The Gilmer Mirror (Gilmer, Tex.), Vol. 120, No. 40, Ed. 1 Saturday, May 17, 1997 Page: 1 of 22
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: The Gilmer Mirror and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Upshur County Library.
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Since 1977-Ui
The Special Olympics Torch
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because of overcrowding. The bility of adding on to the jail.
Reward offered for escaped felon
Two of his sons are both
in contention.
Upshur County Crimestop-
See JAIL, Page 2A
Gilmer sales tax
Memorial to Students
up by 28 percent
ex
at
1
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See TAX, Page 2A
Enjoy Cherokee Rose Fest today!
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See FESTIVAL, Page 2A
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3
briefly speaking
Ore City considers
seeking state jail
Big Sandy
appoints
Strickland
be housed there. They also
wanted to know whether the
prisoners would be released
apprehension. The reward is
guaranteed by “A” Bail Bonds
of Gilmer, which had posted
Moses’ bond on the controlled-
substance charge and a felon
and he was outside when she informed them that Moses had
went into the home, come back become a fugitive from justice.
“Yes,” the sheriff replied.
“Did it appear to her that he
jail was built in 1987 to accom-
modate a maximum of 70 pris-
oners with a certain mix of the
help eliminate a court order,
including looking at the possi-
tually, we’ll be under an order
to release prisoners. I could
only do it under the order of
Residents asked about the pers will pay a $500 reward for
types of prisoners who would information leading to Moses’
Mirror Photo / Mary Laschinger Kirby
Union Hill Superintendent Sharon Richardson. Romona Betterton, representing Rainbow Willis,
Mosell Butler from the family of John Brewster, Felice Tucker, family of Charles Tucker, and Glenn
Caffey, father of Dustin Caffey, and FF A teacher, James Mason, gather around one of the cedar trees
planted on the Union Hill campus in memory of the five students who have died in the past 14 months.
Dustin Caffey and Rainbow Willis attended Mason’s classes, and it was a conversation with Dustin
about planting a tree in memory of a lost loved one which stimulated the project. The ceremonies
Tuesday included comments by faculty members and a remembrance of the five students read by
Erika Johnson, vice president of the student council The five students were Jeremy Hawkins and
Charles Tucker in the spring of 1996. Dustin Caffey on Nov 15, 1996 and John Brewster the next day,
and Rainbow Willis, April, 1997 The student body had elected Rainbow Willis the Most Spirited for
the school year of 1996-97.
Lawmen are searching for
Michial Lynn Moses of Route
2, Gilmer, who was convicted
by a jury in the 76th District
Court in Camp County April 8
of two counts of possession of a
controlled substance on June
7 and June 26, 1996.
According to Upshur County
outside he was nowhere to be
found.”
At a special meeting Tues-
day night, Ore City council-
men and interested citizens
heard a presentation about a
proposed state medium-secu-
rity prison for the town.
J.C. Conner, warden of the
Bradshaw State Jail Facility,
answered questions from the
council and the audience.
Conner said his employer.
Management and Training
Corporation of Ogden, Utah,
Blowing Contest, Baby Crawl-
ing Contest, Little Cherokee
Princess and Brave Contest, Ice
Cream Crank-Off, and Deco-
rated Bicycle Tricycle Parade.
On the south side of the square
will be dance performances by
Footlight Dancers, Uptown
Dance Studio and Curtain Call
Dance Academy, beginning at
11:30 a m.
I
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“So, she said he was in the
woods?” Judge Jimmy White
said.
Moses is known to have
friends in Midway and Rhones
boro in Upshur County. He also
has relatives in Nacogdoches
County, El Campo and in Ten-
nessee.
By MAC OVERTON
Upshur County Judge
Charles Still said a meeting
between Upshur County offi-
cials and the State Jail Com-
mission in Austin Thursday to
discuss overcrowding of the
county jail was “very benefi-
cial.”
He, Sheriff Buck Cross, Up-
shur County Jail Administra-
tor Robert Cromley, and Up-
shur County commissioners
Kenny Thompson, Rick Jack-
son, Tommy Stanley and Gad-
dis Lindsey attended the meet-
ing with Jack Crump, head of
the jail commission, and his
assistant Bob Dearing.
On May 8, an inspector from
the jail commission found the
county jail in noncompliance
from this time last year’s fig-
ure of $4,121.68. For the year
its payments are down 6.50
percent.
Big Sandy’s latest rebate of
$16,570.07 is down 1.50 per-
cent from this time last year’s
figure of $16,823.34. For the
year its payments are down
0.80 percent.
Upshur County’s latest re-
bate of $41,862.19 is up 6.75
Reception to honor Horace Ray
A reception honoring Horace A. Ray on his retirement as
District Clerk will be held Thursday, May 22, from 3 to 5
p m in the lobby of the justice center. All family and friends
are invited to attend
Firefighters training session
A ground cover class will be held at the Gilmer Fire
Station on Monday, May 19, and Thursday and Friday, May
22-23, sponsored by the Upshur County Firefighters Asso-
ciation.
Classes will be held from 6:30 to 10 p.m each night, and
will include sessions for basic, intermediate, and advanced
levels. For more information call Nancy at 762-2250.
Weekend
Edition
Moses’ trial, the judge ad-
journed court for lunch until
1:20 p. m,, at which time Moses
was to be sentenced.
At 1:55 p.m., the judge asked
Moses’ attorney if he had seen
his client since the lunch break.
The judge asked the sheriff,
who had been acting as bailiff,
about a conversation he had
with the defendant’s wife at
1:20 p.m.
