Thursday, March 28, 2024

Top 10

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Every year brings some bad news and some good news.

In Hood County, 2019 brought murder, tragedy, controversy and political upheaval, but there were also examples of people working together to accomplish goals for the good of the community.

Here are the HCN’s Top 10 stories for 2019:

1. A MOTHER’S MURDER

For almost seven weeks, out-of-state family members of Jennifer Pautenis begged for the public’s help in finding the 29-year-old mother of two after she was reported missing.

Pautenis’ husband Edward, meanwhile, seemed unconcerned. The 59-year-old told law enforcement that his wife had left their Nassau Bay II home with another man while he was putting their children to bed.

Pautenis’ sisters believed she was dead and that her husband had killed her. After growing increasingly frustrated with the Hood County Sheriff’s Office, they asked the Texas Rangers to take over the case.

In early December, Edward admitted to law enforcement that he killed his wife and dumped her body in a rural area of Hood County. He said that his wife attacked him and that he shot her multiple times in self defense.

During a Child Protective Services hearing in the 355th District Court shortly after Edward’s arrest, CPS investigator Aundrea Araujo testified that the killing of Jennifer apparently took place in front of her children, a boy, 7, and a girl, 5.

Araujo testified that the boy created a stick-figure drawing depicting him, his sister, his father and his mother. The mother figure appeared to either be walking out a door or lying near a door, and another figure was drawn above her as if ascending to Heaven.

The CPS investigator said that after she informed the children that their mother was dead, the boy insisted that what he had witnessed was a Halloween hoax.

Edward remains in the Hood County Jail awaiting trial.

2. THE SHERIFF

On Friday, Oct. 11, Sheriff Roger Deeds cut off all contact with the Hood County News and ordered his staff to have no dealings with the newspaper as well.

The dramatic move ended a years-long friendly relationship between the sheriff and the HCN and occurred less than 48 hours after the newspaper questioned Deeds’ endorsement of Nathan Criswell, a candidate for county commissioner who was under a family violence protective order.

The case was investigated by Deeds’ office, and an investigator testified during a formal protective order hearing that Criswell admitted having placed his then-wife in a chokehold.

Deeds’ endorsement came a month before the opening of the filing period when it was not yet known whether there would be other candidates for that seat.

Criswell, who resigned in May as the Hood County Republican Party chair after District Judge Ralph Walton issued an emergency protective order against him, was helping Deeds with his campaign for re-election to a fourth term.

On his campaign Face-book page, Deeds credited Criswell for helping to make Hood County a Second Amendment Sanctuary County. Deeds had no problem convincing the Commissioners Court to adopt the resolution. County Judge Ron Massingill is a strong supporter of Deeds.

The resolution became official just weeks before the start of the filing period for the 2020 spring primary and garnered publicity for Deeds.

At the time that the HCN questioned Deeds about his endorsement, Criswell was shown to be the administrator of the sheriff’s campaign Facebook page.

The day after the HCN’s Oct. 9 phone call to Deeds, the sheriff emailed the newspaper to say that he would not be endorsing Criswell after all.

Twenty-four hours later – on Friday, Oct. 11 – Deeds was back to endorsing Criswell. The two partnered on a press release blasting the HCN and falsely claiming that the newspaper had threatened a “hit piece” on Deeds if he did not drop his endorsement of the Commissioners Court candidate.

Deeds has not communicated with the HCN since that day.

In early December, the HCN reported that out of 18 felony “impeding airway” or similarly classified family violence cases that were presented to the grand jury in a year’s time, the only defendant who was no-billed was Criswell. The others were arrested and either bonded out or remained in jail.

Deeds has two challengers in the spring 2020 Republican primary: David Streiff and Greg Neal. Both have expressed concern about how investigations are being handled.

Neal is a former deputy. He said that he quit his job at the Hood County Sheriff’s Office out of frustration over how the department is being managed.

3. ONGOING LIBRARY SAGA

Many people might like nothing more than to finally close the book on the censorship controversy surrounding the Hood County Library and the Library Advisory Board that began in 2015. However, the election of County Judge Ron Massingill and, in particular, Precinct 4 Commissioner Dave Eagle may guarantee that there will be any number of sequels.

Since the two were seated on the court one year ago today, the county has lost two library directors. Three have resigned since Eagle, former vice president of the Hood County Tea Party, was a key player in the 2015 push against children’s books that teach LGBTQ tolerance.

