The Leonard Graphic (Leonard, Tex.), Vol. 114, No. 12, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 18, 2004 Page: 1 of 12
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Che1
conari Graph
Leonard High School Open House
Thursday, March 18,5-6:30
All parents, family.
and friends
are
welcome
see how
hard
these
students
E
vor
Teachers will
work
with their Academic
preparation
for the
District
Meet
p.m.
come by
UIL teams
March 24.
and
in
Thursday, March 18, 2004
Covering southern Fannin County and the surrounding area
Continuous publication since 1890 50c
P.O. Box 1108 Leonard, Texas 75452
(903) 587-3303
Editor@LeonardOnline.net
www.LeonardOnline.net
1048-0013 Vol. 114 No. 12
Safer Streets
Police back on 24-hour patrol
By Betsy Blevins efits, but an officer working under in at the business - which also hap- In other business, the City Coun-
Staff writer contract and not eligible for ben- pened during a time when Leonard cil last week appointed Richard
BBlevins@LeonardOnline.net efits would be ideal for the city, was not under 24-hour protection, and Rita Johnson as election judges
“This is hopefully the first step at Had an officer been on patrol for the May 15 municipal election.
A motion approved unanimously keeping 24-hour protection in the city,” at that time, a routine check of the Council members also tabled any
by the Leonard City Council last stated Clark after the Council meeting, business could have very possibly action on a proposal by a Leonard
Tuesday night has Leonard under The need for 24-hour protection brought the criminal’s work to an citizen to make the 800 block of North
24-hour police protection again, in Leonard appears to be inevitable, abrupt halt, as Chief Clark reported Willard Hall Street one-way during
• . The motion allows the city to hire as Leonard Kwik Chek can attest, that the person who committed the school hours. Members decided that
additional personnel under a contract, The Leonard convenience store was act was at the back of the build- they wanted a further assessment of
: starting March 3 and ending Sept, burglarized twice during time pe- ing working for at least an hour, traffic on the road and any other pos-
30, with Chief Rex Clark authorized riods when the City of Leonard Clark addressed the Chamber sible options before taking any action,
to negotiate wages with the chosen reduced police patrols and did not of Commerce Tuesday, March 9, Council members turned down an
officer. Clark reported that they had have around-the-clock protection, and said at the meeting he had been offer from Larry Thompson to pur-
the contract in mind for Leonard re- Residents may remember earlier concerned that the store might be bur- chase the building located at 118 W.
■ serve officer Paul Holt, who worked this year - sometime between closing glarized again, but without sufficient Collin on the downtown square for the
' in the place of Officer Larry Creech on Sunday, Jan. 18, and 3:15 a.m. on manpower, control over the situation City to use as a community center. The
when he went on medical leave, Jan. 19 - when an individual busted was out of the department’s hands. Council voiced thanks to Thompson for
and has worked off and on since a hole in the back brick wall of the Clark also told the Chamber that, the offer, but added that there was just
Creech returned to regular patrol, business, cracked open the safe and overall, the police department’s tech- no funding available for something of
, Chief Clark reported earlier made off with an undisclosed amount niques to prevent crime are working -- that nature. The City can’t do this proj-.
last week that the City could not of money. This burglary came almost the number of incidents reported con- ect, or anything like it, until its long-
* afford another officer with ben- exactly two years after the last break- tinues to decrease each year, he said, term debt is reduced, officials said.
By LHS Journalism Staff
Lionel Bayiha going to
state power-lifting meet
Gunman robs area bank
Suspect remains at large; FBI investigating
SA
2P
Lionel Bayiha, Leonard High School junior, placed first in
Region 6 Power Lifting competition at Celina Saturday,
March 6. Lionel qualified in the 148-pound class. He is the
first Leonard High School male athlete to become a state
qualifier in this sport. Matthew McCullough, LHS senior,
placed seventh in the 275-pound class. Bayiha will compete
at the UIL State Meet in Austin on March 20.
Grady Teague
He built dreams that came
true for local families
By Beth Anderson
Assistant Editor
pulled on her was no stranger to
the banking industry - her stepfa-
BAnderson@LeonardOnline.net ther, Alvin Fields, is president of
the Farmers and Merchants Bank.
The Farmers and Merchants Bank “My stepdaughter was the one
in Ladonia was robbed Friday morn- who had the gun pulled on her,”
ing around 10 a.m., and after re- Fields said Friday as he escorted
portedly warning those inside “not his employees out of the building,
to be a hero” on his way out, the “I think she did her job very well.”
d
suspect has apparently vanished. “All the employees handed the .
Police are describing the sus- situation very well,” he said. “We’re The bank was closed in a hurry Friday. A hastily made sign,
pect as a black man, approximately a little bit down right now, we hate above, told Customers why. Above left, officers who were
6-feet to 6-feet-two inches tall. At for this kind of thing to happen,” collecting evidence and interviewing bank employees prepare
the time of the robbery, he was re- Fields said that the bank was to leave the crime scene. Below, Ladonia Police Chief Dan
portedly wearing a grey jacket with robbed in 1991, and the man was Robertson is interviewed by a television crew from KXII in
the hood pulled over his head, sun- never caught. Ladonia Police Chief Sherman.
glasses, a white shirt under the grey Dan Robertson said local lore has it
jacket, grey pants, and white shoes, that there was also a bank robbery
He reportedly brandished a silver in the 1930s, when the robber took
gun, not an automatic, and demanded a woman hostage with him, and then
money, according to dispatch traf- let her out of the vehicle they were in
fic heard shortly after the incident, just outside of town and apologized.
