By Mary Jane Farmer for the Van Alstyne News, SceneInTown.com

During the first half of the month of August (2024), Van Alstyne Police safely took several intoxicated or drugged drivers off the street. Police Lt. Steven Hayslip provided the following information on those stops and arrests.

August 4 — About 10 p.m., officers made a traffic stop on U.S. Highway 75 at County Line Road. Hayslip said that the driver was going 91 miles per hour in a 75-mph zone. The driver, a Sherman man, stopped and when the officers went to his car windows, they immediately saw several open containers of intoxicating beverages in plain view. They conducted a Standardized Field Sobriety Test, which determined the driver was intoxicated. They jailed him on a charge of Driving While Intoxicated.

At the Grayson County Jail, a magistrate set bail at $3,000, which the suspect paid for his release.

August 4 — About an hour after that arrest, police again stopped a vehicle on U.S. 75, this time at FM 121. The stop was initiated, Hayslip said, because the vehicle had one bad headlight. There were two people in the car, both men from Duncanville. This time, the officers smelled the distinctive order of marijuana and made a probable-cause search. They found a small amount of marijuana, but also found two firearms. These were illegal, according to the Texas Penal Code states, “engaged in criminal activity, other than a Class C misdemeanor that is a violation of a law or ordinance regulating traffic.” The criminal activity in this instance was the possession of marijuana.

Both men to Grayson County Jail on the same two counts.

The magistrate set bail for each of them at a total of $3,500, payable in surety bonds if not cash. Both posted bail in those surety bonds the next day and were released.

August 9 — About 9:30 p.m. that Friday evening, after police noticed the inspection sticker on a vehicle was expired, yet was on the roadway. The driver, a Van Alstyne man, was on Van Alstyne Parkway (FM 121) at Douglas Street. Following protocol, police learned there was an outstanding warrant issued in Dallas County for the suspect’s arrest, which charged him with Driving While Intoxicated. They jailed the driver on the warrant and bail was set at $1,000. The suspect was released on a surety bond.

August 11 — It was defective equipment again that warranted a traffic stop on U.S. 75 at Sanford Circle. This was about 10:30 p.m. when the police saw the vehicle with defective tail lights. The driver, police learned, also had an outstanding warrant for his arrest, which charged him with having made a false report or false alarm. Once the warrant was confirmed, Hayslip said, they jailed him.

Grayson County Jail records show that the suspect is from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.  Jail records show he posted $5,000 bail in surety bond the following day for his release.

August 14 — This stop was made about 7:15 a.m., and was again U.S. 75, this time about the Blassingame area. And again, it was made for speeding. Hayslip said that the car was going 85 mph in a 75-mph zone. The driver was an Anna resident, and police found an outstanding warrant issued in Grayson County and which charged him with Capias Pro Fine in a previous conviction of theft between $100-$750, enhanced.

At the jail, the suspect paid the cash fine of $986 and was released.

August 16 — Police stopped a vehicle about 1 p.m. because it was going 85 mph in a 75-mph zone. The stop was made when police observed the vehicle moving at 85 mph in a 75-mph zone. Again, when police got the car, they smelled the distinct of marijuana, which initiated another probable-cause search. They found a small amount of marijuana in t he vehicle and again found a firearm I. the suspect’s possession. They jailed the suspect, a Tulsa Oklahoma woman on charges of possession of marijuana less than 2 oz, and unlawfully carrying a weapon.

In this instance, the magistrate set bail at a total of $4,000 on the suspect, again payable by either cash or surety bond, and the suspect posted in surety bonds later that day for her release.

August 17 — At 11:30 p.m., again police saw a vehicle being driven on a public roadway with an expired registration. The driver, a Durant, Oklahoma, man, had a warrant outstanding against him, charging him with Theft of property between $100-$750 and issued in Collin County. Police confirmed the warrant was active and escorted the suspect to Grayson County Jail

The magistrate set bail at a total of $1,500, allowing it to be paid with a surety bond. The Okie, as of Aug. 18, remained incarcerated.

Indictment — The recent Grayson County Grand Jury indicted a Van Alstyne man on a charge of Burglary of a Building, and the suspect remains incarcerated in lieu of $9,000 on that and on other charges of Criminal Trespass and a warrant also charging him with Burglary of a Building.

