Dan Sawyer narrowly defeated Joe Hall on Tuesday, April 13, in the run-off election for the Republican nomination for Donley County Precinct 4. The margin of victory was 68-64. More details to come.
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Run-off vote is next week
Donley County’s Precinct 4 voters will return to the polls next Tuesday, April 13, to determine who will be the Republican nominee for county commissioner.
Dan Sawyer received the most votes in the three-man primary race on March 2 over Joe Hall and Bill Spier, but he did not receive more than 50 percent of the vote, prompting a run-off between Sawyer and Hall. The winner will face Democrat Brad Dalton this fall.
Any registered voter can vote in this run-off except those who voted in the March 2 Democratic Primary.
Voters across the county and state can choose between Rick Green or Deborah Lehrmann to be the Republican nominee for Justice Supreme Court, Place 3.
All precinct voting will be conducted at the County Annex from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 5-9 and from 7a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 13.
Early voting began Monday continues through this Friday, April 9.
Local teens discuss the dangers of texting while driving
A surprising sharp noise suddenly cut through the vehicle interrupting the conversation between Clarendon High School junior Savannah Thackeray and her mother.
It was neither the sound of screeching tires nor the crunch of metal colliding. Rather it was the noise of her mother’s slapping hand, scolding another hand in the process of reaching for a cell phone.
As Thackeray’s mother Jennifer Haney drew her hand back, she looked at her husband in a scornful manner.
“You really shouldn’t text and drive,” Haney said.
Just minutes before this transaction took place, Thackeray informed her parents about a video she viewed that day at school warning students about the dangers of texting while driving. Those who saw the video learned a valuable lesson that one distraction while driving can cause serious devastation.
“After I saw the video, it made me think,” Thackeray said. “It was scary. I didn’t want to text and drive anymore, and I wanted my friends and family to stop too.”
The video told the story of an tragic accident that occurred in Utah in 2006. Nineteen-year-old Reggie Shaw was driving his SUV while text messaging his girlfriend when he crossed into the other lane and hit another car carrying two men, who were both rocket scientists. The scientists’ car slid into the oncoming lane where a pickup truck hauling a trailer crashed into it, killing the two men instantaneously.
“It kind of creeped me out,” CHS junior Dominique Brady said. “I would never want to do that to someone. I can’t imagine being responsible for the death of two people just for texting.”
But Utah is not the only state that is affected by texting and driving. Even in Clarendon there are drivers who dare to endanger lives by checking text messages.
“I see people texting while driving every day,” Donley County Sheriff Butch Blackburn said. “Texting is very dangerous while driving because it takes too much attention away from the driver. It has been the cause of many wrecks.”
Out of 109 students surveyed, 75 admit to texting while driving. One of these drivers is senior Jill Luna.
“I started texting while driving probably about six months after I got my license,” Luna said. “It keeps me busy and awake when I’m on the road, usually on long drives like on the way to Amarillo or Dallas.”
Senior Lauren Shelton says her texting while driving makes her feel rebellious.
“My parents tell me every day to stop texting while driving, and they even threaten to take my car away if I don’t,” Shelton said. “But it’s almost just like a habit now. I don’t even think about it.”
Knowing there are people out there who choose to text behind the wheel has pedestrians like physics and chemistry teacher Bruce Howard practicing their “defensive driving.”
“Texting while driving is not very wise because it’s hard enough to drive as it is,” Mr. Howard said. “I’m always watching out to make sure what the other driver is doing.”
According to information found on www.KeeptheDrive.com, the number one cause of death among American teens is not drug overdose, violence or suicide, but vehicle crashes mainly due to distractions. Texting is the number one driving distraction among teens.
CHS Student Council members have recognized this fact and plan to dedicate a week solely to raise awareness of the distractions and conditions that can cause wrecks.
“One day will be for texting while driving, and the others will be covering speeding, driving while sleepy, drinking and driving, and driving with no seatbelt,” said Brandi Mays, student council president. “We hope that the students will begin to realize how serious some of these distractions can be. Hopefully, it will be eye opening.”