He came and left through the front Robertson said he was able to
door of the bank, and left west on respond in “less than a minute.” He
foot. Dispatchers were.heard to said that shortly afterward, police
say that the suspect repotedly told from Honey Grove and Commerce
those inside the bank “Don’t any- arrived. Fannin County Sheriff’s
body be a hero,” as he walked out. deputies and the U.S. Forestry Ser-
While the suspect got away with vice also combed backroads around
an undisclosed amount of money, it Ladonia for someone matching
appears that perhaps he didn’t get the description of the suspect,
away with as much as he could have. The FBI agents on the scene
Local merchants said that the Wells, would not comment, and Robert-
Fargo armored car that normally son would only say that there was
makes pickups and deliveries ar- some evidence. Fields confirmed
rived just minutes after the incident, later that there are working sur-
Four employees, all female, veillance cameras at the bank,
and one customer were inside the but did not know if the tapes cap-
bank at the time of the armed rob- tured anything helpful. Those tapes
bery. The teller who had the gun are now in the hands of the FBI.
= . - curs worry • merrer
FRIDAY 9AM=2PM
P M -6 P IV |
--------ea-2-rorsondoooiaseapolasa
CLOSED DUE TO BANK
. RCBBFRY
“TSARS
WFINCONVENIENCE
Crime scene
Beth Anderson staff photos
By Betsy Blevins than have to rent or to be trapped in
Staff writer substandard living conditions,” stated
BBlevins@LeonardOnline.net Rouse. "I enjoyed working with him
and it was nice to get to know him.
In spite of his age, Grady He wouldn’t short-change anybody.”
Teague has built new homes for Friends say Teague gave many
Leonard families year after year, families a chance to buy when unable
But with his death Wednesday, to do so under other conditions. “It
March 10, the building has ended, wasn't really about making money to
Teague was 82 when he died, him, it was about making homes for
but was very active in home-build- people,” stated Driscoll. “He provided
ing in the Leonard area up until a a nice, new, energy-efficient home.”
very short time before his death. Driscoll said Teague had gone
He was remembered Sunday after- in, torn down old homes or cleaned
noon during a memorial service, up old lots and rehabilitated an en-
Teague, who was born in Leonard tire area by building new homes,
in 1921, was a building contractor Not too long ago, Teague was
for many years. He and his wife, Joy, diagnosed with an advanced form
were married in Leonard, but lived in of cancer that affected his liver and
Gilmer for 25 years while he worked possibly his pancreas. While Teague
for the Farmers Home Administra- did undergo chemotherapy, his cancer
tion. The couple later moved back was deemed terminal. Last Wednes-
to Leonard after he retired from day, Leonard first responders were
the company, but one might say called to his home on Houston Street
that Teague never actually retired, after his wife and granddaughter re-
Scott Driscoll, who worked with turned home from a walk and found
Teague on financing through the Teague on the floor. Emergency
First National Bank of Trenton, re- personnel attempted to revive him,
ported that Teague had built 37 homes but Teague could not be resuscitated.
through the bank just since 1995. When Teague passed away,
“He had a new challenge every he left two homes in Leonard still
day to build new homes, stated 11
. „under construction, which will
Driscoll, but the challenge was re- <. 1 .
,be completed by his close friend
ally for us to keep up as the bank
, . . Walter Williams of Greenville,
he used for his new project orT ,..
1 1 1 Some Leonard citizens are cur-
plan. He was the oldest builder we . .
had and one of the most active » rently working on a memorial for the
:c t downtown square in remembrance of
Jim Rouse, owner of Wolte City 1
Lumber, first met Teague between Teague and everything he gave to the
10 and 15 years ago after Rouse community. Organizer Mickey Fuller
contacted Teague about buying the talked with City Administrator Butch
supplies and materials he needed for Henderson on Tuesday about the
construction from Rouse’s business, memorial, which will probably be a
Rouse remembers Teague as a very park bench engraved in his memory.
active, sincere and honest individual.
‘ ‘We thought that a park bench would
“Grady started out this house- be appropriate since many may remem-
building program or project of his ber Grady as somebody who liked to
and his only objective was to build spend time in the evenings sitting on
a quality house as inexpensively as a bench with his wife,” stated Fuller,
possible so that he could sell it at a Those wishing to make a do-
price where an individual could afford nation for the monument should
to get into a nice, new home rather contact Fuller at 903-587-2966.
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Russell, Bethany. The Leonard Graphic (Leonard, Tex.), Vol. 114, No. 12, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 18, 2004, newspaper, March 18, 2004; Leonard, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1660244/m1/1/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Leonard Public Library.