NEWS
2 chases, 1 fight keep lawmen busy last Friday



A pair of high-speed pursuits in southern Montague County Friday netted a carjacking and stabbing suspect out of Austin and a stolen vehicle out of Wichita Falls.
Pursuit one
Montague County Sheriff Marshall Thomas said a morning pursuit was brief with a reckless driver suspect, while an afternoon chase began with a “armed” suspect out of Austin seen on U.S. 287, chased briefly into Bowie and stopped on Lawhorn Lane.
Shortly after 11 a.m. on Aug. 21 the sheriff’s office received a call of a reckless driver in the area of Farm-to-Market Road 174 12 miles out of the county, but heading toward Montague County. Deputy Chase Pelton responded and observed what he believed to be the suspect vehicle.
The driver came into Bowie on FM 174 and local police deployed tire spikes in the area of Matthews and Wise in an attempt to stop the vehicle. The driver finally came to a stop in the parking lot of the post office at Mason and Wise in the center of downtown Bowie.
The second pursuit began shortly after 2 p.m. when Deputy Pelton heard radio traffic about a possible carjacking/stabbing suspect driving on U.S. 287 from Alvord in a silver Mustang. The suspect, Richard Camilo Vela Jr., 53, Austin, was listed as “armed and dangerous.”
A disturbance at Selma Park last Friday evening ended with the arrest of three people and two police officers receiving minor injuries as they attempted to arrest a suspect.
The incident involved officers from both the Bowie Police and Montague County Sheriff’s office as they responded to a disturbance near the Blue Dock at Lake Amon G. Carter in Selma Park.
Read the full story on these incidents in your mid-week Bowie News.
NEWS
Amon Carter Lake Board to meet
Members of the Amon Carter Lake Water Supply Corporation will meet at 6 p.m. on May 26 in the office at 607A Lindsey for a monthly meeting.
Items on the agenda include a consent agenda and minutes and financials. Possible discussion/action may be considered on the following topics: Treasurer’s report, review of finance and current loans; president’s report as to the written agreements with contractual employees; consider current water rates and a possible increase; and review of expenses and areas that need amendment.
An executive session may be entered to discuss personnel issues.
NEWS
Saint Jo City Council hires fire marshal
The City of Saint Jo has a new fire marshal as the city council made the appointment during its May 13 meeting.
Gary Hines, a retired professional firefighter and certified fire investigator, will take the position. City Secretary Debbie Dennis said the post is required by ordinance but has not been filled for a long period.
The council set dates for a budget workshop for 2 p.m. on June 14 and 2 p.m. on June 28 for the ordinance workshop, as the council works to update its rules.
Aldermen gave their support to a proposition by Councilman Jack Dunn who is asking the Legislature to allow Texas’ smallest cities, those with 2,500 or few in population, to receive an additional share of sales and use tax. He would like to see the funds used in these communities to repair and replace aging infrastructure without new taxes or reliance on state grants.
In letter to State Rep. David Spiller, whom Dunn will meet with on June 1, the alderman explains much of the state’s 6.25% share generated locally flows into general funds and is spent on other priorities. He would like Spiller to author this legislation. Dunn gave the letter to the council along with a powerpoint on the plan.
“A single water treatment plant upgrade or sewer rehab carries massive, fixed costs that do not shrink with population size. These communities, often with only a few hundred or a couple thousands residents, simply cannot spread those costs across enough ratepayers or a broad tax based,” the letter states.
Dunn suggests a “graduated sales tax retention policy:” 1% additional share for cities with 2,500 or fewer residents; .75% for those 2,500 and 5,000; and .50% for cities between 5,001 and 10,000. It would be dedicated to infrastructure. Dunn says the overall statewide fiscal impact would be negligible, but could help sustain small, rural cities.
NEWS
City of Nocona buys water storage tank, review dam repair
The Nocona City Council approved a bid for a new 203,000 gallon capacity tank for potable water at the water plant and learned a slide repair to the lake dam is going to be pretty costly.
At its May 12 session the council received three bids on the tank and went with one from Tank Depot of Cleburne for $193,923. It is for a a 217,600 gallon tank usable for 203,000 gallons. The price could change slightly since it was based on estimate freight costs.
Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.
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