By Mary Jane Farmer for the Van Alstyne News/Scene in Town

Van Alstyne Police answered 1,072 calls for service between May 25 and June 8, reported Police

Lt. Steve Hayslip. Of these, they made numerous arrests.

Arrests

May 16 — A woman and her former husband, both from Crowley, Texas, were driving south on U.S. 75 with a child in the car when she called 911 reported her husband was driving while drinking. Police officers located the vehicle and the driver stopped for their overhead lights and siren. Hayslip said they did determine through standardized field testing that the ex-husband was intoxicated and placed him under arrest on a charge of driving while intoxicated.

Following protocol, which requires the officers to run the identification of everyone on scene, they learned of two outstanding warrants for her arrest. These, issued in Johnson County, charged her with assault causing bodily injury and criminal mischief between $100-$750. She, too, was placed under arrest.

Police turned custody of the child over to a relative.

Both suspects posted bail the following day for their release. Jail records show the surety bond releasing the male had “with conditions” on it.

May 27 — A Pottsboro man went to jail on a driving while intoxicated charge. Hayslip said that patrol officers made a traffic stop on U.S. Highway 75 after seeing the vehicle moving without its lights turned on. They found the driver reeking of alcohol and also smelled an odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. They jailed the man on a DWI charge and cited him for the small amount of marijuana they found. He posted bail of $1,500 in a surety bond the next day.

May 28 — Three men jailed following a U.S. 75 traffic stop are being held in Grayson County Jail on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) hold.

It was the vehicle’s defective headlights that caused Van Alstyne Police to pull the car over. Again, they smelled both alcohol and marijuana. After conducting a field-sobriety test, they jailed the driver, who according to jail records stated he is from Austin, on a DWI Charge, one passenger on a public intoxication charge, and the third on a charge of possession of controlled substance after finding fentanyl on him, Hayslip said. Also, at the jail, a second search uncovered some cocaine on one of the trio’s person.

The ICE hold is still in effect and the threesome remains incarcerated.

May 28 — Later that same day, police jailed a Sherman on a DWI charge. This arrest, too, was made on U.S. 75. Another driver called it in, describing the vehicle and reckless driver. When police found it, they saw it driving on the left shoulder, near the concrete barriers, and made the traffic stop. The driver failed a SFST (Standard Field Sobriety Test) and was taken to Grayson County Jail. The next morning, a magistrate set bail at $1,500, which the suspect posted later in the day for his release.

May 28  — A third traffic stop on U.S. 75 had police arresting a Bartlesville, Oklahoma, man on two charges. It was defective lights on the vehicle that got police’ attention, Hayslip said, and they initiated the traffic stop. Different, this time, was that it was the passenger to was found to have an outstanding arrest warrant issued in Kansas. Police verified that the issuing agency wanted to extradite the suspect and they assured Van Alstyne P.D. they would come get him.
During the resulting search, police found him in possession of marijuana. The suspect was incarcerated on a charge of fugitive from justice, with no bail provided, and possession of marijuana between 4 oz-5 pounds.

Jail records show the suspect was picked up on June 4.

May 29  — Suspicious headlights caused police to stop another vehicle about 2:30 a.m. May 29.

Hayslip said that police saw a red light on the front of the vehicle and pulled it over. Upon walking up to the stopped vehicle, they smelled alcohol and put the driver through a SFST.

After making the arrest, they conducted a search of the vehicle and found two firearms inside it.

The suspect, a Caddo Mills man, went to jail on one DWI charge and two charges of Unlawfully Carrying a Weapon. Bail was set at a total of $6,500, which the suspect posted later the same day for his release.

May 29  — A Mobile, Alabama, man went to jail on a charge of fugitive from justice, i.e.: a warrant issued for his arrest in Mobile. The call that led them to this was from another driver who reported something leaking out of the trailer the suspect pulled with his truck. The suspect gave consent for search and police found some drug paraphernalia. They issued a citation for the paraphernalia and jailed him on the warrant. As of June 10, he remains incarcerated.

