City clean up
Clarendon resident faces charge of cruelty to animals
Clarendon resident Brandon Goodwin III is out on bond this week on a charge of animal cruelty.
The Donley County Sheriff’s Office and city employees were dispatched to Goodwin’s house at 223 S. Carhart St. on May 24 on a report of a dog hanging from the fence. The small female dog was dead when they arrived.
Following an investigation, Goodwin was arrested on May 25 on a Class A Misdemeanor; cruelty to non-livestock animals. If found guilty, he could possibly a maximum $4,000 fine and up to a year in jail.
“When we come up on something like this, we will prosecute to the full extent of the law,” City Administrator Lambert Little said. “There is absolutely no reason for this.”
The city also impounded two other dogs Goodwin had reportedly tied to a fence post. Little said that the dogs had no food and no water and were covered with ticks. One was so tangled around the post that it only had two feet of moving area.
“These dogs were so malnourished you could see their ribs,” Little said. “We will keep them in our animal control facility for ten days. If they are not adopted by then, we will have to euthanize them.”
Little said that the city will need to “pep up animal control” to encourage citizens to take better care of their animals.
“We’re not nearly as strict as we should be about people taking care of their animals,” he said. “The city rules concerning animal cruelty state that pets cannot run at large in the city, must have a rabies shot tag issued by the city, and must be provided food, water, and shelter.”
The city has the right to impound dogs that are tied up by anything but a leash.
“It is not permitted to have dogs chained up, and if your dog is tied up, you must be out there to watch it,” Little said. “It is permissible is they are tethered to something like a clothes line where they won’t get tangled up. There must be 150 square feet of playing space per animal.”
Pets picked up will have ten days of adoption time before getting euthanized.
“It will cost owners time and money to get their animals back,” Little said. “They can also face a fine for ordinance violation.”
Local man arrested for elder abuse
A Howardwick man remains in the Donley County Jail this week facing charges of assaulting and abusing an elderly woman in his care.
Richard Dennis Polmon, age 46, was being held on two bonds of $50,000 each, following his arrest on May 10 and later arraignment by Justice of the Peace Connie Havens.
Donley County Sheriff Butch Blackburn said his office was contacted by medical officials after
an ambulance was dispatched to the residence at 414 Nocona Drive.
An investigation revealed that the 91-year-old woman had been neglected and had was suffering from unexplained bruises and other medical problems. She had also been sexually assaulted.
Polmon is charged with Injury to the Elderly and Aggravated Sexual Assault.
“The victim’s age in this case makes it ‘aggravated’ and a first degree felony,” Sheriff Blackburn said.
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Dan Herbert Zachry
Dan Herbert Zachry, 72, died Friday, June 3, 2011, in Amarillo.
Graveside services were held Sunday, June 5, in Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon with Rev. Darrell Burton, officiating. Interment was held at Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon. Arrangements were under the direction of Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.
Dan was born March 19, 1939, in Borger to Marion Herbert and Martha Ann Smoot Zachry. He had received his bachelor’s degree at Texas Tech University. He had been a Program Management Specialist for the US Department of Interior. He was a US Army veteran.
He had been a longtime resident of Amarillo. He was very intelligent and the best handyman with cars and tools and could fix anything and always had to work on something. He was a Baptist.
He was preceded in death by his parents, and a sister, Marilyn Zachry Haynes.
Survivors include a niece, Kimberly Davis and husband John of Midland; a daughter, Lauri Zachry Truong and husband Duan of Austin; a son, Rob Zachry of Amarillo; and one grandchild.
The family requests that memorials be sent to Odyssey Hospice.
Greenbelt hits Stage 3 on drought plan
A lack of rain and persistent hot, windy weather has pushed Greenbelt Lake into Stage 3 of its drought contingency plan.
With the reservoir falling below a depth of 51 feet, officials with the Greenbelt Municipal & Industrial Water Authority have begun lowering the levels in municipal storage tanks as a method of conserving water.
Dropping the water tower levels reduces pressure on municipal water systems thereby cutting back on the amount of water going through the system and even reducing leaks in the system.
Greenbelt General Manager Bobbie Kidd says the biggest conservation is coming from the City of Childress, which uses more than 50 percent of the water consumed from the lake.
“We dropped the level in their storage tank by three feet, and that is producing a significant savings,” Kidd said.
The level in Clarendon’s water tower has been dropped ten feet, but Kidd said that was primarily due to a pump at the filter plant being taken offline for maintenance.
Water usage in Hedley is not a problem, Kidd said, and tank levels in Quanah are only kept at 50 percent anyway.
The Greenbelt Reservoir reached Stage 3 on Friday, May 27, and the lake this week is at a depth of 50.91 feet.
Kidd said consumption has come down somewhat in recent days and the decline of the lake seems to be leveling off.
The next trigger in Greenbelt’s drought contingency plan will come if the lake falls another three feet. If that happens, member cities will be asked to implement their own water conservation rules.
The water authority says Greenbelt has only received 0.48 inches of moisture since January 1.
Officials say the weather, not consumption, is the main problem facing the lake right now, but they still encourage everyone to conserve as much water as possible to help protect this vital resource.
Activities set for 134th Sts. Roost Celebration
Plans are ready for the 134th annual Saints’ Roost Celebration to be held this July 1, 2, & 5 in Clarendon.
The weekend will begin at 11 a.m. Friday, July 1, when the First Baptist Church hosts a Depression Luncheon at its Downtown Ministry Center, and local merchants will be open for your shopping convenience.
The annual Ranch Rodeo will begin Friday night at the Clarendon Outdoor Entertainment Association’s Arena with announcer Ed Montana. The rodeo begins at 7:30 p.m. with a dance at 9 p.m. featuring the Buster Bledsoe Band. Each night at the rodeo will begin with kids’ events including the Donkey Ride, Steer Ride, and Wild Calf Scramble.
A $200 beef certificate will also be drawn each night at the rodeo grounds.
On Saturday, July 2, Henson’s will host their annual Turtle Race downtown at 1:30 p.m., and local merchants will again have several specials to choose from.
The action will kick off at the rodeo grounds again at 7:30 with the final night of the Ranch Rodeo and a dance at 9 p.m. featuring Tommy Gallagher & Brimstone.
Independence Day will begin on Monday, July 4, at 10 a.m. with the Kids’ Tricycle/Bicycle Parade, and the Craft Fair on the Courthouse Square followed by the Old Settlers’ Reunion at 10:30.
The Al Morrah Shrine Club will hold their annual barbecue at 11 a.m., and the Western Parade will begin at 2 p.m. followed by the Lions Club Cow Patty Bingo.
The COEA will close out the July Fourth celebration with a Junior Ranch Rodeo at 7:30 p.m. followed by a dance at 9 p.m. with music provided by Trevor Leeper.
If any other events are being planned this Saints’ Roost Celebration, please contact the
Enterprise so that we may include them in future reports.
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