Junior Bradley Watson is one of 15 students who have confessed that texting has caused them to swerve to avoid hitting a vehicle.
“One time me and my friend Johnny were coming back to school from lunch, and we were by the Post Office when this woman stopped in front of me to turn,” Watson said. “I had to swerve to miss her because I was reading a text. That has actually happened to me twice.”
Of the 75 surveyed students who text and drive, 39 consider texting a distraction, while 36 disagree. Sheriff Blackburn says it is a major distraction to all those who text though, and has statistics to back it up.
“There have been studies that prove that texting while driving is as bad as driving while intoxicated,” Sheriff Blackburn said. “It impairs you that much.”
In Texas, it is currently only illegal for school bus drivers and those under 18 to talk or text on cell phones while driving. But there is a law waiting to be passed by legislation that will make texting illegal for all those who drive statewide.
Survey results reveal that out of 109 students, 56 think that texting while driving should be against the law, while 53 disagree.
“I think it should be because it’s so dangerous and causes many accidents,” junior Kelsey Thomas said. “People need to focus on the road when they’re driving, not texting.”
Reggie Shaw’s accident that caused widespread devastation raised awareness of the dangers of texting while driving to both students and teachers.
“Drivers need to think about other people and the effect texting while driving could have on them,” Mr. Howard said. “Think of your passengers. I think it would be hard to live with if yourself if you ever killed or seriously injured someone. One mess up can change your life forever.”
Students are now spreading the word to their friends and loved ones to stop texting on the road before more lives are permanently changed or even taken away.
“I want to keep those who I care about safe,” Haney said. “If I have to, I will continue to slap hands of those who choose to text and drive.”
Jeffers returns as interim city administrator
The City of Clarendon is back under the direction a familiar leader following a called meeting of the Board of Aldermen last Thursday, April 1.
Mayor Chris Ford said Phyllis Jeffers with the Texas First Group will serve as the interim city administrator, a job she held here for three months in 2008. Ford said the search for a permanent city administrator will not begin right away.
“We’ve got the budget process coming up, and we’re probably going to wait until after the (May 8) election to discuss a search,” Ford said.
Jeffers had already been working part time at City Hall, helping to train two deputy city secretaries since the January retirement of former city secretary Linda Smith. Jeffers spent 23 years working with the City of Pampa, including holding the positions of City Secretary and Director of Human Resources and Community Services.
The board met with the city attorney in closed session for over an hour last Thursday before returning to open session and unanimously approving a motion to authorize the mayor to enter into an emergency agreement with Texas First Group to provide administrative and city secretary services.
The city administrator is also currently service as the city secretary, and Alderman Larry Hicks asked that it be placed on the board’s next agenda to discuss who will be trained for that job on a permanent basis.
Jeffers was Clarendon’s interim leader when former city administrator John Webb was hired in October 2008. Webb was let go by the board last month for what Mayor Ford has called “a lack of confidence in (Webb’s) ability to perform the duties of city administrator.”
A call this week to Webb’s residence in Borger had not been returned by press time.
Woman hospitalized after blaze
A Clarendon woman was hospitalized for smoke inhalation after an early morning fire broke out in her home Monday, March 29.
The Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched at 6:05 a.m. to the home of Judy and Orsbain Perkins, located at 706 E. Second; and Donley County Deputy Sonny Morasco was first on the scene and helped get the residents to safety.
Judy Perkins and her sister, Ruby Hearn, were transported by to Northwest Texas Hospital in Amarillo by Associated Ambulance Authority, where Hearn was treated and released. Mrs. Perkins was later flown to University Medical Center in Lubbock, and the family was hopeful she would be released Tuesday. Mr. Perkins was not injured.
First Assistant Chief Jeremy Powell said when firefighters arrived on the scene, fire was coming out of all windows and doors on the north side of the residence.
“The living area of the home was fully engulfed and beginning to vent through the roof of the residence,” Powell reported. “The kitchen area located in the center of the residence was involved with fire and heavy smoke.”
