position.

The Place 4 job was also up for election this year. Incumbent Councilman Brandon Frazier filed for reelection to his seat without opposition.

Quinlan voters will also decide a question on alcoholic beverages.

A petition bearing 81 signatures was presented to the Quinlan council calling for a vote to allow the sale of all alcoholic beverages for off-premise consumption only.

Early voting will be April 27 through May 5, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Hunt County Voter Administration Office, located at 2217A Washington, Greenville.

Hawk Cove

A race for the mayor’s job also developed in Hawk Cove.

Incumbent Mayor Anthony Cuciniello will be challenged by Delores “Dotty” Spence.

All five council seats are up for election.

Incumbents are James Foley Sr., Joseph Kelly, Jeffry Smith and David L. Tacker. The fifth position is currently vacant.

All four incumbents have filed for new terms, and Michelle Cagle filed as the only candidate for the vacant spot.

Quinlan ISD

Quinlan Independent School District had four trustee positions up for election this year.

Incumbents are Place 1, Kevin Fritch; Place 2, Barbara Norris; Place 3, Kenny Stone; and Place 5, Dale Chreene.

An election will not be necessary since all incumbents filed for new terms without opposition.

East Tawakoni

East Tawakoni will also save the cost of holding an election for the mayor and all council members.

Incumbents include Mayor Johnnie LaPrade and Councilmembers James Lee, Gary Reeves, Pam Patterson, W.R. “Bill” Roberts and Lynn Wallace.

Roberts and Wallace announced early they did not plan to seek reelection.

All other incumbents filed for reelection as well as Chris Roberts for his father’s Place 3 position and David Evans for Wallace’s Place 5 seat. Evans served formerly on the council.

Union Valley

The city of Union Valley is also scheduled to elect officers at the May 9 election. Information on candidates who had filed was not available.

Courtesy photo
Quinlan Ford powerlifters

Quinlan powerlifters advance to Regionals

Quinlan Ford powerlifters advanced to the Region 3 Division II Powerlifting Meet and will try to advance to state competition on March 28. “The lifter must be first or second place or lifting a qualifying total standard set for their weight class,” said Coach Gary Pamplin. Those advancing to Regional competition include Carl Shehane, 114 weight class; Charles Willman, 165 weight class; Calvin Olsen, 165 weight class; Brandon Melton, 198 weight class; Taner Renfro, 220 weight class; alternates are Wrangler Welch, 132 weight class (not pictured); Garland Parker, 181 weight class; and Javier Utrera, 242 weight class (not pictured).

Wet week followed by weekend rain pushes up elevation

By Larry Briscoe

Correspondent

Photo by Larry Briscoe Area creeks, including this one on FM 36 north of State Highway 276, were out of their banks Thursday as ice and snow melted to raise the elevation at Lake Tawakoni by more than three feet.

A week of freezing rain, sleet and snow, followed by another inch and a half of rain over the weekend pushed the elevation at Lake Tawakoni up four and a quarter feet by Wednesday morning.

The reading at that time was 429.66, up 4.26 feet from the 425.40 elevation on Jan. 1.

The lake is still down 7.84 feet from its full pool elevation at 437.5.

Lake Tawakoni had gained 108,000 acre feet from its low on Jan. 1 of 503,100 acre feet to the high on Tuesday of 613,700 acre feet.

The lake was 68.8 percent full by Wednesday.

At least one water company had already eased its water restrictions because of drought.

Combined Consumers Special Utility District announced plans Friday to go from Stage 3 to Stage 2 in its Drought Contingency and Water Emergency Response Plan.

The water company that serves a large portion of the Quinlan-Tawakoni area had already backed down from Stage 4 to Stage 3.

Tawakoni reaches 72.9 percent full

Hopes high for wet spring to send water over spillway

 By Larry Briscoe

Correspondent

Photo by Larry Briscoe
Lake Tawakoni was a popular destination Sunday afternoon for boaters and fishermen.

Lake Tawakoni reached a 72.9 percent full elevation Wednesday after two weeks of winter precipitation. Forecasts for more rain this week had hopes running high that a wet spring would finish filling out the drought’s deficits.

The elevation by Wednesday morning had reached 430.56 feet, down 6.94 feet from its full pool reading of 437.5 when water flows over the spillway. That last occurred in 2010 but the reservoir had a close encounter with its capacity in 2012.

The lake had conservation storage of 635,361 acre feet. The capacity storage of Lake Tawakoni is 871,685 feet. The lake covered 31,052 acres. The surface area of the lake at full capacity is 36,700 acres.

At the beginning of the year, drought conditions appeared on the verge of taking Lake Tawakoni’s elevation down to its all-time low. In fact, on Jan. 1, the reading was within inches at 425.44 of its all-time record low 424.96 recording, set Dec. 24, 2006.

