UPATE:  AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS ARTICLE IS A LINK TO VIDEO WHICH ONE MIGHT SEE ON THE MEDIAS MENTIONED BELOW.

Texas Department of Public Transportation (TxDOT) Press Release

People in Texas take pride in who they are. From holding the door open for a stranger to lending a helping hand to a neighbor, being a Texan is a way of life. But too many times, drivers leave that Lone Star spirit behind when they get on the road, which can often result in preventable crashes.

To help instill that Texas spirit on the road, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is getting back to the basics by launching a new safety initiative called Drive like a Texan. This fresh perspective exemplifies the pride, camaraderie and responsibility of being a Texan. By reminding drivers to practice those values every day we can make Texas roads safer for everyone.

“We want a fresh, heartfelt approach to how we talk about road safety. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve lived here, or where you’re from. All that really matters is that you embrace those values that represent the best of Texas,” said TxDOT Deputy Executive Director Brandye Hendrickson. “The message is simple: take pride in how we treat each other on and off the road.”

Although the number of people who died in crashes went down in 2023 compared to 2022, an average of 12 people die on Texas roadways every day. It will take everyone’s help, and Drive like a Texan introduces a new unifying message that can save lives when put into practice. It reminds Texans of who we are, how we treat each other, and the common values we share.

Drive like a Texan messages will appear across television, social media, websites, and billboards throughout Texas starting this winter. After a launch at the Trail of Lights in Austin, look for Drive like a Texan stops at holiday light shows throughout the state.

Whether it’s letting someone merge with a friendly wave, slowing down in busy areas or simply practicing patience, this campaign encourages everyone to embody the true Texan spirit. Drive like a Texan — kind, courteous and safe.

For DRIVE LIKE A TEXAS video, click here.   (There may be some other videos, as well.)

By Mary Jane Farmer for the Van Alstyne News.  Mug shots of the suspects are at the bottom of of this report.

In the early hours of Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, a coordinated law enforcement effort successfully apprehended three suspects in Van Alstyne, following a violent incident at an Oklahoma Tribal facility and a subsequent vehicle pursuit through Grayson County, reported Grayson County Sheriff’s Office Lt. and Public Information Officer Jeremy Cox.

It first started at a casino in Oklahoma and the police chase was called in to be entering Grayson County at about 4:26 a.m, when Grayson County Deputies were advised of the pursuit entering Texas from Oklahoma. Denison Police Department and the Texas Highway Patrol were also in the pursuit of the suspects, who were in a Dodge Charger which continued southbound on Highway 75 into Texas.

About 11 minutes later, at 4:37 a.m., Van Alstyne Police and Grayson County Deputies located the abandoned suspect vehicle near Exit 51 (FM 121/Van Alstyne Parkway) off U.S. Highway 75 southbound.  Deputies, along with Van Alstyne PD, saw three male suspects fleeing west through an open field north of FM 121. KTen television said it was VAPD who spotted the vehicle and saw the suspects running away. KTen also reported that the suspects were thought to be on Jim Jones Road.

The Search and Capture:
Cox said that deputies quickly established a perimeter with the assistance of Van Alstyne PD, Gunter PD, Anna PD, Denison PD, and Texas DPS. Drones were deployed by GCSO investigators and Anna PD and able to locate where the suspects may have been hiding in a wooded area. All agencies who got involved and helped in this situation are listed below.

“Grayson County Sheriff’s Office, with the help of so many other agencies were able to set up a very good perimeter in that area and began the search,” Cox added. “We called in additional assets: Our assets and other agencies’ as well. The Anna Police Department brought their drones, we had our drones, and we also deployed our K9 ‘Raven’.” Additionally, the DPS helicopter arrived on scene and assisted a track team made up of Raven, four deputies, and three DPS troopers as they began a systematic search of the woods.

The team located one suspect fleeing east and took him into custody. Shortly thereafter, the remaining two suspects were found in the same area and arrested without further incident. All three suspects were treated by Van Alstyne and Anna EMS and taken to the Grayson County Jail. Television station KXII said that custody was made about 8 a.m. Tuesday.

