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Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Pecos woman gets plea deal in child sexual assault case
A Pecos woman was sentenced to 10 years probation and up to six months in a Central Texas rehab facility in connection with two charges of sexual abuse of a child, following court proceedings on Friday in the 143rd District Courtroom at the Reeves County Courthouse.
The sex abuse plea deal was made with Bianca Orona, who pled guilty to two counts of aggravated sexual assault, in connection with incidents that occurred on March 17 and March 19 of last year involving a young family member. Orona pled guilty to sexual assault of a child under the age of 14. The plea came three days before a trial was scheduled to begin in 143rd District Court in connection with the assault on the elementary school-aged girl.
Under the agreement, Orona will be taken to an intermediate sanction facility in Burnet, northwest of Austin, for treatment of her problems, which include substance abuse. District Attorney Randy Reynolds noted during the session that Orona had been in a vehicle stopped on July 4, where she admitted to possession of a bag containing less than two ounces of marijuana.
He said his office had been in contact with Reeves County Attorney Alva Alvarez, and the incident was taken into account when reaching the plea agreement.
The plea deal also includes 10 years community supervision and $2,500 fines on both counts, along with the incarceration at the drug treatment facility and registration as a sex offender.
The mother of the girl was allowed to speak in court by District Judge Bob Parks after the guilty plea was made, and said through sobs, “You hurt my daughter. She's not the same loving little girl she use to be.
“She lost her family over what you did to her,” she told Orona. “I trusted you to take care of my baby, not to hurt her. You will never get forgiveness from us. You will burn in the fires of hell.
“She will get over this, and you will never hurt my daughter again,” she told Orona.
Reynolds said the treatment center had just recently opened and he had talked with the administrator of the program. “She advised the program is designed to do a lot of things … and thought this program could be beneficial.”
He added they would do tests on Orona to see if she qualified for the program.
The girl's mother said she was told by Reynolds that the treatment program in Burnet would reportedly last between 90 and 180 days.
DA files motion to seek death penalty for Stephens
District Attorney Randy Reynolds will seek the death penalty against Randall Lee Stephens in connection with the 2008 stabbing deaths of the owners of a Pecos bar, following a motion filed on Monday with the 143rd District Court Clerk's office.
The motion was filed three days after an arrangement hearing was held before District Court Judge Bob Parks in Pecos for Stephens, who pled not guilty in connection with the May 6, 2008 murders A.J. And Rick Cherry, owners of D.J.'s Round-Up, while the couple was inside their West Third Street bar.
“Now comes the State of Texas by and through the prosecuting attorney and files this motion to the court and the defendant in the above entitled and numbered capital felony that the state will seek the death penalty,” Reynolds wrote in the motion, which was filed with the District Clerk's office and served via e-mail to Stephens court-appointed public defenders, Dennis Reeves and Jack Stoffregen of Lubbock and J.K. (Rusty) Wall of Midland.
Two other motions, dealing with providing the district attorney's office with a list of expert witnesses the defense plans to use, and with jury selection procedure, also were filed on Monday by Reynolds with the 143rd District Clerk. Copies were also e-mailed to Stephens' attorneys.
Reynolds said on Friday that no dates have been set as of yet for the initial hearing or for the trial date for Stephens, who had just been released from prison after serving 17 years for aggravated sexual assault of a Pecos woman during a 1989 burglary.
The arrangement hearing and Monday's motions came just over a month after Stephens was sentenced to time served by U.S. District Court Judge Robert Junell for failure to register as a sex offender following his release from prison. The final disposition of the federal case allowed Reynolds' office to begin proceedings against Stephens in connection with the Cherrys' murders.
The federal charges for failing to register as a sex offender allowed U.S. Marshals to bring Stephens back from Alabama at the expense of the federal government. He has been held for the past year at the Pecos Criminal Justice Center, and was indicted last November by a 143rd District grand jury on the murder charges.
A warrant was issued by Pecos police on the sex registry charge two days after the murders, but following his arrest in Bay Minette, Ala., a month later, the local charge was superseded by the federal charge.
