This interview was recorded at the Henderson County Justice Center on Wednesday, June 30.
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In this week's Sheriff's Report, Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse discusses a Seven Points murder, a case involving illegal drugs and credit cards, and Narcan training for the Sheriff's Office.
I. Stats (:37)
There are currently 424 individuals currently in the Henderson County Jail; 107 of those are out-of-county inmates.
II. Murder Suspect (1:45)
Joshua Jones, 37, of Seven Points was arrested June 17 after the shooting death of Jason Blake, 44.
The Sheriff’s Office received calls regarding a disturbance at a residence in the 27000 block of West Oak Ridge Road at approximately 8:15 p.m.
When Deputy Luke Rachel arrived on the scene he observed Jones outside the residence and Blake out by the roadway. Deputy Rachel detained Jones and began life-saving measures on Blake but was unsuccessful.
According to the initial investigation, shots were fired with a shotgun by the suspect inside and outside the house before the victim was shot in the back and died on the scene.
There were multiple witnesses to the offense that were interviewed which confirmed what Investigators had learned during the investigation.
There was a child involved in the incident and Sheriff Hillhouse discussed the importance of the Child Advocacy Center in such cases.
III. Mushrooms and Credit Cards (7:13)
A man was arrested for aggravated assault with a handgun and possession of a substantial amount of illegal mushrooms and methamphetamines on June 19.
Earl Kenneth Vess II, 36, was arrested in the 100 block of Arrowhead Street. Earlier, he had brandished a handgun, threatened a woman, and fled from Deputy Jarod Mills on foot.
Vess was taken to the County Jail and charged with:
Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of methamphetamines, possession of illegal mushrooms, evading arrest, possession of a firearm by a felon, and fraudulent usage of identifying information for the credit cards and social security card he had but were not his.
"Identity theft is a big issue," Sheriff Hillhouse said. "People are always trying to seek out your identifying information and use it."
IV. Narcan Training (12:18)
Members of the Henderson County Sheriff's Office received free Narcan training this week thanks to HOPE Henderson County.
"We're glad to be part of this program," Sheriff Hillhouse said. "We're glad they brought this training here for free and are giving us the Narcan for free. It could save a life."
HOPE Henderson County includes:
-- The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler
-- UT Health East Texas Athens
-- East Texas Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (ETCADA)
-- Henderson HELP Center
-- East Texas Community Clinic
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Henderson County Gov podcasts are available on Anchor, Breaker, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, and Spotify (below).
