Wood County Sheriff’s Department activities for the past week included:

Oct. 18 – While on routine patrol in the area of Highway 80 and Stone Street in Mineola, Deputy Josh Davis conducted a traffic stop after witnessing a car with a defective tail lamp. Upon requesting the car’s passenger to exit the vehicle, Deputy Davis observed a used syringe in plain sight. Several other items of drug paraphernalia were located inside the car as well as a prescription pill bottle which had the owner’s name scratched off. At the conclusion of the traffic stop, Craig William Dickinson, 30, of Van was arrested and transported to jail. He is charged with possession of a controlled substance, penalty group 1, and possession of a controlled substance, penalty group 2. Two female passengers were arrested as well. Lacey Nicole Kranning, 26, of Murchison and Kathryn Twitty, 25, of Grand Saline are both charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.

Oct. 17 – Deputy Davis took a report of credit/debit card abuse from an Alba woman who stated she had given her debit card to her son’s ex-wife and asked her to go to the store and purchase some cigarettes. The complainant later learned her account was overdrawn. After viewing a copy of her statement, the woman identified two fraudulent transactions, totaling over $700. A copy of the bank statement was provided as well as the identification of the suspect. The case has been forwarded to CID for warrant review.

Oct. 16 – Lieutenant Robert Holland and Deputy Kevin Atkinson were dispatched to Loomis RV park on Highway 154 near Lake Fork after a 9-1-1 call was received reporting a disturbance in progress. Upon arrival, deputies found a man and woman, both with blood on their clothing. The two were separated and questioned. The woman stated the man had torn her shirt off and caused her to sustain an injury to her left elbow when she fell down. She also claimed she had been slapped about the face and hit with the man’s fist. Nicholas Edward Varga, 54, of Yantis was arrested and transported to jail. He is charged with assault causes bodily injury, family violence.

Oct. 15 – Deputy Melissa Pollard was dispatched to A & W Boat Storage on Highway 154 in the Yantis area. A man reported he had arrived at his two rental units to find the locks missing off both units. Entering the first unit, the complainant found approximately 30-40 fishing rods and reels missing along with a compressor, electric meter and a large tackle box. Pollard was advised that another unit nearby had been broken into as well. Deputy Pollard was later notified that the renter of the other unit had arrived and found numerous items missing from his unit. Information was recorded regarding a suspicious person who was observed at the facility by the second complainant. The case has been forwarded to CID and remains under active investigation.

Deputy Dustin Fenlaw took a theft report from a Eustace man who stated he had discovered a washer and dryer were missing from the bed of a pickup which was parked on property he owns on County Road 2164. The man advised that his investigation led him to a house on CR 2175 where he observed his dryer in back of the residence. The complainant took Fenlaw to the house where he had observed the dryer. The matching washing machine was later located at the same location. The man who lives at the location stated the washer and dryer were not his and gave the name of a man and woman who he claimed brought the appliances to the property. The complainant recognized the woman’s name as being a relative of his. The complainant advised he wanted to pursue charges in the matter. The case has been forwarded to CID for further investigation.

Oct. 14 – Sergeant Donivan South took a report of an animal bite which occurred on Farm-to-Market Road 49 in the Mineola area. The victim stated she was a caregiver and had been bitten by a client’s cat. The woman had since sought treatment from her doctor and was advised to report the incident. The cat’s owner had the cat quarantined in accordance with state law. The case will be closed at the end of the quarantine period.

Deputy Fenlaw was dispatched to the ER at ETMC Quitman in reference to a dog bite that occurred on FM 778 in the Hawkins area. The victim stated he was bitten by a Chihuahua/Pug when he attempted to separate it from another dog while the two were fighting. The offending dog was up to date on all vaccinations, including rabies. The dog will be quarantined in accordance with state law. The case will be closed at the end of the quarantine period.

Deputy Pollard was dispatched to a residence on FM 852 in the Winnsboro area for a burglary of a habitation. The complainant advised he had left home at approximately 8:30 a.m. and when he returned two hours later found the front door of the residence open. A safe was missing from the bedroom closet but there were no signs of forced entry. The complainant advised the safe contained his birth certificate, his wife’s death certificate and over $5,000 in cash and rolled coins. Information regarding a probable suspect was recorded and the case was forwarded to investigators for follow-up.

Oct. 12 – Deputy Brandie Cunningham was dispatched to an empty lot on FM 2869 for a theft report. The complainant stated that her 2013 Jay Flight travel trailer had been parked on the lot but was now missing. The missing trailer is described as creamy white in color with light and dark blue markings and is valued at $15,000. Deputy Cunningham collected one item of evidentiary value from the scene. The case has been forwarded for continued investigation.

Deputy Jeremy Ragsdale was dispatched to FM 17 in the Alba area for a theft report. A complainant advised that someone had stolen two generators and a flat 6-gallon gas can from the back of his RV trailer. The man further advised that someone had attempted to steal the generators the previous Saturday night but were unsuccessful.