Stephens is facing capital murder charges in connection with the stabbing deaths of the Cherrys on the night of May 6, 2008. Pecos police believe after stabbing the couple, Stephens stole Rick Cherry’s 1995 Ford F-350 pickup, which was discovered the morning of May 11 by a U.S. Border Patrol agent abandoned on Interstate 25 between Truth or Consequences and Socorro, N.M., about 375 miles northwest of Pecos.
Stephens was arrested on June 3 of 2008 in Loxley, Ala., by an officer who questioned him and two other transients at an Interstate 10 truck stop. A records check turned up the warrant against Stephens on the sex offender charge.
Following his return to Pecos last year, Police Chief Clay McKinney said Stephens gave both written and video confessions to stabbing the Cherrys to death. The confession came hours after Stephens was arrested by police in Loxley.
“After the interview with Mr. Stephens, he did give us a written and taped confession concerning the murder,” McKinney said during a joint press conference with Reynolds and Billy Johnson, head of the U.S. Marshal’s Office for the Pecos Division of U.S. District Court.
Stephens, who turned 50 on the day police say the Cherrys were murdered, grew up in Pecos, but had spent most of the past 30 years in prison. He was released in September of 2007 after serving 17 years as part of a plea bargain agreement on a 1989 charge of burglary of a habitation. The plea was on an original charge of sexual assault for an October 1989 incident involving a 25-year-old woman, and came after he had been convicted in 23rd District Court in Brazoria County in June of 1986 on a charge of aggravated assault.
Stephens also has had previous arrests locally on vehicle theft charges. Records in 143rd District Court showed Stephens served two years on an April 1978 plea deal for theft over $200 and under $10,000 for stealing a vehicle. At the time of that plea, a 1978 charge of attempted aggravated rape was dismissed in 143rd District Court. In July of 1980, Stephens pled guilty and was sentenced to three years in prison for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, in connection with another vehicle theft.
Acosta happy for chance to return to hometown
Moving back to her beloved hometown was always one former Pecos resident’s intention, and after many years that is exactly what she has done, after taking a teaching job with the local school district.
Terri Acosta Deehan was born and raised in Pecos and graduated from Pecos High School in 1982.
She continued her education at Texas Woman’s University in Dallas, where she graduated with honors with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with emphasis in bilingual and ESL Education.
Deehan will be teaching third grade at Austin Elementary for the coming school year and said that she is excited to be back home and to be teaching in her beloved hometown.
“I’m just so happy to be back home, it was my intention all along, to someday move back here,” said Deehan. “I taught at the Montesseri for 10 years, preschool three to eight years old. It was really fun.”
She was then in charge of a Montesseri school for two years and then taught at a Catholic Diocese.
“I did some jobs in Denton, Little Elm and always did tutoring,” said Deehan.
Deehan said that the opportunity to move back to Pecos arose last year with a job offer for her husband.
“He received a call from Windstream and came in August of last year and I moved here in June,” said Deehan.
Deehan said she always wanted to move back to Pecos to be closer to her parents, Tino and Lupe Acosta.
“I missed them and always hoped I could move back,” said Deehan. “I love my parents, they always sacrificed everything for me and I know I can never repay them for all they have done for me.”
Deehan said that it’s because of her parents that she became an educator and has strong morals and judgment.
“In all facets of my life, they have been the main there, spiritually, educationally, the lessons I have learned and the morals that they have instilled in me,” said Deehan.
She is married to Curtis Deehan, whom she said also is her best friend, and the couple have one child, 20-year-old Elijah Cruz Deehan, named after her paternal grandfather.
Deehan also happens to be the first Hispanic to win the title of Golden Girl of the Old West. She was crowned in 1981.
“My mother and father sat down and made up a budget to include funding for the pageant,” said Deehan. “It was a tight budget because of course I had other sisters and brother.”
She said that her parents scrimped and saved and that her sisters agreed to do without certain things just so that she could afford to participate in the pageant. “I probably had the smallest budget of any of the girls, just $500,” said Deehan.
