Grand jury signs 56 indictments in March

The Hopkins County Grand Jury during the March session signed 56 indictments.

Overall, 47 people were named in the charges, which ranged from aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, indecency with a child, child endangerment, terroristic threat and cruelty to non-livestock animals offenses to felony drunk driving, evading arrest with a vehicle, obstruction of justice, burglary, harassment, tampering with evidence, theft and controlled substance offenses.

Among the individuals indicted was Morgan Rechelle Durrett, the woman accused of making a bomb threat at Sulphur Springs Elementary in January. Durrett was indicted on a terroristic threat causing fear of serious bodily injury. The incident resulted in SSES being evacuated early Jan. 18 to a nearby location, then school being canceled for the rest of the day, requiring families to pick up their students, so that city, county, state and federal officials could conduct thorough searches of the campus. Officials also tracked the call back to the woman who was arrested and has remained in Hopkins County jail since Jan. 18, 2023 on two terroristic threat warrants, one for terroristic threat which impair public or government service and another for terroristic threat causing fear of imminent serious bodily injury. The woman’s bond was set at $100,000 on the first charge and $10,000 on the second, according to jail reports.

Nicholas Allen Shepherd was indicted during the March Grand Jury session on an assault of a family or household member that impeded breathing or circulation charge. He was accused on Nov. 28 of choking a female resident with whom he had argued at a Johnson Lane address. Shepherd was taken into custody less than an hour later and jailed on the charge, deputies alleged in arrest reports.

Morgan Lane Brown was indicted during the March Grand Jury session on an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge. The 27-year-old was arrested at his rural residence on Dec. 21 on a warrant alleging the assault occurred on Dec. 18, 2022. He was released from jail two days later on a $35,000 bond, according to arrest and jail reports.

Morgan Brown was also indicted on a cruelty to non‐livestock animals: torture while Jeffrey Lynn Massey was indicted on a cruelty to livestock animals: physical abuse charge. Brown was arrested Dec. 21 on the cruelty charge, also alleged to have occurred on Dec. 18; his bond on that charge was also set at $35,000, according to arrest and jail reports.

Indicted on one count of assault causing bodily injury to a family member- enhanced was Christopher Howard Alves.

Luke Maximus Walters was indicted on two separate charges of indecency with a child by sexual contact. The 20-year-old Dike man has been in custody in Hopkins County jail since his arrest Jan. 5, 2023, on warrants for the charges. The offenses were noted in arrest reports to have occurred in March 2021. He was served Jan. 9 at the jail with three additional warrants for alleged sex offenses against children.

Christopher Lynn Baldwin was indicted on one indecency with a child by sexual contact charge. The 45-year-old Sulphur Springs man was arrested on a warrant for the indecency charge on Dec. 22, 2022, then released the next day on bond. The offense is alleged to have occurred on Aug. 8, 2022, according to arrest and jail reports.

Ruben James Anzaldua was indicted for failure to comply with sex offender duty to register annually for life. He was arrested March 5, 2023, on the charge and remained in Hopkins County jail Friday on a $100,000 bond, according to jail records.

Alice Nicole Burnett and Kevin Dewayne Bryant were both indicted on one count of abandoning or endanger of a child by intentionally, knowingly, recklessly through criminal negligence. Burnett and Bryant were arrested Jan. 28 on the charge, after a traffic stop yielded a controlled substance; two juveniles were with them at the time of the traffic stop. Bryant remained in the county jail Friday in lieu of $35,000, according to jail reports.

Indicted for obstruction or retaliation was Jordan Terrell Givens. The 19-yearold was arrested Dec. 20, 2022, on Texas Street, a location for which he’d previously been issued a criminal trespass warning, prohibiting from returning to the address. Givens allegedly began using force against the officer, who believed it to be an attempt to obstruct his arrest, threatened to commit an act of violence toward the officer. His bond on the obstruction charge was set at $75,000. He remained in the county jail April 15, 2023.

Zachary Allen Hallet was indicted on three separate counts of burglary of a habitation. The 27-yearold Duncanville man was arrested Dec. 30, 2022, in Winnsboro after confessing to entering a Hopkins County Road 2402 residence three separate times and committing theft each time, deputies reported after his arrest in late 2022. He was found in Winnsboro with items taken from the residence Dec. 30 in the pickup he was driving. With his cooperation, additional items taken from the home on prior occasions were located and recovered, according to arrest reports. Hallet remained in Hopkins County jail April 15 in lieu of $45,000 on each of the third degree felony charge.

