Monthly Report for December 2015

Dear Citizens,
I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and will have a blessed and prosperous New Year. 
This month we are deeply saddened to report the loss of Navarro County Precinct 4 Constable Tommy Grant. Tommy was a long tenured public servant in Navarro County serving as Navarro College Police Chief and later as Pct. 4 Constable for many years. We also sadly report the loss of DPS Major Tim Smith. Tim was a DPS Trooper in Navarro County before climbing the supervision ladder at DPS and achieving the rank of Major. Our many thoughts and prayers go out to these families and friends during this extremely difficult time.
It was good to see so many people at the Corsicana Christmas Parade. I believe it was the biggest parade I can ever remember and was really great to see the weather cooperate therefore letting so many people come out to watch. Hope all the spectators had as good a time watching as my wife Mandy, Chief Deputy Steward and I did participating in the parade.
I would like to thank the Italian Village restaurant for not only providing meals for but also personally delivering them to my officers, at the Justice Center, who had to work on Christmas Eve. Your kindness and thoughtfulness is greatly appreciated by us all.
The Navarro County Sheriff’s Office received approximately 250 gift packages that were prepared and delivered by our local Salvation Army thanks to the kindness and generosity of an anonymous donor. With my approval, Detention Officers of the NCSO delivered the gift packages to every inmate within the facility on Christmas morning, so that they could experience the true meaning of Christmas.
On Christmas Eve as families spent Christmas Eve together and anxiously awaited Christmas Day, I was with many of my officers but we were not at a party. We responded to a man armed with a shotgun threatening suicide who had barricaded himself inside a residence in Purdon. As I was driving to the location, I thought of my officers safety on this Christmas and also that of the suspects. How horrible it would be for him to take one of our lives or his own on Christmas and how it would impact his and our families. We later learned that alleged family violence against a little girl had also occurred. We were finally able to negotiate a peaceful surrender and resolve this situation without injury or incident. Again I would like to express my appreciation to Chief Deputy Morris Steward, Captains Stan Farmer and Jeramy Phillips, Sergeants Joey Jock and Melanie Cagle along with Deputies Danny Book and Kris Matthews, the Texas State Troopers who arrived for support and our amazing NCSO dispatchers. I was very grateful that we were all able to once again see and celebrate with our families the birth of our Lord and Savior.
Once more I was very proud of our Color Guard as they represented the NCSO at the Navarro College Police Academy classroom dedication to the late Jason Westmoreland.
The NCSO has completed the initial construction of a new 50x60 metal building in the west parking lot. This structure, which replaced the eye sore, aka "shanty town", will be used for multiple purposes by the NCSO.
This month a John Deere 310K backhoe valued at $43,000 dollars was stolen from a construction site on I H 45 in Navarro County. Due to the combined efforts of the NCSO and Kaufman County S.O., the backhoe was recovered. NCSO Detective Sgt. Clay obtained 4 felony arrest warrants for the suspects in the case.
On two separate occasions, investigators while attempting to serve outstanding arrest warrants, encountered felony narcotics cases.
NCSO Lieutenant Clint Andrews and Sgt. Robbie Jock seized methamphetamine, digital scales, and baggies while attempting to serve 3 outstanding arrest warrants for revocation of probation narcotics charges. The location was in the 900 block of East 13th avenue Corsicana. The wanted person and one other suspect, was arrested at the location and charged with methamphetamine possession within a drug free zone being the CISD Ezra Carroll Elementary school campus.
Detectives from the NCSO shut down an indoor marijuana growing operation in the 2200 block of Cambridge in Corsicana. Detective sergeants Jason Earles, Kevin Scott and Robbie Jock went to the residence to serve arrest warrants on an individual for 3 counts of credit card abuse of the elderly. Upon making contact with an occupant of the residence, a strong odor of marijuana was detected emitting from inside the residence. The Detectives secured the location and the subsequent investigation led to an indoor marijuana grow being located inside the residence. The residence had several different rooms configured to accommodate different stages of the growing operation. Marijuana was located in all stages from seedlings, small plants to mature plants as well as harvested marijuana which was also located. Three suspects were arrested and several pounds of marijuana was seized. Unfortunately I also hate to report that there were two very small children residing at the location. Child Protective Service was contacted and they conducted a separate investigation in reference to the children.
The Sheriff's Office had 1,360 calls for service in December and our dispatch received 1980 calls for assistance to 9-1-1. There were approximately 238 persons arrested and booked into the Navarro County Justice Center in December and the average daily jail population was 206 inmates.
The Narcotics unit arrested ten suspects, filed six criminal cases and served seven outstanding arrest warrants. Nine inmates were transferred to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and 6 other inmates were transferred to State Jail and SAFP units to serve their sentences.
We estrayed six horses and five donkeys and transported them to the county farm at Petty’s Chapel. We sold three head of estray cattle at Corsicana Livestock auction for $2,353.99 and five head of Navarro County owned cattle for $4,385.60.
We had two separations from service this month and currently have one detention position open and 4 patrol vacancies. Applications will continue to be taken for any vacancy until the position is filled.
On January 1, 2016 Texas will become the 45th state to allow some form of "Open Carry" of handguns. We have been and will continue to work with our officers and public to ensure that everyone understands this new law. 
“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.” – Henry Ford
Again, from my family to yours, wishing you and yours a very blessed, healthy and prosperous New Year.
As always, God bless and be safe.

Sheriff Elmer Tanner