With the lake down 12 feet low on Jan. 1, the lake was down to 56.3 percent full. The conservation capacity of 871,685 acre feet was down to 490,646 acre feet conservation storage and a surface area of 25,851 acres.

The city of Dallas water system of reservoirs was at 75.7 percent full by Wednesday morning. The system includes six lakes of which Lake Tawakoni is the largest. A seventh reservoir, Lake Palestine in Henderson County, is to date not connected to the Dallas water supply system.

The other five include the following—

Lake Fork in Rains and Wood Counties was down 3.41 feet Tuesday morning, 85.9 percent full with 551,089 acre feet of conservation storage of 605,061 acre feet capacity and a surface area of 23,944 acres.

Lake Ray Hubbard in Rockwall and Dallas Counties was down 6.18 feet, 73.2 percent full with 330,755 acre feet of conservation storage of 452,040 acre feet capacity and a surface area of 17,922 acres.

Grapevine Lake in Tarrant and Denton Counties was down 9.81 feet, 65 percent full with 107,073 acre feet of conservation storage of 164,703 acre feet capacity and a surface area of 5,161 acres.

Lewisville Lake in Denton County was down 5.12 feet, 77 percent full with 469,223 acre feet of conservation storage of 563,228 acre feet capacity and surface area of 23,453 acres.

Ray Roberts Lake in Denton and Cooke Counties was down 6.85 feet, 77.2 percent full with 608,558 acre feet of conservation storage of 788,167 acre feet of capacity and surface area of 23,996 acres.

The all-time high Lake Tawakoni elevation recording was taken May 1, 1966, at 442.50.

The lake had received 6.04 inches of rain by early this week, according to Sabine River Authority (SRA), and the annual rainfall over the Lake Tawakoni basin averages 39.5 inches. The maximum record was measured in 1946 of 63.7 inches. The record low rainfall was 17.6 inches in 1910.

 Two Quinlan Ford students sign letters of intent

Quinlan Ford High School seniors Taner Renfro and Logan Lane signed letters of intent to play football for Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene.

Quinlan ISD Director of School Community Relations Tiffony Upchurch said that both students were actively involved within the school, each competing in several different sports for Quinlan ISD.

Renfro earned the honor of being named to the first team All-District guard during his junior and senior years while also earning a spot on the Academic All-State team while playing basketball. He was also a qualifier for regional and state competition during his junior and senior years of powerlifting.  He was a standout in track, qualifying for regional competition in discus. Renfro will earn an associate’s degree in May prior to graduation.

During Lane’s senior year, he was named varsity football co-captain and earned second team honors as a tight end. He also earned the Texas High School Coaches Association first team Academic All-State honors.

In basketball, he was the team MVP and earned second team honors as a post. In baseball, he earned first team honors at third base as a junior. Logan is in the top quarter of his class and was also an active participant in student council, golf and was a member of the yearbook staff.

Logan Lane signed letters of intent to play football for Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene.

Taner Renfro signed letters of intent to play football for Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene.

Huber’s no-hitter highlights 13-0 rout

By David Kapitan

Sports Editor

Jarrod Huber was a strike-throwing machine during Edgewood’s district opener, mowing down Harmony Eagle batters seemingly at will during a 13-0 rout on Tuesday night.

The Bulldog senior needed just 59 pitches to throw his five-inning, 10-strikeout gem. Even more impressively, Huber’s performance included no hits and no walks allowed.

Edgewood started the game at the plate, quickly getting out of the gates on a two-run double by Trey Erwin, and a sac fly by Tye Elie.

That was all the offense Huber would need. The right-hander got his night started by striking out the side in the bottom of the first inning.

While the Edgewood offense continued to churn out runs the rest of the night, including one each in both the second and third, three runs in the fourth and five runs in the fifth, Huber continued to keep the Harmony offense in check.

Huber struck out two of the three batters he faced in the second, both looking, and then added two more in the bottom of the third to push his total to seven.

The Eagles managed to break up the perfect game in the bottom of the fourth, getting a runner on base via an error. That momentum would be short lived, with a ground out and two more Huber strikeouts ending the threat.

Huber tallied one more strikeout in the bottom of the fifth, sandwiched in between groundouts, to wrap up the no-hitter. On six of Huber’s 10 strikeouts, Harmony batters never even managed to swing at the third strike pitch. Eight of nine Eagle batters fell victim to at least one strikeout in the game.

Huber wasn’t the only standout in the win, getting plenty of help from hitters up and down the Edgewood lineup.