Powell said the bedroom area south of the kitchen was not involved with the fire but did receive heavy heat and smoke damage.
The fire was quickly brought under control, and firemen remained on scene until after 8 a.m. The residence sustained heavy fire and smoke damage.
CVFD responded to the blaze within seven minutes, and a total of 23 firemen and seven units responded.
City Fire Marshal Kelly Hill said late Tuesday that he and the state fire marshal’s office had investigated the fire, and Hill said the origin of the fire appears to have been in the living room and appears to have been electrical.
A fund for the Perkins has been established at the Donley County State Bank.
Both eastbound lanes of US 287 were closed for more than one hour while fire units occupied them during the fire. Some local residents may have temporarily been out of power as AEP/SWEPCO interrupted power to the residence for the firemen’s safety.
CVFD recognized the Donley County Sheriff’s Office, TxDOT, the Associated Ambulance Authority, and Anndria Newhouse with the Clarendon Firebelles for their assistance during this case. They also acknowledged George Hall and the Donley County VFW Post for serving a late breakfast to the firemen.
The city’s firemen have been very busy the last few days. Also on Monday, the department was called to the Clarendon Dairy Queen to investigate the smell of smoke, responded to a grass fire which got into a pile of lumber next to a workshop at Jim Shadle’s residence west of the city, and was dispatched to a residence on Collinson Street reporting the smell of natural gas.
Previously on March 26, the department responded to a residence in the area of 4th and Jackson where a discarded cigarette caught a trash can on fire; and on March 28, Clarendon and Hedley units responded to a grass fire call on the LOL Ranch on FM 2471 that was started by wind damage to a power pole.
City to consider interim administrator
The Clarendon Board of Aldermen will meet in called session this Thursday, April 1, to discuss an interim appointment for the office vacated when City Administrator John Webb’s job was terminated last week.
According to the agenda posted Monday, the aldermen will meet in closed session for consultation with their attorney and to discuss personnel issues – specifically the appointment, employment, and duties of an interim city administrator/city secretary – and then reconvene in open session to take action.
The board terminated Webb’s employment last Tuesday night, March 23, in a called session for what Mayor Chris Ford called “a lack of confidence in (Webb’s) ability to perform the duties of city administrator.”
Alderman Will Thompson told the Enterprise that the board voted 3-2 to remove Webb. Thompson said he and Alderman Ann Huey voted against the measure and that Aldermen Larry Hicks, Tommy Hill, and Kyle Davis voted for the removal.
Mayor Ford said the board’s decision was effective immediately and that Webb was given an opportunity to resign prior to the board’s action, which was taken after the aldermen met in closed session for an hour and 45 minutes.
The mayor said he met last Wednesday morning with all city employees to inform them of the decision.
Webb has served as Clarendon’s city administrator since October 2008. He did not have a contract with the city, Ford said.
A call to Webb’s residence in Borger was not returned before press time Tuesday.
Contest attracts big crowd
More than 2,000 FFA and 4-H students were in Clarendon last Saturday, March 27, for the 29th annual Clarendon College Judging Contest.
The contest is the largest event in Clarendon each year, more than doubling the population each time the contestants come to town and is a significant boost on the economy. It draws participants from across Texas as well as from Oklahoma and New Mexico.
This year the total number of entrants was 2,247. That number does not include coaches, parents, and family members that also attend and visit Clarendon for the day
Several local 4H and FFA members did well at the CC contest. In Livestock Judging, the Donley County 4-H Senior Team of Jacob Pigg, Jayson Pigg, John Pigg, and J.D. Baxter placed sixth.
The Junior Team One of Tres Hommel, Brittney McAnear, Kati Adams, and Jake Owens placed eighth. Tres Hommel was 13th high individual out of 109 contestants.
The Junior Team Two of Blaine Ellis, Jake Hewett, and Kelsey McAnear finished in a three-way tie for 16th place.
