Saluting El Campo, Louise Graduates
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Special Section Today
Ladybird Basketball Player Signs With Schreiner Page 1-B
A SALUTE TO OUR HOMETOWN GRADUATES EL CAMPO HIGH SCHOOL & LOUISE HIGH SCHOOL
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 2014
www.leader-news.com
Copyright ® 2014
El Campo mosquito warfare continues By SHANNON CRABTREE scrabtree@leader-news.com
May rains brought mighty big mosquitoes to El Campo this week, which prompted the city to declare an all-out war on the biting bugs. “We’ll be spraying all week,” City Public Works Director Clay Harris told the Leader-News Monday, adding the battle actually started Friday. At that point, city crews started placing larvacide in ditches with hopes to curtail the mosquito population. And while it may have helped, Harris said, “Most (mosquitoes) developed this weekend.” The population explosion has El Campo residents swatting the little vampires and phoning in to the city Service Center requesting relief. Trucks equipped with fogging equipment have been making their way through city streets since Monday night and will continue to do so until the population appears to be somewhat under control. In general, about half the city can be covered in mosquito-killing fog in a single night. Those experiencing a mosquito problem, however, can still call the Service Center – 541-5075 – to no-
Volume 130 Number 24 • WedNesday, JuNe 4, 2014
38 Pages, 3 INserts
ECHS, LHS graduates will march on Friday
Shattered Dreams
By JODY LARIMER reporter@leader-news.com
El Campo and Louise seniors, after 13 years of preparation, earn the honor of walking across the stage to collect their diplomas Friday. Louise High School graduation will begin at 6 p.m. in Hornet Gymnasium with 36 graduating. The tradition of handing out yellow roses will continue this year, a small token in which graduates recognize family and friends who have supported them through their school years. Valedictorian Cesilia Cardenas and salutatorian Amber Lutringer will give speeches during commencement. After the ceremony, students will head to the El Campo Bowling Center for Project Graduation, where (See LOCK-IN, Page 6-A)
DA’s office targets gold teeth ‘grilles’ with seizure
(See PRECAUTIONS, Page 5-A)
Barn Quilts Dressing Up Countryside
75¢
By SHANNON CRABTREE scrabtree@leader-news.com
Molly and A.J. Kresta kneel over the body of their “dead” son Isaac, the victim of a drunk driving crash as portrayed during El Campo High School’s Shattered Dreams program Monday. The two-day event focused on the effects of a fatality crash on the community and families in an effort to deter teens from drinking and driving. For more on the effort, please see coverage on Page 9-A. L-N Photo by Shannon Crabtree
The shiny gold “grilles” or teeth covers of a suspected drug-dealing couple along with their “Scarface” poster and iPad are part of a seizure suit pending in Wharton County’s 329th District Court. The case, filed by Wharton County District Attorney Ross Kurtz on May 8, asks Judge Randy Clapp to declare those items along with $8,685.02 cash and an assortment of electronics to be contraband, a part of a criminal enterprise. If the judge agrees, the couple will be forced to forfeit all of it to police and the DA’s office. (See SEIZURE, Page 5-A)
– See Page 3-B ALSO INSIDE:
WHAT IF IT REALLY HAPPENDED?
VIEWPOINT .....................................Page 4-A OBITUARIES ....................................Page 5-A SPORTS.............................................Page 1-B LIFESTYLE ........................................Page 3-B CROSSWORD ..................................Page 6-B CLASSIFIEDS & REAL ESTATE.......Page 7-B
Outdoor Opportunity
trusteevehicle givescrashes hands-on learning experience Underage drinking andEC alcohol-related have long students been issues that have affected our community.
LOCAL WEATHER By JODY LARIMER Wednesday reporter@leader-news.com We’re certain that Wharton County isn’t
After the success of the first year,
Turners to make it an the impact of this, but that doesn’t diminish the the onlythepart ofdecided Texas to feel Mostly Sunny annual event. DAY: 0% pain HIGH: 90º when What a young person loses their life because started out as a day of However, in 2008, state testingof of- bad decisions involving alcohol. NIGHT: 0%
LOW: 72º
swimming and camping 10 years ago has grown into a full-blown science excursion teaching El Campo fifth graders all about the ecosystem – first hand. Turner Lakes is owned by El Campo ISD school board president and local farmer Tommy Turner and his wife Carol, a retired fifth grade teacher at Northside Elementary. It offers acres of land with lakes, ponds, streams and fields, an ideal setting giving students a hands-on learning experience to supplement the theory taught in the classroom, the couple said. The whole idea started 10 years ago, Carol said, as motivation for students to perform well on state tests. “I had a super sharp bunch of kids,” she said. “But they were lacking in motivation and I had to come up with something.” Turner came up with a reward system. Students who passed at least one of the two tests were invited for a weekend of swimming and camping out at their farm. Those who passed both tests, could invite a friend. The first outing took place in 2005 and 19 kids attended. “All the kids came out and swam all day and then camped out overnight,” Carol said. “That’s when they started calling it Turner Lakes.”