Trey Erwin had a monster game at the plate, finishing 3 for 3 with 4 RBI and two runs scored. Tye Elie contributed 3 RBI, Jason Thompson added 2 RBI, and Devin Davison, Kobe Huett, and Nathan Renfro each registered single RBI in the win.

Edgewood will look to keep the positive momentum going with a game in Winona on March 24, and a home game against Quitman on March 27.

Lake levels rise behind wet conditions

 By Larry Briscoe

Correspondent

Lake Tawakoni reached a 72.9 percent full elevation level on March 18 after weeks of winter precipitation and rain. Forecasts for more rain in the coming week had hopes running high that a wet spring would finish filling out the drought’s deficits.

The elevation by March 18 had reached 430.56 feet, down 6.94 feet from its full pool reading of 437.5 when water flows over the spillway. That last occurred in 2010 but the reservoir had a close encounter with its capacity in 2012.

The lake had conservation storage of 635,361 acre feet. The capacity storage of Lake Tawakoni is 871,685 feet. The lake covered 31,052 acres. The surface area of the lake at full capacity is 36,700 acres.

At the beginning of the year, drought conditions appeared on the verge of taking Lake Tawakoni’s elevation down to its all-time low. In fact, on Jan. 1, the reading was within inches at 425.44 of its all-time record low 424.96 recording, set Dec. 24, 2006.

With the lake down 12 feet low on Jan. 1, the lake was down to 56.3 percent full. The conservation capacity of 871,685 acre feet was down to 490,646 acre feet conservation storage and a surface area of 25,851 acres.

The city of Dallas water system of reservoirs was at 75.7 percent full. The system includes six lakes of which Lake Tawakoni is the largest. A seventh reservoir, Lake Palestine in Henderson County, is to date not connected to the Dallas water supply system.

The other five include the following—

Lake Fork in Rains and Wood Counties was down 3.41 feet, 85.9 percent full with 551,089 acre feet of conservation storage of 605,061 acre feet capacity and a surface area of 23,944 acres.

Lake Ray Hubbard in Rockwall and Dallas Counties was down 6.18 feet, 73.2 percent full with 330,755 acre feet of conservation storage of 452,040 acre feet capacity and a surface area of 17,922 acres.

Grapevine Lake in Tarrant and Denton Counties was down 9.81 feet, 65 percent full with 107,073 acre feet of conservation storage of 164,703 acre feet capacity and a surface area of 5,161 acres.

Lewisville Lake in Denton County was down 5.12 feet, 77 percent full with 469,223 acre feet of conservation storage of 563,228 acre feet capacity and surface area of 23,453 acres.

Ray Roberts Lake in Denton and Cooke Counties was down 6.85 feet, 77.2 percent full with 608,558 acre feet of conservation storage of 788,167 acre feet of capacity and surface area of 23,996 acres.

The all-time high Lake Tawakoni elevation recording was taken May 1, 1966, at 442.50.

The lake had received 6.04 inches of rain by early last week, according to Sabine River Authority (SRA), and the annual rainfall over the Lake Tawakoni basin averages 39.5 inches. The maximum record was measured in 1946 of 63.7 inches. The record low rainfall was 17.6 inches in 1910.

Blakemore speaks, entertains at monthly chamber luncheon

Publisher stresses value of local newspaper

By Larry Briscoe

Correspondent

Membership of the Lake Tawakoni Regional Chamber of Commerce was briefed on the importance of local newspapers and was entertained to boot at last week’s monthly meeting.

Brad Blakemore, publisher of The Quinlan-Tawakoni News, spoke on “The Value of Your Local Newspaper” and accompanied himself on the guitar with a humorous selection.

The newspaper hosted the luncheon, catered by Dennis Simmons of Black Bear Crossing.

Blakemore reviewed his career in journalism that began at The Houston Post in 1979 and included time at The Dallas Times-Herald on the road to his current position as publisher of Van Zandt Newspapers. In addition to The Quinlan-Tawakoni News, the company owns the Wills Point Chronicle, Van Zandt News, Van Banner, Canton Herald, Mabank Monitor, Malakof f News, Kerens and Cedar Creek Lake Area Leader as well The Shopper in Paris.

Blakemore noted billionaire Warren Buffet who owns 70-plus newspapers sees the value in community newspapers. Buffet has said there is no substitute for a local newspaper that is doing a good job.

The local publisher cited the need for advertising support of local newspapers and said it was critical for their survival.

Executive Director Debi Darter reminded of the chamber auction on May 9 at Peninsula Ranch. Tables for eight are available for 4175 or individual seating is $25. Donations for the auction were requested as well as donations bottles of wine for a wine-pull event.

Chamber Director Tiffony Upchurch welcomed those attending, reminded of upcoming events and recognized new members Manna Basket Ministries and Hometown Laundromat and Car Wash.