The 4-H Horse Judging Senior Team of Chris Shults, Cheyenne Kosechata, and Cedar Stevenson placed sixth; the Junior Team One of Sam Spillers, Kade Hunsaker, and Alysse Simpson placed 12th; and the Junior Team Two of Brandalyn Ellis, Jessica Lowrie, Shelby Musick, and Kolt Stevenson placed seventh.
The Clarendon High School FFA Livestock Team of Jacob Pigg, Jayson Pigg, and John Pigg placed 18th at the CC contest.
Local teams also participated in contests at Texas Tech on March 25 and West Texas A&M on March 26.
The FFA Livestock Team placed 39th of 143 teams at Texas Tech; and the team placed sixth at WT with Jayson Pigg as 17th high individual. FFA Horse Team of Brady Clark and Chris Shults also did well at WT.
The 4-H Horse Senior Team of Chris Shults, Cedar Stevenson, Brady Clark, and Cheyenne Kosechata placed fifth at WT; the Junior Team One placed ninth; and the Junior Team Two placed eighth. Kosechata was fifth high individual in Halter Horse, and Spillers was fourth high individual in Performance Horse and tenth high overall.
The 4-H Horse teams will compete in the District Contest at WT on April 9, and the 4-H Livestock Team will be at the District I contest at WT on April 16.
Hot check couple enters guilty pleas
A Memphis man and woman suspected of passing at least 30 bad checks to merchants in Clarendon pled guilty when the district court met in Panhandle last Thursday, March 25.
Darrell Smith was placed on probation for a period of six years for the third degree felony offense of engaging in organized criminal activity. Smith was convicted and sentenced to ten years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, but the sentence was probated for a period of six years.
Pursuant to the plea agreement, Mr. Smith is required to pay a $500 fine to Donley County, $3,885.95 in restitution, $473 in court costs, and complete 200 hours of community service.
Aimee Smith was placed on probation for a period of three years for the third degree felony offense of engaging in organized criminal activity. Mrs. Smith pleaded guilty and was placed on deferred adjudication.
Both Smiths were arrested in Donley County for offenses which occurred on March 12, 2010. The State filed its complaints and information on March 25, 2010.
Pursuant to the plea agreement, Mrs. Smith is required to pay a $500 fine to Donley County and is also required to pay $3,885.95 in restitution and $473 in court costs. If Mrs. Smith violates probation, she could face up to ten years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Also in Panhandle last Thursday, 10 other pleas took place which resulted in five convictions and 5 other deferred adjudications.
Luke Inman, the 100th Judicial District Attorney, prosecuted the cases for the State of Texas, with the Honorable Judge Stuart Messer presiding.
A total of $41,500 in fines were assessed as a result of the pleas that took place on March 25, 2010. In addition to the fines, the defendants were required to pay a total of $4,188 in court costs and $4,725.95 in restitution.
Michael Ambrose Early was convicted and sentenced to six years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Early pleaded true to the allegations listed in the State’s Motion to Revoke Defendant.
Early originally pleaded guilty to the offense on March 16, 2009. On that date, Early pleaded to a 3rd degree felony possession of marihuana that occurred on November 21, 2008.
On February 2, 2010, the State filed a motion to revoke the defendant’s guilty which Early pleaded true to all of the State’s allegations. In addition to being sentenced to six years, Early is also required to pay a $7,000 fine to Carson County, and $313 in court costs.
Jared Trent Viner was convicted and sentenced to four and a half years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Viner pleaded true to some of the allegations listed in the State’s Motion to Revoke Defendant which was filed on October 7, 2009.
Viner was convicted originally on June 1, 2009 for the offense which took place on February 2, 2009. Viner received five years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, probated for five years.
In addition to being sentenced to four and a half years, Viner is also required to pay a $2,000 fine to Carson County and pay $313 in court costs.
Jose A. Mora was placed on probation for a period of three years for the third degree felony offense of possession of marihuana. Mora pleaded guilty and was placed on deferred adjudication for possession of marihuana. He was arrested in Carson County on October 16, 2009. The State filed a complaint and information against Mora on January 4, 2010.
