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American Legion Post 310 awards
Emergency Personnel of the Year
Monitor Photo/Pearl Cantrell
American Legion Post 310 in Gun Barrel City honored First Responders who
serve the city Saturday. Sgt. Patrick Johnson (left) was named Police
Officer of the Year, Henderson County’s Billy Jack Valentine was named
Deputy Sheriff of the Year, Dustin Conner was named Firefighter of the Year
and Paul Stewart was named Paramedic of the Year. First Vice Cmdr. Jerry
Canon made the presentations in a heartfelt ceremony.
Robbers get away with $4000
Monitor Staff Reports
TOOL–Three people in ski masks and armed with
handguns entered Pat and Don’s Game Room, just outside of the city of Tool,
Friday night.
They ordered everyone in the place to hand over their car keys and cell
phones, and forced them into the bathrooms.
“It’s estimated about $4,000 was stolen,” public information officer Lt. Pat
McWilliams said.
Henderson County investigators have vague descriptions of two white males,
one in his late 30s, standing 5-10 and weighing 250 to 275 pounds.
He is thought to have red hair with mustache and goatee, and one tooth
missing.
A second male in his early 20s, standing about 5-8, weighing about 120
pounds, wore a black hooded sweatshirt. Both men were armed with small
revolvers, according to witnesses.
The third robber was described as a white female in her 20s, about 5-8 and
110 pounds, with dark hair and painted eyebrows. She wielded a large
western-style revolver.
Employees Janet Whitley and James Forester reported about 24 patrons were in
the game room near 10 p.m. when the robbery occurred.
No injuries were reported.
The robbers fled in a white 1999 Plymouth minivan, belonging to one of the
patrons.
Sheriff’s Patrol Sgt. Thomas Robertson recovered that vehicle at 2:30 a.m.
Sunday. It was abandoned on Michael’s Cove Road.
The day after the robbery, a white garbage bag containing keys and cell
phones was found in Malakoff and turned into the Malakoff police station.
Sheriff’s Patrol Sgt. Thomas Goodell spent several hours Sunday returning
keys and cell phones to the owners.
Monday, five sets of keys and cell phones remained unclaimed.
Sheriff’s Investigators Paul Hablet and Kevin Hanes are conducting the
investigation. City
adjuster resigns
By Pearl Cantrell
Monitor Staff Writer
GUN BARREL CITY–Following the Gun Barrel City Council meeting Nov. 14, a
city board of adjustments member tendered his resignation.
In a handwritten letter addressed to the mayor and council members, Claude
Melton wrote he can “no longer support the actions of the council.”
Melton was one of two candidates to be considered to fill the rest of James
Jacobs’ unexpired term as councilman.
However, councilman Keith Crozier moved that the council postpone naming a
replacement.
Councilman Marty Goss seconded the motion.
At that time, city secretary Christy Eckerman reminded the council that if
it did not name a replacement, the seat would be vacant until the next city
election May 12.
“After attending the city council meeting and observing the actions taken to
avoid appointing an interim fifth council member, I feel that I can no
longer support the actions of the council,” Melton wrote. “Therefore, I wish
to officially notify you that I resign my position as a committee member for
the Board of Adjustments.”
The council has been soliciting qualified city residents to volunteer to sit
on the committee, which meets about four times a year.
Crozier responded to the resignation with “no comment.”
“It’s his decision,” he said.
Crozier added he only moved to postpone because Goss hadn’t had the time to
interview the candidates.
Goss also had no comment on his reason for postponing choosing a
replacement, who might have been able to break the even split between
council members over many crucial issues.
Council members Kathy Cochran and Patsy Black voted for interviewing the
candidates that night and choosing a replacement.
Liquor petition contains forged names, city says
Monitor Staff Reports
MABANK–A petition seeking a new local option (wet/dry) election for Mabank
was found to have “a bunch” of forged signatures.
The petition was submitted on behalf of the owners of The Store, located on
U.S. Highway 175 near the Cedar Creek Country Club entrance.
While The Store property (approximately two acres) has been annexed into the
city, it was not in the city at the time of the original wet/dry election in
May, 2004, Mabank City Administrator Louann Confer said.
State law requires a city to hold a new wet/dry election to make any
property not in the city during the original election “wet,” Confer
explained.
Seven Points held a new wet/dry election at the same time as Mabank to meet
that requirement, as land eyed for the new Brookshire’s store was not
included when the city originally approved alcohol sales back in the late
1980s.
Kaufman also held a new election to make “new” property wet when the city
was seeking to have Wal-Mart build a store there. Wal-Mart wound up building
a SuperCenter in Seagoville instead.
The petition seeking the new election clearly had the same person write “a
bunch” of names, Confer said.
Obviously, the petition is void, and the original document is being held as
criminal evidence, Confer confirmed Monday.
The owner of The Store property has hired an attorney, and the individual
who put together the petition is supposed to come in this week to make a
statement, Confer said.
Falsifying names on a petition is altering a government record, which is a
felony, a Mabank Police Department spokesman said.
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