Suspect Information:

The three suspects arrested, incarcerated, and with current charges filed against them at Grayson County Jail are:

Jesus Luna, 31 years old and from Irving, include Evading Arrest/Detention w/Vehicle, Evading Arrest/Detention, Tampering with Physical Evidence with Intent to Impair, which Cox said was set because Luna apparently tossed the gun he is supposed to have carried and displayed. He has also had a warrant issued in Dallas County against Luna, charging him with Assault Causes Bodily Injury. His total bail is set at $130,000, payable in surety bonds.

Bryan Luna, 24, is also from Irving. Jail records show this suspect was charged with Evading Arrest/Detention and Fugitive from Justice, with bail at $60,000 payable with surety bonds.

Leon Villa, 23, of Mesquite has one charge filed against him, that being Evading Arrest/Detention.  His bail is set at $50,000, also payable with a surety bond.

Reports from KTen also said that two of the suspects are also facing felony assault charges in Oklahoma.

Agencies Involved:
Cox said, “This operation was a testament to the outstanding collaboration among multiple agencies, including:

• Choctaw Light Horse Police
• Denison PD
• Grayson County Sheriff’s Office
• Van Alstyne PD
• Anna PD
• Gunter PD
• Texas DPS
• Texas Parks and Wildlife
• Van Alstyne FD/EMS
• Anna FD/EMS

Cox added that the Sheriff’s Office “Extends our gratitude to Van Alstyne ISD and Grayson College for temporarily delaying campus operations near the area to ensure public safety during the search.

Photos below:

Left to right:  Jesus Luna, Bryan Luna, Leon Villa

Anthony Allen Rae
GCSO Jail Mug Shot

Press Release from Grayson County District Attorney Brett Smith

Nov. 2, 2024 — Anthony Allen Rae, 51, of London, England, was sentenced to prison for two Life sentences for Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child. The conviction follows a nearly week-long jury trial before a Grayson County Jury found the defendant guilty.  The defendant was convicted of two count of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child and one count of Indecency with a Child by Sexual Contact.  The same jury also assessed his punishment at 20 years for Indecency with a Child by Sexual Contact.  Judge Larry Phillips of the 59^th District Court presided over the trial.  Due to the aggravated nature of the offense, the defendant must serve half of his sentence before being considered for parole and must register as a sex offender for life.

In late 2003, the Van Alstyne Police Department began investigating allegations of child sexual abuse against Anthony Rae.  The investigation eventually resulted in a Grayson County Grand Jury returning two separate indictments against the defendant for Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child.  Defendant was arrested and booked into the Grayson County Jail in October of 2003, but was released in June of 2004.  While on bond and awaiting trial, the defendant failed to appear for court in November 2005.  Warrants were issued for his arrest.

In late 2019, DA Investigator Don Tran, having served as a Task Force Officer (TFO) for both the US Marshals Service (USMS) and the Department of Homeland Security (HSI), began investigating the whereabouts of the defendant.  Utilizing investigative techniques, Tran, in concert with HSI, located Defendant in the United Kingdom in the spring of 2020.  As a result, the London Metropolitan Police arrested the defendant on April 22, 2020.  Defendant was living in London under the alias Anthony Campbell.

In early 2021, four-day extradition hearing was conducted in the Westminster Court of London.  The Court granted extradition, but Defendant waged a series of appeals to the British Supreme Court and the European Commission on Human Rights.  The Defendant, who had been on the run from law enforcement for nearly 20 years, was extradited back to the United States on July 1, 2023.

The Grayson County Criminal District Attorney’s Office presented nearly 14 witnesses and dozens of exhibits during the jury trial.  Evidence included expert witnesses and the testimony of our victim, who is now an adult woman.  The District Attorney’s Office brought two witnesses in from Florida.  Other witnesses traveled in from both Tyler and Beaumont, Texas.  A significant portion of the trial focused on evidence of the defendant’s flight from justice.

The Grayson County Criminal District Attorney’s office recognizes the work of DA Investigator Don Tran, the United States Marshals Service, the Department of Homeland Security, the US Department of Justice Office of International Affairs, The International Justice and Organized Crime Division of the Crown Prosecution Service, the London Metropolitan Police, and the Van Alstyne Police Department for bringing the defendant to justice.