“The complaint and information filed in this case, and numerous other cases across the district, are the charging instruments that begin felony prosecution,” said Inman. “These charging instruments help expedite the felony prosecution process, while reducing the amount of time and energy our office and law enforcement expends if we are able to resolve the case before it is presented to the grand jury.”
Pursuant to the plea agreement, Mora is required to pay a $3,000 fine to Carson County, and is also required to pay $140 in restitution, $327 in court costs, and complete 200 hours of community service. If Mora violates probation, he could face up to ten years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
John Lewis King, Jr. was placed on probation for a period of four years for the third degree felony offense of possession of marihuana. King pleaded guilty and was placed on deferred adjudication for possession of marihuana.
King was arrested in Carson County on January 5, 2010. The State filed its complaint and information on March 10, 2010, charging King with the third degree felony offense.
Pursuant to the plea agreement, King is required to pay a $4,500 fine to Carson County, and is also required to pay $140 in restitution, $327 in court costs, and complete 200 hours of community service. If King violates probation, he could face up to ten years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Stephanie Marie Gerhardt and her husband, Craig Allen Doan, were placed on probation for a period of ten years for the first degree felony offense of possession of controlled substance and the third degree felony offense of possession of marihuana. Gerhardt and Doan both pleaded guilty for the offenses that took place on January 18 and were placed on deferred adjudication for both offenses.
Gerhardt and Doan pleaded guilty to a complaint and information filed by the State on March 10, 2010.
Pursuant to the plea agreement, both defendants were required to pay a fine of $7,000 fine to Carson County, and are also required to pay $140 in restitution and $654 in court costs and each must complete 400 hours of community service. If either Gerhardt or Doan violates probation, they could each face up to 99 years or life in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Jose Amador Sanchez-Miranda and Veronica Vindiola Estrada were placed on probation for a period of ten years for the second degree felony offense of possession of marihuana. Both Sanchez-Miranda and Estrada were convicted and sentenced to ten years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, but the sentence was probated for a period of ten years.
Both Estrada and Sanchez-Miranda were arrested in Carson County for the offense that took place on March 21, 2019. Both defendants pleaded guilty to a complaint and information filed by the State on March 25, 2010.
Pursuant to the plea agreement, both defendants are required to pay a $5,000 fine to Carson County, $140 in restitution, $327 in court costs, and 200 hours of community service.
4-H winners named
The District One 4-H Clothing and Textiles competition was held in Clarendon on March 27, 2010. Shown here are Cire Jauregui-3rd place Buying division; Kameron Shields-1st, 2nd,4th, and 8th places Arts and Crafts division; Hannah Hommel-1st place Construction division; MaRae Hall-1st place Embellishment division and 3rd place Fashion Design; and (front) Harley Jauregui-1st place Accessory Design. Courtesy Photo / Nicole Beames
Mayor confirms Webb’s termination
The employment of City Administrator John Webb was terminated Tuesday night by the Clarendon Board of Aldermen.
Mayor Chris Ford told the Enterprise the board’s decision was “based on a lack of confidence in (Webb’s) ability to perform the duties of city administrator.”
The decision came during a called meeting of the board the Enterprise learned about late Tuesday night, and Alderman Will Thompson confirmed that evening that the board voted 3-2 to remove Webb. Thompson said he and Alderman Ann Huey voted against the measure and that Aldermen Larry Hicks, Tommy Hill, and Kyle Davis voted for the removal.
Mayor Ford said the board’s decision was effective immediately and that Webb was given an opportunity to resign prior to the board’s action, which was taken after the aldermen met in closed session for an hour and 45 minutes.
“I have consulted with Texas Municipal League and the city attorney, and everything has been done according to the Open Meetings Act,” Ford said.
The mayor said he met Wednesday morning with all city employees to inform them of the decision.
“I told them that the board is supportive of them and the community and said the mayor and the board will be actively involved in responding to citizens’ needs and concerns.”
Ford said the board will likely have another called meeting next week to discuss appointing an interim city administrator and said the city will be looking for a new administrator.
Webb has served as Clarendon’s city administrator since October 2008. He did not have a contract with the city, Ford said.
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