Jumping Horny Toads, what a Christmas here in San Saba County. We were very slow up until Christmas Eve and man did it get busy then. Yet, before we get into all of that, I want to say thanks to the man above for the beautiful gift of rain that we received. We have all been praying for it and man, what a beautiful Christmas present it was. We are still praying for a lot more of it, but I for one am very thankful for what we did receive.

Well, we had a man hunt on Christmas Eve and God took care of all of us once again. We were notified that a man suspected of murder was in our county somewhere near Cherokee. Chief Deputy Bill Price, Deputies Todd Milster and James Barrows responded to the area and began the investigation. Texas Parks and Wildlife Wardens Chris Wilson and Brad Reeves then responded to assist when it was confirmed that the suspect was possibly still in the area. These five units began to work that area attempting to locate the suspect.

Now this is when it gets real busy for dispatch and the reason that we bring in other individuals. Dispatcher Jeremy Plumley andJail Administrator Brenda Willis were not only in contact with the five units in Cherokee, but also had two city units out and an EMS run in progress and two additional Sheriff's Office units out checking other locations for the suspect and clearing other calls. Dispatch was also in communication with the Ingram units where the homicide had occurred and was trying to keep the information coming and in a timely manner. Nothing hurts an investigation more than bad or outdated information and we needed to be up to speed on this one. Dispatch did an outstanding job on this night and played a huge part in the successful outcome of this event.

The suspect was located by the search units on HWY 16, just North of Cherokee and everyone moved to assist. San Saba City Police Officers, Jimmy Hill and Joe Dominguez and I responded from San Saba and were on scene with the other units, which had gotten the suspect stopped. There was a brief standoff inside the vehicle and then outside the vehicle before the suspect surrendered without any violence, to the officers. The suspect was then transported to the San Saba County Jail and all the evidence involved in this case was secured for the investigators.

I was very impressed with the teamwork and professional conduct of all the law enforcement and dispatch officers involved in this arrest. It was successful only because of the extra effort of all of these professionals who put their responsibility to this community first and foremost before their own safety. It was Christmas Eve and over half of those involved were either off and home with their families or were heading there when the call came in. Not one person failed to answer the call for assistance and not one of them complained, they just saddled up and headed out. There were several called out who had to cover the city and or the rest of the county while this incident was taking place. I want to thank not only those involved in this arrest, but the families of the officers as well. I am sure that sitting at home, on Christmas Eve with the children, not knowing what is going on and trying to keep a smile on your face is really the most difficult job of all. God bless all family members of law enforcement and military personnel, they need it.

We want to continue to encourage everyone to call in those tips and help put us in the right place at the right time. We all know that this weekend is New Years and that there will be some wonderful parties out there. I am asking some of you to make sure that your New Year's resolution is to make sure that all of your loved ones get home safe from the parties. We need responsible individuals to make sure that there are designated drivers at these parties. If you are a host, please take the keys at the door and then you can make sure that you know what shape they are in when they leave. Controlling those keys actually may be the one thing that saves a life and prevents all the pain and suffering from a drinking and driving accident. Let's all work together to make this a safe and wonderful New Year.

One more thing, I have seen several deer that have been shot on the side of the road and just the head cut off or maybe the back straps cut out, and the rest of the deer just lying there. If you see any suspicious vehicles driving on your road, call 325-372-5551 or 5432 and we will send someone to your area. We want to stop this waste as soon as possible and if you are one of the ones doing this, then be looking over your shoulder and expect to be in jail if and when you are caught.

Well, once again, thank you for all your support and for all the prayers. We hope to hear from you and hope that we can help you if needed.