Photo by Larry Briscoe
Simmons and crew serve lunch The Quinlan-Tawakoni News hosts the monthly membership meeting of the Lake Tawakoni Regional Chamber of Commerce. The meal is catered by Dennis Simmons and crew of Black Bear Crossing. In the serving line, from left, are Constable Kent Layton, Dr. Gene Hamil and Justice of the Peace David McNabb.

Photo by Larry Briscoe
‘Support your local paper’ Brad Blakemore, publisher of The Quinlan-Tawakoni News, accompanies himself on the guitar with a humorous selection. Blakemore spoke to the Lake Tawakoni Regional Chamber of Commerce membership Thursday at its regular monthly luncheon. His topic was “The Value of Your Local Newspaper.”

Photo by Larry Briscoe
Tiffony Upchurch, Quinlan Independent School District Director of Community Relations welcomes those attending Thursday’s membership meeting of the Lake Tawakoni Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Varsity boys come in second at Edgewood meet

The Quinlan Ford Panther track teams competed in the Edgewood Invitational Meet March 19.

The boys varsity team came in second behind Canton.

Roman Agullion was sixth and Nick Guynes finished ninth in the 100 meter dash.

In the 200 meter dash, Dillon Norris came in 11^th and Aguillion was 13^th.

Justin Parker finished second in the 400 meter dash. While Blane Burch tied for third in the race with Corey Smallwood from Bonham.

In the 800 meter run, Jose Guerreo was sixth.

Clayton Korinek, Enrique Serrano and Guerro were fourth, fifth and eighth, respectively in the 1600 meter run.

Korinek came in third and Serrano was fourth in the 3200 meter run.

Dustin Fullbright was the third place finisher in the 110 meter hurdles and he came in second in the 300 meter hurdles.

The 4×100 meter relay team of Justin Parker, Blane Burch, Timothy Peele and Dillon Norris were third.

Roman Agullion, Nick Guynes, Timothy Peele and Dillon Norris were fourth in the 4×200 relay.

Burch, Peele, Parker and Fullbright were second in the 4×400 relays.

The JV boys came in sixth overall.

Bryce Mumby came in ninth in the 200 meter dash. Eddsson Rodas  and Jonathon Dotson finished 13th and 14^th, respectively, in the event.

Mumby was fifth in the 100 meter dash and Dotson came in eighth.

In the 400 meter dash, Mumby also finished ninth and Rodas, 13^th.

The varsity girls competed but did not place.

Quinlan Ford Lady Panthers varsity softball team hit a rough stretch the past two weeks.

The ladies lost Tuesday to Community 10-2.

Kendall Barrow went two-for-three with two singles; Taylor Stricklin, two-for-three with three singles; Timmons, two-for-three with two singles; and Dennis, two-for-three with two singles.

Stricklin pitched for the Lady Panthers.

The Quinlan junior varsity lost 7-5 to Community.

The Quinlan varsity lost 12-0 to the Princeton Panthers on Friday, March 27.

Ariel Forsyth pitched for Quinlan Ford.

Kendall Barrow and C. Linn were both one-for-two at bat with singles.

The Lady Panthers lost to Melissa 14-7 on Tuesday, March 24.

Forsyth pitched for Quinlan.

Forsyth was two-for-three at bat, hitting two doubles and scored two runs.

Barrow was three-for-five with three singles and two RBIs; Stricklin, two-for-two with one double, a triple, one RBI and one run scored; T. Edwards went two-for-four with a single, a double and one RBI; and K. Valentine went three-for-four with two singles, one double, one RBI and one run scored.

Pet buffalo celebrates 10th birthday with another United Kingdom crew

By Larry Briscoe

Correspondent

Photo courtesy of Deana Hunt
R.C. and Sherron Bridges’ pet buffalo Wildthing celebrates his 10th birthday with the family and friends last week as
a United Kingdom fi lm crew captured the occasion for a future television show to be aired globally. Wildthing is quite
at home as he enters the living room where Sherron watches from the sofa.

Wildthing the buffalo takes his hometown Quinlan message around the world.

The 2,400-pound pet of R.C. and Sherron Bridges is often seen on television screens globally, even in the most remote regions.

Wildthing and his television personalities Bridges family filmed their 20th television show last week. The occasion of the buffalo’s 10th birthday was celebrated as part of the show filmed by a United Kingdom company. R.C. shared that Wildthing’s actual birth date is May 7.

Wildthing has already put Quinlan into homes around the world with his television appearances, hundreds of books, magazines and newspaper stories as well as feature spreads in five Ripley’s Believe It or Not books. Wildthing is a favorite of Ripley’s, and the buffalo helped open an exhibit hall for the company.  He was even featured in a movie, “Summer of ’76.”

