A rollover crash on Nichols Sawmill, killed two people Oct. 26 and injured two more. Police say alcohol was a probable factor in the crash. The crash involved multiple ejections from a white pickup truck.
Tabor Tory, 19, of Magnolia was pronounced dead at the scene, while Kevin Hansen, 20, also of Magnolia was pronounced dead at Tomball Regional Medical Center. The driver of the truck, Brian Goetz, 20, was admitted to Northwest Hospital, while passenger Audrey Trent, 19, was life flighted to an area hospital in stable condition.
When emergency workers arrived on scene they initially thought there were only three victims, but later found a fourth victim 12 feet in the woods. With so many victims the Montgomery County Hospital District called in Northwest EMS for assistance.
Troopers said that Trent was sitting in the middle of the front seat and was the only person wearing a seatbelt.
The Montgomery County Police Reporter reports that Goetz was driving the truck north on Nichols Sawmill when he came to a curve in the road. The Police Reporter stated that DPS officials believe he left the pavement at a high rate of speed, overcorrected, crossed the road and flipped the vehicle at least twice. The truck then hit a fence before slamming into a tree.
One of the victims clothing was found 12 feet high, stuck in a tree.
The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office assisted at the scene as well.
No charges have been filed as of press time.
A Magnolia man is behind bars, after Montgomery County deputies say he hit a Pct. 4 Constable car while driving drunk.
Court records state that Jacob Tyler Sweeten, 20, was traveling at a high rate of speed on Crocket-Martin Road, in East Montgomery County, Sept. 30. Deputy Skero, with the Constable’s Office, was conducting a traffic stop on the side of the road, near a railroad crossing.
After flying over the railroad tracks, Sweeten then slammed into the back of the deputy’s patrol car, according to deputies.
Sweeten was suspected by police of being under the influence and was arrested. He refused a breath test, however deputies obtained a search warrant for a mandatory blood draw. He was booked into jail on charges of Driving While Intoxicated.
According to a report from the Montgomery County Police Reporter, Sweeten is a senior at The Woodlands High School and was arrested last May for the same offense, but charges were dismissed.
With area schools soon letting out for Spring Break, local law enforcement agencies plan to be out in force to catch drunk drivers.
"During Spring Break and going into St. Patrick's Day, there can be an increase in drunk driving, so we try to increase our presence on the roadways," said Lt. Dan Norris of the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office.
Along with the sheriff's office, state troopers, Magnolia Police and Tomball Police will all be stepping up enforcement over the next week.
"Too frequently people choose to drink and drive during Spring Break, which is an extremely dangerous decision that often leads to senseless tragedy," said Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw. "Getting impaired drivers off the roads during Spring Break is a major priority for the department, and we also urge the public to make responsible decisions, such as designating a non-drinking driver or finding alternative transportation if they are impaired."
The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office plans to have additional deputies working overtime, as well as using their mobile alcohol testing van in various locations.
Magnolia Police Depar-tment (MPD) officials said they will be working in concert with both the sheriff's office and the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office, to combat drunk drivers.
MPD executive officer J.K. Seangal said that his department will be holding extended no refusal weekends. If a person is pulled over and refuses to submit to a breathalyzer test, then a warrant will immediately be secured to draw that person's blood.
"These types of enforcements are very successful," Seangal said. "Montgomery County as a whole takes drunk driving very seriously. These efforts have actually deterred drinking and driving."
Meanwhile, Tomball police will be taking an overall traffic safety approach.
"We are going to conduct an enhanced traffic safety initiative," said Cpt. Rick Grassi. "That includes extra patrols to search for DWI (driving while intoxicated) offenders, seat belt violations and speeding."
Grassi said extra officers will be deployed to do saturation patrols around the city.
Norris said that drunk driving is a crime that occurs daily and crosses social and economic barriers.
"Education is so important to this effort," he said. "It's one of the laws that are so easy to follow if people just drink responsibly."
UPDATE:
DALLAS (AP) — Randy Travis is accused of driving while intoxicated and threatening to kill state troopers after the country singer crashed his car and was found naked and combative at the scene.
A mug shot released on Wednesday by the Grayson County Sheriff's Office shows a battered-looking Travis in a T-shirt, with a black eye and dried blood on his face. He later walked barefoot out of the county jail wearing scrubs and a University of Texas ball cap.