The case was prosecuted by District Attorney Brett Smith.  Paralegal Sherri Williams, Assistant District Attorney Eli Brown, and DA Investigator Tim Murrin assisted in the prosecution.

By Mary Jane Farmer for the Van Alstyne News.

Van Alstyne Police Lt. Steven Hayslip reported on the following arrests made in the recent 10 days.

Oct. 12 — After seeing a vehicle going 88 mph in a 75-mph zone, police made a traffic stop on U.S. Highway 75 at Sanford Circle. They soon learned that there was an outstanding arrest warrant driver, a Denison man, and placed him under arrest on the warrant. Jail records were incomplete regarding his incarceration.

Oct. 13 — About 4 a.m. police made a traffic stop on State Highway 5 (Waco St.) because they saw that the vehicle’s driver wasn’t able to keep it in a single lane. The driver, a Van Alstyne woman, smelled strongly of an intoxicating beverage and had slurred speech when talking with officers. After conducting the suspect through a Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST), they determined she was drunk and placed her under arrest.

Grayson County Jail records show she was charged with Driving While Intoxicated. A magistrate set bail at $2,000, which she posted the following day for her release.

Oct. 19 — At about 7:00 p.m,. officers were dispatched to the 300 block of Normandy in regard to a verbal altercation. Upon arrival, officers spoke with a Van Alstyne woman and determined she was intoxicated and a danger to herself and others.

They jailed the woman on a charge of public intoxication, and jail records show that she was released the next day on a personal recognizance bond.

Oct. 20 — At about 11:30 p.m., police stopped a car on U.S.75 at Van Alstyne Parkway after noting that the car wasn’t maintaining a single lane. They smelled the strong odor of an intoxicating beverage emitting from the driver, an Ennis man, whose speech was also slurred and his eyes bloodshot. They put the suspect through the SFST, which determined he was intoxicated.

They jailed the suspect on a charge of Driving While Intoxicated 2^nd Offense and took him to the Grayson County Jail.

Bail was set at $2,500, which the suspect paid the following day with a surety bond which has conditions set on it with which the suspect must comply.

Oct. 23 — Again, about 11:30 p.m., police made a traffic stop on U.S.75 at Van Alstyne Parkway because they saw the vehicle traveling in the left lane, designated for passing only, without having passed another vehicle. The driver, a Shrman man, smelled of marijuana, which gave the office probable cause to search his vehicle. They located the marijuana and also a firearm.

The suspect was jailed on charges of Unlawfully Carrying a Weapon and Possession of Marijuana Under 2 oz.  Jail records are incomplete on this arrest.

Oct. 24 — It was defective equipment (license plate light) that caused police to stop a vehicle on U.S. 75 at Redden Road. This was about 3 a.m. The vehicle stopped and police saw that there was more than one occupant. There was enough indication that. crime either was taking place or had taken place and they asked for permission to search the vehicle.

The drive denied consent, so the officers requested a K9 (drug dog) and its handler came. And the K9 started with an open-air sniff around the vehicle and provided the police with a positive alert for narcotics.

While conducting the probable-cause search, officers located approximately 18 grams of methamphetamine and various prescription pills. No one inside the vehicle possessed a prescription for the pills.

Arrested was a woman  on charges of Possession of Controlled Substance PG 1 (methamphetamine) between 4-200 grams and Possession of a Controlled Substance PG 3 (clozapine) less than 28 grams.

This suspect had no magistrate following her book-in, (magistrates usually come earlier in the morning) and thus remained incarcerated Thursday.

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

Between September 27 and October 8, Van Alstyne Police made nine arrests. Police Lt. Steven Hayslip provided the following information, gathered from the reports of the officers involved in the various arrests.

Sept. 27 — The first of two arrests made that Friday was about 1:30 p.m. when officers made a traffic stop on U.S. Highway 75 and County Line Road. The report said the officers made the traffic stop after observing the vehicle being driven with an obstructed view. As they approached the car windows and made contact with the driver, a Blue Ridge man, they could smell the odor of marijuana. They conducted a probable-cause search and located both Marijuana and Methamphetamine.

Police took the driver to Grayson County Jail on charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance (Meth) under 1 gram and Possession of Marijuana under 2 ounces.

A magistrate set bail on the 2 charges at a total of $6,500, which the suspect paid in surety bonds for his Oct. 4 release.

