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

NOTE: 4.2.24 — Correction is made on one of the March 31 arrest reports and the updates appear there in bold

Van Alstyne Police Lt. Steven Hayslip, public information officer, reported on several arrests and incidents of the past week.

Arrest — On March 27, at about 4:15 p.m., officers initiated a welfare check on an unknown individual later identified as a New Mexico resident. A check of his driver’s license revealed an outstanding warrant issued out of Sandoval County, N.M. The warrant charged him with Aggravated Assault w/Deadly Weapon. Police jailed the suspect on a charge of Fugitive from Justice/Sandoval County. The suspect has signed a waiver, which will allow him to be returned to New Mexico. As of Monday, the suspect remained in Grayson County Jail.

Theft — That same day, March 27, police were sent to the 2000 block of Cuellar Way in regarding a theft. Hayslip said that an unknown person stole building materials, including lumber and sheeting, from a residence under construction. At this time, Hayslip said, there are no suspects.

Arrest —On March 28, about 5:15 p.m., police made a traffic stop on U.S. Highway 75 at Farmington Road. The stop was made because the vehicle did not have a front license plate, which is required by the Texas Traffic Code, Hayslip said. Upon obtaining the driver’s name and driver’s license number, police discovered two outstanding warrants for her arrest. The warrants charged the Sherman woman with Possession of Marijuana under 2 ounces and Theft of items valued between $100-$750. The officers had her incarcerated in Grayson County Jail, and she posted bail in surety bonds of $1,000 for her release the following day.

Arrest — March 30, about 5:30 p.m., police were sent to the 1900 block of Peggy’s Cover regarding a disturbance. Their finding was that one person had assaulted his partner, leaving red marks on his neck and a small cut on his cheek. The victim declined medical attention. Police placed the suspect, a Dallas man, under arrest on a charge of Assault Causing Bodily Injury Family Violence. A magistrate at the jail set bail at $2,500, which the suspect posted for his release the following day.

Arrest — About 4:30 p.m. Easter Day (March 31), police were called to a home in the 700 block of Nash Street because of a disturbance. They determined that the suspect has assaulted two family members, leaving them both with minor injuries. One had bleeding from a ear after being kicked in the head and the second had a swollen eye, also from being kicked, Hayslip reported. Police called Van Alstyne EMS to the scene, but neither victim accepted medical attention. Police arrested the suspect on two charges of Assault Causing Bodily Injury/Family Violence with previous conviction. Bail was set at a total of $40,000 and the suspect remains in Grayson County Jail, according to jail records. 

Arrest — Also on Easter Day, about 11 a.m., police were dispatched to a reckless driver call on U.S.75 and County Line Road. Hayslip said that the reporting party said that a vehicle was weaving all over the roadway and nearly struck several vehicles. Police located and stopped the vehicle. While talking with the driver, a Sherman man, they could smell the odor of an intoxicating beverage and conducted Standardized Field Sobriety Tests. After conducting the tests, Police placed the driver under arrest on a charge of Driving While Intoxicated. Following protocol, police searched the suspect and found a small clear plastic bag containing Cocaine in his front pocket, which added a second charge against him,  that of Possession of Controlled substance (Cocaine) under 1 gram.

Bail was set on those two charges at a total of $9,000. However, once at the jail, the Sheriff’s Office added an ICE detainer on the suspect, which does not allow for bail, and he remains incarcerated.

An ICE hold is for violation of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is one of the key tools ICE can use to apprehend individuals who come in contact with local and state law enforcement agencies and put them into the federal deportation system.

 

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

Sherman Police Lt. Steven Hayslip reported on a Driving While Intoxicated arrest made on March 20. He said that police were called to the drive-through at a fast-food diner on Van Alstyne Parkway. It was about midnight, he said, when they were called because of a welfare concern. The reporting party said that someone was passed out behind the driver’s seat.

Police knocked on the car’s window and woke the driver up. They reported that the car was in drive and the motor running, and that, once awake, the driver began moving his vehicle and it hit the curb.

