NEWS
Bruce Barker, age 65, barely escaped a fire that destroyed his mobile home and pickup late Monday afternoon.
Bowie Rural Fire Department was called to a fully involved fire at 271 Maple Road in Frontier Shores about 4:10 p.m. on Monday. The heavily wooded area and narrow roads were a tight fit for fire trucks and equipment.
The single-wide mobile home and addition was the residence of Barker and his pet dog. His daughter Brittney Nichole Barker said her father had been napping when she called and told him she and her daughter, age four, were coming over.
As they were walking up to the trailer she saw smoke at a cable hanging over the house and then immediate flames possibly from a nearby electric pole. She added it appears the dog woke him up due to the fire.
Bowie Rural was assisted by the Sunset Fire Department. Five trucks were on site and Brittney said it took about an hour to get the fire out.
Brittney said her father has lived at the home the past 21 years. She lives in Stoneburg. He lost everything including his pickup parked next to the mobile home.
Barker worked in carpentry most of his life and has been on disability the last several years due to a heart condition.
The daughter says while he only received minor injuries it has been very traumatic to face the loss of everything. They will be attempting to figure out the next steps including setting up a relief account at a local bank.
Bowie fire and police emergency personnel responded to this structure fire call around 10:30 a.m. Friday morning. No details were available at this time on a possible cause, possibly from trash inside the station or inside a vehicle. (News photo by Barbara Green)
Gregory Bell, 58, Saint Jo, was found guilty of the murder of Tia Hutson, 50, also of Saint Jo after less than an hour of jury deliberation Thursday afternoon.
She was found beaten and raped in her home in August 2022 and six days later never regaining consciousness. The jury also deliberated Bell’s sentence giving him the maximum life in prison and a $10,000 find. It took them less than half an hour to make the decision. A deadly finding also determined a large flashlight was used as a deadly weapon.
As the jury left the courtroom some members were seen hugging Trevor Riley, Tia Hutson’s son. His sister Kami Taylor, read a powerful victim’s statement to the court.
Staff and volunteers at the Bowie Mission continue to be plagued by people who dump their unwanted furniture and other items at their gates and doors. Despite having signs stating this is illegal and that there are surveillance cameras on scene, dumpers don’t seem to be phased.
This past week several large pieces of furniture were dumped right in front of the gate where the trailer used to go pick up food bank items is stored. Cynthia Brewer, director said most of the volunteers are older and it is difficult to get these large items moved out of the way. She is at her wit’s end trying to get people to stop dumping and while she hesitates to file police charges the situation is getting untenable as people continue to violate the policy.
Anyone who observes illegal dumping at the mission is urged to call the police 872-2251.
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