Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
Sorted by date Results 51 - 70 of 70
For The Record As the holidays grow near, families gather together. The family of Christie Lynn Combs, 44, is hoping to do the same. "She has four kids that miss her very much and want nothing other than to hear her voice and know she is OK," said Cassie Marco, of the Missing Hearts. a volunteer organization to help families when a loved one is missing. The ages of Combs' children are 26, 23, 18 and 15 years old. Combs was last seen by family members in June. Combs, who was...
Tyler Wayne Hodgkinson, 20, of Bridge City, who was involved in a fatal wreck in March 2015, accepted a plea bargain agreement and sentenced to five years probation and $1,000 fine in the 128th District Court with Judge Courtney Arkeen presiding. According to Ashley Molfino, special prosecutor in the case, five years was the maximum sentence of probation he could have received. Taken into consideration was Hodgkinson's age and the fact he did not have any prior criminal...
March organizer JaCoby Ross, 23, of Orange has taken it upon himself to represent his community and do what he thinks is right. Feeling of injustice riding high in the community Renowned essayist, lecturer and poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding." The feelings of outrage, inequality and frustration with the justice system has been building for a while and it is not one particular...
Tami Higgenbotham's family rejoices A hearing on Thursday and Friday for a motion to impose guilt finally has 29-year-old Joshua David Latham, of Mauriceville, going to prison. He was sentenced to the maximum sentence of 20 years and it will run consecutively to his five year term he recently received in Newton County for failure to appear. Although this case was not for the murder of Tami Higgenbotham, 41, of Vinton, her family was elated to see some sort of justice served....
Family disappointed in sentence Joshua Latham, 28, of Mauriceville, was sentenced to five years in prison for failure to appear charges in Newton County when he failed to show up to face allegations of murdering Tami Higgenbotham in February 2015. “It’s a sorry verdict,” said Linda Maudlin, Higgenbotham’s mother. “We are not satisfied.” However, Maudlin admits it could have been worse and Latham could have gotten probation or lesser time in prison. The trial began Monday with...
The family of Tami Higgenbotham, who was murdered in Feb. 2013, stand outside the Newton County court house awaiting the trial of Joshua Latham of Mauriceville. The charges of murder have been dropped. Latham now faces charges of tampering with evidence and failure to appear. They made signs to express their distress over the happenings during the past two years. The family of Tami Higgenbotham, who was murdered in Feb. 2013, is still seeking answers in the case against Joshua...
Stephen Ward has worked in various departments at the Orange Police Department. He currently is a Detective Sgt. Before becoming a detective he worked as an ID Tech and on patrol. Editors note; this is part of an ongoing series into the lives of local police officers. The intention is to build a good line of communication between the officers and the public in light of recent headlines in cities across the nation. From civilian I.D. Technician to patrolman and to...
Josie and Jacob LeBlanc have been together since high school. They want to become parents but instead have thousands of others who have lost a baby due to a miscarriage. October is SIDS, Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. The couple wants to tell their story in hopes of a better understanding of what they are going through and other couples like them. Across the U.S. expectant mothers will feel their baby's first kick while others will listen to their newborn baby's...
Orange County Sheriff's Office Investigator, Janois Strause, (right) is enjoying some time with her two children. Ashlyn is 22 years old and a recent graduate of the University of Texas. Cody is 11 years old and is into computers and football. Editors note; this is part of an ongoing series into the lives of local police officers. The intention is to build a good line of communication between the officers and the public in light of recent headlines in cities across the...
Janelle Cochran was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012. She takes a daily pill and will continue to do so until she reaches five years of being cancer-free which she fully expects to achieve. She says she is not a cancer survivor until 2017 and will then be "home free." Janelle Cochran: no pity party needed October 1 kicks off breast cancer awareness month. The color pink is seen everywhere from banners to sports teams in an effort to show their support and raise awareness....
