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.