It was the second Texas arrest involving alcohol this year for the Grammy-winning singer, who was cited in February for public intoxication.
The sheriff's office in Grayson County, located in far North Texas along the border with Oklahoma, received a 911 call at 11:18 p.m. Tuesday about a man seen lying in a road west of Tioga, where the entertainer lives.
Texas troopers responding to the scene said a Pontiac Trans Am registered to the 53-year-old Travis had been driven off the road and struck several barricades in a construction road.
Travis was not wearing clothes at the time of his arrest and made threats against the Texas troopers, said Tom Vinger, a Department of Public Safety spokesman. He said the singer refused sobriety tests, so a blood specimen was taken.
Vinger did not immediately respond to questions on how Travis suffered his facial injuries or whether any troopers were injured during the arrest.
"I know the vehicle suffered significant damage to the front end during the wreck," Vinger said in an email to AP.
Grayson County Sheriff's Sgt. Rickey Wheeler said Travis faces charges of retaliation or obstruction in addition to driving under the influence.
"Travis had a strong odor of alcoholic beverage on his breath and several signs of intoxication," according to a statement from the sheriff's office. "While Travis was being transported, Travis made threats to shoot and kill the troopers working the case."
A Travis representative said there was no immediate comment on the arrest.
Travis was arraigned and released on $21,500 bond Wednesday morning from the jail in Sherman, about 60 miles north of Dallas. Blood test results are pending.
District Attorney Joe Brown says his office will review the report of the arrest. The felony retaliation or obstruction charge will be referred to a grand jury within a month or six weeks, while the misdemeanor DWI case could be filed as soon as prosecutors decide whether to proceed, Brown told The Associated Press.
The felony count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $10,000.
Travis was also charged with public intoxication in February after being spotted in a vehicle parked in front of a church in Sanger, about 20 miles from Tioga.
It's been a rocky couple of years for the North Carolina native, best known for hit songs like "Is It Still Over?" and "On the Other Hand." He divorced Elizabeth Travis in 2010 after 19 years, but retained her services as his manager, a role she held for more than three decades.
Earlier this year, though, Elizabeth Travis filed a lawsuit claiming that Randy Travis made it impossible for her to do her job and terminated her management contract without proper notice. She said her ex-husband sent several men, including an armed guard, to clean out her offices.
Randy Travis countersued in May, accusing his ex-wife of divulging confidential information about him in order to damage his reputation and career.
Initially turned down by Music Row, Travis found success in the mid-1980s and became a pivotal and important figure in country music. Initially considered too country, his deep-voice traditional style inspired millions to buy his albums and artists like Alan Jackson to follow his lead.
He's charted 16 No. 1 country singles and remains an influence for many in Nashville.
Associated Press Music Writer Chris Talbott assisted with this report from Nashville, Tenn.
ORIGINAL STORY:
SHERMAN, Texas (AP) — Country singer Randy Travis has been charged with driving while intoxicated.
The Grayson County Sheriff's Office says Travis was being jailed without bond Wednesday pending an appearance before a judge in Sherman, about 60 miles north of Dallas.
Sgt. Rickey Wheeler says Travis also faces a charge of retaliation or obstruction. Wheeler had no details on that count. Wheeler says a Texas trooper arrested Travis around midnight Tuesday near Tioga, where the entertainer lives.
A Travis representative did not immediately reply to a message Wednesday from The Associated Press.
Travis in February was charged with public intoxication after being spotted in a vehicle parked in front of a church in Sanger, about 20 miles from Tioga.
The full text of a press release from the Grayson County Sheriffs Office is below.
"On August 7, 2012 the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office (Sherman, Tx) received a 911 at call 11:18 p.m. The caller stated there was a man lying in the roadway on F.M. 922 at Clover Road just outside of Tioga, Texas.
Texas Department of Public Safety Troopers responded to the scene. Randy Bruce Travis was arrested for Driving While Intoxicated (misdemeanor) and Retaliation (felony).
According to the book-in sheet, Randy Travis was involved in a one vehicle accident. Travis had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath and several signs of intoxication. Travis refused a blood and breath test; a search warrant was granted by a judge for a blood specimen, which was taken at a local hospital.
While Travis was being transported Travis made threats to shoot and kill the Troopers working the case. (Thus the Retaliation charge)"
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
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