Author: Howe Enterprise

From the National Weather Service:

TORNADO WATCH 86 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM CDT FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS .    TEXAS COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE

CLAY

COLLIN

COOKE

DALLAS

DELTA

DENTON

FANNIN

GRAYSON

HUNTJACK

LAMAR

MONTAGUE

PARKER

ROCKWALL

TARRANT

WISE

There is a chance for thunderstorms late this afternoon through

tonight across all of North and Central Texas. While only a few

storms are expected to develop, those that do form will likely become

severe. The main hazards are expected to be large hail and damaging

winds, although there is the potential for a few tornadoes north of

Interstate 20. The highest chances for thunderstorms and severe

weather will be along and north of Interstate 20 beginning after 4PM.

The severe weather threat is expected to diminish after midnight.

 

 

 

 

 

At approximately 5:30 am, Howe police responded to a single vehicle rollover in the 400 block of S. Collins Freeway.  When the officers arrived, they found the male passenger of the vehicle had been ejected and the male driver was up walking around. The driver was transported to Wilson N Jones Hospital by Sherman EMS, the passenger was flown by helicopter to Plano.  Both males are from Grandbury, Texas. They were headed to Oklahoma. It appears the driver fell asleep and left the roadway. The crash is still under investigation.

 

Howe- funeral services for Margie Donaghey Smith will be held at 1:00 PM Tuesday, March 21 at Waldo Funeral Home. Graveside services will follow at 3:00 PM at White Mound Cemetery. Mrs. Smith, 93, passed away Saturday, March 18 at Wilson N. Jones Regional Medical Center. Margie was born November 12, 1923, to the late Elsie and Virgil Donaghey in her great grandmother’s home near Whitewright.  She married Dwight Smith on June 5, 1940, in Sherman. Margie was a devout Christian who taught Sunday school for many years with her favorite student age being 12 years. She was a devoted homemaker to her husband and daughters. She and her husband were true partners in their business, Dwight Smith Farm Machinery, with Margie serving as corporate president. Margie loved to read from the age of four years to the end of her life. Her house was always filled with books. She received two double promotions in school and lettered in debate in Whitewright High School. She graduated from Draughn’s Business College & also earned a realtors license.  One of her clients was Elizabeth Taylor.

She was an accomplished and prolific artist in both oil and porcelain.

She was a member of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas through her great-great-great-grandfather, John T Fitzhugh, a Texas Ranger. Her great great great grandmother, Sarah Shelton, was the niece of Patrick Henry. Mrs. Smith had multiple American Revolutionary ancestors including three generations of the Col. William F Fitzhugh family.

Mrs. Smith is survived by two daughters, Sherilyn Smith and husband Reggie of Sherman and Dr. Roxanne Donaghey Smith of Howe; seven grandchildren, Reggie Smith and wife Stephany of Van Alstyne, Kristen McCoy and husband Billy of Sherman, Allison Robertson and husband Clay of Kerrville, Adam Coffey of Arlington, Hunter Smith and wife Jennifer of Zionsville, IN, Cariana Haker and husband Chad of Gunter, and Che’ Jones and husband Doug of Honolulu, HI; and a precious host of great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband Dwight Smith; daughter, Margo Smith; parents, Virgil and Elsie Donaghey; sister, Helen Snowden; and great-granddaughter, Morgan Coffey Haker.

The family will receive friends from 12:00-1:00 PM Tuesday at Waldo Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Howe Volunteer Fire Dept at 120 E. Haning St, Howe, Texas 75459. The register book can be signed online at waldofuneralhome.com.

Howe police arrested two Amarillo men early Thursday morning at the Valero gas station in Howe on a variety of charges related to recent credit card skimming incidents in Howe and Gunter.  Thirty-year-old Yoel Hernandez-Frometa and twenty-four-year-old  Yalian Chacon-Cabreja have been arrested and charged with Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity, Fraudulent Use or Possession of Personal Identifying Information, and Breach of Computer Security.

Officer Brandon Ozuna was patrolling Howe in the early morning hours of March 16 when he heard police radio reports of two men in a red Mercedes tampering with gas pumps at a business in Gunter.  Around 4:00 am, Officer Ozuna saw a red 2008 Mercedes on the parking lot of the Valero gas station in Howe with two men acting suspiciously around gas pumps where police had previously recovered skimming devices. Officer Ozuna met with the individuals and a subsequent consent search of their car resulted in the recovery of several credit cards and bank statements that didn’t belong to either of the men.  Officers from Gunter and Van Alstyne responded and assisted Howe officers.  Hernandez-Frometa and Chacon-Cabreja were taken into custody without incident.  The 2008 Mercedes and nearly $1,000 in currency was seized for civil forfeiture proceedings.

