Brownsboro man sentenced to 8 Years for fifth DWI

Henderson County District Attorney Scott McKee is sending a message to all of Henderson County to not drive while intoxicated.

Brownsboro’s Justin Wade Gunnels, 51, was sentenced to an 8- year prison term for his fifth DWI conviction. Gunnels faced up to 10 years in prison for the charge.

Judge Dan Moore of 173rd Judicial District Court ordered the confinement after a punishment hearing took place in his Court. Assistant District Attorneys Justin Weiner and Nancy Rumar prosecuted the case on behalf of Scott McKee’s District Attorney Office.

Gunnels had been arrested after hitting a mailbox, wrecking his vehicle, and fleeing the scene of the crash all while intoxicated on Oct. 16 of last year.

Gunnels had admitted to drinking whiskey throughout the entirety of the day and was so intoxicated that he defecated on himself in Texas State Trooper Monica Carranza’s vehicle. After an inability to complete the standard block of field sobriety test, blood tests later confirmed his intoxication, revealing a blood-alcohol content of .20, over twice the legal limit.

In the punishment hearing, a witness testified that just moments before Gunnels crashed through the mailbox, two 12-year-old girls had gone to the mailbox to check the mail.

Further testimony revealed extremely offensive and aggressive behavior by Gunnels as he was being transported to jail. Gunnels continuously made disparaging statements about law enforcement and Henderson County.

Weiner focused on those disparaging remarks during his closing arguments before asking the judge to send him to prison.

“This guy is off the streets and behind bars which is where he belongs,” McKee said. “Unfortunately the grand jury could only charge him with a 3rd degree felony with a maximum range of 2- 10 years behind bars because other counties continued to allow Mr. Gunnels to plead guilty to misdemeanor DWI charges making this his first felony. However, when he decided to get behind the wheel after having too much to drink in Henderson County, he sealed his own fate.” McKee says he will continue to aggressively prosecute drunk drivers and hopes those who have a history of drinking and driving will heed the warning.

Limited turnout for election

Texas voters approved seven constitutional amendments Tuesday, Nov. 8 that will allow new cooperation between cities and counties, give the governor more power to issue pardons and borrow more money for student loans.

With less than 5 percent of voters turning out to cast ballots, voters approved Proposals 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 9 and 10, according to unofficial results from the Texas Secretary of State's office. But Texans rejected Propositions 4, 7 and 8, measures that would have allowed counties to issue development bonds in the same way that cities do now, give El Paso new borrowing authority and provide property tax exemptions for land used for water conservation purposes.

Proposition 1 received the most support from Texas voters as 82.88 percent voted in favor of "The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for an exemption from ad valorem taxation of all or part of the market value of the residence homestead of the surviving spouse of a 100 percent or totally disabled veteran."

In Henderson County, Proposition 1 also received the highest favor passing with 81.89 percent in favor.

Turnout for the election in Henderson County was similar to the state average as 5.23 percent of the population made their way to the polls, 2,851 of 54,489 people.

While only three amendments failed state-wide, Propositions 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 failed locally, leaving only Proposition 1 and 5 as the two passing locally.

Proposition 5 is "The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to allow cities or counties to enter into interlocal contracts with other cities or counties without the imposition of a tax or the provision of a sinking fund."

To see the full totals for Henderson County visit www.co.henderson. tx.us.

Gooden applauds decision to suspend Monarch rate hikes

The State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) ruled to suspend the water utility rate increase enacted by Monarch Utilities I, L.P. The first meter reading after Nov.15 will reflect water rates consistent with those that existed before Monarch filed their rate increase application. SOAH also granted motions to abate Monarch's rate case until a decision is reached concerning the utility's Stock, Transfer, and Merger (STM) application.

On Oct. 10, State Representative Lance Gooden sent a letter to the SOAH Administrative Law Judge requesting a suspension of Monarch's rate increase and abatement of their rate application. Gooden stated, "I am pleased with the ruling handed down concerning Monarch's excessive rate hike. During these difficult economic times, this ruling will bring much needed financial relief to the citizens of Henderson County."

Monarch's STM application is the next issue to be addressed. The SOAH's ruling whether to approve or deny the STM application will determine the ultimate direction of the Monarch rate case. Approval of the STM application would allow Monarch to consolidate all of their water systems under one umbrella.

"If this application is approved, the consolidation would mean that Monarch could pass the costs of unprofitable systems along to the customers of systems running in the black. The idea that a customer on Cedar Creek Lake would have to pay a higher rate for the maintenance of a water system in another part of the state is not a fair practice," said Gooden.

Gooden said he is hopeful these issues will finally be resolved, but he admits it will be a long, tough battle.

He concluded, "I will continue to keep fighting for the citizens of Henderson County affected by the practices of Monarch. With continued hard work and the support of my constituents, I have no doubt we will prevail."

Brownsboro man booked for controlled substance

Henderson County Sheriff Deputy Joseph Durr conducted a traffic stop in reference to a minor traffic violation on Thursday, Nov. 10 on Farm-to-Market Road 314 south of Brownsboro.

Durr identified the driver of the vehicle to be Lloyd Cooey II, 21, and while conducting the investigation Cooey was found in possession of a glass smoking pipe and two clear plastic baggies containing a crystallized substance suspected as methamphetamine.

The Brownsboro man was taken into custody and transported to the Henderson County Jail where he was booked for the offense of Possession of a Controlled Substance PG-1, less than 1 gram, a state jail felony with a possible punishment of 180 to two years confinement and a fine up to $10,000.

Cooey was arraigned the following morning and is currently out of jail on a $7,500 bond.

No burn ban currently needed, say county commissioners

Henderson County Commissioners met Tuesday at their regularly appointed time and decided not to institute a burn ban for Henderson County. This makes the second consecutive week the county has been without a burn ban following seven weeks of restrictions.

The commissioners will meet again Tuesday, Nov. 22 and discuss the burn ban topic once again.

The burn ban officially expired last Tuesday and the commissioners did not renew it despite a high reading on the Keeth- Bynum Drought Index.

Precinct 3 Commissioner Ronny Lawrence cited the growing need of those in the community to burn as well as two other reasons the commissioners allowed the ban to expire last week.

Citizens are urged to keep a careful eye on all outdoor burning and to avoid any type of burning in windy conditions.