Sept. 27 — The second arrest that day was about two hours later, around 3:30 p.m. And again, it was a traffic stop, but this time because the vehicle was going 86 mph in a 75-mph zone. And again, they smelled the distinctive odor of marijuana, which led to a probable-cause search.

Found in the search was Oxycodone, and the driver, an Irving man, had no prescription for it. Police also found a bottle of Synthetic Urine, which, Hayslip said, is known to be used to pass a drug test and it is illegal in the State of Texas to be in possession of Synthetic Urine. They arrested and jailed the suspect on charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance PG 1 (Oxycodone) under 1 gram and Possession of Drug Test Falsification Device. Bail was set and paid with a surety bond for $6,500 for his Sept. 28 release.

Sept. 28 — About 11:30 p.m. police initiated a traffic stop at Van Alstyne Parkway and Henry Hynds. The driver, a Van Alstyne man, smelled of an intoxicating beverage and police saw an open contained of alcohol. He also had a child under the age of 15 with him in the vehicle. They put the suspect through Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, and then, because the suspect could not pass the tests successfully, they incarcerated him on a charge of Driving While Intoxicated w/Child Passenger.

Hayslip said they turned the child over to a sober adult.

The suspect paid his bail, set at a total of $10,000 and was freed the next day.

Sept. 30 — About 2 p.m., police stopped a vehicle on Van Alstyne Parkway and Collin-McKinney someone called the driver’s reckless driving into dispatch. The driver had been erratic in his steering and struck the curb.

The driver, a Van Alstyne woman, smelled of alcohol and officers determined her eyes were bloodshot and her speech slurred. They put her through the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, and when the tests were complete, they jailed the suspect on a charge of Driving While Intoxicated.

Oct. 1 — Midnight, a traffic stop made on Van Alstyne Parkway and U.S. 75 happened because the police noted defective equipment on the vehicle. Following protocol, they checked and determined there were two outstanding warrants against the driver, issued by another agency. These warrants charged the Sherman/Denison resident with Speeding over 10% of Limit and Failure to Maintain Financial Responsibility.

In this arrest, bail was set at a total of $730 cash; he paid $391 of that and was released

Oct. 1 —About 5 p.m., police made a traffic stop on Industrial, after the officers saw the vehicle being driven on a public roadway without a front license plate. The Sherman driver smelled of Marijuana, Hayslip reported. Again, a probable-cause search was made and they located both Marijuana and Methamphetamine. They placed the suspect under arrest and took him to the jail in Sherman, where they charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance PG 1 and Possession of Marijuana under 2 ounces.

Bail was set at a total of $11,500 which he paid with a surety bond and was released  Oct. 2.

Oct. 4 — About 3 p.m., police made a traffic stop on Village Parkway, after seeing the car moving at 66 mph in a 55-mph zone. After making contact with and identifying the the driver, a Howe woman, they found there were outstanding warrants for her arrest out of a different law enforcement agency. They asked her to step out of the vehicle, but she refused. While helping her exit, Hayslip said, she resisted the officers and continued to resist until they handcuffed her.

They jailed her on the two warrants, both of which charged her with Aggravated Assault and with Resisting Arrest.

Bail was set at a total of $15,000, which she paid in surety bonds for her Oct. 5 released.

Oct. 4 —Police got a call that told them the whereabouts of a wanted person. Police went to the address given and confirmed an active warrant issued by Grayson County.

The first officer to arrive requested backup and, while waiting for other officers to arrive, he saw the suspect get into a vehicle and drive away. They made a traffic stop and placed the suspect under arrest on the warrant, which charged him with Assault Causing Bodily Injury. The suspect paid his $5,000 bail with a surety bond and was released the next day.

Oct. 6 — About 7:30 in the evening, police were dispatched to a motor vehicle accident on the U.S. 75 service road at Kelly Lane. An individual at the scene reported that he heard the driver admit to drinking an intoxicating beverage. The officers smelled the odor of that beverage and put the suspect through the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests.

After completion, they jailed the suspect on a charge of Driving While Intoxicated 2^nd Offense.

He paid his bail of $2,500 with a surety bond, which has special conditions also applied to it.