Montague County law enforcement and Bowie Police attended to a pair of separate incidents that prompted a delay in dismissing the local school campuses by about 15 minutes or more Monday.

Bowie Police Chief Guy Green reported about 4:45 p.m. Monday the bare basics of the incidents as the investigation is only in its preliminary stage.

Incident one involved information from the county sheriff’s office about a man who was allegedly making threats of suicide and had a gun. Green said the man has children in local schools and there were concerns in case he came to school. The sheriff’s staff was able to find him out in the county and talk with him. He was unharmed and additional details will come later.

Incident two the chief said involved a middle-aged lady who was driving in the area of Farm-to-Market 1125 and Rock Hill Road when she was flagged down by a man who needed a ride. She stopped and picked him up, but once inside he reportedly began threatening her to drive or he would kill her. Green said based on the basic info he had at 4:45 p.m. Monday the male subject began hitting the female driver assaulting her.

“She was able to stop the car and when she did, he jumped out running toward the area near Murphy Express and Walmart. Officers were already over at the high school which had been locked down and some of them went to that area to search. Deputy Chase Pelton brought over K9 Ace and he was deployed to track down the suspect. K9 Ace and Pelton captured and placed him into custody without further incident,” said the chief.

Bowie Police and the sheriff’s office expect to provide additional information tomorrow as they talk further with the suspects and witnesses.

Montague County Judge Kevin Benton reported Saturday morning he has found after talking with the local health authority and state health service officials the state is tracking 35 active COVID-19 cases in the county and there are likely some additional cases on on the list. This increase from Oct. 14 when the mask exemption was announced, now cancels the exemption. The Texas Department of Health is investigating probable origins of this increase in positive cases. Citizens are encouraged to follow the governor’s order urging face coverings in public locations.

Seven guilty pleas were entered in 97th District Court last week. District Attorney Casey Polhemus also was informed a November 2015 case against a woman who left her five children home alone in filthy conditions will be dismissed due to her mental status. “Jessica Petroni has been found to be insane at the time, which is a bar to prosecution,” explained Polhemus. Read the full story in your mid-week News.