Roger Estlack

A man accused of committing sexual assault in the Clarendon nursing home was convicted of the crime last week.

Richard Sanchez entered a guilty plea in district court and was sentenced to eight years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Sanchez was sentenced for the second degree felony offense of sexual assault, enhanced to a first degree due to his previous criminal history.

Sanchez, was arrested in Donley County for the offense that took place on March 12, 2010, and April 26, 2010. He was accused of sexually assaulting a resident of Community Care Center of Clarendon, where the Donley County Sheriff’s Office said Sanchez had worked for five years.

Sanchez was indicted by the Donley County Grand Jury on June 28, 2010, on three counts of sexual assault.

“The Donley County Sheriff’s office spent many hours investigating this case which resulted in this plea today,” said Inman. “Sheriff Blackburn and Chief Deputy Randy Bond provided this office with multiple tools to proceed due to the thorough investigations they conduct on each and every case. This area is fortunate to have such an experienced law enforcement staff.”

In addition to the sentence, Sanchez is also required to pay $1,797 in court costs.
District Attorney Luke Inman, assisted by Greg Buckley, prosecuted the cases for the State of Texas with the Honorable Judge Stuart Messer presiding.

Also last week, the court heard other pleas from two other defendants, resulting in convictions.

Timothy Wayde Wilson pleaded true to the allegation in the State’s Motion to Adjudicate Guilt of Defendant and was convicted and sentenced six years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

On July 29, 2009, Wilson pleaded guilty to the second degree felony offense of burglary of a habitation and the second degree felony offense of burglary of a habitation. The State filed the motion to adjudicate on June 8, 2010, alleging six violations of community supervision. Wilson was sentenced to six years in the TDCJ and must pay $780 in court costs to Donley County, a $4,000.00 fine and $22,000 restitution.
Eddie Brian Defries (a.k.a. Edward Brian De-Fries) was placed on probation for a period of three years for the third degree felony offense of driving while intoxicated 3rd or more. Pursuant to the plea agreement, Defries is required to pay a $2,000 fine to Donley County, is required to pay $558 in court costs, and $140 restitution.

A Clarendon girl remained hospitalized this week after she rolled her vehicle Sunday afternoon while using her cell phone.

Krista Reynolds, age 16, was in Lubbock’s University Medical Center in the pediatric ICU, her father, Steve Reynolds reported. She was texting and driving and not wearing her seat belt, he said.

DPS Trooper Chad Simpson said Reynolds was driving a 1998 Ford F-150 pickup and negotiating a curve on FM 2362 west of Clarendon when the right tires traveled off the roadway and into the south ditch. Reynolds overcorrected while steering to the left, went back onto the highway, and then over corrected to the right.

Simpson said the truck then slid sideways into the south ditch, rolled 2¾ times, and went through a fence before coming to rest on its right side in a pasture.
Reynolds was ejected from the vehicle as it rolled, Simpson said.

Responding to the accident in addition to the DPS were the Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department, Associated Ambulance Authority, the Donley County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Department of Transportation.

Mr. Reynolds said his daughter was suffering from a broken pelvis and fractured vertebrae, but the family was considering it fortunate that her injuries were not much worse.

Donations are being accepted at all Clarendon banks to help the family deal with travel and other expenses during Krista’s hospitalization in Lubbock.

The next president of Clarendon College will be a familiar face for many people after the Board of Regents tapped Dr. Phil Shirley for the job in a called meeting last Thursday.

Shirley, who is currently president of Southeastern Arkansas College in Pine Bluff, Ark., was the Dean of Instruction at CC from 1986 to 1990.

“All of my memories of Clarendon are very good memories, and this time will be even more so,” Shirley told the Enterprise. “My family and I are really looking forward to it. Serving Clarendon is something that is very exciting to me.”

Shirley said becoming the president of Clarendon College was a lifetime goal of his, and he
thinks the years he has spent away from CC will be good for the institution because of the experience he will now bring to the job.

After leaving Clarendon, Shirley spent almost five years at Western Oklahoma State where he was the vice president for academic affairs and served for a time as that school’s interim president. He then moved to Southeast Arkansas College as vice president before moving up to the presidency in 2000.

A native of the Dallas area, Shirley said he spent most of his early life in that region before coming to Clarendon in 1986. He attended Sayre Junior College and then earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of North Texas. He earned a Master’s of Religious Education from Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth and then realized his true calling was in higher education, which led him to pursue and earn his doctorate from the University of North Texas.

Shirley said he is excited to get to Clarendon and said he anticipates a “long and fruitful tenure.”

