Monthly Report for July 2018
Dear Citizens,
I hope everyone had a safe and happy Independence Day with friends and family and that you also took a moment to be grateful and realize all the holiday stands for and why we celebrate it.
Over three days this month, the Navarro County Sheriff’s Office hosted a free eight hour Active Shooter Response Training which was made available to all Law Enforcement Officers who work in Navarro County. The training is serious and designed to be as close as possible to a real active shooter event. We want to thank our NCSO instructors, the officers who participated and especially the CISD for allowing us to utilize the facility for this very important training.
The Navarro County Sheriffs Office has conducted our first classes on the new mandatory TCOLE #4900 Mental Health Training for Jailers. This course came directly from the 85th Legislative Session and is part of the Sandra Bland Act. The eight hour class is mandatory for all current licensed detention officers in Texas to maintain their license. Currently the NCSO has already taught 63 of our employees with more classes being scheduled.
Congratulations to Deputy Kathy Basnett on successfully completing the patrol FTO program. Deputy Basnett has been assigned to Courthouse Security Officer. Good luck on you new assignment Deputy Basnett.
NCSO-Narcotics, NCSO-SWAT, along with aerial support from Texas DPS Garland, investigated a large illegal marijuana growing operation off SW 0030 near Angus in Navarro County. We were alerted to suspicious activity in this area, prompting an aerial surveillance from our drone operations unit. This led to locating the illegal marijuana growing operation. Approximately 17,500 marijuana plants in various stages of growth were seized during the investigation.
Thank you to Debbie Taylor and her grand kids Marcie Walker, Laynie Walker and Addison Pringle for dropping by and bringing cookies to the NCSO, to Kelly Bell and Brookdale Senior Living for the donation of Gatorade as well as to Mr. Larry Hodge for donating two watermelons to our enforcement and detention personnel. We certainly appreciate these folks spontaneously thinking of us, their thoughtfulness and kind gestures.
Evolution continues as we finished a necessary upgrade to our departmental firing range. We have constructed a 12’ by 30’ shooting station for our rifle range. Thank you to Deputies Brad Steele, Jim Carroll, Charles Paul and project manager Stan Farmer. The above, mentioned along with inmate labor, completed the structure with the only outside vendor being a concrete contractor therefore we saved thousands of dollars by doing the project in house instead of using contract labor. The NCSO firing range is used by numerous law enforcement agencies both inside and outside Navarro County.
Multiple agencies, including the Navarro County Sheriff’s Office, the Waxahachie Fire Department dive team and numerous Navarro County Departments responded to King Sand & Gravel on SE County Road 4095 near Kerens after an employee of the company drove a dump truck into a body of water. The driver's body was recovered but the cause of death is still under investigation.
The NCSO has received multiple reports of a scam involving Oncor Electric. The caller is representing to be an Oncor employee and that the citizen is behind on their bill. To resolve the situation and not have a service interruption they are to make payment immediately by sending money to a designated location.
DON'T BECOME A VICTIM!
This and many other scams are being perpetrated against our citizens daily. Always be diligent in verifying the validity of any caller requesting payment for service and never give out your personal information by phone. If you feel the need to verify the callers information to be true or false, call the appropriate number and contact information listed on your bill or website. Never give your information out to the caller of a possible scam.
Thank you Wal-Mart Corsicana for supporting law enforcement in our community. We appreciate the invitation to have me and Captain Jeramy Phillips come out to speak and interact with your store associates and staff during your National June Safety Party. Communication is the key to success and together we can make a difference.
The Navarro County Sheriffs Office assisted the Hubbard Police Department with a stolen vehicle investigation inside Navarro County just west of Dawson near SW 3170. I would like to express my sincere thanks to the officers from the Hubbard PD, Texas DPS, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Texas Department of Criminal Justice personnel from the Boyd and Beto units and members of the NCSO who worked for several hours through the 103° heat to apprehend the suspect near FM 667 and State Highway 31.
The suspect was wanted for a felony warrant of Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, was currently driving a stolen vehicle and will also receive an additional charge of felony evading arrest.
I also commend the positive power of social media and thank the citizens who called in information and offered assistance in apprehending the suspect. As I have stated numerous times before, together we can make a difference.
The Navarro County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Division arrested two suspects, seized numerous illegal narcotics and filed numerous charges after conducting a narcotics investigation in the 100 block of SE 3144 near Eureka. The Deputies went to the location to attempt a felony No Show Arrest Warrant service on an individual at the location when they observed marijuana plants growing in the back yard of the location. As a result of the narcotics investigation the Deputies seized methamphetamine, promethazine, THC, and the marijuana plants.
One suspect was arrested and charged with Possession of Controlled Substance penalty group 1 over 1 under 4 grams, Possession of Controlled Substance penalty group 2 over 4 under 200 grams, Possession of Controlled Substance penalty group 4 over 28 under 200 grams. The second suspect was arrested and charged with Possession of Controlled Substance penalty group 1 under a gram, Possession of Marijuana under two ounces and they also served the felony no show arrest warrant for Possession of Controlled Substance under 1 gram.
The Sheriff's Office had approximately 3, 230 calls for service in June and our Dispatch received 2,248 calls for assistance to 9-1-1. There were approximately 265 persons arrested and booked into the Navarro County Justice Center and the average daily jail population was 256 inmates. The Narcotics Unit arrested ten suspects, filed fourteen criminal cases and served five outstanding arrest warrants. Fifteen inmates were transferred to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and eleven other inmates were transferred to State Jail and SAFP Units to serve their sentences.
This month we estrayed one bull and eight horses and transported them to our county farms at Angus and Petty’s Chapel.
We are currently accepting applications for vacancies in dispatch and detention divisions. As in the past, applications will continue to be taken for any vacancy until the position is filled.
"Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Til your good is better and your better is best.”
-St. Jerome
As always, God bless and be safe.
Sheriff Elmer Tanner