Mirror Photo / Mary Laschinger Kirby
Carrying the torch of the Special Olympics, Officer Benjamin
Paschal from the Berry Telford Unit of the Texas Department of
Criminal Justice, New Boston, arrives in Gilmer Tuesday. The
Upshur County Ambulance unit escorts Paschal through the
town as he heads toward Rusk where he was scheduled to pass
the torch to another runner. Ultimately, the torch is to arrive in
Houston where the Special Olympics will be held.
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The 11th Annual Cherokee
Rose Festival is today on the
courthouse square!
Bringyour family from 9 a.m.
until 6 p.m. and enjoy fun for
all. Food of various types will be
available at concession stands.
Activities will include: The
Great Turtle Race, Antique/
Classic Car Show, “42” Tourna-
ment, Run for the Roses (1-mile
Fun Run, 5K and 10K), Arts and
Crafts, Quilt Show, Bubble Gum
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“I made contact with Debbie
Moses, who I know to be his
wife,” the sheriff said. “She
stated that they had gone home
for lunch, they got ready to
come back a while ago, and she
Severa Strickland, who lost
two campaigns for the Big
Sandy City Council by one vote
and who came in third among
six candidates seeking two at-
large positions this year, was
appointed to the council Tues-
day night.
She will fill the remaining
year of the term of David
Smith, who was elected mayor
May 3.
The council approved the
appointment by a 3-0 vote, with
new councilmen Rick Penney
and Lynda Childress and coun-
cilwoman Monica Decuir vot-
ing for it.
Councilman Gary Baird ab-
stained.
“I’ve made my feelings
clear,” said Smith during dis-
cussion on whether to appoint
or call a special election to fill
the vacancy. “I feel it should go
to Severa."
Baird told Smith that he,
Baird, had come in just behind
winning candidates twice be-
fore he was elected, and Smith
hold told him that voters
should fill a vacancy which
subsequently developed
“Did you feel I was wrong
then?” Smith asked.
“I feel it should be decided
by the voters,” Baird said.
Mrs. Strickland, 64, lost
elections in 1995 and 1996 by
one vote each In 1996, she was
defeated by one vote by Smith
Smith said that he believes
she has integrity and will give
Big Sandy’s black community
representation on the council.
In other business,'the coun-
cil approved a proposal by Big
Sandy Reserve Policeman Lee
Stolley to start a city-spon-
sored defensive-driving school
Stolley, the former head of
See BIG SANDY, Page 2A
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Jail meeting ‘beneficial’
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prisoner population. counties,” Cross said. Camp
The inspection found it had County commissioners ap-
averaged 7.7 prisoners over the proved a proposal Thursday to
ideal mix. house up to 12 Upshur County
“They were very receptive prisoners for $40 a day, plus
and helpful,” Cross said. “They transportation and medical
told us that, basically, if we do expenses
nothing they will write us a Judge Still asked whether
letter advising us of overcrowd- there were any cases of a
ing. county with an overcrowded
“They will send a second let- jail renting out prisoners and
ter in a couple of weeks telling not having to build a jail
us what we Aust do,” Cross They said that in every case,
said. “If we don’t do anything, the county eventually had to
they will file a case in Austin add on or build a new jail,
to force a solution.” “That tells me that renting
Judge Still and Sheriff Cross space is a waste of money,”
both asked whether a good Cross said.
faith effort on the part of the Cross said that if the county
ounty to find a solution would doesn’t find a solution, “even-
in possession of a firearms can’t find him or he would not sentenced Moses to five years
charge. come out of the woods. She and 10 years, respectively, on
According to a transcript of said they do not have a vehicle, the two drug charges, the judge
wants to build a 1,000-bed Investigator Wayne Young, a
prison in Texas. judge let Moses leave the court-
He said Ore City is one of room for lunch that day, after
five locations in the state be- he was found guilty. He was to
ing considered. Overton is also return for sentencing.
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had voluntarily left the home jailed in Upshur County,
and also voluntarily made him- . ....
self unavailable to the court .. Anyone knowing the loca-
this afternoon?” the judge tionof Mike Moses 18aekedto
asked call Investigator Young in the
“That’s correct,” the sheriff Upshur County Sheriff's Of-
said fice at 843-2541 or call
Crimestoppers at 843-3131 or
Later, after the jury had (800) 256-TIPS.
ence to overcrowding, would it
look bad if we hadn’t done any-
thing to help,” CroMSohL “Wo
were told it would be better for
the county. Also, when we are
overcrowded, there is extra
stress and strain for jailers.
“We reviewed the jail inspec-
tion, and the jail passed every
facet except having too many
inmates,” Judge Still said.
“They indicated that if we made
a good-faith effort to reduce
the jai overcrowding, they
wouldn't impose sanctions on
the county.”
He added that he didn’t fore-
see the county having to rent
out prisoners anytime soon.
He said the jail commission
was “very receptive, very coop-
erative. The meeting was very
beneficial.”
Still said the jail overcrowd-
ing “has got to be dealt with.”
The city of Gilmer is on a
roll this month in terms of sales
tax receipts delivered to it re-
cently by the State
Comptroller’s Office in Austin.
Its net payment this period
amounts to $86,607.64, an in-
crease of 28.51 percent over
this time last year’s rebate of
$67,393.12. Payments to date
for 1997 are up 11.99 percent
compared to this point in 1996.
Ore City’s latest rebate of
$4,128.67 is up 0.16 percent
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guan
“They said they would work the court.”
with us and we may not have “We also asked if a civil suit
to rent out prisoners to other came out of the jail in refer-
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Overton, Mac. The Gilmer Mirror (Gilmer, Tex.), Vol. 120, No. 40, Ed. 1 Saturday, May 17, 1997, newspaper, May 17, 1997; Gilmer, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1495044/m1/1/?q=music: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Upshur County Library.