Massingill and Eagle have been openly critical of the LAB, but Eagle has been the most vocal. He has chastised the group of volunteers at public meetings, accusing them of overstepping on issues that fall under the court’s authority.

Eagle attends LAB meetings, as does Republican Party chair David Fischer and a representative of the Hood County Pastor Council. The meetings are open to the public.

In August, the same month that Library Director Karen Rasco departed, Pastor Council member Bill Miller emailed members of the Commissioners Court asking that the county revise its policy mandating that the library director have an American Library Association accredited Master of Library Science degree.

Miller also urged the county judge and commissioners to “give at least equal weight to the presence of a strong Christian world view as you do to the professional accreditation that has been the more dominant criteria in the past.”

In November, the Commissioners Court snubbed all but one of the LAB’s six recommendations for new board members.

The board has historically reviewed applications and made recommendations to the court. After the censorship controversy, the group began reviewing applications through a “blind” process in which the identities of the applicants are not known. Court members, however, do not use a blind process when they make the final determination.

Just days after that November meeting during which the LAB was again criticized by Eagle, interim Library Director Rhiannon Graham submitted her resignation.

The court hired Spring-town ISD teacher and librarian Jennifer Logsdon in late November. Eagle made the motion to hire her.

Logsdon took over as director of the Hood County Library in December.

4. MYSTERY ON THE LAKE

As of yet, the public still doesn’t know exactly what happened on former Gran-bury City Councilman Gary Couch’s boat that caused one of his three male passengers to go overboard on the night of Saturday, Sept. 21.

As search crews began scouring the dark waters of Lake Granbury, Couch was arrested and booked into the Hood County Jail on a charge of Boating While Intoxicated (BWI). A passenger was also arrested and charged with public intoxication. The other surviving passenger was not charged.

The body of Donald Zacharias Zimmerman, a 45-year-old Dallas real estate developer, was found by search crews at around 1 p.m. the following Monday. Police Chief Mitch Galvan said there were no signs of trauma on the body.

The Granbury Police Department was initially investigating the case but turned it over to the Texas Rangers.

In an Oct. 21 email to the HCN, police investigator Russell Grizzard stated that the involvement of the Rangers “is not indicative of more serious charges coming; it is simply preventing any questions about Mr. Couch’s former status as a city councilman for the city of Granbury. At this time, there is still no evidence of anything beyond a drowning and the charge already filed for BWI.”

5. BEACH SAFETY

After four drownings at the City Beach since 2010, two of which occurred during a three-week period in 2018, the city – and a local Boy Scout – took action.

In March, 15-year-old Wesley Barefoot partnered with the city to place a life-jacket loaner station at the City Beach as his Eagle Scout project for Troop 360.

In May, the Granbury City Council approved a $100,000 budget amendment to fund a three-part “beach safety solution” that included: fencing with gates in order to better control crowds, particularly on the Fourth of July; curfew hours; and beach monitors to work in shifts during the summer months.

The beach monitors are not certified lifeguards. Since the lake is considered “dark water,” the city cannot station certified lifeguards there without significant liability. Therefore, visitors to City Beach Park swim at their own risk.

In the summer of 2018, after the second drowning that season, the city briefly closed the beach and installed buoys at depths of 5 and 6 feet. Swimmers are not allowed to swim beyond the buoys.

6. GROWING PAINS

In 2019, the U.S. Census Bureau determined that Hood County is the ninth fastest-growing county in the country.

That pronouncement made traffic issues that much more critical.

In August, Granbury city officials enlisted the public’s help in hopes of convincing the Texas Transportation Commission to recommit to widening U.S. Hwy. 377 from SH 144 to SH 167 after the state failed to list the promised project on its 2020 Unified Transportation Plan.

Those efforts didn’t work. There is no plan on the books at this time to widen 377.

Meanwhile, chamber president and CEO Mike Scott convinced the Commissioners Court and the Granbury City Council to join with the chamber in a new economic development partnership. Both entities agreed to contribute funds, while the chamber’s contribution is through in-kind services.

The purpose of the economic development push is to draw industries with good-paying jobs to Hood County. One of the stated hopes is that more young people who grow up here will stay because of job availability.

The city of Cresson has since agreed to join the partnership, according to Scott, and the cities of Lipan and Tolar have been invited to join.

