First, I want to say thank you to all of those individuals who have taken time to stop and assist us with putting up loose livestock along the roadways. It has been a very bad year for livestock getting out and we have had a record number of calls concerning this matter. Yet, nearly every time someone will stop to help and sometimes they put them up before we get there. Cows, goats, sheep, hogs, horses and even an elk are some of the wandering wonders that we get to deal with and they're not very good about telling us where they belong. Thanks again for all of your assistance in this matter and please don't hesitate to call.

This last week was extremely busy and there were ten arrests made this last week. The sad news is that of the ten arrests, four were for Driving While Intoxicated. Trooper Mark Owen arrested one on HWY 16 south at Cherokee, Deputy John Wilkerson arrested one on HWY 190 west near the river bridge and I arrested two of them, one in downtown Cherokee and the other in the 600 block of north 8th street in San Saba. We are seeing higher levels of intoxication as well. The legal limit is 0.08 yet we are seeing results of 0.15 and up as high as 0.33, which is a medical situation as well. We are not seeing anything close to 0.08, but dangerous levels which will be addressed in the court. We are taking some new steps toward combating the drinking and driving situation in this county and we have new laws that have come into effect since the first of September. One of the laws states that if an individual is arrested for Driving While Intoxicated and he has a blood alcohol content of 0.15 or higher, then that arrest is enhanced to a Class A Misdemeanor, along with the punishments, fines and fees. This is not a good thing for any individual due to the expense that a DWI incurs already. I want to make something really clear and I have stated this numerous times, The San Saba Sheriff's Office will aggressively seek out those individuals who are drinking and driving and do our best to remove them from behind the wheel of the vehicle. This is one of the most dangerous crimes committed daily in this county, this state and the nation. The national statistics for alcohol related deaths due to intoxicated drivers is staggering. It is equivalent to two fully loaded 747 passenger planes crashing every week in the United States. I for one, believe that I was elected not to sit behind a desk and wait for the accident to happen and then clean up the mess, but to get out there and do my best to prevent it. We will be watching and ask that you help us watch as well. If we all do our part and we work together, we can and will make our streets and roadways here in San Saba County a safer place for our families.

On a more positive note, San Saba, Cherokee and Richland Springs varsity football teams all turned in winning performances this week. We want to congratulate the coaches, players and all their staff for all their hard work and wish them good luck in the coming weeks. Let's all do our part to get out and support our teams and drive as safely as possible to and from the games.

I also want to remind everyone to be aware of mail and phone fraud that is occurring in our county and all over the state of Texas. The basic rule is, "if it seems too good to be true, then it is." If you or a loved one is receiving phone calls or mail and you believe that it is a fraud, and then you can contact the Sheriff's Office or the Police Department for assistance. Do not send out money orders, cashier's checks and/or personal information. This is dangerous and can cause a lot of harm to your financial situation. Please use caution and watch out for each other and not hesitate to call us.

Once again, we want to encourage everyone to call in anything suspicious and thank you for all the information that we have already received. We can and are making a difference here in San Saba and I for one look forward to what the future holds for all of us. You can contact us at 325-372-5551 or 5432 and once again we thank you for all your prayers as well.