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Authorities confiscate dogs
and cats
Mabank resident charged with cruelty to animals after SPCA
investigation
By Donna Limberger
Monitor Staff Writer
MABANK–A Mabank woman has been arrested and charged with a felony count
of animal cruelty after 26 dogs and three cats were taken from her home
on Van Zandt County Road 2724 Friday.
Janice Craft, 54, was arrested in Henderson County Oct. 15 on a felony
animal cruelty warrant out of Van Zandt County.
According to a press release from the Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), a SPCA investigator visited the property and
began working with Craft to bring her into compliance with the Texas
Health and Safety Code, last month.
The investigator returned for the follow-up visit and found conditions
worse than they were a month ago.
“We agreed with the SPCA that the animals’ conditions had deteriorated
and that immediate action was needed,” said Van Zandt County
investigator Chuck Allen.
A custody hearing for the animals will be held later in the week in the
Van Zandt County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2 Court, Allen said.
If the SPCA of Texas is awarded custody of the animals, the animals will
be individually evaluated for potential adoption or placement on a
case-by-case basis.
“According to the SPCA investigator, at least half of the dogs were
underweight, two of the dogs were emaciated, all of the animals are
infested with fleas, some have hair loss, and one dog appears to have a
severe leg injury,” Allen said.
The animals were transported to the Perry Animal Care Center in
McKinney, where they will be cared for until the custody hearing.
Boatright family reunion
worship service to be held
Monitor Staff Reports
GUN BARREL CITY–A family reunion like no other is set for Sunday, Oct.
25.
The Boatright family is celebrating five generations of gospel
preachers, ministers and musicians, many of them songwriters.
Pastor Barry Boatright will share his family’s long tradition of serving
God with those attending the Christian Life Center Church at its 10:30
a.m. service this Sunday.
“We’ll be inviting worshippers to join us in about 19 songs that have
been important to our family,” Pastor Barry told The Monitor.
His son Daniel is well-known in the area as the leader of the Christian
band Everneed. He also serves as the praise and worship leader.
This family has more than 80 years of serving God and others and that
legacy is continuing.
“It all started with grandfather Henry Earnest (H.E.), who at the age of
16 answered the altar call at a church rival meeting and felt led to
become a gospel preacher,” Pastor Barry said.
He went from that 1927 meeting and led his brothers to Christ, and they
too became preachers, he added.
H.E. established or reopened Pentecostal churches in Whitney, Frost,
Italy, Milford, Hillsboro, Coleman, Abilene, Mankin, McKinney, Marble
Falls and a dozen other places throughout Texas.
His wife, Banche Hunter, herself from a family of preachers, was reared
in Kerens. She is 92 now, and is planning on attending the family
reunion service.
In fact, the church is expecting 10 Boatright preachers to attend the
reunion.
Pastor Barry’s father, Thurman, along with his mother Margaret, opened
the Christian Life Center in Gun Barrel City in 1983. Before that, they
held a devotional at the flea market.
Barry became senior pastor in 1999, continuing in his father’s and
grandfather’s steps.
With his wife Tanyau, Pastor Boatright has expanded his family by
adopting two foster children while the couple continues to foster two
other children.
Boatright cousins have served as missionaries to Africa and Mongolia,
and a returning missionary is now a professor at Lee University in
Cleveland, Tenn.
In every generation, there have been those especially gifted in musical
ability who have ministered in that capacity and written songs of praise
and worship.
While preparing for this gathering of Boatrights, Pastor Barry has
learned a lot of stories, the most gripping proving that God will always
provide.
That has been a theme of the church, having gone through several
building programs and expansions.
The 400-active-member church provides a food pantry, children’s daycare
and many other outreach programs to the community.
“We just want to continue to grow and serve the community,” Pastor Barry
said.
The Boatrights invite everyone in the Cedar Creek Lake area to join them
at a very special worship service, celebrating God’s call on this family
and their journey of trust in that call.
A luncheon follows the service.
Burglary ring discovered
By Donna Limberger
Monitor Staff Writer
CANTON–Three Van Zandt County residents have been arrested in connection
with numerous burglaries across the county, as well as others in
Henderson, Hopkins and Kaufman counties.
The arrests follow an investigation by the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s
Office. Property has been recovered, and investigators are in the
process of matching that property to burglary reports.
Tiffany Mayne, 21, of Van, was charged with criminal trespass, theft of
property, two counts of burglary of a habitation in Hopkins County,
engaging in organized criminal activity and one felony count of
credit/debit card abuse in Hopkins County.
Arthur Wayne Plachy, 45, Canton, was charged with engaging in organized
criminal activity, burglary of a building, credit/debit card abuse and
burglary of a habitation, all in Hopkins County.
Joshua Keelon Hammond, 28, Canton, was charged with two counts of
burglary of a habitation in Hopkins County and one count of engaging in
organized criminal activity.
“The investigation into these crimes continues and more charges will be
forthcoming,” said Van Zandt County investigator Chuck Allen.
The suspects remain in the Van Zandt County Jail. |