More details will be provided if/when Grayson County Sheriff’s Office provides details, requesting in Freedom of Information Act form, as that was the arresting agency.

This wreck account is from Van Alstyne PD, Lt. Steven Hayslip

Van Alstyne – At 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 14 (2024), the Van Alstyne Police Department received a transferred 911 call from Collin County. The caller reported a gray Dodge truck driving recklessly northbound on U.S. Highway 75, striking barriers and other vehicles along the way.

Van Alstyne PD officers quickly located the truck and saw the erratic driving behavior. Upon activating their emergency lights and sirens, police saw the driver refuse to stop. He turned off the vehicle’s lights, and continued northbound on U.S. 75 at a high rate of speed. North of FM 902 in Howe, the truck crossed the grass median to the service road before attempting to reenter the highway. At this point, the driver lost control of the vehicle.

The driver, the only occupant, identified as Dallas resident Delio Lomas, 37, was ejected from the truck. Officers on the scene immediately provided first aid until EMS arrived who then took over life-saving measures. Lomas went by ambulance to AHS Sherman Medical Center Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

Police later determined that the vehicle had been stolen earlier in the evening from a grocery store parking lot in McKinney. Additionally, it was discovered that Lomas had been released from Collin County Jail just hours before the incident, where he had been held for a probation violation related to theft.

There were no other reported injuries as a result of this incident.

The Van Alstyne Police Department extends its condolences to Mr. Lomas’s family and appreciates the cooperation and assistance of the Texas Department of Highway Patrol and Sherman Police Department in this ongoing investigation.

By Mary Jane Farmer for the Van Alstyne News, Scene In Town

Van Alstyne Police made several arrests during the final week of January, and in the process removed several drugs from several drivers.  Van Alstyne Police Lt. Steven Hayslip reported the following.

July 25 — About 2 pm, a caller reported a reckless driver on U.S. Highway 75 around Farmington Road. The caller had said the driver wasn’t maintaining its lane and causing other drivers to swerve to keep from being hit. Police located the vehicle, turned on its overhead flashing lights, but the driver did not pull over, Hayslip said. They turned on the patrol car’s siren, but the driver still failed to yield for several miles. But then, finally, the did pull over and stop.

The officers determined that the driver was intoxicated and that she had previous Driving While Intoxicated convictions. They jailed the driver, a Dallas woman, on charges of DWI 3^rd or More and of Evading Arrest with a Vehicle. She posted $60,000 bail in surety bonds later that same day for her release.

July 26 — It was about 3 p.m. when police made a traffic stop on U.S. 75 at Redden Road, after seeing the vehicle had no front license plate. The made contact with the driver, a Dallas man, and smelled the odor of Marijuana. With that probable cause element, they searched the vehicle and found small amount of Marijuana in the bag and arrested the suspect.

Grayson County Jail records show that the suspect posted $750 bail in a surety bond and was released the next day.

July 28 — About 11:30 p.m., a police officer made a traffic stop on U.S. 75 at Van Alstyne Parkway (FM 121) after running a check on the vehicle and discovering there was no liability insurance covering it. Hayslip said it is the Texas Traffic Code that requires liability insurance.

The officer, by obtaining the driver’s identification, learned that there was an active warrant issued by Dallas County. The police also smelled the distinctive odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. They conducted a probable-cause search and found both marijuana and a substance that field-tested positive as cocaine.

subsequent field test resulted in a positive result. The driver was placed under arrest for Warrant Service and Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1 (Cocaine) less than one gram.

Police jailed the suspect, a Dallas man, at the Grayson County Jail on the warrant and on a charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance (cocaine).

Jail records show that there was a second Dallas County warrant also placed on the suspect. These two warrants charged him with Burglary of Vehicles and Fleeing a Police Officer.

He posted $5,000 bail in a surety bond for the Van Alstyne charge, and $2,000 in cash bonds on the Dallas County warrants  and was then released the next day.

July 29 — Again, a late-night traffic stop resulted in the arrest of a driver. Hayslip reported that it was about 11:45 p.m. Monday night and the officers made a traffic stop based on the vehicle’s having a defective license plate light. The first thing they noticed when they talked with the driver was an open container of an alcoholic beverage They had the driver step out of the car and when he did, Hayslip said, they saw a clear bag containing a white powdery substance. A probable-cause search and field test determined it was cocaine in the baggie.

