By Mary Jane Farmer, Scene In Town for the Van Alstyne News
Just a reminder here — National Night Out is from 6-8 pm this coming Tuesday, Oct. 1, to be held at the Central Social District Park in downtown. Van Alstyne Police have participated in NNO since, at least, 1996, and invite all Van Alstyne residents to the free event. There, they get to meet all the officers and many of the firefighters/paramedics as well.
The National Association of Town Watch, defines NNO as “An annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie.” Locally, NNO is organized by the City and its Parks and Recreation Department.
Arrest — Sept. 17, the police department receive a report of a stolen bicycle, taken in the 600 block of Blassingame. The resident told police the bike belonged to her son and had been left in a fenced-in area. Police Lt. Steven Hayslip said.
While police were taking the report, they learned that a video of the theft taking place was available. Many of the officers reviewed it and recognized the suspect from prior encounters. They then obtained a warrant for the suspect’s arrest.
Soon, they arrested the suspect on a charge of Theft Under $2,500 w/Two or More prior Convictions. Hayslip said they jailed the suspect in the Grayson County Jail and then recovered the stolen bike, which was returned to the victim.
The suspect, a Van Alstyne man, posted bail of $5,000 with a surety bond the next thing and was released. Hayslip said this offense is classified as a state jail felony.
Arrest — Sept. 22, about 2:30 am, police on patrol were sent to the area of U.S. Highway 75 and Van Alstyne Parkway, regarding a reckless driver. The reporting party had told dispatch that the vehicle was being driven recklessly and not staying in its lane of traffic.
Police found the described vehicle and saw it being driven too fast and not staying in its lane. They conducted a traffic stop.
Once the vehicle stopped and officers approached its windows, they smelled the odor of an intoxicating beverage and saw an open can of that beverage in the front passenger seat. They, following protocol, put the driver through Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, then jailed the suspect on a charge of Driving While Intoxicated w/Two or More Prior Convictions. Hayslip said the driver was a Dallas man; and jail record show that he posted bail of $2,000 with a surety bond later that same day.
DRUG INDICTMENTS — The most recent convening of the Grayson County Grand Jury had them indicting many people on many charges, but no one from Van Alstyne. A count of the illegal drug indictments was: Methamphetamine-15; Cocaine-4; Hydromorphone-1; Heroin-2; and Psilocin-1. There were none Indicted this session for possession Fentanyl.