While the Bridges hold five world records, they may not be published because R.C. said the Guinness company charges for inclusion. He wonders why pay the publication.

R.C. is the real deal when it comes to cowboys, not only managing ranches, but he is a world champion cutting horse trainer. He won two world championships in the American Buckskin Association.

So much information is available about Wildthing and his family, a London newspaper recently published a story about them, and they were unaware of it. “A lady that had shot a TV show with us told us about it,” R.C. said.

Enough film footage is out there now, the Bridges are often televised without knowing when.

“We didn’t know we were on TV last night,” Sherron said last week. “And we will be on two more shows this weekend.”

R.C. is internationally recognized and awarded as a cutting horse expert. He has 30 years of experience and teaching seminars here and abroad to add to his credentials.

Sherron is a fashion and jewelry designer with Indian themes. She even uses Wildthing’s hair to make unique western and Indian boots and hats. She was dubbed “Dances with Wolves” by National Geographic. She has a pet wolves including Jewell Spirit.

Sherron will be at Buffalo Girls Hotel in Canton on the Mountain across from Dog Ally for a big event in April that includes a chili cookoff, auction and live music. The event benefits pet adoption for CLAW.

R.C. has turned down offers for his own show. He has retired from his cutting horse career that won the two championship belts and took him to Germany, Belgium and Holland from 1993 to 2007.

The couple and their buffalo first caught the notice of the press in 2008. They have been busy on the international air and press since. Film crews are commonly seen at their home from United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and South Korea as well as the United States.

Local friends Bonnie Hart, Deana Hunt and Candy Maricel celebrated with Wildthing and the Bridges.

The story of the Blue Ribbon

The Blue Ribbon Child Abuse Prevention Campaign had its early beginnings following the death of a very young child. In the spring of 1989, Bonnie Finney, a Virginia grandmother received the devastating news that her beloved grandson had died of injuries inflicted by his parents.

In an expression of her grief and outrage, this grandmother did something that has given us a symbol around which we rally for the cause of child abuse prevention: She tied a blue ribbon to the antenna of her van as a way to remember “the bruised and battered body of her grandson and to alert her community to the tragedy of child abuse.

In Bonnie’s own words: “The blue ribbon serves as a constant reminder to fight for protection of our children. Please wear a blue ribbon. Put one on your car, give one to your friends and tell them what it means. You may save the life of a child!”

Her simple idea, to wear or display a blue ribbon to show support for her grandchild, was picked up by grassroots organizations across the country.

The act of one grandmother thousands of miles away leads us to this day. Just think what could happen if each one of us helped to spread the word to a few of the people that we come in contact with each day.

The groundswell of support that would follow just might be enough to move us towards the day when our homes and communities are completely safe.

Quinlan pregnant woman appears to be allegedly hit by deputy

By Larry Briscoe

Correspondent

Deanna Robinson

A video of what appears to be a Hunt County Sheriff’s deputy allegedly hitting a pregnant woman during an arrest at a home in Quinlan sparked widespread outrage this week after it was posted on social media.

A news conference was scheduled to be held Wednesday at 3 p.m. (after press time) concerning the video by Hunt County Sheriff Randy Meeks.

The approximately 32 seconds of video was posted on YouTube over the weekend. Officers are seen in a corner of a room bent over a third person who is generally not visible. In the final frames, the officer with “Sheriff” on his back appears to raise his arm and hit the back of the third person and raises his arm again as if to strike again when the video ends. A second officer has “Police” on his back.

Two other men and a woman holding a young child are to one side of the room, while the child is heard crying. A woman is heard screaming and using strong language that she is pregnant.

Deanna Robinson of Quinlan, 38, claims the video shows her as she is assaulted while 38-weeks-plus pregnant and handcuffed, while Hunt County Child Protective Services (CPS) investigators watch in silence.

Texas Child Protective Services spokeswoman Marissa Gonzalez of the Arlington office said Monday morning the agency’s cases were confidential. “The only thing I can confirm for you is there have been four children from that household placed in court-ordered temporary custody.”

When asked if department policy allowed arrests to be made while children watched, Gonzalez said, “Yes, there are situations when that has happened.”

Hunt County Sheriff Randy Meeks responded Monday morning to requests for information with this statement, “I have become aware of an internet allegation accusing one of my deputies of improper actions. I have initiated an administrative investigation to determine if any policy violations occurred. Public confidence and trust in the sheriff’s office is a high priority for me, and we take all allegations of misconduct seriously.

