2007 in Review: Stories of the Year

With the book closed on 2007,
here is a look back at some of the
top news stories of the year.

Fatal wrecks

The number of fatal wrecks was once again a top story for Wise County. The Messenger reported 27 motor vehicle fatalities in the county for the year.

Perhaps the saddest aspect of the traffic fatalities was the number of victims age 18 or younger. Of the 27 deaths, nine were teens or younger.

Three teens were killed in one wreck Aug. 4 near Cottondale, including a Paradise High School student, Ryan Lowe. Toxicology reports revealed Lowe, the driver, was intoxicated at the time of the accident. Also killed were Morgan Moss, 14, and Michael Fresch, 16, both of North Richland Hills. Two other teens were seriously injured.

Three members of a Decatur family died as the result of an accident on Christmas Eve in Decatur. William Bell and his two daughters, Shawnee, 10, and Cheyenne, 9, died while on the way to a family member's home for Christmas. The children's mother and William's wife, Tammy, and another child, Cale, 7, were also injured.

At least one other Wise County teenager was killed on the roadways outside of the county. Wil Goode, 16, a Slidell High School student, was killed in a wreck June 30 in Denton County.

Some wrecks didn't result in fatalities but did leave victims with serious injuries. At least two young Wise County residents remain either in critical condition or struggling to recover from devastating injuries.

Jacklyn Murphree, 20, of Decatur is now home but remains in a coma following an accident Aug. 17 near Decatur. The driver of the other car, Betty Monroe, was arrested and has been indicted on a charge of intoxicated assault.

Steven Eichthaler, 19, is undergoing rehabilitation therapy following a Nov. 25 wreck that killed his mother, Candace Richardson, and his brother, Shane Eichthaler. The driver of the other vehicle in the wreck, Miles Shackleford, was arrested Dec. 22 on a charge of intoxicated manslaughter.

Animal shelter closed

The Texas Department of State Health Services gave the Wise County animal shelter an unsatisfactory rating in July, effectively shutting down the facility.

A spokesperson for the TDSHS said numerous difficiencies identified in a 2006 inspection had not been fixed. Problem areas included floor tiles that lacked sealant, uncovered draining troughs, rusted sheet metal and unsecured doors.

Wise County Sheriff David Walker, who oversees animal control and the shelter, said money had been spent on improvements over the past few years. However, for the shelter to re-open, a new shelter must be built.

Walker said recently he expects a new animal shelter to be built my mid-2008.

State closes animal shelter

Groundwater district passes

Following last year's announcement that Wise County effectively had two years to form its own groundwater conservation district before being placed in a large, multi-county district which would include the Metroplex, Wise County voters opted for local control.

Legislation was passed earlier in the year calling for an election for the Upper Trinity Groundwater Conservation District. The district also includes Parker, Hood and Montague counties.

Voters in all four counties overwhelmingly approved the district in November.

The district's purpose is to promote the conservation of water resources and insure future availability of water. A unique aspect of the district is that it is the first in the state to have the authority to place certain restrictions on the oil and gas industry for water use.

Pass, Pass, Pass
Voters approve groundwater district, school bond packages

School bonds pass in Alvord, Boyd and Chico

The county's growth was reflected in the passage of three school bond elections in 2007.

In May, a bond election in Alvord passed by a mere 12 votes. The bond package includes money for a new middle school and an addition to the high school.

After rejecting two previous bond packages, Boyd school district voters approved a bond package for a new high school in November. The $24 million package includes money for a new 30-classroom high school as well as a four-classroom addition to the elementary school and a middle school cafetorium.

Voters in Chico aproved an $18.5 million bond package for a new high school and elementary, each providing 24 classrooms.

Murders

Only a little more than two days into the new year, Wise County saw its first murder. Maria Limon, a cook at the Hot Skillet Restaurant near Alvord, was killed Jan. 3 as she arrived at work. Witnesses said she was shot by her estranged husband, Antonio Limon.

After days of searching, Antonio Limon was located in a field nearby, dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Robin Shaddix Sparkman, 39, of Bridgeport died March 23, four days after being struck in the head with a baseball bat at a home in Bridgeport. Police arrested John Cooper Carrell, 21, of Bridgeport and charged him with murder. Carrell remains in the Wise County jail awaiting trial.

Another man, Ricky Don Martinez, 26, was arrested for murder in connection with the death of 2-year-old Boyd resident Lloyd Michael Anderson Jr. in September. Martinez was later indicted for injury to a child.

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