Oct. 11 – Deputy Tucker George was dispatched to the vicinity of CR 2260 and 2270 in the Mineola area in response to a report that a suspicious person was stepping out in front of vehicles. George made contact with the man who was being detained by an officer with another agency. George noted the officer showed visible signs of having been in a physical altercation with the suspect and that the suspect showed multiple signs of intoxication. Stephen Coop, 21, of Mineola was arrested and transported to jail. Despite being combative during the transport, Coop was booked into jail without incident. He is charged with public intoxication and resisting arrest, search or transport.

While on routine patrol in the area of FM 1799 and Highway 69 near Golden, Deputy George conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle which he had previously identified as having an expired registration. After making contact with the vehicle’s sole occupant, the driver admitted there was a jar of marijuana in the car’s console. George located the marijuana and a marijuana grinder in the trunk of the car. Zachary Miles Tucker, 20, of Golden was arrested and transported to jail without incident. He is charged with possession of marijuana.

Oct. 10 – Sergeant South was dispatched to CR 2745 in the Mineola area for an assault report. The female complainant stated she had been backhanded in the mouth and left cheek by her boyfriend while they were traveling to a store. South photographed the area where the woman stated she had been hit but noted there were no obvious signs of injury. The case has been forwarded to CID for additional investigation.

Oct. 9 – Deputies Justin Bowring and Josh Davis were dispatched to a disturbance on FM 852 in the Winnsboro area. Prior to the deputies’ arrival they were notified that a search was being conducted for a female who had been assaulted and fled on foot. Upon arrival at the scene, the deputies met a man who stated his ex-wife had been assaulted fled to the pasture across the highway. After a brief investigation at the scene, deputies learned the woman had never been at that location. The ex-wife was located at her residence in another county, safe and sound. Cory Dean Marks, 46, of Winnsboro was arrested and transported to jail. He is charged with making a false alarm or report.

Oct. 8 – Sergeant Austin Cryer and Deputy Jeremy Ragsdale were dispatched to a residence on CR 2375 in the Alba area for a domestic disturbance. Cryer spoke with a female at the residence who stated she and her husband were separating again and an argument had ensued regarding their three children. The man’s version of events was different. After speaking with the couples’ older children, it was determined that the man’s version of events was more accurate. No arrest was made. The older children stated they wanted to leave with their father and were allowed to do so.

Deputy Steven Fields was dispatched to CR 3860 in response to a report of a pickup parked in the roadway. Fields arrived to find a blue pickup parked in the middle of the roadway at the intersection of CR 3860 and Private Road 7862. Deputy Fields observed a man to be lying down asleep inside the truck. The man admitted to driving while he was intoxicated. Perry Lee Bitner, 58, of Hawkins was arrested and transported to jail. He is charged with driving while intoxicated, third or more.

While on routine patrol just before 6 a.m. Deputy Fields initiated a traffic stop at the intersection of FM 69 and Highway 37 after driving for two miles behind a Ford Mustang which was traveling 21 mph under the posted speed limit. Fearing the driver could be fatigued, Deputy Fields conducted a traffic stop. A wrecker service was summoned after it was discovered that the car’s driver did not have a valid license. The passenger, Krista Lynn McLemore, 35, of Winnsboro, was arrested after it was discovered she had an outstanding warrant for theft of property $2,500 or more but less than $30,000 with two or more convictions. She was later charged with manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance, penalty group 1, after approximately 56.5 grams of suspected methamphetamine was found on her person.

Oct. 7 – Deputy Davis was dispatched to Jarvis Christian College for an assault. Upon arrival, Davis spoke with campus security who advised that a student had assaulted a security officer when the officer intervened in an argument between the suspect and school employees. Cedric Jerom Ivory, 26, of Arlington was arrested and transported to jail. He is charged with assault, class C.

Oct. 6 – Deputy Fenlaw was dispatched to CR 3234 in the Quitman area for a burglary of a building. The complainant stated that his shop building had been broken into. Five bottles of R-22 Freon and a Victor oxy-acetylene torch were discovered to be missing. There were also signs that someone had attempted to steal a large John Deere tractor that was housed in the shop building. The case remains under investigation.

Oct. 5 – Deputy Pollard was dispatched to a residence on CR 4591 in the Winnsboro area for a burglary report. The complainants advised they had arrived at the residence to find that the rear door had been kicked in and a window screen next to the rear entrance had been damaged. Cabinets and drawers inside the residence showed signs of having been rummaged through but nothing was deemed to be missing. Two old rusted tool boxes containing miscellaneous tools were missing from a shed on the property. The case has been forwarded to an investigator for follow-up.

Deputy Fenlaw was dispatched to a residence on CR 3600 in the Hawkins area in response to a 9-1-1 call in which a woman reported that she had been assaulted by the father of her child. According to the woman, the man grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head into the wall. She was later thrown from a porch after which she retreated to a neighbor’s house to call for help. Fenlaw noted the woman had injuries consistent with her story. Tre Tyler Alaman, 22, of Hawkins was located and arrested. He was transported to jail without incident. He is charged with assault causes bodily injury, family violence.