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Deputies weed 55 pot plants
Marijuana grows in a Carolyn Estates front yard
Monitor Staff Reports
ATHENS–Henderson County Sheriff Ray Nutt reports the arrest of a 52-year-old woman after finding 55 marijuana plants growing in her front yard and a large plastic bag containing dried plant material suspected of being processed marijuana.
Authorities were alerted to the possible marijuana possession by a complaint of possible narcotics activity at a Carolyn Estates residence.
Around 4 p.m. Wednesday, Henderson County Drug Enforcement Unit officers Kalon Rollins and Wick Gabbard arrested Rebecca Joyce White for possession of marijuana more than 2 ounces and less than 4 ounces.
If convicted, the class A misdemeanor charge is punishable by up to a year in jail and possible fine up to $4,000.
White was released on a $5,000 bond Thursday. She has only one other arrest record in Henderson County for suspicion of driving while intoxicated second offense by the Athens Police Department.

Appraisal District seeks building approval
Needs 10 of 13 funding entities to say ‘yes’
By Barbara Gartman
Monitor Staff Writer
KAUFMAN–Once again, the Kaufman County Single Appraisal District is asking its 13 funding entities for more room.
This time, the KCSAD is seeking authorization to build approximately 3,000 square feet of additional office space next to the existing facility.
As proposed, the resolution places a $395,000 cap on the project, compared to last year’s $1.2 million request.
The board’s building committee, chaired by James Huffman, has been considering a plan to finance the amount over a 10-year period, with hopes of keeping the annual payments below $50,000.
While the building committee first considered building onto the existing brick office, they found it will be cheaper to stay at the present location but build a separate facility.
The new building, located behind the existing office on Farm-to-Market 1388, across from Kaufman High School, would contain additional restrooms, plus a larger and more comfortable employee breakroom.
For the taxpayers’ benefit, there will be additional conference rooms, allowing for review boards to conduct simultaneous hearings on individual tax issues.
Considering there were approximately 4,000 contested appraisals in 2010, the additional conference space will help speed the hearing process.
The resolution asks taxing entities to vote either “yes” or “no” to the new construction, and word of the new resolution has already reached the entities involved.
Mabank Independent School District trustees were told of the resolution at their regular March 28 meeting.
“So far, it sounds like a reasonable deal,” superintendent Dr. Russell Marshall said.
The need for space and what to do about it has been a concern to the appraisal district’s board for more than a year.
In April, 2010, a resolution to sell the current facility for $350,000 (including furnishings) was proposed, and taxing entities were sent copies of the sales proposal for their approval.
At the time, there was talk about possibly turning the building into a museum, maybe connected with the Veterans’ Memorial Park next door.
The Kaufman County Commissioners agreed with the plan and started making arrangements to buy the building – making an official purchase at their July 12 meeting – before finding out the county already owned the building, not the KCSAD.
Much to everyone’s surprise, the KCSAD didn’t have a deed, just a 99-year lease signed June 1, 1985, by then-county judge Maxine Darst.
While there was only a token payment of $10 from the district, there were stipulations that still prevent the KCSAD from moving out of the building.
Should the KCSAD move, the lease becomes void and the building reverts back to the county.

Rx meds drop-off set in Kaufman
Monitor Staff Reports
KAUFMAN–The Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office and the Kaufman Police Department announces their participation in the nationwide prescription drug “Take-Back” initiative that seeks to prevent increased pill abuse and theft.
Often young people only have to go as far as the medicine cabinet at home to find drugs.
To combat this growing problem, both locally and nationally, the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Kaufman Police Department, is partnering with the DEA and other agencies to offer citizens a place to drop off any unused, unwanted or outdated prescriptions with no questions asked.
Drugs will be collected between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, April 30, at the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office, 1900 E. Highway 175, and the Kaufman Police Department on 105 E. Chestnut St.
County Sheriff David A. Byrnes and Police Chief Michael Holder would like to assure the community they are doing everything within their power to combat the abuse of drugs – both illicit and illegal prescription drugs.
Please use this opportunity to open discussions with the young people in your household about the dangers of prescription drug abuse.