Police determined, through a Standardized Field Sobriety Test, that the driver, a Van Alstyne resident, was intoxicated. They jailed him on a charge of Driving While Intoxicated. The suspected posted bail, in the amount of $1,500 paid in surety bonds, later that day for his release.

Hayslip also reported on a theft that is still under investigation. He said that about 2:15 p.m. on March 20, police were called to the new Van Alstyne High School, currently under construction, in regard to a theft. The complainant said that, while he was working inside the building, someone stole a portable speaker from inside his vehicle. The speaker is valued at $349.  If anyone has information on this theft, he/she is encouraged to call police at 903-482-5251.

The Grayson County Grand Jury indicted two Van Alstyne residents during its most recent session. An indictment is a formal charge and not an indication of guilt. The first indictment resulted from an April 9, 2022, police contact. Hayslip said that. They were called to the 1700 block of Waco Street regarding an injury.

The victim said a family member had pushed him/her, causing him/her to fall and hit his/her head. The suspect had left the scene. Police filed a charge of Assault Causing Bodily Injury against the suspect, and the Grayson County District Attorney asked the Grand Jury for its instruction. After the indictment on the charge, Van Alstyne Police arrested the suspect on a warrant carrying that charge. She was jailed in early March.

The other indictments resulted from arrests made by other agencies, neither of which complied with requests for details.

 

This article first appeared in Texoma Farm & Home, in its first issue, February/March 2024.  Go online to (click here) https://texomafarmandhome.com/ to read the complete issue.

By Mary Jane Farmer

It can take a long time to be an overnight success. Musician Austin Michael (Robinson), at age 21, is in his 6^th year, and says, “This is not a marathon, this is a sprint.” The Van Alstyne native is now living and working in Nashville, with some of its most successful professionals in his corner.

His childhood dreams had always been along the rodeo line. He received a guitar before he was a teenager and taught himself to play. But music, for him, was still just a diversion, a way to unwind at the end of his busy days. That is, until a family friend sent a cell-phone video of him singing “Fly Away” to the TV competition series, “American Idol.” He didn’t even know about that, until he got word that he’d been accepted.

Of it, Austin Michael said, “I enjoyed it. I didn’t walk into it with the same mind set as others did. I thought through it all that I very blessed to be here. Not… ‘this is my future…’ But when I got back home and it aired, I realized from the many calls and messages that it had touched people. It kinda made me go, ‘Well, if they believe in me, and if they want me to do it, well I can.’”

After his stint with American Idol, Austin Michael’s Van Alstyne family home burned down. The family moved to Westminster and lived with his

grandparents for a while. Then, they found land that could accommodate the livestock the family maintains that was in Pottsboro.

“We had a ranch with 50 acres and horses and cows and a few ponds. It was a good four years, but there were issues that went with the good fortune – plumbing, electric.” Again, back to the grandparents’ house in Westminster, where the family still resides.

Nashville had to fit into the picture. His first trip out there happened after he got a text from his dad’s friend, golf pro John Daly. “Listen here, where are you? You need to get to Nashville yesterday.” Austin Michael said he packed up and headed out. There, he slept in his car outside motels and used their bathrooms to clean up. Through Daly’s understandable influences, Austin Michael received the chance for one co-writing session, and that then turned into 3 sessions or “writes” as he said they are called. After the third one, he was invited to stay one more day. He said he spent the rest of that day wandering the streets, trying to figure it all out.

“I didn’t understand the industry. I thought it was like it used to be,” he said. “I decided I wouldn’t be going back here.”

But, Austin Michael, being the Christian that he is, gave credit “100% to God for every step along the way. No question in my mind, I believe everything happens for a reason.”

He said he texted Daly again, asking, “Is there anybody you want me to meet while I’m here? He (Daly) had 3 others and I met with all of them.” One was nice enough to let Austin Michael crash on his couch. His roommate, who worked with L3 Management, stayed there, too. He walked in.

“’Who are you?’ I asked.

“’I live here,’ the roommate answered.

“’Oh, nice to meet you,’ I said.

