Monthly Report for December 2021
Dear Citizens,
I, my family and all of us here at the Navarro County Sheriff's Office, would like to extend our best wishes for a prosperous and Happy New Year to our citizens. We look forward to helping make 2022 a safe year for all those throughout our community. It's a real pleasure to say and extend a heartfelt and sincere "Thank You" to all those that have supported me as well as the men and women of the NCSO during the past year as we continue to strive in making our county a safer place to live and raise our families. We appreciate you all and we wish you and yours an overabundance of blessings, health, happiness and success in the coming year. Please contact my office if I, or any of my staff, can ever be of any assistance. God bless and be safe as we enter into this new year.
This month our NCSO Facebook page reached over 16,000 likes. I would like to thank you, the citizens, for your continued support. Since taking office, it has always been important to me to keep the community informed and up to date as much as possible on what is taking place in our county. By liking our page and sharing informative posts such as asking for information on identifying suspects in thefts, burglaries or other crimes, YOU are supporting and assisting us in making a difference and taking steps in improving the safety in the place in which you live, where you work, play and raise your families. Communication through social media is a powerful tool when utilized properly. And you the citizens are an intricate part of that. Again, thank you for your continued support, kind words, encouragement and helping our agency help the community in which we all call home.
On December 9, 2021 at approximately 6:15pm, the NCSO was dispatched to human skeletal remains being located near the railroad tracks on NW 1090 Corsicana. On December 16, 2021, the NCSO was notified by Judge Connie Hickman that the skeletal remains had been identified by the medical examiner as being Vincent Hopper of Corsicana. Mr. Hopper had been previously reported as a missing person by Corsicana Police Department and was last seen in Corsicana on September 29, 2021. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Mr. Hopper. The cause of death has yet to be determined and this case remains under investigation.
On December 14th at approximately 8:15 p.m., Deputy Clark conducted a traffic stop in the 3900 block of S HWY 287 for the offense of defective equipment. The driver was found to have an outstanding warrant out of NCSO for failure to appear and was placed under arrest. Deputy Clark conducted a search of his person incident to arrest, and located a black cloth pot-holder in his left front pocket containing a glass pipe commonly used for smoking narcotics namely methamphetamine. Upon further inspection of the pot-holder, Deputy Clark located a small clear baggie containing a crystalline substance which she believed to be methamphetamine and a larger clear baggie containing more crystalline substance.
The suspected methamphetamine was field tested with a positive result for methamphetamine and was weighed in its original packaging which had a total weight of 6.0 grams. The male subject was booked into the NCSO jail for the outstanding warrant and Possession of Controlled Substance PG 1 greater than 4g less than 200g.
On December 19th, Deputy Rose Clark was dispatched to the Chatfield post office in reference to an assault. Arriving at the location Clark made contact with a male and female. After discovering no assault occurred, Clark received consent to search the vehicle. Clark located a small baggie containing a crystalline substance believed to be methamphetamines in the female's backpack. Clark also located two glass pipes commonly used for smoking methamphetamines inside the vehicle underneath the driver's seat where the female was sitting. Deputy Clark also located two bottles of prescription narcotics, not prescribed to either individual. The female was arrested for the offense of possession of a controlled substance penalty group 1 over 1 gram under 4 grams, and penalty group 4 over 28 grams under 200 grams. The crystalline substance was field tested and came back positive for methamphetamines.
On December 21, 2021 at approximately 01:40 am, the NCSO dispatched officers to a reported homicide at a residence in the 17000 block of NW 3322 of Frost which is located in the Brushie Prairie community. Upon arrival officers located a sixty-five-year-old deceased male at the location who appeared to be the victim of homicidal violence. The NCSO patrol division working jointly with our criminal investigation division moved swiftly in the investigation to identify and apprehend the juvenile suspect. This case is cleared by arrest but remains under investigation with no further details available at this time.
On December 21, 2021 at approximately 10:20 am, NCSO Deputies apprehended a person with multiple outstanding felony warrants at a residence on SW 1130 Corsicana. The NCSO had received an earlier request for assistance from the Tulsa, Oklahoma Police Department in locating and arresting the fugitive who was wanted for shooting with intent to kill and assault and battery with a deadly weapon out of Oklahoma. I am proud to report that due to the combined efforts of our agencies this subject was taken into custody without incident.
On December 25th, Santa's helpers from the Navarro County Sheriff's Office delivered approximately 225 gift packages to the inmates at the Justice Center for Christmas. The gift packages were delivered to the NCSO by our local Salvation Army earlier this week after being donated by Veldman Land and Cattle. With my approval, Detention Officers of the NCSO are delivering the gift packages to every inmate within the facility today, so that they could experience the true meaning of Christmas.
The Navarro County Sheriff's Office would like to recognize and thank the Navarro County CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) under the Navarro County Office of Emergency Management for their recent assistance in an ongoing NCSO investigation. Navarro County CERT is an all-volunteer team who trains year round to assist agencies during times of emergencies and disaster.
Congratulations to the following: Deputy Wesley Devorak and Deputy Courtney Lynch on their graduation from the Navarro College Police Academy. Both Deputies have already passed the State Peace Officer Exam and are now currently in the 16-week patrol FTO program. Corporal William Grigsby on being promoted to Patrol Sergeant and to Deputy Ismael Esparza on his transfer from the patrol division to courthouse security. We wish all officers the very best in their new positions.
The Sheriff's Office had approximately 2,353 calls for service in December and our dispatch received 1,676 calls for assistance to 9-1-1. There were approximately 203 persons arrested and booked into the Navarro County Justice Center and the average daily jail population was 234 inmates. Fifteen inmates were transferred to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and four inmates were transferred to State Jail and SAFP Units to serve their sentences. In December, we estrayed five cows, four calves, one steer, one donkey and hauled them to our county farms at Petty's Chapel. We also sold fourteen estray cows, six estray bulls and three estray calves at Corsicana Livestock Auction for $15,332.66. We collected $125 in estray fees for December.
We are accepting applications for all divisions and currently have vacancies in detention, dispatch, patrol, courthouse security and the criminal investigation division. Remember the hiring age for dispatch and detention has been lowered to 18 but with all other enforcement positions, you must be 21 or older to apply. As in the past, applications will continue to be taken for any vacancy until the position is filled.
"There are far better things ahead than any we left behind." - C.S. Lewis
As always, God Bless and be safe,
Sheriff Elmer Tanner