“My parents and sisters were my biggest critics and my biggest fans,” she added. “They were there for my practices and at home they would help practice and rehearse,” she said.
Deehan said that during this time, a counselor was working at the Pecos High School, before going back to North Texas to continue his education, who helped her with her music.
“I played the flute for my talent and that’s another thing my parents did for me, they had him go to our house to help me with my music, by me flute lessons,” said Deehan. “Everything was so hard for me, I had to practice for many hours.”
While her sisters, had natural musical talent, the talent came a little bit harder for Deehan who said that she and her tutor would practice in her living room for many hours.
“My poor sisters had to listen to that for hours and they never complained,” she said.
The payoff came when her name was announced at the end of the pageant in 1981 and she was crowned Golden Girl of the Old West.
“I looked over at the front row and there sat my parents and my sisters, screaming and yelling,” said Deehan. “My mom had tears in her eyes and she made me cry,” she said.
Deehan has three sisters, Elsa and twins, Celia and Celina and a brother, Tino Acosta Jr., who is also a teacher and coach in the Dallas area.
“He doing really great, he took his team to the semi-finals,” said Deehan.
Deehan still enjoys working out, something she has done since she was in high school and a twirler for PHS.
“I run every day and I like to work out. Since I know I have to work all my life, I better take care of myself,” she said, laughing.
While it’s been a big adjustment for her husband, who was born and raised in the city, she has adjusted just fine to small town life in her hometown.
“My husband said that it would probably take me about a month to get adjusted to this life, it took me one day,” she said.
Deehan is enjoying her life back and visits her parents two to three times a day and invites them over for dinner constantly.
“I also get to babysit their dog, ‘Sonny Boy,’” she said. “I’m so happy to be back home,” she said.
Chamber updated on Cantaloupe Festival plans
Mixed Company will be performing during the Night In Old Pecos festivities planned for this coming Saturday in downtown Pecos, Chamber of Commerce members were told last week .
“We had 10 entries, but we went with who we thought would draw a crowd and that was more likely for an outdoor event,” said chamber member Debbie Thomas.
Thomas updated Chamber board members on the July 25 schedule of events during their regular meeting, held last Tuesday at the Pecos Senior Citizen’s Center.
Cat the D.J. will be on hand and Jack Brookshire will be helping out with the car show.
“He did this several years ago and it was very popular,” said Thomas.
An assortment of booths will be set up selling everything from toys to food products.
“There will be plenty of food booths, the Folklorico Dancers will be performing, the blood mobile will be here and the train will be available for the kids to ride on,” said Thomas.
Thomas said that she hoped everyone would be able to attend and bring their lawn chairs and umbrellas.
“We know it rains every year,” said Thomas.
This Friday a Cantaloupe Food Show and Decorating Contest is scheduled at 3:30 p.m., at the TransPecos Bank Lobby.
“The food products have to be there before 3:30 p.m. and we hope a lot of children enter the cantaloupe decorating contest,” said Thomas.
Thomas said that the Reeves County Historical Commission will be hosting a seminar from 2-5 p.m. on Tuesday, at Odessa College.
“They’ll be teaching us about how to research history and plan ceremonies,” said Thomas.
Thomas said that if anybody has any interest they are welcome to attend.
“We would like to have more people attend,” said Thomas.
Thomas reminded the group of the Cantaloupe Fly-In scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 2, at the Pecos Municipal Airport, the weekend after the Night in Old Pecos events.
“They will be unveiling a Bill Hubbs memorial,” said Thomas.
The city decided to change the name of the terminal several months ago to the Bill Hubbs Terminal, after the former mayor and Air Force fighter pilot. There will be an unveiling ceremony at 9 a.m., on the day of the fly-in, according to Thomas.
“Pat Hubbs said that she was going to try to get one of her sons here for the presentation,” said Thomas.
“The pancake breakfast sponsored by the Lion’s Club will be held Aug. 2, from 7 a.m. until 11 a.m.,” said Chamber Director Linda Gholson.