“We will allow the investigation to run its course in a manner which is fair to all concerned, and we will make no assumptions or guesses until all facts are determined. Additional information will be released as appropriate and the results of our investigation will be made public upon conclusion.”

Quinlan Police Department Sgt. Rob Manor confirmed the other officer in the video was a Quinlan police officer. He declined to give any further details.

Robinson said she was charged with felony assaulting a police officer and interference with child custody and was taken to jail where she remained for six days.

Robinson said the CPS incident was triggered by an argument between her and her husband “on Sunday, March 1, where tensions escalated higher than usual. No one was injured, no authorities involved, no charges filed. Afterward, I took the 18-month-old and left the house to stay the night with my parents in order to allow everyone a chance to decompress and cool off.”

She said the argument was reported by her stepson to a teacher at school who contacted CPS.

CPS spokeswoman Gonzalez said four children were placed in temporary custody from Robinson’s home. Robinson said the four included her three stepsons who were removed from their home on Tuesday, March 3, and her 18-month-old who was removed from her parents’ home on Wednesday, March 4, the subject of the controversial video.

Robinson said her baby was born March 15. “He is so far healthy and doing well,” she said.

When asked who was holding her 18-month-old in the video, Robinson said, “In the video clip my mother is holding the toddler. My dad is seen standing beside her trying to comfort both her and the baby as well as trying to understand what exactly was going on.”

Robinson gave the following account of the story surrounding the video —

“The Hunt County CPS investigators asked me to meet them at 8:30 p.m. on the night of March 4, 2015, for an interview and health-welfare check of my 18-month-old son. I complied.

“At approximately 8:15 p.m., there was a banging on the door that sounded like what I imagine the Gestapo might have sounded like. I opened it to see a large Hunt County Sheriffs Officer on the porch steps. There were two more officers behind him. He asked, ‘Are you Deanna Robinson?’ I said, ‘Yes, I am.’ He asked if I was the mother of (my 18-month-old son’s name, which was horribly mispronounced). I said, ‘Yes, I am.’ He said, ‘We are here to remove your son.’ I replied, ‘Nobody is touching my child without a court order or a warrant.’

“He reached behind him, and one of the other officers handed him a solid, opaque pocket folder. He opened the folder, revealing approximately the top one-third of a sheet of white paper with writing on it — then quickly closed the folder again and passed it back behind him. I asked to examine the document. He responded, ‘That’s not gonna happen,’ so I attempted to close the door again.

“Before I could get it closed, he shoved the door open, in the process shoving me backward several steps into the kitchen. My son was standing behind me and a little to my left. All three officers had entered the kitchen by that point. The first officer yelled, ‘There’s the kid, somebody grab him.’

Photo by Larry Briscoe
One of the final frames of a 32-second video from a security camera ignited a firestorm of controversy as it appears to show a Hunt County Sheriff’s deputy allegedly hit a pregnant woman as she is arrested.

“I began screaming and trying to block his access to my child. He immediately grabbed me, spun me around, and then, the two officers seen in the video shoved me into the corner and forcefully pinned me there, slamming my knees, legs, thighs into the lower cabinets, slamming my abdomen into the kitchen counter and even pinning my head down onto the counter initially. I was handcuffed at that point. My parents quickly came to see what the commotion was, and my mother grabbed my son to remove him from the middle of the physical aggression. Only after I had been handcuffed did the CPS investigators even bother to enter the house.

“I was personally familiar with one of the investigators, Michelle Hughes. The other CPS investigator, who is seen turning around and watching my assault while remaining silent and offering no intervention, is Jay Borton. She was well aware of my condition and the advanced stage of my pregnancy. At 38-plus weeks pregnant, my appearance makes it quite obvious as well. When I noticed Michelle, I began screaming out for her to intervene or at least to verify — remind the sheriff’s officer that I was pregnant. Again, she remained silent, did not intervene in any way, and in fact, turned her head aside when I called out to her.

“The video speaks for itself here. Near the end of the clip the officer who is standing aside can be heard to say, ‘Somebody shut her up.’

Photo by Larry Briscoe
The so-called “Pregnant Woman” video posted on YouTube this week includes frames that show Deanna Robinson’s mother holding her 18-month-old son while Robinson is placed under arrest by a Hunt County Sheriff’s deputy and a Quinlan police officer.

“I cannot explain the short duration of the video clip because it was captured by a home security camera that was mounted inside the adjacent room on a wall. The system, apparently, was programmed to record for 30 second intervals and then shift to the next camera (I’m speculating here, based on what I was told. I didn’t install or have any personal knowledge of the camera or system.)

