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Robbery shooting suspect sought
Monitor Staff Reports
KAUFMAN–The Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office is trying to
locate the male suspect in an early morning robbery and shooting at the
Elmo Food Store in eastern Kaufman County.
The suspect has been identified as Kenneth Stamper, 43, from the Elmo
area. Stamper is also wanted by the Texas Department of Corrections for
a parole violation.
Stamper is a white male, 5 feet 10 inches, 180 pounds, brown hair, brown
eyes with tattoos on his chest, both arms and hands.
He is known to have violent tendencies and should be considered armed
and dangerous. He was last seen driving a white four-door 1994 Toyota
Corolla with South Dakota personalized license plates “RAVI” belonging
to the shooting victim.
The robbery and shooting occurred in the wee hours of March 28 at the
Elmo Food Store, located at 7398 East Highway 80.
According to the police report the victim said Stamper, then unknown to
the clerk, entered and demanded money.
The clerk did not comply, thinking the man was joking.
The suspect then walked outside and returned with a handgun and again
demanded money and the clerk’s car keys.
The suspect then fired a shot, striking the clerk in the head, and
departed in an unknown direction.
Still able to move and communicate, the wounded clerk called 911 at 3:49
a.m. The clerk was taken to Baylor Hospital in Dallas by ambulance and
later released. The injury was described as a “glancing gunshot wound to
the head.”
If anyone knows the whereabouts of Kenneth Stamper or has seen the
victim’s vehicle they are asked to contact the Kaufman County Sheriff’s
Office at (972) 932-4337 or their local law enforcement agency.
Schumacher to take over as KHS
principal
By Barbara Gartman
Monitor Staff Writer
KEMP–For two years Kurt “Shoe” Schumacher has served as the assistant
principal of Kemp High school, along with his coaching duties.
With the retirement of KHS principal Mary Lyons at the end of June,
Schumacher will become principal and will be on board as the district
builds the new high school.
“I’m looking forward to all of it. It’s going to be an exciting time the
next couple of years,” he said.
Monitor Photo/Barbara Gartman
Kemp softball coach and assistant high school
principal Kurt Schumacher said he looks forward to becoming the new high
school principal July 1.
He began his career in education in
Brownsville, where his teaching duties included tennis.
But after three years, he returned to his home state of Wisconsin, where
he married his wife Donna.
For the next 14 years, he taught P.E. and health.
He returned to Texas and was employed at Kemp High School.
“I became the assistant principal and spent my time coaching and
learning from Mary (Lyons) on how to be a good principal,” he explained.
Knowing that it will be hard to take time off once he delves into his
job as principal, Schumacher said he wants to visit family.
“My wife and I are going back to Wisconsin for two weeks to visit our
parents,” he said.
His wife will take time off from her career as a medical professional
for the short vacation, he explained.
When he returns, he and staff members will be looking at some of the
challenges he will face.
“We need to improve on our TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and
Skills) scores. We are trying to put in some new incentives to get
students to do their best,” he said.
“We need to get a motivating factor for the kids. We need for them to
realize it’s a good thing to do well on the test,” he explained.
But the improvements will have to begin with the students.
“There’s a point where the kids have to realize they’re doing it
(Passing the tests) for themselves,” he emphasized.
A million
pennies and counting
By Pearl Cantrell
Monitor Staff Writer
MABANK–Children’s Miracle Network champion Chase Dickerson no sooner
announced his quest for a million pennies in The Monitor, that a Rick
Gomm called him saying, “Come and get more than 10 years of pennies”
he’d collected.
Retired from the Dallas Morning News, Gomm said his collection began as
a way to save up for annual vacations with his wife.
“We always used the silver but never the pennies. I guess I didn’t want
to roll the pennies,” he told The Monitor.
“When I read about Chase in the paper, I thought, ‘this would be a good
use for all these pennies,’” he added.
Gomm brought out seven 3-pound coffee cans filled with coins bearing Abe
Lincoln’s likeness.
Each can weighed about 20 pounds.
“I sure would like to know how many there are,” the Golden Oaks resident
said.
“I thought it was amazing that he’d saved them for that long,” Dickerson
said.
Food Fast convenience stores and the five Mabank school campuses are
also assisting Dickerson in his quest to collect as much as he can
before the CMN telethon, set Saturday and Sunday, May 31-June 1.
Food Fast chief operating officer Jay Misenheimer and district
supervisor Matt Aycock were also on hand to help collect the coffee cans
filled with pennies.
“We have 69 stores throughout North Texas and Louisiana, and we have
collection bottles at each one,” Misenheimer said.
This year’s telethon will be broadcast on Tyler-based CBS Channel 19.
Dickerson was born with a genetic disease called “Hurlers Syndrome” that
necessitated a bone marrow transplant as a toddler and his family’s move
to San Antonio for nearly two years.
Over the years, he has undergone 34 surgeries to correct problems
related to his condition.
“Chase exemplifies the spirit and determination we wish every student
would develop and possess,” Mabank ISD superintendent Dr. Russell
Marshall said. “We are excited about supporting this great charity.”
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