“’Why are you here?’ he asked.

“’I’m another country artist trying to make it,’ I replied.

“’Well, if you want to be serious, come with me tomorrow,’ he suggested.”

Austin Michael did, and it went uphill from there.

Before he’d left Nashville on that trip, Austin Michael had an offer from a management company, a publishing company, and a label opportunity.

Austin Michael was all set to go back to Nashville, and this time, management told him, “You aren’t sleeping in your car.” “They had me set up. And from then on I was booked solid.”

After that, Austin Michael would travel to Nashville about every other month or so until it seemed more sensible to make a geographical move. First, he moved to an Alabama town, staying with a buddy of his there. It was a 2-hour drive to Nashville, and he made that 2-way trek every day. And then it happened — Austin Michael moved to Nashville in August of last year.

“It simplified and it complicated my life,” he said. “I am so family-oriented, it’s hard to be away from family. But, it has allowed me to be more accessible. I play a lot of writers’ rounds and meet people. I’m always writing and always recording and always meeting people.”

One thing is for certain, he said. “I have done a lot of growing up here, but not going to let the town change me. It’s a slippery slope and I know I have to adapt to my surroundings.

“I still wear my cowboy hat, it keeps the hair out of my face while working. And, in this concrete jungle, it seems genuine knowing it’s about where I came from.”

When he answered the inevitable question all musicians get — Who is your idol? — It was a simple answer for Austin Michael. “Cody Johnson has always been my idol. I love his authenticity, respect, attitude, his moral compass. It all comes across in very obvious ways.”

Nowadays, Austin is releasing singles about every 4-6 weeks, but moved it up to 3 releases in January. It’s not genuine choreographed videos he and his team are producing, they call them ‘visualizers.’

“Most people don’t understand, a video costs about $50 grand to produce. My management team has one guy who is pretty good with a camera. We just finished a recording and a visualizer for ‘Whiskey In The Dirt.’”

That and other visualizers, along with the first video made those many years ago, “Country Cred,” are available on YouTube.

And another question songwriters get — “Where do you get your ideas for new songs?” Austin Michael said it can come from recurring issues, conversations. “There’s really no way to go about it. Sometimes during relaxing times, maybe wake up in the middle of the night, or somebody sparks an idea, and some kind of emotions hit me.”

So, where is it all going for this young talented man?

“I could go either way. I could sit back and complain as to why I’m not a superstar. But, I am a firm believer that God opens doors. People pray for strength and God gives them ways to overcome weaknesses. I know I am not going to be an overnight sensation.

“I have a lot to learn. I’m extremely grateful for every step of the way.

“Give us a few years. We’ll have a number one.”

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

The numbers shown here of votes having been cast was current as of 10 p.m. Tuesday night, provided online by Grayson County. They are subject, of course, to additional information being added later on, as the counting continues. There could be some run-offs, as well.  

For President

Republican — Donald J. Trump

Democrat — Joe Biden

For U.S. Senator

Republican —Ted Cruz (14,837),  R.E.”Rufus” Lopez (1,039), Holland “Redd” Gibson (796)

Democrat —  Colin Allred (939), Roland Gutierrez (191), Meri Gomez (178) and several others

For U.S. Representative  Dist. 4

Republican — Pat Fallon (13,588), Don Horn (2,489)

Democrat — Simon Cardell (1,393)

For State Senator — District 30

Republican — Brent Hagenbuch (5,660), Jace Yarborough (4,012), Carrie De Moor (2,747), Cody Clark (1,886)

Democrat — Michael Braxton (912), Matthew McGee (414), Dale Frey (364)

For State Representative, Dist. 62

Republican — Shelley Luther (8,748), Reggie Smith (8,406)

Democrat — Tiffany Drake (1,508)

For Criminal District Attorney, Grayson County

Republican —  John Kermit Hill (8,258), Brett Smith (7,907)

Democrat — Brandy Douglas (1,657)

For County Commissioner, Pct. 1

Republican — Josh Marr (1,728), Scott Renfro (1,267), Terry Thomas (454)