“Ultimately, I was taken to the Hunt County detention facility, and my son was taken from the arms and the safety of his maternal grandparents’ home, despite their protests, willingness, ability and repeated requests to retain physical custody of him. The paperwork and forms that CPS left behind were all marked ‘REFUSED NONCOMPLIANT’ on the parent signature line, even though I obviously never even saw any of the forms, much less refused to sign them.

“I was jailed for six days, charged with felony assaulting a police officer and interference with child custody, while my family scrambled and borrowed to pay the bail bond. I am a decorated veteran of the Iraq war. I have zero criminal history, no alcohol, drug or any other problems. I had never been arrested before this night.

“During my incarceration, I was kept in a holding-processing cell the entire time, and it was explained to me that this was because the facility lacked a medical area appropriate for a pregnant woman. The holding cells do not have beds, and the fluorescent lights are left on 24 hours a day. Officers do checks on the holding cells every 15-30 minutes. Each time I encountered any medical personnel, I explained that I had been assaulted during my arrest and I asked to have my injuries documented (either on paper or with photographs). Each time (four different encounters) I was denied with only the feeble explanation that I ‘could contact Internal Affairs if I wanted to pursue that kind of thing.’ Despite repeated requests, I was never provided with prenatal vitamins or my regular medications.

“On the third day, Jay Borton (the CPS investigator who is seen in the video) came to the jail to meet with me. I was taken to an interview room where Borton placed his business card on the desk between us and stated ‘I’m Jay Borton. I currently have custody of your son. I’d like to ask you a few questions.’

“I replied, ‘I’d like to speak to an attorney, please sir.’

Upon hearing that he snatched the business card back up off the desk, slammed his folio shut and stood up. He began to walk out of the room, but instead, he stopped in the doorway and said, “Well, let me ask you this, do you want your court subpoena sent to your home address or your parents’ address?’

“I replied, ‘I’d like to speak to an attorney, please sir.’

“Borton began to sneer at me, ‘You’re a fool. You must want the state to make decisions about your kids,’ and then he left the room.

“Once I was released on bond, I made an urgent appointment with my OB-GYN and finally had my injuries examined and documented and had the status of the baby evaluated.

“I was actually inducted into the Quinlan ISD Hall of Fame in 2008 in association with an incident that happened during my deployment to Iraq in 2004. Subsequently, I have been removed from the Hall of Fame, citing my arrest as the reason for removal.

“As of today, my 18-month-old remains in foster care (as well as my nine-year old stepson, however, they are separated in different locations.) I’m not allowed to know where he is, and despite a court order from March 13 that they be transferred to the custody of my parents. I have only been allowed to ‘visit’ my son for an hour three times between the arrest and now. Each time I have been allowed to see him, he was sick with visible dark, runny snot, wheezing, sneezing, coughing and breathing difficulties (have video). He was otherwise perfectly healthy when he was removed. I have been adamantly insisting he get medical care and have been ignored, and eventually was told that I could not attend his medical appointments nor was I allowed to know the name of the provider-pediatrician who would be treating him.

“My family and I had put in three separate requests to be able to have visitation with them for the Easter holiday. The first request was verbal (in person but tape recorded), the second and third were in writing (email). They were all ignored. No reply or acknowledgement whatsoever.”

Robinson has consulted with attorneys including local attorney Scott Cornuaud. When asked if she was planning to file a lawsuit, and if so, against whom, she said, “Nothing has been determined in regards to filing lawsuits. Our focus and most fervent hope is to get our family reunited immediately.”

Quinlan Ford softball takes 15-5 win over Anna

The Quinlan Ford varsity softball team’s bats were hot last week when the Lady Panthers took a 15-5 win last week at Anna.

The Lady Panthers built momentum and held it through the game. The game was tied at 2 after the first inning, and Quinlan Ford took a 5-4 lead after two. The third inning was scoreless.

The Quinlan ladies scored two more runs in the fourth inning for a 7-4 advantage and built on the lead in the fifth with three more while Anna put one run on the scoreboard, their final for the game. The score was 10-5 after five.

Quinlan Ford added three more runs in the sixth and two in the seventh for the 15-5 finish.

They had 24 hits to two for Anna. The Lady Panthers had eight errors to Anna’s two.

Ariel Forsyth was the winning pitcher. She struck out 12 and was charged with two hits, five runs and one earned run.

Alyssa Alvarez hit five for six times at bat for the Lady Panthers with three singles and two doubles.

Kendall Barrow was four-for-four at bath with two singles and two doubles. Candice Dennis was four-for-four, hitting four singles.

Katie Valentine hit three-for-five with three singles; Haley Ogles, two-for-three, one double and a triple; Candice Linn, two-for-four, a single and a homerun; and Taylor Stricklin, two-for-four, single and a double.

Lady Panthers lose to Bonham, Melissa

The Quinlan Ford Lady Panther varsity softball team lost games over the past week to Bonham and Melissa.

