|
Top stories deal with life and death
Published January 1, 2010
4. On Oct. 16, Garland C. Taylor, 20, was shot in the head and later died after a melee on Anderson Street police and prosecutors say was a confrontation between the Mexican Mafia and the 74 Hoover Crips criminal street gangs.
The incident unfolded, authorities say, when several Crips members and associates went to the 900 block of Anderson Street to settle the score from a dispute earlier in the evening when a young man was beaten and struck in the head with a beer bottle.
Investigation revealed Taylor had pointed a firearm in the direction of the home where the earlier dispute had taken place, and drew fire from at least one individual in the front yard.
In the subsequent investigation, Seguin police arrested 14 people on allegations of engaging in organized crime, and three others wanted on burglary allegations who were caught in the net.
On Nov. 17, Michael DelaGarza, 33, and David Buitron Jr., 37, booked previously in the investigation on allegations of engaging in organized criminal activity, were charged with first-degree felony murder in warrants delivered to them in Guadalupe County Jail by Detective Sgt. Curle Price.
Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Darrell Hunter magistrated both men on the murder allegations and bail for DelaGarza, arrested Nov. 6, was raised to $200,000. Buitron, of McQueeney, arrested Oct. 22, also was also booked for unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a controlled substance and evidence tampering and saw his bail raised to $285,000 on the arrest warrant signed by 25th Judicial District Judge Dwight Peschel.
All the suspects save one remain in jail or detention awaiting trial.
Police Chief Kevin Kelso’s department and District Attorney Heather Hollub’s office has worked for a year to suppress gang-related activity in Seguin.
3. On May 12, Edmund Kuempel suffered a near-fatal heart attack in the Capitol, and for a few days, state government seemed like it had stopped, too, as the life and health of Seguin’s favorite political son became statewide news.
Kuempel and the rest of us got lucky.
First, he was stricken in a public place where he was found right away by state troopers who knew how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and then he was repeatedly defibrillated by a colleague who was also a physician.
In the early days after the heart attack, medical authorities were unwilling to even predict whether Kuempel would survive — and speculated about possible brain or heart damage if he did.
Three weeks later, a pale and thinner, wheelchair-bound Kuempel made a triumphal entry for Sine Die the last day of the session and promised he would be back, better than ever.
In August, he proved it, announcing he would be a candidate for a 15th term in the legislature.
This week, Kuempel took a moment out of a hunting trip to update his constituents on his health.
“Everything’s going great!” Kuempel whispered Wednesday when reached in a West Texas deer blind. “My son and I are deer hunting right now, looking at a snow-covered peak with a good friend of John’s who runs the ranch, and we’re just having a ball!”
While Kuempel’s heart stopped for a few minutes, his resolve for public service has never skipped a beat. Kuempel said he would like one more term on his 30-year career in Austin to continue the work he’s done over three decades — and to finish a little legislative business.
“We have redistricting coming up next session, and with Speaker (Joe) Straus, we just had a tremendous session,” Kuempel said. “I enjoy being part of the leadership team, I look forward to serving the people of District 44 one more time, and I’m going to see if I can’t provide a conservative voice for two more years and see if we can’t tie up some loose ends. I can’t wait for the session in 2011.”
Share |
Save |
Mail |
Print |
Comment
|
