People, Places & Events

Kemp BPA students place at regionals, advance to state
Special to The Monitor
KEMP–The Business Professionals of America student members from Kemp High School did an outstanding job competing at regional BPA competition at North Garland High School Jan. 24.
Twenty-four out of 34 students placed. Nine are advancing to state, with three competing in more than one event.
First place winners were:
• Christian McGaha, advanced office systems and procedures (advances to state),
• Britney Floyd, basic office systems and procedures (advances to state),
• Taylor McFarlin, keyboarding (advances to state), and
• Christian McGaha, Barrett Smith, Matt Betts and Chris Malone, administrative support team (this team advances to state for the second straight year).
Second place winners were:
• Hailey Stovall, integrated office applications (advances to state) and
• Matt Betts, desktop publishing (advances to state).
Third place winners were:
• Kaleigh Morton, database applications (advances to state) and
• Chris Malone, Java programming (advances to state).
Fourth place winners were:
• Taylor McFarlin and Celia Vaquera, administrative support team,
• Josey Villanueva, advanced office procedures,
• Susy Villanueva, database applications, and
• Samantha Hulick, fundamental spreadsheet applications.
Fifth place winners were Hannah Carpenter, extemporaneous speech, and Shannon Shipp, fundamental spreadsheet applications.
Sixth place winners were Brittany Cullifer, Pam Harris, Brittany Roberts and Jordan Shumway, economic research team, Meagan Lacy, fundamental word processing, Matt Wakeland, keyboarding production, and Barrett Smith, management-marketing-human relations.
All the participants in the competitive events were Johnnie Kilgore, Sarah Lamb, Kayleigh Morton, Mathaniel Betts, Chris Malone, Christian McGaha, Barrett Smith, Taylor McFarlin, Celia Vaquera, Josie Villanueva and Stevie Stephenson.
Also, Abraham Gonzalez, Britney Floyd, Susy Villanueva, Chris Medellin, Kylie Goswick, Brittany Cullifer, Pamela Harris, Brittany Roberts, Jordan Shumway and Hannah Carpenter.
Also, Samantha Hulick, Shannon Shipp, Chloe McNair, Meagan Lacy, Adriana Guzman, Hailey Stovall, Eddie Villanueva and Matt Wakeland.


Courtesy Photo
Kemp High School Business Professionals of America students gather as a group,
following Regional competition at North Garland High School Jan. 24.


Courtesy Photo
Kemp High School Business Pro-fessionals of America students who won medals
at the Regional BPA competition gather for a photo.

SPCA gets custody of hoarded animals
Special to The Monitor
WILLS POINT–At a Jan. 30 hearing, Van Zandt County Justice of the Peace Scott Shinn granted the SPCA of Texas custody of 185 animals seized Jan. 25.
Shinn also ordered plaintiff Richard Delfeld to pay $10,000 in restitution to the SPCA.
Delfeld admitted he was responsible for the animals’ care and that the animals did not have adequate shelter.
Only a small number of animals had tarp or plywood over their cages to protect them from the elements. Furthermore, though food and water were found on-site, it appeared the animals had not been fed and watered regularly.
Necropsies on many of the animals showed they had died of starvation.
“I’ve ordered a forfeiture to the SPCA of Texas. For the animals’ sake, this is the best option,” Shinn said.
Animals will begin to be available for adoption noon Friday, Feb. 6, at the SPCA’s Dallas shelter at the Dealey Animal Care Center, 362 S. Industrial Blvd. and at the Perry Animal Care Center in McKinney at 8411 Stacy Rd./FM 720. Their telephone number is (214) 742-7722.
When sheriff’s deputies performed a welfare check at the residence of an elderly man living at a rural property Jan. 25, they found an elderly man in need of medical care. The man was taken by ambulance to the hospital, and officers arrested Delfeld, who identified himself as the man’s caretaker.
Further investigation discovered 185 live animals and more than 70 dead animals on the property in various filthy pens, enclosures and cages.
The live animals included 65 goats, 61 dogs, 20 chickens, 13 rabbits, nine ducks, six geese, three sheep, three turkeys, two cats, two guineas and one llama.
The dead animals included at least 30 rabbits and 27 goats.
Delfeld was arrested for endangerment of an elderly/disabled individual, and also may face charges of animal cruelty.
The SPCA was called in to seize the live animals, with most transported to the Perry Animal Care Center.
To help the SPCA of Texas fund future rescues like this one, and to support its other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org/helptheanimals.

Mom arrested for endangering tots
Special to The Monitor
ATHENS–Jan. 28, Henderson County Drug Enforcement Unit investigators Jody Miller, Kenny Collard and Ronny Halbert received information of a possible methamphetamine laboratory at a residence on Deer Walk Street in Gun Barrel City.
After further investigation, the DEU investigators, accompanied by Gun Barrel City Sgt. Patrick Johnson, went to the residence.
On arrival, officers learned the meth lab had been moved to another residence on Deer Walk.
They also learned the suspect, with a 2-year-old male and a 4-year-old female, were found walking down the street, barely clothed, earlier in the day. A neighbor had taken them in from the cold.
Investigators went to the other residence and found chemicals and items used to manufacture methamphetamine, including ammonia stored in an unapproved cylinder.
The mother of the children, Alicia Johns, white female, 24, was placed under arrest and charged with endangering a child.
Investigation into manufacturing methamphetamine is continuing, with other arrests probable, Henderson County Sheriff Ray Nutt reported in a prepared news release issued Jan. 29.