Annelle Hill, Lucile Taylor and Stacy Villanueva were honored with service awards during the Nolan County Commissioners’ meeting on Monday morning, January 14, 2013. Annelle Hill who is currently assigned to the jail section was honored for her five years of service to the county as a Sheriff’s Office county jailer. Lucile Taylor and Stacy Villanueva who are also currently assigned to the jail section were honored for five years of service to the county as Sheriff’s Office booking and dispatch officers.
Report of suspicious activity results in arrest
On Tuesday, January 1, 2013, the Nolan County Sheriff’s Office received a report of two men loading metal into the bed of a black Ford truck near the 100 block of Farm to Market Road 608, Maryneal, Texas. Deputy Daniel King responded to the area and located the reported vehicle traveling east on Farm to Market Road 608 near State Highway 70. After initiating a traffic stop, Deputy King contacted the two men and conducted an investigation, which resulted in an arrest and the recovery of 568 railroad tie plates, property of Texas Oklahoma Railroad
The property recovered is estimated at over $17,000.00.
The Nolan County Sheriff’s Office actively solicits and encourages the cooperation of all citizens to reduce and limit the opportunities for crime and to assist bringing to justice those who violate the law.
‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’ Holiday Crackdown
Nearly 10,000 people die on the road each year due to drunk driving; 1,075 people died in Texas in 2010 in impaired driving crashes where at least the driver of a vehicle or a rider on a motorcycle had a BAC of .08 or higher. In order to stop this deadly epidemic, raise public awareness about the dangers of impaired driving, and most importantly, to save lives and prevent injuries on our roadways, a nationwide impaired-driving enforcement crackdown, “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,” will be conducted mid-December through New Year’s Day.
Sheriff David Warren would like to remind the citizens and visitors of Nolan County that deputies along with local and state law enforcement will be out in force and aggressively looking for impaired drivers. Driving impaired is not worth the risk, so don’t take the chance. ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.’
I20 scheduled for temporary closure
The two main westbound lanes of Interstate 20 at the US 84 overpass between Sweetwater and Roscoe are scheduled for a temporary closure starting Wednesday, November 28.
The closure is expected to last approximately one week to allow crews to demolish and remove the bridge that was damaged after a collision in late September.
Traffic will be detoured to Business US 84 and routed around the overpass, then directed back to westbound Interstate 20. The ¾-mile detour is the same route that was used immediately following when the collision occurred. The Texas Department of Transportation will have signs, cones and message boards will be in place to direct drivers.
The westbound Interstate 20 lanes will reopen after the work is complete. Future closures, however, will be necessary as “work progresses to replace the bridge.
Sheriff David Warren recently swore in two newly approved Reserve Deputies
On Tuesday morning, October 2nd, the Nolan County Sheriff’s Office added two more members to its roster. However, these two men won’t get paid a salary for their efforts. Stephen Smith II and Chad Mitchell were sworn in as Reserve Deputies for the Nolan County Sheriff’s Office.
Both men recently completed their training and graduated from Academy #88 of the West Central Texas Law Enforcement Academy in Abilene. Smith and Mitchell endured weekly night classes and Saturday classes over a 7 ½ month period to obtain the 796 classroom hours needed to finish the academy. Both took and passed their state licensing examinations and are now fully licensed peace officers.
What sets these two apart is they both have other careers and are entering law enforcement in a volunteer capacity. “This is rare these days and very encouraging” said Sheriff David Warren. “Volunteerism is something that has declined in recent years and reserve officers used to be able to take a much more abbreviated amount of training to achieve their “reserve deputy” status. Now they must take the same full amount of training as any full-time officer.” said Warren. “We actually sponsored Stephen Smith through the academy and Chad Mitchell just chose us as his agency to volunteer for. These guys will be placed with experienced Deputies and go through a field training program and orientation with our Sheriff’s Office” explained Warren.
Stephen Smith II is the eldest son of local residents Steve and Jan Smith and works for U.S. Airways. Chad Mitchell lives in Abilene and is lead pastor for Mission Abilene and was instrumental in starting the program Stop the Violence now entering its sixth year.
Both men have a genuine passion to be involved and help people in this area. Sheriff Warren emphasized, “I am proud to have these two additional Deputies and certainly appreciate their unselfish attitude and willingness to risk their own lives to serve folks here in Nolan County in an un-paid capacity.”
