Friday, August 29, 1997
Area news roundup
Cisco man charged with injuring children
CISCO -- A 19-year-old Cisco man has been charged with injuring
two young boys he was babysitting.
Delbert Pitchford was being held in Eastland County Jail on
bonds totaling $10,000 for two felony charges of injury to a child.
Cisco Police Lt. Kenneth Preston said the injuries occurred
last weekend while Pitchford was babysitting two nephews, ages
4 and 5. He quoted the suspect as saying the boys wouldn't go
to sleep, so he "whipped" them with a belt.
"It wasn't a spanking. It was a beating with a belt,"
Preston said. He said the mother of the boys, Pitchford's sister,
called police when she saw marks on the boys.
Vandals damage Eastland cemetery
By MAYBELLE TROUT Correspondent
EASTLAND -- Vandals caused thousands of dollars of damage to
tombstones in the Eastland City Cemetery sometime Wednesday night.
Dean Vernon, cemetery director, said at least 24 headstones
were pushed or kicked over. In addition, dozens of footstones
had been pulled out of the ground.
It was the second time that an area cemetery has been vandalized
this month. On Aug. 16, the Fairview Cemetery in Jones County
was vandalized. Damages were estimated to be $50,000. Four young
Abilenians have been charged with criminal mischief, punishable
by up to 10 years in prison.
In Eastland, Vernon said he would ask a professional to inspect
the broken and pushed over stones in order to obtain a precise
damage estimate.
An Eastland couple made the discovery early Thursday and reported
it to Vernon.
One of the damaged stones was over the grave of James Fox,
who fell off the Eastland County Courthouse and died Dec. 12,
1883. Nothing was known of Fox's family, so a co-worker hand carved
Fox's headstone.
Eastland County Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to
$1,000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of
those responsible for the crime.
Crime Stoppers' telephone number is 629-TIPS, or 1-800-300-3TIP.
Unruly trucker arrested at Cisco
CISCO -- An unruly truck driver allegedly resisted arrest Wednesday
morning after telling a convenience store clerk he was being followed
by "thousands and thousands of people."
The suspect also will be charged with possession of marijuana,
said Cisco Police Lt. Kenneth Preston.
In addition, the trucker had a .45-caliber pistol, according
to Preston.
Department of Public Safety Trooper Jim Willey said he arrested
the 37-year-old truck driver at Cowpokes, a Cisco convenience
store.
After searching the man's 18-wheeler, Willey said he found
a few marijuana leaves and some residue.
The trooper said the incident began when the truck driver stopped
at Cowpokes and went inside.
"I understand he told the clerk that thousands and thousands
of people were following him," Willey said.
Police then were called.
Willey said it required six people to get the trucker into
an ambulance and seven to get him into Eastland Memorial Hospital.
Preston said, "Whatever he was on, he was awfully high."
Willey said that whatever was in the man's system will have
to be neutralized before he can be taken to jail.
3 stolen stock trailers sought
CLYDE -- The disappearance of stock trailers south of Clyde
has the Callahan County Sheriff's Department looking for answers.
Three "bumper pull" type trailers were stolen during
the first half of August near Denton Valley, says Chief Sheriff's
Deputy John Windham.
"All of them have been taken south of Clyde off Farm-to-Market
604 and all were parked in plain sight of residences," Windham
said.
Two of the missing trailers are 16 feet while one is 14 feet.
All are "covered top" style with bumper hitches.
"We're tracking down some leads, but we also want people
in the area to be on the lookout for any suspicious activity,"
Windham said.
The sheriff's office can be contacted at (915) 854-1444.
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Copyright ©1997,
Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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