The Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. 154, No. 85, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 20, 2007 Page: 1 of 14

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2007
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Texas' Oldest Weekly Newspaper Since March 1, 1853 Semi-Weekly Since Sept. 5, 1977
Volume 154, Number 85
Bastrop, Texas
18 pages in two sections
i
The Bastrop Advertiser photo/Terry Hagerty
Ezekiel Evers, 7, wowed the audience while playing drums with one of Bastrop's
most noted musicians, Hannibal Lokumbe, at Mina Elementary School on
Monday. Lokumbe gave a mini music seminar to K-4th grade students.
Lokumbe shares
musical journey
By Terry Hagerty
Staff Writer
Seven-year-old Ezekiel Evers mighthave
a future playing jazz in New Orleans.
The Mina Elementary first-grade stu-
dent "brought the house down" Monday
as he accompanied Grammy-nominated
Bastrop musician Hannibal Lokumbe in a
music session at the school cafeteria.
Lokumbe was invited to the school dur-
ing a break as he prepares for the world pre-
miere of his composition, "Land of Mercy,
Land of Tears," Dec. 30 at the Lost Pines
Hyatt Regency. (See a special story page on
the premiere — and Lokumbc's rehearsal
with Bastrop High School students — in
the Saturday, Dec. 22 issue of the Bastrop
Advertiser's "Living" section.)
After talking to pre-K-4th grade stu-
dents a while, Lokumbe raised his trumpet
and broke into a rollicking version of
"When The Saints Go Marching In."
Lokumbe, who had been standing in
front of the seated students, gave Evers the
slightest of head nods as a signal for the
youngster, who was standing by himself on
the stage, to start drumming.
And drum he did — laving down an
energetic beat and adding a few flourishes
of his own.
When Lokumbe wound up the piece,
he wagged his head in astonishment as he
looked over at Evers.
"That got a little bit deep," Lokumbe
said, referring to Evers" ability to keep
pace.
"Thank you Mr. Evers — what a plea-
sure!" Lokumbe exclaimed.
The students and faculty seconded the
compliment as they applauded Evers vig-
See LOKUMBE, Page 3A
AG adds gravel
charge on oertz
By Davis McAuley
Editor
Prosecutors moved to add weapons to
their arsenal Monday as they prepare to try
Pet. 1 Commissioner David Goertz on cor-
ruption charges March 17. In a court filing,
they announced their intention to use previ-
ously undisclosed charges against Goertz
as part of their case.
The prosecution also secured a prom-
ise of cooperation from a former Pet. 1
employee as part of a plea bargain which
the judge approved Monday.
Visiting District Judge Debbie Mantooth
Stricklin said Goertz will go to trial
first, followed by former sheriff Richard
Hernandez, also charged with corruption,
and three individuals who face separate
conspiracy and money laundering charges.
Because the cases, which came to light
earlier this year, involve elected county offi-
cials, the Texas Attorney General's office
is handling the prosecution and Stricklin,
a Houston district court judge, has been
assigned to oversee the proceedings.
The notice of intention to introduce addi-
tional "bad acts" not specifically spelled
out in the original May indictment against
Goertz includes allegations as far back as
the beginning of the commissioner's term
in January 2005. The court document says
Goertz used his employees to haul gravel
bought by the county and spread it 011 roads
the county doesn't own. It also claims Joe
Middleton of Bastrop was paid $50,000 to
$60,000 more than gravel was worth to the
county.
Other allegations say Goertz used coun-
ty employees and jail inmates to work on
the commissioner's "vehicles and lawn-
mowers" as well as those of relatives and
friends, sometimes using parts paid for
with county funds.
The notice also charges that Goertz
accepted a lawnmower from a jail inmate,
lied to the grand jury looking into the case
and directed employees to bill the county
for overtime they and others did not work.
The first of those accused in the scandal
to enter a plea was Eddie "Bubba" Powell,
a former road foreman for Goertz, who
stood before Stricklin and pleaded guilty
Monday. Under an agreement with pros-
ecutors, Powell will pay a $2,000 fine,
spend two years 011 probation and coop-
erate with prosecutors in the Goertz and
Hernandez cases.
