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Accomplishments, tragedies mark 2007
And it was a year of astonishing tragedy, from the shooting death of Game Warden Justin Hurst on his 34th birthday to the fatal car accident that claimed the life of a school police chief less than a mile from his home. Looking back over 2007, the wellknown words of Chales Dickens in his classic A Tale of Two Cities comes to mind: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." What follows is a list of some of the top stories for the year: January • Needville ISD Police Chief Ernest V. Mendoza dies in a collision on FM 1301, less than a mile from home. The driver of the other vehicle - Guillermo Paniagua - fled the scene and was later arrested and indicted for murder. February
• Wharton Police Department Detective Don Falks shoots and kills 17-year-old Daniel Castillo Jr. during a drug raid at a Wharton home. The family accuses the police department of excessive force. • A portion of Zarsky Lumber Co. burns to the ground in what investigators deem an arson. Two other fires - one at Wharton High School and the other at Louie's Liquor Store - are intentionally set on the same day. March • Gulf Coast Medical Center announces plans to begin a $21.6 million renovation and upgrade of its Wharton facilities. • A Wharton County Grand Jury clears Detective Don Falks of any wrongdoing in the shooting death of Daniel Castillo Jr. Family members protest and file a civil lawsuit in U.S. District Court against the police department, Sheriff Jess Howell, DA Josh McCown and Falks.
April • Wharton County's four commissioners pool funds and manpower to create their own road paving unit in an effort to reduce costs and create more timely road projects. • District Judge Daniel Sklar announces his retirement after 33 years as judge of the 329th District Court. • Wharton County Junior College breaks ground with the University of Houston System on a $35 million campus in Sugar Land. May • Wharton County Youth Fair raises a record $609,303 in the Sale of Excellence, which signals the conclusion of the 2007 fair. • Wharton ISD officially breaks ground on a $13 million elementary school, the district's first such project in decades. Remnants of an antiquated sugar mill delay the project, but it's later determined the find has limited archeological significance. June • The Coastal Bend Groundwater Conservation District, which services Wharton County, hires its own engineers to evaluate groundwater studies that are part of the LCRA/SAWS water transfer project. The district says it wants an unbiased opinion on the project's possible effects on the area's groundwater. • Polka DJ and radio personality Bobby Jones disappears. Police believe that vehicle tracks leading down to the Colorado River may have come from Jones's car. Numerous search attempts over the following months turn up nothing. July • El Campo attorney Randy Clapp appointed by Gov. Rick Perry as replacement for 329th District Judge Daniel Sklar. • "Foster," the canine partner of Precinct 2 Deputy Constable Daryl Maretka, is hit and killed in a tragic accident on U.S. 59 during a traffic stop. August • Wharton loses a local air ambulance service as Air Evac Lifeteam closes down its base at Gulf Coast Medical Center. • The Wharton County Courthouse is officially dedicated, signalling the completion of a four year restoration project made possible by a $4 million state grant. September • The Pierce Ranch is identified as the site for the LCRA/SAWS reservoir, which will hold excess surface water from the Colorado River as part of a water transfer project with San Antonio. Around 4,200 acres will be utilized. • Wharton High School valedictorian Brittny Cantero competes for the Boys & Girls Club of America's National Youth of the Year contest in Washington D.C. October • Fred V. Barbee, publisher of the Wharton Journal-Spectator, East Bernard Express and El Campo Leader- News dies at the age of 78. • In an unprecedented occurrence, Wharton Volunteer Fire Department extinguishes three house fires over a 15-hour period. November • The city's flood reduction study, designed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, gets federal authorization through the passage of the Water Resources Development Act. The House and Senate override a presidential veto to pass the $20 billion WRDA. • Sheriff's Deputy Robin Rodriguez deploys a Taser against a combative subject, hitting the man twice before he complies. It's the first time a WCSO deputy has used the non-lethal device. • Lease agreement executed on the restored Southern Pacific Railroad Depot. Kansas City Southern also contributes $31,000 to the project. December • Wharton ISD's new elementary school to be named "Wharton Elementary," narrowly beating out "Sugar Mill Elementary." Over 430 surveys are sent in to the district regarding the naming. • Beasley man Jamale Rashad Johnson arrested in Corsicana after allegedly kidnapping a Wharton County woman and assaulting a Wharton couple with a tire tool. • Wharton ISD Superintendent Don Hillis announces that he will retire after 31 years with the district. • Bobby Barnett elected new Wharton Volunteer Fire Department chief. He beats out three-term chief Anthony Abbott by four votes. • Police, deputies, EMS and emergency management officials conduct training drill at Wharton High School to test emergency preparadness. The scenario involves a reported school shooting. |
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