They placed the driver, a Melissa man, under arrest on a charge of Possession of Controlled substance (Cocaine.)

Jail records show that the suspect paid $5,000 bail in a surety bond and was released the next day.

July 30 — At 2 in the morning, police made a traffic stop on U.S. 75 at Simmons Loop after seeing the vehicle speeding on the highway. The driver stopped for the police, who then smelled what smelled like Marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. Again, a probable-cause search had them find a small amount of marijuana, along with a prescription pill bottle with no label on it.

Hayslip said the officers recognized the pills as those that require a prescription, but that the driver could not provide any proof the pills were prescribed to her, and so they jailed her on a charge of Possession of a Dangerous Drug.

Grayson County Jail records show that bail was set at $2,500, which the suspect, a Houston woman, paid with a surety bond and was released later that day.

July 31 — At 5:30 p.m., officers were sent to a reckless driver reportedly coming eastward on FM 121 from Gunter. The caller told dispatch, Hayslip said, that the driver wasn’t maintaining his lane, at times even driving into oncoming traffic. They found and stopped the vehicle, made contact with the driver, and smelled the odor of an intoxication beverage coming from him. Hayslip said the driver stated he was drunk and so police put him through a series of Standardized Sobriety Tests, which showed him to be intoxicated.

They jailed this suspect, a Princeton man, on a charge of DWI With an Open Container. His bail was set at $2,500, which he posted with a surety bond with conditions attached, and was freed the next day.

By Mary Jane Farmer for the Van Alstyne News, Scene In Town.

Between July 17 and July 23, Van Alstyne Police made the following arrests. Police Lt. Steve Hayslip reported on these. There were no crimes reported which have not yet resulted in an arrest.

July 12 Arrest — At about 8 a.m., police made a traffic stop at U.S. Highway 75 and Jim Jones Road after seeing the vehicle being driven with an expired license plate, The officers made contact with the driver, a Sherman woman, and following protocol, they uncovered an arrest  warrant issued in Grayson County, which charged her with Driving With License Invalid enhanced because of previous conviction on the same charge. They. jailed the suspect at Grayson County Jail. She posted bail set at $1,500 in surety bonds the following day for her release.

July 19 Arrest — The police dispatcher received a call about a reckless driver and sent police to the address given. They located and stopped the described vehicle. It s driver was identified as a Waxahachie man. Hayslip said the suspect showed signs of intoxication, so the police conducted Standardized Field Sobriety Tests and then arrested him on a charge of Driving While Intoxicated. He posted bail set at $1,500 and was released the following day.

July 19 Arrest — A second reckless driver call that same day resulted in the arrest of an Anna man. And again the driver showed signs of having been intoxicated. And, as before, police put him through Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, which led to the suspect’s jailing on a charge of Driving While Intoxicated with an Open Alcohol Container. A magistrate at the Grayson County Jail set $1,500 bail, payable with a surety bond.

July 20 Arrest — About 11 p.m., Van Alstyne Police on patrol made a traffic stop on a vehicle they saw weaving in and out of the lane of travel. The driver, a Van Alstyne man, showed signs of intoxication, and thus was put through the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests. At its completion, police arrested and jailed the suspect on a charge of Driving While Intoxicated. Jail records show that he posted set bail of $1,500 in surety bonds for his release the next day.

July 24 arrest — Van Alstyne Police jailed an Arlington woman Tuesday on four charges. She first came to their attention, Hayslip said, on Monday, when police were sent to Texas Bank on the west side of FM121/Van Alstyne Parkway, because of a ‘suspicious person.’ They talked with the woman, and then let her go without incident.

Then, on Tuesday, while conducting routine patrol, they saw the same woman going into a vacant home in a housing development in the 12,000 block of FM 121. Hayslip said it appeared to the officers that was removing items from the house. They immediately contacted the owner, who told them that no one should be at that house.

Officers placed the suspect under arrest for Burglary of a Habitation. Once under arrest, the suspect provided a false identification card to officers. Hayslip said the police used intelligence database checks to identify the female. Then, during a protocol search, they found her. in possession of both cocaine and methamphetamine.

The suspect remained incarcerated in lieu of bail as of Wednesday afternoon on two counts of possession of controlled substance between 4-200 grams, one count each of Burglary of Habitation and Failure to Identify herself.