The judge deferred finding Pow ell guilty
and will not do so if he successfully com-
pletes his term on probation. Powell was
charged with altering a county time sheet to
show another employee worked overtime
hours when no work was performed.
Assistant Attorney General David
See CHARGES, Page 2A
i
1
ry 'ft*?.£ ,
"A 1940s Christmasf
The Bastrop Advertiser photo/Terry Hagerty
Sherry Witte sang a Christmas carol during a performance of "A 1940s
Christmas Homecoming," at Calvary Baptist Church last Sunday. See page
10A for more photos.
INSIDE
Lady Bears improve to 10-6.
Page 1B
Historic cabins seen at Rockne's Hilbig
Park. Page 6B
WEATHER! INDEX
■ Thursday's forecast:
Cloudy
High: 74°
Low: 56°
Rain: 20%
■ Last week:
High Low Prec.
Saturday 63 39 none
Sunday 63 39 none
Monday 61 30 none
Tuesday 70 NA none
Classified ads
,,3B
Community
...8A
Deaths
8A
Farm & Garden...
,...5A
Sports
...1B
65668 78602 3
This newspaper
is recyclable
Two die in separate car wrecks
Local DPS troopers see fatality spike in past three months
By Jacqueline Davis
Staff Writer
Two deadly crashes on Friday
illustrated a spike in local traffic
fatalities in the past three months,
the Department of Public Safety
reported.
On Dec. 14, at about 10:20
a.nu Betty Brooks, 73, of Bastrop
was pulling her Buick LaSabre
out of the private drive where she
lived when her vehicle was struck
by a pickup truck heading south-
bound on FM 20, said Trooper
Chris Wray.
The pickup hit the driver's
side door, and Brooks was killed
immediately on impact, Wray said.
The pickup was a brown Ford F-
250 Super Duty driven by Cole
Williams, 21. The crash occurred
in the Shiloh area near Solomon
Lane and FM 20, a two-lane road
with 110 shoulders. Alcohol was
not a factor, but the morning was
wet and rainy, Wray said, creating
conditions that could have played
a part in
the wreck.
"There
was a set of
mailboxes
and a mail
carrier
was there
deliver-
ing mail at
the time,"
Wray said.
"He heard
it happen and he saw the after-
math of the collision, but he didn't
see the actual collision. The mail-
boxes and the mail carrier's car
could have had a part in obstruct-
ing her view of the pickup truck
that was heading southbound."
Another fatal accident occurred
"The mailboxes and the
mail carrier's car could
have had a part in
obstructing her view..."
- Chris Wray,
1 rooper
later that day on Texas 21 in
Paige.
At 3:55 p.m., Donna Shield,
48, of Austin was driving her 2004
green
Honda
Accord
north-
bound
when a
1998 Ford
F - 1 5 0
driven by
Abraham
Brosig. 21.
of Laredo,
struck her
killed on
head-on. Shield was
impact, Wray said.
Brosig was an A&M student
who was driving back home from
school, Wray said.
"He wasn't paying attention,"
Wray said. "There was a vehicle
stopped in front of him wait-
ing to turn left on Ortz, and he
(Brosig) saw it way too late. Mr.
Brosig swerved into the oncom-
ing lanes."
Local DPS Seigeant Tony
Thompson said he has recorded
18 vehicle fatalities in Bastrop
County this year, and that out
of those 18, seven were alcohol-
or drug-related and three were
speed-related.
However, 13 of those fatalities
occurred in the past three months.
"We had been doing good,"
Thompson said. "We had only
five (fatalities) in September."
Along with the rise in traffic
fatalities, the local DPS also faces
a staffing shortage, Thompson
said. While Bastrop County is
supposed to have 11 troopers to
patrol its state highways, it cur-
rently has only six troopers, one
of which is still in the six-month
training period, Thompson said.