May 31 — About 9 p.m., police were dispatched to domestic disturbance in progress. The victim identified her alleged assailant, a man who they had jailed about 18 months earlier on charges of resisting arrest, search or detention and terroristic threat of family. This time, he went to jail on a charge of assault on family/household member with a previous conviction.

Bail was set at $10,000, which he paid with a surety bond/with conditions on June 2 for his release. She victim declined medical attention.

June 2 — 3 a.m., police stopped a vehicle with a defective light on U.S. 75 at about Farmington Road. Both occupants, Sherman men, went to Grayson County Jail following this traffic stop.

One of the men had an outstanding warrant for his re-arrest on unlawful restraint after his previous bail bondsman took himself off that bond. Since then, too, another bail bondsman dropped this suspect on a charge of assault causing injury/family violence.

Both men were jailed on charges of manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) between 4g-200g.  On that charge, bail was set for both at $15,000 and the second man posted it and was released on June 2. The first man remains incarcerated.

June 7 — Police were called to a store near the highway because of a possible drunk man inside it. They found the suspect and determined him to be intoxicated. In the car, a second man was asleep and he was also found to be intoxicated. Finding both to be a possible danger to themselves or others, police jailed both men on charges of public intoxication and possession of marijuana they found inside the vehicle.

Both men sat out fines of $292 on the possession charge and received personal recognizance releases on the P.I. charge. These suspects were from California and Arizona, according to jail records.

Graffiti — Hayslip reported that vandals struck the new Central Social District Park with graffiti inside the public bathrooms, and again at a housing authority in the Georgetown section. They or other vandals placed graffiti both inside and outside the Quick Check Convenience Store and that, too, is still under investigation. All incidents found, except for the one at Quick Check, have been on government property.

The police have filed charges against one suspect, a juvenile, for previous graffiti incidents. “But, it is still happening in spite of having a suspect,” Hayslip said.

Completed inventory they bag of marijuana, about ½ ounce,

Training hours  — Police officers and dispatchers continue their training, and during May they received a total of 56 training hours.

House Patrol  — Hayslip emphasized, too, that police will watch houses while occupants are out of town on vacation or for any other reason. Anyone wishing this house patrol can call the police station at 903-482-5251 and provide the necessary information.

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

NOTE:  Having been both a licensed foster care provider and a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children, this reporter has seen multiple horrifying cases of child abuse and how it affects the victims. This subject holds near and dear to my heart!

This display sets in Dorothy Fielder Park, downtown. The sign says, “These flags represent the confirmed victims of child abuse in Grayson County last year. This number does not include law enforcement cases of abuse in which Child Protective Services is not active.”

April is designated as Child Abuse and Awareness Month all around Grayson County. In 2021, CPS handled 365 confirmed abuse cases in Grayson County.

Some signs one can watch for include, according to the Mayo Clinic.

1. Physical — bruising, cuts, or broken bones;
2. Withdrawal from friends or usual activities;
3. Changes in behavior, such as aggression, anger, hostility or hyperactivity, school performance;
4. Depression, anxiety, unusual fears, sudden loss of self-confidence;
5. Neglect, an apparent lack of supervision;
6. Frequent absences from school;
7. Self-harm, including attempts at running away;
8. Medical abuse, putting the child at risk of injury or unnecessary medical care.

There are so many other signs, and one can go online to www.mayoclinic.org for a more complete list.

Locally, the Children’s Advocacy Center is selling T-shirts, blue with designs created by Grayson County kids. The money raised goes to purchase materials helpful with prevention. To view those and purchase one, Click Online here cacgc.gov.  The Texas abuse hot line’s phone number to call to report child abuse is 800-252-5400. The CAC’s Website also suggests that anyone can report the suspected abuse to local law enforcement agencies; in this case Van Alstyne Police Department, 903-482-5251.