One of the fastest growing crimes in the United States is metal theft
Copper, aluminum, nickel, stainless steel and scrap iron have become the desired target of thieves looking to make a quick dollar. An increase in demand for these metals from Asian markets such as China and India has created a thriving international scrap trade, resulting in much higher prices.
Of particular concern is copper, now selling for approximately $4,400 a ton, up 50% since the beginning of 2009. Copper theft often includes gutters, flashings, downspouts, water lines and electrical wiring that can be quickly stripped from vacant buildings, industrial facilities, commercial buildings and construction sites. Air conditioning units are particularly attractive, and are often tampered with or stolen for their copper coils and pipes that connect to HVAC systems. The metal is then sold to recycling companies and scrap yards for a huge profit.
Metal theft is a real problem that tends to be underestimated and while the economy struggles, metal theft is expected to increase as people become desperate for any kind of income. Vacant buildings and homes under construction are huge targets for thieves.
A painful lesson for businesses
The Nolan County Sheriff’s Office has seen an increase in burglaries in the Rural Nolan County areas. More recently, burglaries of vacant buildings, industrial facilities, commercial buildings and construction sites have been reported and are currently being investigated.
It has been found that wily thieves use a variety of methods to locate and steal metals. Some pose as renovation contractors while stripping copper from construction sites and vacant homes. Others use a buddy method for stealing, with one person driving a getaway truck and the other grabbing the metal. A few resourceful criminals have even used the internet to identify large amounts of metal stored outdoors.
Regardless of the method, the cost of metal theft to business owners nationwide is staggering. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that losses from copper theft alone cost the U.S. economy about $1 billion a year.
Having adequate property insurance is critical, especially if your business uses any of the higher risk metals, like copper or aluminum. The theft of $100 worth of copper might cost you $10,000 or more in repairs, lost productivity and profits in addition to the replacement cost of the metal.
Preventing metal theft
To combat the metal theft problem, at least 28 states and scores of municipalities around the country have passed laws tightening the restrictions on scrap dealers. In some instances, purchases of scrap metal are required to be held in reserve for a week or more before being resold in case it has been stolen. Some states require dealers to record the seller’s name, address and driver’s license.
Still, the best defense is to prevent metal theft at the source!
In an effort to discourage criminal activity and or identify criminal suspects, Sheriff David Warren encourages home and business owners to consider the following measures to reduce your risk:
- Install a security camera with video recorder and keep recordings for a sufficient period.
- Secure all equipment in locked buildings, or in well-lit areas secured by fencing. Better yet, use a perimeter security system with contact alarms or motion detectors, or install a 6-foot perimeter fence with barbed wire at the top (as allowed by local rules, regulations or standards) and gates with locks to avoid theft of common scrap metals, such as copper, nickel, stainless steel and others.
- Post “No Trespassing” placards around the property or signs indicating the presence of a video surveillance or security system to deter thieves. Even with non-active systems, these signs tend to discourage some instances of metal theft.
- Remove access to buildings and roofs. Eliminate items that allow for easy entry to buildings, such as trees, ladders, scaffolding, dumpsters and accumulated materials such as pallet piles.
- Secure your building access with deadbolts, and door and window locks.
- Trim or remove shrubbery or other landscaping that allows criminals to hide from view on your property.
- Mark metals with the company’s name using paint, hard-to-remove decals or engraving equipment.
- Make sure someone is present when supplies such as copper wiring or pipe are delivered at a job site so the materials can be immediately secured.
- Don’t receive supplies earlier than you need them. The longer metal is onsite and unused, the longer it’s at risk of theft.
- Develop a relationship with local law enforcement. Ask for their guidance in preventing metal theft at your business and what to do in the event a theft occurs.
- Increase lighting outside, and protect fixtures (such as AC units) with locked metal cages.
- Create a master list or inventory of all of your equipment and bulk metal (if applicable) and include pictures. Providing the list to your agent and the authorities might help in recovering the items.
- Talk with your insurance agent. Make sure you have adequate insurance to cover metal theft, and be sure to update your agent as your business changes. For example, if your building becomes partially or fully vacant, your coverage may change without you realizing it.
If a metal theft does occur, call the police immediately so that local recyclers and scrap dealers are alerted. Be sure to preserve the crime scene, including tire tracks, shoe tracks and fingerprints. This evidence could be used to help identify and prosecute the thieves if they are caught.