Jonathan Baggett, detective for the Orange Police Department, works on a caseload of up to 40 cases at one time. Each day he has the possibility of getting more cases added. But, seeing a case through to prosecution can be very rewarding. Each day as a detective is different than the last with its own unique challenges, but in the end it can be worth all the sleepless nights, headaches and hard work. Jonathan Baggett, detective for the Orange Police Department, has a caseload...
Murder victim's mom wants to keep her promise October 15th will mark 30 years since 26-year-old Thomas "Tommy" Bates was murdered. His mother, Mary Bates, 89, refuses to let it go and still wants to see justice served. One of the reasons she wants to see justice served is because of a promise she made to her son as he lay in his coffin at the funeral home. "I told him I promised to see justice served," Mary Bates said. According to reports, at 10:02 p.m. patrol units were...
A box of bones sits on a shelf at Texas Tech University. The scattered remnants of a teen whose life was taken too soon. A forensic artist used the skull to sketch a picture of what the girl is thought to look like. The sketch was circulated to other police agencies but this was one of many dead ends in the case. A box of bones is all that remains of what is believed to be a teenage girl. The bones were found by the land owner on New Year's Day in 1984. He didn't always go to...
Russell Hall, of the Orange County Sheriff's Office, and his dog, Stryker, are ready to go out on patrol. Hall has been with the OCSO for 10 years. He is part of the canine unit. Russell Hall, of the Orange County Sheriff's Office, works with a partner who rides along with him on a daily basis. However, his partner is a dog named Stryker who is a Belgian Malinois. Together they work patrol as other patrol deputies do. However, Hall and Stryker respond to calls when a dog's...
Linda Roush will be retiring from a job she loves because of doctor's orders. Roush suffers from post-polio syndrome and is battling the side effects of the disease. She hopes parents will get their children immunized to avoid the same problems she has had for most of her life. Round two for polio victim Linda Roush has overcome a lot in her life, but lately there is one battle she can't win. Doctor's orders are forcing her to retire from a job she loves. Roush suffers from Po...
Adam Doiron, 29, touches his mother’s face, Tracy Doiron, as he lays in the burn unit in Galveston after a wreck in a tractor-trailer September 2014 on Interstate 10. After more than nine months in the UTMB Galveston Blocker Burn Unit, Adam Doiron, 29, lost the battle and died. Adam's fight for his life began Sept. 2, 2014 in a fiery crash on Interstate 10 which left him burned over 90 percent of his body. His family was told he had a 10 percent chance of survival. Adam d...
Investigator Lauren Kemp, of the Orange County Sheriff's Office, works on her caseload. She is a special victims investigator. Sex crimes involving people of all ages in various situations are in her caseload. Lauren Kemp, investigator for the Orange County Sheriff's Office, may seem a little bit rough around the edges to some people, but those who really know the 18-year law enforcement veteran know she has a heart as big as Texas. Kemp was not one who always dreamed of...
Mark Philpott, Precinct 3 constable, drives a black 2009 Dodge Challenger with sleek gold lettering. But, this vehicle is not provided by the county. The upkeep, fuel and other things are his sole responsibility. However, he, without hesitation, uses it to escort funeral processions free of charge. Philpott firmly and proudly believes he serves the people of his precinct. There are 760 constable offices in the State of Texas. What sets Orange County Precinct 3 Constable Mark...
Murder charges are expected to be dropped against Joshua Latham, 27, of Mauriceville, as part of a plea bargain agreement between Latham and the Newton County District Attorney, Courtney Tracy Ponthier. The trial was to occur on Monday, but instead Latham is expected to plead guilty to jumping bond and tampering with evidence. He could receive 10 years in prison on each charge. The charges are expected to be run concurrently. The family of the victim, Tami Higgenbotham, 41,...
For The Record Sometimes being a police officer is more than patrolling the streets or investigating crimes. One local officer took his job duties a step further to help Little Cypress-Mauriceville graduating senior, Kazzie Portie. Riley and Emily Portie, Kazzie’s parents, were tragically killed as they rode their motorcycle on May 24 when an alleged drunk driver went over the railroad tracks on West Park Ave. and struck them. The driver of the pickup truck was Travis C...