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

 Van Alstyne Police Lt. Steven Hayslip issued several words of caution about several scams which local residents have reported to them in the past few weeks.

Virtual Kidnapping  — Imagine getting a phone call and the caller saying, “Your daughter’s been kidnapped.”

One such incident involved what police and the FBI call “Virtual Kidnapping.” It begins with a phone call saying a relative (in this case a daughter) has been kidnapped, and it may include the person holding the phone (parent) to hear screaming in the background.

This incident began with a slight tap between two vehicles. The mother and daughter inside one vehicle got out to talk with the offending driver, who, it turned out was recording the conversation. It was a week before the bogus phone call.

Next the ‘scambler,’ as federal authorities sometimes call these crooks, will tell the parents/loved ones to wire a certain amount of money. “If you hang up, we’ll kill your kid,” is the ultimate threat with the intent of keeping the parent on the phone. In this local incident, Hayslip said, the people, in a panic, wired thousands, but soon learned their child had never been kidnapped at all.

“It’s all based on people providing too much information on social media,” Hayslip said.

Gone Phishin‘

“Don’t ever give a Social (Security) or bank account number out over the phone,” Hayslip said.

Attempts to steal your money can come in the form of ‘phishin’, which is defined as tricking an internet user into giving you his/her login name and password. Scammers could also use this to get credit card or other identification information. Sometimes, Hayslip said, these come in the form of altered email addresses of organizations, with such a slight change as to not become noticeable. The FBI said this method is often used to ask for donations for a cause.

Computer Repair Scam 

An elderly woman was scammed out of money, by a phone caller, Hayslip said. The calling scammer knew the victim was on her computer when she called and said, “I’m with Microsoft. You have an issue with your computer. It’s going to cost $200 to fix it. Go get a gift card from Walmart.” After doing that, and the scammer was back on the computer, he sent the victim back for another one because, he said, he found another problem. This time, he told the victim to go to the bank for the money. People at the bank asked enough questions that their response was — go to the police about this.” The victim did and wasn’t conned out of more money.

Others

Of course, there’s the ages-old con, too, which still works or it would have been dropped. “We have a warrant for your arrest. We will pick you up if you don’t wire the money you owe.” Call police!

And one about accidents with long-distance relatives needing hospital care, but cannot get it until money is sent. Call police!

This writer received one call from Publishers Clearing House, saying I’d won about half a million dollars, but first must wire them all sorts of money to set the release of the winning amount in progress. I called police!  And another time, someone called saying my doctor had ordered certain tests and she could come to my house to conduct them. We talked a few minutes, and then she hung up on me when I said I would meet her down at the police station to do that.

The FBI website (fbi.gov/scams-and-safety) offers these suggestions to prevent becoming a scam victim. These suggestions could come in useful, too, to thwart other scammers.

If you receive a phone call from someone who demands payment of a ransom for a kidnapped victim, the following should be considered:

• Try to slow the situation down. Request to speak to the victim directly. Ask, “How do I know my loved one is okay?”
• If the callers don’t let you speak to the victim, ask them to describe the victim or describe the vehicle the victim drives, if applicable.
• Listen carefully to the voice of the kidnapped victim if he/she speaks.
• Attempt to call, text, or contact the alleged victim via social media. Request that the victim call back from his or her cell phone.
• While staying on the line with the alleged kidnappers, try to call the alleged kidnap victim from another phone.
• To buy time, repeat the caller’s request and tell them you are writing down the demand, or tell the caller you need additional time to meet their demands.
• Don’t directly challenge or argue with the caller. Keep your voice low and steady.
• Request the alleged kidnapper allow the victim to call you back from his/her cell phone.
• At the earliest opportunity, notify your local police department.
• To help prevent this scam, check privacy settings on social media accounts and revisit the information you publicize on those accounts. The more information available to the public, the more information scammers can use to convince you into believing a scam is real.