Brownwood emergency responders were called to a two vehicle accident at the corner of Austin and Center Avenues involving a Brownwood school bus on Friday afternoon just after 3 PM.

According to emergency responders, the 26 seat bus was full of Brownwood ISD school children, and there were no injuries reported.  The bus was traveling south on Austin Avenue after just it picked up students from Northwest Elementary School shortly before the accident occurred.  Worried parents began showing up to the scene shortly after they heard about the accident.

Law enforcement arrests and reports released Friday, May 10, 2013.

Wednesday, May 8

*3:35 PM – Brownwood Police were dispatched to Wal-Mart regarding theft.  This call led to the issuance of a citation for theft under $50 to one individual.

*4:51 PM – Brownwood Police were called to the area of 12th Street and Avenue C regarding a fight in progress between two minor girls.  A report of disorderly conduct-fighting was filed.

*10:10 PM – Brownwood Police were dispatched to a Brownwood residence regarding an assault which had occurred in Coggin Park.  According to the report, two females stated that both had been threatened and one was pushed in the chest by their ex-stepfather.  The responding officer spoke with both the girls and their grandmother.  The incident, according to the girls, occurred after they had seen the suspect drive by Coggin Park and “mouthed off” at him, which made him stop the car and confront them, resulting in the verbal altercation and pushing, the report states.  The incident was documented by police.

Brownwood Police responded to a one-vehicle accident Thursday evening around 8 PM where a pickup truck struck the front of a building in the 400 block of Fisk Avenue.

According to witnesses on scene, a Toyota pickup was traveling south on Fisk when it hopped the curb and traveled along the sidewalk, scrapping against the front facade of the Brown County Appraisal District and Moore Printing buildings.

Law enforcement arrests and reports released Thursday, May 9, 2013.

Wednesday, May 8

*9:43 AM - Brownwood Police were called to the 1400 block of Coggin Avenue regarding harassment.  According to the report, the complainant advised that a male was threatening to retaliate against their employees because of an incident which occurred in Abilene.  The business had repossessed a vehicle belonging to the male and he was making threats toward employees of the business, the report states.

*7:27 PM – Brownwood police were dispatched to the 300 block of Main Street, Family Dollar, regarding theft.  According to the report, a juvenile stole an inflatable pool.  The identity of the juvenile had not be determined; however, the grandmother of the child has been identified, the report states.

*7:51 PM – Brownwood Police were called to a residence on Elizabeth Drive regarding harassment.  According to the report, the victim stated that he has received threats via phone from another male subject in Brownwood.

Brown County commissioners will soon be faced with the task of appointing someone to fill the vacant position of Constable Precinct 3 after the recent resignation of Keith Varner.

According to Justice of the Peace Precinct 3 Bryan Thompson, the appointment will most likely be made at the Monday, May 13th meeting of the Brown County Commissioners’ Court.

Varner tendered his resignation effective April 30th and moved to Bay City where he took a job with the Texas Department of Transportation, according to Thompson.

While the position is vacant, other constables are filling in and taking care of document service for Precinct 3 until the position is filled, said Thompson.

A probation search led to the arrest of a Brownwood man on Wednesday, April 24th on a charge of possession of marijuana and multiple warrants related to sexual crimes committed against minor victims according to Brownwood Police and a report released today.

According to Brownwood Police Sergeant James Kidd, 22-year-old Luis Gerado Alvarado was arrested on Wednesday, April 24th after evidence was found during a probation search which indicated he was involved in these types of activities.  Alvarado allegedly texted and contacted minors between 14 and 15-year-old online to meet him in person and was found to have also solicited them for sex, according to Kidd.

Charges against Alvarado include four counts of online solicitation of a minor (Coleman County), three counts of sexual assault of a child (Coleman County), online solicitation of a minor (Brown County), and sexual assault of a child (Brown County).

Kidd stated that because there were multiple minor victims, Homeland Security is also investigating the case and secured several federal warrants against Alvarado.  Brownwood Police has filed the case for the sexual assault in Brown County.  Coleman County Sheriff’s Office and Santa Anna Police are also cooperating in the investigation.

Alvarado is currently being held in the Brown County Jail on bonds totaling $128,600.

The Texas Comptroller’s office released May sales tax allocation numbers for cities across the state today showing a slight increase for Brownwood and Early.

Brownwood sales tax was up 1.82% for the month compared to May of last year.   Early’s sale tax allocation was also up by 4.99% on the month.

Statewide, State Comptroller Susan Combs will send cities, counties, transit systems and special purpose taxing districts their May local sales tax allocations totaling $668.5 million, up 5.6 percent compared to May 2012.

“Sales tax collections were up in a range of sectors from construction and manufacturing to restaurants,” Combs said. “As expected, the rate of growth in state sales tax revenue is moderating compared to double-digit growth rates we recently experienced.”

District Attorney Micheal Murray reports that several felony cases were recently heard in Brown/Mills County District Court, Judge Stephen Ellis presiding.

William Jeffery Carlisle pled guilty to the felony offenses of Assault Public Servant and Burglary of a Building and was sentenced to 20 years, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Institutional Division.

Wynndi Marie Caldwell, on probation for the felony offense of Delivery of a Controlled Substance-Drug Free Zone, was adjudicated and sentenced to 15 years, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Institutional Division.  Further, Caldwell, on probation for the felony offense of Delivery of a Controlled Substance-Drug Free Zone, was revoked and sentenced to 10 years, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Institutional Division.

Christopher McCabe pled guilty to the felony offense of Forgery and Fraudulent Use or Possession of Identifying Information-Aggregated and was sentenced to 8 years, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Institutional Division.

Trevor Norman pled guilty to the felony offense of Aggravated Robbery and Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity and was sentenced to 8 years, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Institutional Division.

Awareness of seat belts and risks of not wearing them play a critical role in saving lives.

Texans wear their belt buckles with a certain Lone Star pride, but it’s the buckles in their vehicles that could save their lives. More functional than fashionable, life-saving seat belts first debuted 45 years ago when Lyndon B. Johnson’s National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act and The Highway Safety Act went into effect mandating that all automobiles have seat belts as a standard feature. To honor President Johnson’s pioneering dedication to safety, the Texas Department of Transportation today launched its 12th annual Click It or Ticket campaign at the LBJ Library in Austin with a car show demonstrating the progression of seat belts through the ages.

“The cost of not wearing seat belts is far greater than a ticket or fine,” said Phil Wilson, TxDOT executive director. “Simply put, a seat belt could save your life. Public awareness is working, but we still see some teenagers, pickup truck passengers and rural Texans who aren’t buckling up.”

Taking a cue from LBJ’s leadership, Texas has made seat belt safety a major priority and is proud to be one of the most buckled up states in the union. When the Click It or Ticket campaign began in 2002, only 76 percent of Texans buckled up. Today, 94 percent are wearing seat belts. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates the Click It or Ticket campaign has saved nearly 3,700 lives and prevented more than 50,000 serious injuries since its launch. The increase in seat belt usage also has saved an estimated $10 billion in wages and productivity losses, medical expenses, insurance premiums, taxes and other costs.