Indicted on one burglary of a habitation charge each were Braylan Parker Tillery, Charla Nicole Tillery and Kendrick Okeith Willis, Jr.. Willis has been in the county jail since Dec. 22, 2022. Charla Tillery remained in Hopkins County jail since her arrest Jan. 17 on an insufficient bond on a burglary charge, according to arrest reports. Braylan Tillery, 22, of Sulphur Springs was taken into custody Dec. 19, 2022, on the charge he was found inside a Bellview Street residence, where police were told someone had seen him entering through a bedroom window.

Amanda Kay Rowe was indicted for credit or debit card abuse-elderly. Rowe was arrested Jan. 3, 2023, at her residence in Cumby on the warrant.

Gary Don Rose was indicted on a harassment of a public servant charge. The 36-year-old Cumby man was arrested Jan. 29 at his rural residence after calling 911 dispatchers numerous times, after talking to them and being warned not to call the line unless he had an actual emergency.

Joshua Terry Ford was indicted for evading arrest or detention with a vehicle and unauthorized use of a vehicle. The Celeste man has remained in Hopkins County jail since his arrest Dec. 27, 2022, following first a vehicle using a stolen car which he got stuck in a ditch after driving through a County Road 4720 pasture. His bond was set at $100,000 per charge, according to arrest reports.

Carter Neal Korsmo was also indicted during the March session on an unauthorized use of a vehicle charge and a tampering with or fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair charge Wayne Giles was indicted for theft of firearm and Veronica Marie Zamora on a theft of property valued at less than 2,500 with two or more previous convictions which enhances the charge to a felony offense.

Demetrice Rashun Watson was indicted for possession of 4 ounces or more but less than 5 pounds of marijuana.

April Danielle Homer was indicted for fraudulent use or possession of five or more items of identifying information.

Nina Gibson Masters was indicted for tampering with or fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair and possession of 4 grams or less but more than 200 grams of a Penalty Group 1/1‐B controlled substance charge.

Indicted for possession of a Penalty Group 2 controlled substance were Juan Alexandero Quiroz, 1 gram or more but less than 4 grams, and Marcus Darrell Fitch, less than 1 gram.

Lacheshia Shacarol Brown was indicted on a prohibited substance or item in a correctional, civic or community facility.

Indicted on third or more driving while intoxicated offenses are Justin Scott Tanner, Michael Lee Watts and Latosha Nicole Burdette.

The remaining charges were for controlled substance offenses. Indicted on Penalty Group 1/1-B controlled substance charges during the March 2023 grand jury session included:

• Eric Montreal Anderson — Possession of 4 grams or more but less than 200 grams with intent to deliver;

• Andria Maysen Bailey —Possession of less than 1 gram in a drugfree zone;

• Zachary Lee Kirkland — Possession of 4 grams or more but less than 200 grams;

• Reed Ballard — possession of 4 grams or more but less than 200 grams;

• Kevin Dewayne Bryant — Possession of 4 grams or more but less than 200 grams;

• Angela Marie Thomas Childs — Possession of less than 1 gram;

• James Hurley Cork — Possession of less than 1 gram in a drug-free zone;

• Nathaniel Kenneth Cowie — Possession of 4 grams or more but less than 200 grams;

• Amber Diane Landers — Possession of 1 gram or more but less than 4 grams;

• Marcus Scott Lanier — Possession of 1 gram or more but less than 4 grams

• Lauren Serene Maxwell — Possession of less than 1 gram in a drugfree zone;

• Floyd Taylor — Possession of less than 1 gram in a drug-free zone;

• Montashia Sheneil Mc Carty — Possession of less than 1 gram;

• Shakendrick Lamar Pettigrew — Possession of less than 1 gram;

• Steven Wayne Metcalf — Possession of less than 1 gram;

• Javon Romell Smith — Possession of 1 gram or more but less than 4 grams; Cs Pg 1/1‐B >=1G 4G

• Russell Dale Ward — Poss of less than 1gram;

• Joshua Taylor Young — Possession of less than 1 gram; and

• Michael Lee Watts III — Possession of less than 1 gram.