“There are a lot of opportunities that await us,” he said. “I expect great things to come not because of me but because of the people I will serve.”

Shirley will begin his new duties on January 1.

Clarendon College conducted a national search for a president to replace Dr. Bill Auvenshine, who has served as CC’s president since 2007 and will be retiring at the end of the year.

“Dr. Auvenshine has set a very strong course, and I’m very thankful for his leadership,” Shirley said.

CC received 34 applications for the post. A search committee pared the list of applicants to eight semifinalists; then the board of regents chose the five finalists.

Holiday shopping at home is easy and affordable again as all three local banks have teamed up to provide zero-percent interest “Christmas Cash” loans for the 16th year.

As in the past, anyone can make application for a loan up to $3,000 interest free with Pilgrim Bank, the Donley County State Bank, or Herring Bank.

Fifteen local businesses are participating in the Christmas Cash program this year.

The annual program has proven popular with many consumers and is seen as way to encourage folks to shop at home.

Once a Christmas Cash loan has been approved, the borrower will be issued Christmas Cash Dollars, which may be spent like US currency toward new purchases at all of the participating businesses.

Christmas Cash must be spent by December 31, 2010.

Participating Christmas Cash merchants this year are: Stavenhagen Video, Every Nook & Cranny, Henson’s, Osburn Appliance, Clarendon Outpost, Mike’s Pharmacy, Country Bloomers, Clarendon Veterinary Hospital, Cornell’s Country Store, Floyd’s Automotive Supply, J&W Lumber, The Clarendon Enterprise, Lowe’s Family Center, Saye’s, and McKinney Motor Co.
The Christmas Cash program began in 1995 through the cooperation of the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce, the Clarendon Merchants Association, and local banks.

Local merchants will also be giving away more than $2,000 in prizes and Clarendon Gold for holiday shopping at home. Most Christmas Cash merchants will be participating in the

Clarendon Gold giveaway program.

If your business would like to participate in the Christmas Cash or the Clarendon Gold programs, call Sharon Winfrey at 874-3517.

Several activities have been planned this week in Donley County to honor those who have served in the US armed forces with special services being held at Clarendon College and in Hedley.

The Donley County Memorial Post of the VFW will hold a free breakfast for all veterans Thursday morning from 6 to 11 a.m., and Hedley’s Adamson-Lane Post 287 of the American Legion will hold a Veterans Day service next Thursday, November 11, in the Rowe Cemetery at 10 a.m.

Post members will place flags on the graves of 220 veterans buried in Rowe, and the flags will fly there on November 10 and 11 in honor of the Legion’s departed comrades.
Lloyd Stice, pastor of the First United Methodist Church in Clarendon, was raised in Collingsworth County and will give the keynote address. Stice served in the US Army from 1966 to 1969

Following the program, Hedley ISD will honor veterans with a meal and program at the school with a keynote address by Dick Bode of Alanreed, who was born in Holland, lived through five years of German occupation. Bode’s father worked with the Dutch Underground to provide hiding places for Jewish people.

A Veterans Day program will be held at Clarendon College on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Bairfield Activity Center.

Jack Moreman, a Korean War Veteran, will be the Master of Ceremonies.  John Howard, MD, OIF Veteran, will be the guest speaker. The Clarendon College Choir will perform.

This program will honor veterans of all wars, and everyone in the community is invited.
A fourth service was held Wednesday morning at the Clarendon Public School with an assembly in the Bronco Gym followed by a meal in the home economics room.

Forty-seven percent of Donley County’s registered voters cast ballots in last week’s general election with victories being won by Fay Vargas, Denise Bertrand, and Dan Sawyer.

District/County Clerk Vargas, a Democrat, fended off a challenge from Republican Janette Cox Wagner, 646-518.

In Precincts 3&4, voters chose the Republican Bertrand over Democrat Colleen Owens to succeed Justice of the Peace Ann Kennedy by 278-264.

Sawyer will succeed Precinct 4 Commissioner Bob Trout after voters chose the Republican candidate over Democrat Brad Dalton, 165-102.

Local voters also threw their support behind Clarendon native Mac Thornberry, giving the Republican Congressman more than 89 percent of their support.

Donley County voters preferred Texas Governor Rick Perry, a Republican, over his Democratic challenger, Bill White, by a margin of 781-333.

Running unopposed this year were County Judge Jack Hall, County Treasurer Wanda Smith, Commissioner Donnie Hall, Justice of the Peace Connie Havens, and write-in constable candidate Doug Wright.