The Lady Panthers lost 15-2 to Bonham.

Ariel Forsyth pitched both games.

Against Bonham, she logged six earned runs, seven base-on-balls and one strikeout.

Candice Linn went two-for-three at bat with two singles. Forsyth was one-for-three with a double; Charity Timmons hit one-for-three with a single.

Quinlan Ford lost 6-3 to Melissa.

Forsyth pitched with eight hits, three earned runs and seven strikeouts.

Taylor Stricklin was two-for-two with two singles. Timmons hit two-for-two with a single. Linn hit one-for-three with a triple

Point drag racer headed to Star Racing Riders Challenge Competition

Billy Collum

Billy Collum has always dreamed of pursuing his passion of racing at the highest levels of professional motorcycle drag racing.

This week the Point resident had his opportunity when he competed in The Star Racing Riders Challenge at the Auto Plus Raceway in Gainesville, Fla. The race was April 15 and 16.

Collum is one of 25 motorcycle drag racers competing to be the teammate of three-time National Hot Rod Association Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Angelle Sampey at the NHRA national event in Atlanta May 15 through 17. Sampey is the winningest female in NHRA history and races for one of the true legendary teams, Star Racing.

Star Racing, owned by George and Jackie Bryce, is celebrating its 35th anniversary in the motorcycle racing business. They said they created The Challenge to give back to the sport they love.

One driver will win the opportunity to race a Star Racing prepared NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle, that travels down a quarter mile in under seven seconds approaching 200 MPH, as a teammate to Angelle. The 25 participants are divided into three groups with two from each group advancing to the finals that will take place on April 22 and 23 in Gainesville, Fla.

“We are excited to have Billy as part of the competition,” said Star Racing owner George Bryce. “He is a talented racer and we are looking forward to seeing how he will do in the competition. Billy and the other riders will not only compete on our motorcycles, but will take part in public speaking and interviews to see who can best represent our team both on and off the track and ultimately win The Star Racing Riders Challenge.”

“This will be a great opportunity for me,” Collum said. “To learn from George Bryce and Angelle Sampey and to have the chance to race as a teammate to Angelle would be a dream come true. I can’t wait to get the competition started.”

Two Dallas men rescued off Lake Tawakoni

Photos by Larry Briscoe

Two Dallas men were rescued Sunday night off Lake Tawakoni after their boat began taking on water. East Tawakoni and West Tawakoni first responders answered the call as well as East Tawakoni police. A passerby reported the incident to 911 at approximately 7:30 when she saw one of the two men attempting to swim to shore. East Tawakoni police responded, and when the swimmer saw help coming, he returned to the boat. The swimmer said the boat began taking on water as waves started lapping over the side. Both men were checked by AMR Ambulance personnel after West Tawakoni VFD’s boat and personnel returned them to shore. The incident occurred about 200 yards south of the Two-Mile Bridge, between the halfway hump in the bridge and the East Tawakoni shore, according to Assistant Fire Chief Kevin Willbanks. Willbanks called attention to and expressed appreciation to the donors of boats that allow the rescues

Quinlan Ford softball loses to Princeton, Community

The Quinlan Ford Lady Panthers varsity softball team played Princeton and Community teams over the past week.

Quinlan Ford lost to the Community Lady Braves 6-4 on Friday.

Ariel Forsyth was on the mound for the Lady Panthers and logged four earned runs and two strikeouts.

Taylor Stricklin two two-for-three at bath with two singles. Katie Valentine was three-for-three, hitting two singles and a triple.

Candice Dennis and Faith Maddox were each two-for-four with two singles apiece.

On Tuesday, the Lady Panthers took on their Princeton Panther counterparts to a 9-0 loss.

Forsyth pitched again for nine hits, four earned runs and six strikeouts.

Candice Maddox went one-for-two at the plate with a single. Candice Linn was one-for-three with a single. Kendall Barrow and Forsyth each hit a single and one-for-three.

Lake Tawakoni low by only 3.85 feet

Photo by Larry Briscoe
Fishermen up early at Lake Tawakoni
The sun silhouettes a fisherman and a boat early Sunday morning as a rising Lake Tawakoni attracted large numbers of people.

Recent thunderstorms put Lake Tawakoni back on the rise and filled area creeks and tributaries to overflowing flood levels.

The lake elevation increased to a maximum 433.88 reading by 9:45 p.m. April 27. That brought the lake up to within 3.62 feet of its full pool reading of 437.5 when water begins to flow over the spillway.

The reading by April 28 was 433.65.

Lake Tawakoni had gained an additional foot over the past several weeks in addition to the major gains in elevation in late February and early March.