By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
Staff of the Montague County Tax Appraisal District sent out 15,815 preliminary property value statements for the 2026 tax year.
An additional 3,500 mineral notices and 90 business personal property notices were sent out by Pritchard & Abbott.
Overall total preliminary values for the county went up 8.1% when compared to certified values from 2025 reported Chief Appraiser Kim Haralson.
Property values have undergone many changes in the last few years based on actions from the Texas Legislature, subdivision developments and energy.
Last November, Texas voters approved an increase in the homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000 which affected last year’s values and taxes.
Ongoing development of subdivisions throughout the county and fluctuations in the oil and gas industry also are having an impact.
Values were determined as of Jan. 1, 2026, so any activity after that date such as recent upheavals in energy due to the war in Iran have not impacted the numbers.

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A total of 15 cases were returned by the Montague County Grand Jury in its April session.
Six of those cases are sealed awaiting the arrest of suspects reported the staff of the 97th District Attorney’s office. The sealed cases are for charges of burglary of a building, unauthorized use of a vehicle possession of a controlled substance, prohibited substance in a correctional facility, indecency with a child sexual contact and injury to a child/elderly/disabled person with the intent of bodily injury.
A grand jury indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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The Texas Rangers provided an update on the investigation in an officer-involved shooting where a Sunset man died.
The incident occurred shortly after 11 a.m. on March 22 in the Spur 511 area outside of Sunset. The Bowie Police log stated a suspect allegedly pulled a gun while being told about the burn ban and was attempting to burn material.
Bowie Police and Montague County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene. The following statement was released by the Texas Rangers on Wednesday.
“The Texas Rangers were called to investigate an officer-involved shooting in Montague County. The Montague County Sheriff’s Office and the Bowie Police Department were involved. The suspect involved in this incident is Michael Shane Jones. During the interaction with responding officers, Jones produced a firearm and fired at the officers.
“The officers returned fire and struck Jones. Officers began life-saving measures until Jones was able to be transported by medical personnel. Jones was transported to a hospital in Decatur, where he later passed away as a result of his injuries. A Bowie police officer sustained minor injuries during the altercation and was transported to a local area hospital, where he was later released. The Texas Rangers’ investigation remains ongoing.”