Morgan Wheatly

A dozen illegal immigrants tried to evade lawmen from Donley and Gray counties Sunday, March 25, following a routine traffic stop on Interstate 40.

Donley County Sheriff Butch Blackburn said a State Trooper stopped a minivan near the Lake McClellan overpass after 11 a.m., and an altercation occurred between the driver and the officer before the driver and all eleven passengers escaped, fleeing on foot south onto the Matthews Ranch.

Donley County officers and the Gray County Sheriff’s Department joined the search, and the Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department also assisted.

The first suspect was located about 1 p.m., and other suspects were gradually located as the day went by. The driver was apprehended about 11 p.m., and the final six suspects were caught near Howardwick about 7 a.m. Monday morning. The US Immigration & Naturalization Service took custody of all 12 individuals before noon Monday.

A Clarendon man was convicted of drug-related charges when the 100th Judicial District Court met here on Monday, March 5.

Darrell Ray Thomas was convicted of the first degree felony offense of possession of a controlled substance, enhanced. Thomas was convicted and sentenced to 12 years in the Institutional Division of TDCJ.

Thomas, a 45-year old resident of Clarendon, was indicted by a Donley County Grand Jury on January 4, 2012. Pursuant to the plea agreement, Thomas was required to pay $443 in court costs to Donley County, $140 restitution, and a fine of $1,000.

Thomas was arrested by Donley County Chief Deputy Randy Bond after a dispatcher received a phone call regarding a vehicle driving erratically, according to Inman.

“Randy [Bond] did an excellent investigation in this case, including not only the possession case but protecting the citizens from this individual who was under the influence of narcotics,” said District Attorney Luke Inman. “His hard work resulted in the plea of guilty without the necessity of a jury trial which was scheduled for April 10.”

Also in court on March 5, Andrew Edward Strickland was placed on probation for a period of four years for the third degree felony offense of possession of marihuana. Strickland pleaded guilty and was placed on deferred adjudication for the offense.

Strickland, 28-year-old resident of Costa Mesa, Calif., was arrested in Carson County for the offense that took place November 17, 2011, by DPS Trooper Ben Dollar and pleaded guilty to a complaint and information filed by the State on January 18, 2012.

Pursuant to the plea agreement, Strickland is required to pay a $4,000 fine to Carson County, and is also required to pay $331 in court costs, $140 restitution, and complete 200 hours of community service. If Strickland violates probation he could face up to ten years in TDCJ.

Inman, assisted by Greg Buckley, prosecuted the cases for the State of Texas with the Honorable Judge Stuart Messer presiding. A total of $5,000 in fines was assessed as a result of the pleas that took place on March 5. In addition, the defendants were required to pay $774 in court costs and $280 restitution.

The City of Clarendon has recouped more than $53,000 in overpayments to the State Comptroller’s office after an annual audit discovered the error.

Auditor Denise Lambert of Foster & Lambert told the Board of Aldermen at their regular meeting last Tuesday, March 13, that the city’s audit was otherwise very clean and that made the error stand out this year.

City Secretary Machiel Covey said City Hall had been double paying sales taxes collected on sanitation services since 2008 due to an error in entering figures on the comptroller’s website.

With Ms. Lambert’s help, the city asked the comptroller for a refund of the overpayments and received a refund of more than $53,600 plus $1,000 in interest.

Covey tells the Enterprise the money is going back into the city’s sanitation department for the purchase of new Dumpsters and other expenses.

During their meeting, aldermen approved the annual audit as well as the audits of the Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department and the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation.

In other city business, Clarendon’s representative on the Greenbelt Water Authority Board, Gary Campbell, gave a report to the board to update them on tests being performed on the city’s old water wells.

Alderman Will Thompson asked Campbell several questions about a plan to use the city’s groundwater to supplement water from Lake Greenbelt.

Campbell said finding an alternative source of groundwater would cost Greenbelt millions more dollars and could take three years or more. Thompson also noted that the city would be compensated for its water.

“We’re not giving anything away, but we’re up against a wall,” Thompson said. “We have the water, and Greenbelt has the know how and the ability to do this.”

Campbell said he thought that it would cost the city $10 million to develop the wells and a treatment facility on its own. But as a member of Greenbelt, the city already has a filter plant to treat water.

Alderman Terry Noble suggested the city hold a town hall meeting to discuss the water issue and answer questions the public might have about it.

Also concerning the city wells, the board voted to turn down a bid on tax delinquent property on the north side of Clarendon. City Administrator Lambert Little noted that the property in question was between two of the city’s old wells and access to it might be needed to tie the wells together.

The board voted instead to purchase the property for $978.

 

Aldermen also took action to:

• Cancel the election of Aldermen this May since all candidates were unopposed. A city bond election will still be held on May 12 regarding $700,000 for street improvements.

• Authorize the purchase of used pickups for the city not to exceed $3,000 each.

• Set aside $20,000 from the Hotel Occupancy Tax fund for renovations to the Mulkey Theatre.

• And approved a resolution recognizing April as Child Abuse Prevention month.