The pancake breakfast sponsored by the Pecos Lion’s Club is held in conjunction with the Cantaloupe Fly-In at the Pecos Municipal Airport.
Chamber president Joe Keese said that he plans to continue working towards the consolidation of the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau with the Chamber of Commerce.
“I got sidetracked there for awhile, because of my health, but I plan to work on the budget and get this all taken care,” said Keese.
“We’ve got the final budget on the depot,” he said, referring to where the Chamber and CVB would be housed.
Keese said that the inside of the depot looks really good and that they will be working on the electricity and other items in the next couple of weeks.
“The caboose will be moved, trying to find a timeline and we need to redo the docks,” said Keese.
Gholson said that the windmill went up in time for the rodeo events. The windmill is located in the lot next to the chamber office.
She told the group that they still have a few Golden Girl/Little Miss Cantaloupe Pageant videos.
“We have a few left and we can order some if they want one,” said Gholson.
The videos are $30 and if anybody is interested they can go to the chamber office.
Keese told the group that the rodeo went really well.
“All the volunteers that said that they would show up, did,” he said. “I want to thank everyone who helped, they did a great job.”
Keese said that they had a big attendance on Wednesday and Thursday. “The numbers were a lot higher that what we’re accustomed to,” he said, adding that the vendors were very happy and that they would have to find new entertainment for next year.
Main Street Mania was a huge success. The car show was held last week and attendance was good, according to Thomas.
“We had 44 entries and gave out about 160 hot dogs and sun pops,” said Thomas.
Thomas said that the people that showed up were there for the right reasons, to show off their vehicles and enjoy themselves.
“It gave us the opportunity to show off our park and is excellent for public relations,” said Thomas.
Parade organizer Elsa Palomino said that they had received a lot of positive comments on the Annual Fourth of July Parade held in conjunction with the rodeo events.
“We had excellent floats, the quality of the floats was tremendous and we had some people from Midland that participated as well,” said Thomas.
Rob Tobias, PEDC director, told chamber members that this is the time that city needs to think about what they are doing.
“There are several projects we’re working on, we’re getting real close with the issue with the water and land, it’s a big project,” said Tobias.
Tobias said that he is excited about where they are going, but that it will take everyone’s cooperation.
“There are many projects going on in the county and we all have to work together,” said Tobias.
County sees unemployment jump in June to 13.7 percent
Reeves County’s unemployment rate surged to its highest level in six years in June, according to figures released on Friday by the Texas Workforce Commission, climbing from 11.8 percent in May to 13.7 percent.
The decline in drilling activity in the Permian Basin affected all counties, along with the end of the 2008-09 school year that put new workers into the labor force in June. But while drilling companies and related firms have laid off people, the TWC’s numbers show the number of workers in the county with jobs is up by 100 from a year ago, while the labor force has swelled to its highest level since 2002, when the closing of the Anchor Foods plant cost 700 people their jobs.
The TWC reported Reeves County had 4,710 workers in June, up from 4,491 in May and from 4,270 a year ago, when unemployment in the county was listed at 7 percent. The number of people employed last month was 4,071, up from 3,971 in June of 2008 and from 3,959 this May.
Part of the reason for surge is due to the method of reporting jobs in counties used by the state agency.
Many of the local jobs connected the oilfield that were created during the boom between 2003 and 2008 were never credited to Reeves County, and were instead listed in other counties where payroll and employment records were kept. In contrast, the workers being laid off are filing for unemployment in Reeves County, leading to the apparent surge in workers despite the dwindling number of higher-paying energy industry jobs.
Only a couple of other Permian Basin counties have joined Reeves in reporting double-digit unemployment, but all counties in oil and natural gas-producing areas saw their jobless rates jump last month, and like Reeves, it was mainly due to a surge in the workforce outpacing the number of jobs added from May.
Midland County’s unemployment rate jumped from 5.2 to 6.1 percent. Midland added 946 workers and 169 jobs last month, the TWC said. Neighboring Ector County’s unemployment climbed from 7.8 to 9.1 percent. The county added 1,009 workers from May while the number of jobs declined by 117.