Democrat — Andre Luper (371)

For County Commissioner, Pct. 3

Republican—Lindsay Wright (2,821)

Democrat— None

For County Constable, Pct. 1

Republican — Thomas Carter (4,212)

Democrat — None

For County Constable, Pct. 2

Republican — Cody Putman (2,238), Shannon Thomas (1,879)

Democrat — None

For County Constable, Pct. 3

Republican—Todd Booher (1,449), Scott Taylor (977)

Democrat — None

For County Constable Pct. 4

Republican—Bob Douglas (2,183)

Democrat — None

Grayson County voters overwhelmingly approved all 13 Texas Propositions.

Grayson County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Tony Bennie was unopposed and will step into Sheriff Tom Watt’s boots when Watt’s term ends later this year. Ditto that response for Tax Assessor-Collector, who has/had no opponents.

There were numerous other offices to be filled at the State and various other levels. Those results are available Online at (click here) co.grayson.tx.us.

 

By Mary Jane Farmer for the Van Alstyne News, Scene In Town.  Note:  An indictment is not proof of guilt, but is a formal charge.

Law enforcement activity in recent days has resulted in arrests, an indictment, and searches for information to help the officers complete their investigation.

Indictment

The most recent setting of the Grayson County Grand Jury had them indicting a Van Alstyne man on a criminal charge. Douglas William Crook, 51, is now wanted on a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

Van Alstyne Police Lt. Steven Hayslip said that they received a call in the Spring of 2022, asking for police to go to a home in the 1200 block of Redden Road in regard to a suspicious vehicle. Crook was at the site and was the owner of the suspicious vehicle. During police officers’ talk with Crook, they determined he was intoxicated in a public place and was a danger to himself and/or others. Police placed him under arrest then on a charge of Public Intoxication. Following protocol, police took a vehicle inventory before having the vehicle towed, they found a shotgun inside it. They also found prescription pills not in Crook’s name, Hayslip said. That resulted in charges of Possession of Controlled Substances and of Unlawful Carry of a Weapon w/ Felony Conviction. He posted bail of $15,000 in surety bonds for his release.

Grayson County Jail records show that the suspect has since been jailed on a charge of Driving While Intoxicated 3^rd or More offense, but. Has not been indicted on that charge. While incarcerated, the Sheriff’s Office records show, bail bondsmen came off bail on several previous charges

Vandalism

On February 19, at about 1:15 a.m., officers were sent to the 500 block of Manchester in reference to vandalism. The reporting party told Police that unknown people had vandalized the home by throwing eggs and damaging a tire on a vehicle.

Hayslip asked, “If anyone has any information, please contact Det. Ingram at the police department.” That phone number is 903-482-5251.

 Sexual Assault

On Feb. 15, Van Alstyne Police jailed a Van Alstyne woman on a charge of Indecency w/ Child (by) Sexual Contact.  it involved roommates. Hayslip said There was no physical resistance when police made the arrest, that she knew about the investigation. More info cannot yet be provided as this is an on-going investigation.

The suspect remains incarcerated with bail set at $200,000 payable in surety bonds with conditions attached.

Sheriff’s Office seeking info

On Tuesday, February 20, Grayson County Sheriff’s Office deputies and investigators responded to an area on Whitney Road in Sherman on a call of a deceased person, identified as 20-year-old Kiersten Dunn of Sherman, reported S.O. Capt. Marty Hall. More details are not yet available as it is still an ongoing investigation.

Investigators are currently searching for anyone who knew her whereabouts prior to February 20 and anyone she had contact with in the month of February.

If you have any information that could assist in the investigation of Kiersten Dunn’s death, please contact Investigator Harris, 903-813-4200 extension 1012 or email: hunter.harris@co.grayson.tx.us.

Other Arrests

Hayslip reported that, other than these incidents, there was no (local) thefts, burglaries, robberies, or such during this time frame. There were 3 warrant arrests unrelated to crimes in Van Alstyne, but which were for serious offenses.