After receiving agreements and funding, Scott hired Shea Hopkins to head up the economic development efforts.

She has an office at the chamber, and works under Scott’s direction.

7. TOURISM STRIDES

Tourism is Granbury’s No. 1 industry, and this year brought major bragging rights. Granbury was named Best Historic Small Town in a USA Today reader poll.

The Visit Granbury Convention and Visitors Bureau has been using the designation in its efforts to draw more tourists here.

Those efforts received high marks this year from stakeholders, who were pleased with Tammy Dooley’s first full year as Visit Granbury’s director.

Among other achievements, Dooley and her staff have created new events. One such event, the first annual Goosebump Jump, to be held at the City Beach as a charity fundraiser later this month, is the start of a winter festival in Granbury, Dooley said.

Another lift for tourism that occurred this year was the announcement in August by Gov. Greg Abbott that Granbury has been designated by the Texas Film Commission as a “film friendly Texas” community. The designation opens the door for more jobs and future tourism boosts.

8. SHENANIGANS?

A text message sent to the HCN early one morning in April might have saved the job of Elections Administrator Crickett Miller and her non-partisan office.

The text alerted the newspaper to a quietly called and rare meeting of the Hood County Elections Commission. The commission consists of the county judge, the county clerk, the tax assessor-collector and both party chairs.

The source told the HCN that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss recommending to the Commissioners Court that Miller be fired. Doing so would have put elections under the supervision of County Clerk Katie Lang.

The source stated that the plot had been hatched by Lang and Precinct 4 Commissioner Dave Eagle.

Contacted by the HCN, Eagle acknowledged that the commission was to meet but stated, “I don’t have any idea what their meeting is about.”

He then demanded that the newspaper submit any questions to him in writing. When the HCN did so, he responded with criticism of Miller.

Because of the tip, the HCN reported on the planned meeting.

The meeting was canceled after the newspaper reported that Lang had not followed legal procedures in requesting the gathering, but it was later rescheduled.

About 50 people showed up for the meeting, filling the pews in the second floor courtroom of the courthouse.

No action against Miller was taken or recommended, but another gathering of the commission was called in October. Lang requested that meeting as well.

Terse exchanges took place between Lang and Miller. At times, the two talked over each other, disagreeing over Lang’s claim that Miller had broken the law in last year’s election when Lang was on the ballot and Miller switched the poll entrance and exit at Annex 1.

Toward the end of the meeting, former Hood County Democratic Party chair Robert Vick addressed the commission and stated that Lang had no legal authority to call the meeting because that is the job of the commission’s secretary, the tax assessor-collector.

Vick also pointed out other issues indicating that the commission might not fully understand the scope of its authority.

“The truth of the matter is, there’s really nothing on the agenda that really relates to this commission,” Vick stated, adding, “Coming back and going over these issues seems nothing more to me than maybe just a little harassment of the elections administrator.”

9. HOT SEAT

The retirement of U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Midland, who was first elected to the District 11 seat in 2005, came as a shock to many when it was leaked, then formally announced, in August.

Conaway’s departure was part of a wave of Texas GOP House retirements dubbed by Democrats as “Texodus.”

Of the six Republican congressmen who will not seek re-election in 2020, five would have had at least a decade of experience had they remained in their seats past the next election. Their departure has some fearing that the state’s influence in Congress will be diminished.

After Conaway’s announcement, candidates queued up for a chance to represent the solidly red 29-county district.

Ten Republicans will be listed on the March 3 primary ballot. They are: Robert Tucker, Wesley W. Virdell, J. Ross Lacy, Gene Barber, Jamie Berryhill, August Pfluger, J.D. Faircloth, Brandon Batch, Ned Luscombe and Casey Gray.

Jon Mark Hogg is running for the seat as a Democrat, and Independent Jeffrey Cady has also announced his intentions to compete.

10. ANNEXATIONS

Involuntary annexations are pretty much guaranteed to be unpopular and controversial, and the city of Granbury’s involuntary annexations this year were no exception.

After holding two well-attended public hearings, the City Council in May annexed five parcels of land totaling almost 2,500 acres and containing 28 homes.

City officials said that the annexations were necessary in order for the city to control development and transportation corridors.

The annexations will be stayed for 10 years for those with agricultural exemptions, provided the landowners don’t develop or subdivide their property and maintain the ag exemption.

kcruz@hcnews.com | 817-573-7066, ext. 258