Andrews County’s rate went from 7.0 to 7.7 percent in June. The number of workers was up 171 and the job total was up by 100 for the month. Brewster County’s rate increased from 4.2 to 5.1 percent. The county’s workforce was up by13 while the number of persons employed dropped by 36 from May.
Crane County’s rate was up from May’s 8.3 percent to 9.4 percent. The county added 55 workers and 29 jobs. Culberson County saw its rate climb from 4.4 to 4.9 percent with a increase of 26 in the labor force and a rise of 15 people with jobs. Dawson County’s jobless rate climbed from 8 to 9 percent, with the number of workers up by 118 and the number of jobs increasing by 53 for June.
Howard County’s unemployment rate increased to 7.9 percent from 7 percent in May. The county added 395 workers and 234 jobs. Pecos County’s rate was up from 11.3 to 11.9 percent last month, as the county’s workforce was up by 246 while the job total increased by 174. Presidio County saw its jobless rate jump from 15.8 percent to 17.8 percent, as the county added 127 workers while the number of jobs increased by 28 from May.
In Ward County, unemployment was up from 8.4 to 9.4 percent in June, with the number of workers growing by 173 while the job total increased by 98. Winkler County’s unemployment rate rose from 9.7 to 10.7 percent, adding 135 people to its workforce while the number of jobs increased by 84.
The only county not to see an increase in its jobless rate was Loving County. The nation’s least-populated county held at the 8 percent rate it had in May, with 50 workers and 46 employed both months. Loving had a 6.8 percent rate a year ago, with 44 workers in 41 employed.
Audit, budget gets approval from appraisal review board
Reeves County Appraisal District board members approved the district’s audit report, 2010 budget and a new personnel policy for the district’s employees during their meeting last Wednesday in Pecos.
Board members were given a review of the audit by Shaw Skinner told by new chief appraiser John Huddleston and Jimmy Foreman, consultant to the district
Foreman said the district is working with the Reeves County Clerk’s office to get county deed records digitized, to cut down on paper overflow, as well as talking to the Texas State Records Agency about permission to clear out storage space in the district’s Cypress Street office though the removal of older records.
The board also approved the appointments of Roy Lindsey, Scott Holderman and Tayna Kiehne to an Agriculture Advisory Board for the district. Holderman’s term will run through December of 2010 and the terms of Lindsey and Kiehne through the end of 2011.
“They will meet three times a year,” Foreman said, telling the board the selections were made due to their knowledge of the agricultural land issues in Reeves County. “The chief appraiser can get a lot of knowledge from these people,” he added.
Huddleston told the board the appraisal review hearings have been completed and the final valuations figures for the county would be ready for certification by the end of this week. The valuations are used by local taxing entities to determine their budgets and tax rates for the 2009-10 fiscal year.
Foreman said there were problems this year getting all the Appraisal Review Board members together for the hearings, and recommended the appointment of an alternate member for 2010. Board president Valera Gatewood recommended local builder Jimmy Toone for the post. “He should be familiar with ARB values,” she said.
Elliott receives scholarship from educational foundation
Joshua Elliott of the Pecos FFA chapter, was awarded a $10,000 scholarship, sponsored by the Richard Wallrath Educational Foundation at the 81st annual Texas FFA Convention held July 7-10, in Dallas.
Elliott was awarded for his active involvement in and dedication to the FFA.
The 2009 Texas FFA Convention was headquartered at the Dallas Convention Center and more than $2 million in scholarships were awarded. In addition, more than 1,302 members received the Lone Star FFA Degree, the highest degree of active membership bestowed by a state FFA association.
Throughout the week, a total of $10,084 members and guests registered at the convention. The Texas FFA is one of the nation’s largest state FFA associations with a membership of approximately 63,000 and over 1,000 FFA chapters. FFA gives students the opportunity to apply practical classroom knowledge to real world experiences through local, state and national competitions.
For more information about the Texas FFA Association visit HYPERLINK "http://www.texasffa.org" www.texasffa.org.
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 432-445-5475, FAX 432-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net
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