Howe officers are working with other law enforcement agencies, including agencies in Arkansas and Oklahoma, where they believe Hernandez-Frometa and Chacon-Cabreja may have installed additional skimming devices. Howe officers recovered evidence, prior to theses arrests, that link Hernandez-Frometa and Chacon-Cabreja to the skimmers seized from the Valero gas pumps weeks before.

Despite the arrests, the Howe Police Department again warns citizens that identity theft and credit card fraud are ongoing problems. Citizens are reminded to protect themselves against theft by paying with cash when possible, visually inspecting gas pumps for tampering, and consistently monitoring their bank and credit card statements and reporting suspicious activity.

The investigation is ongoing.  Anyone with additional information concerning Hernandez-Frometa and Chacon-Cabreja is asked to contact Howe PD Detective Keith Milks at 903-532-9971.

 

Two years ago, Howe Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Zack Hudson assembled what has to be the greatest football coaching staff in Howe history.  Today, two of those members have exited the stage.  Earlier today, an announcement came from Dale West that he is leaving Howe for the AD position at Collinsville.  Now we have learned that Wes Rhoten has accepted the position of offensive coordinator at Canton.

“I think Coach Rhoten’s resume speaks for itself.  He’s making a family move and a step up being an OC (offensive coordinator).” said Hudson.  “He’ll be able to be with both sides of his family now in Canton.  In the two years he’s been here, he has helped us tremendously, not only in football but also track. He’s another one of our coaches that our kids here had the pleasure of being coached by.  We try and hire the best coaches and when you do that, you don’t get to keep them.  I knew it wouldn’t last forever.  They are great coaches and when you have great coaches, other schools want them.”

Hudson says that they will not rush to make any decision on coaching replacements or styles of the way they do things.

“This is a good thing.  We will miss them like crazy, but it shows that we’re doing things right here when our coaches are wanted.” said Hudson.  “My job is to now not miss a beat without them.”

Before the 2014 season, Howe Bulldogs Head Football Coach and Athletic Director Zack Hudson hired Dale West from Sweeney ISD to install the slot-T offense in Howe.  Since then, Howe has gone 26-11 and played in eight playoff games.  The Bulldogs, under the slot-T, set individual rushing records with Anthony Hawthorne and touchdown records with Tyler Grisham.  But West announced to the players this morning that he has been approved by Collinsville ISD to take over as their athletic director and head football coaching position.

“This is what I’ve always wanted.” West told the Enterprise.

The Pirates were 9-3 in 2016 and lost to Crawford in the second round of the playoffs.

“I’m so proud of Coach West and his accomplishments.” said Hudson.  “I’m also very proud of our program and our community and kids.  We are proud that we are able to produce head coaches (from our community).  A piece of Howe will now go to another town and be able to make a mark in there as well.  We wish Coach West and his family the best of luck.”

 

According to a Howe Police Department press release, officers recovered credit/debit card skimming devices from two gas pumps at the Valero gas station Monday afternoon.  Sgt. Michael Hill reported that on March 6, 2017 around 4:00pm, they were alerted by the Texas Department of Agriculture that there were two gas pumps at the Valero gas station with possible skimming devices mounted inside them.

Sgt. Hill stated “These are not the type of skimmers we have seen recovered in other areas.  Unless you looked inside the pumps and knew what to look for, you would have no idea a skimmer was installed.”  Sgt. Hill reported that the devices recovered appear to be equipped with Bluetooth technology.  Hill added, “The person(s) who installed them would likely be able to access captured credit/debit card data remotely.” 

Sgt. Hill said they are actively investigating a case reported in February in which a victim’s checking account was depleted after an unauthorized person obtained his debit card number.  Police say they believe the victim’s information was obtained by the use of these skimmers.

Sgt. Hill recommended the following tips to reduce your chances of becoming a victim:

• When possible, always pay with cash inside the store or use a credit card instead of a debit card. Credit cards have better fraud protection.
• Check for signs of tampering of the gas pump. This includes a broken security seal over the door. If something seems out of place, notify gas station personnel.
• Monitor your bank statements regularly for unauthorized charges and notify your bank immediately if your account has been breached.

Anyone with information regarding the recovered skimming devices should contact  Det. Keith Milks at 903-532-9971.