ficials began questioning the privacy of students, specifically those who didn’t pass, and eventually prohibited the practice of rewarding students. “According to TAKS, we weren’t able to reward students for passing,”
hursday Working T with the Leader-News, a group of parents, educators and emergency responders performed the first Shattered Mostly Sunny DAY: 0% HIGH: 91ºprogram in the 2000’s after a spike in underage alcohol fatalities in our community. Dreams NIGHT: 0%
Sensing
LOW: 73º
Friday the need Mostly Sunny DAY: 0% NIGHT: 0%
for the program to be re-introduced, we at the newspaper worked hand in hand with school officials college helpers of Shattered Dreams. HIGH: 90º again in 2014 for the “The latest version LOW: 74º
saTurday very eye-opening
this year are my last group of fifth graders who weren’t here for the before I retired (in 2010),”
It was for our staff members first Shattered Dreams to see the emotion on the Mostly Sunny DAY: 0% HIGH: 90º faces of the parents and students at the event. Staging a fatal auto wreck at the El Campo High School football stadium, NIGHT: 0% LOW: 74º – Carol Turner workers and even a Life Flight helicopter brought a distinct realness to the program. L emergency W : A . H : 87º • Afirst . L : response 71º wife of ECISD Trustee ast
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Tommy Turner
At the Leader-News, we put together a “front page” detailing the events of the wreck and its carnage as if it were all real. Last 7 Days............................... .15 In. Last 30 Days........................... 9.03 In. Same Time In '13 ..................... 2.33 In.
Year To Date ........................ 13.81 In. Year To Date '13 .................... 11.15 In.
Carol said. “It would make the others feel bad.” Now the entire Northside Elementary fifth grade class participates each year in May, although the overnight stay has been excluded. Instead, the Turners hold the science field trip over two days, allowing each of the fifth graders one day out at the farm. Former students, now in college, come back to help host the event and this year, the helpers had a special
We were proud of our role in the Shattered Dreams program from 2014.
As many of us said during the planning stages, if just one child’s life is saved by our involvement, L-N Photo by Jody Larimer is was well worth the ink, paper and effort. What’s That In My Dip Net?
Data Collected by LCRA at El Campo Memorial Hospital
B uRn B an : LiFTeD COUNTY’S MEAN KBDI: 106 Burn Ban is put into effect when the mean KBDI reaches or goes above 500.
(See TURNER LAKES, Page 6-A)
El Campo Northside Elementary fifth graders Avery Barrera, left, and Lauryn Melchor take a peek into their net to see what they captured from one of the ponds at Turner Lakes. Now in its 10th year, the event is a one-day science excursion teaching the students all about the ecosystem and is hosted by El Campo ISD school board president and local farmer Tommy Turner and his wife Carol, a retired Northside fifth grade teacher.
EDITOR’S NOTE:
SPECIAL EDITION: What If It Really Happened?
www.leader-news.com
The Leader-News gratefully reports the crash and its effects covered of this special section DID NOT actually happen – but could on any given day. This publication is in cooperation with the El Campo High School Shattered Dreams program. We hope, pray, it may help teenagers think before they drink.
Volume 130 Number 24 • WedNesday, JuNe 4, 2014
Copyright ® 2014
75¢
Special Section
Drunken crash claims two Monday
Jay T. STraSner Ink By The Barrel
El Campo spirit evident in program
As the Life Flight helicopter rose to the heavens with its crew and “wounded” passenger from the Shattered Dreams program held at Ricebird Stadium Monday, I paused and gave thanks. First and foremost, I was thankful that the events were a dramatization and not as real as the intense emotions we witnessed on the football field that morning. But also, I felt compelled to give thanks to be part of a wonderful town like El Campo that holds important and hopefully life-changing programs such as this for its youth. It should come as no surprise that our town and school rally together for such events to educate and impact our students. This is El Campo. Taking care of each other like no other community is just what we do. This is the first Shattered Dreams program held by ECISD since 2006. That one was held in response to a series of auto fatalities involving students that had affected El Campo in previous years. It was quite moving Monday to see the reactions of the students involved in the program as well as A.J. and Molly Kresta, who played the roles of parents whose son died in the crash. Like most parents, you could tell the Krestas would rather drink a gallon of water from the Fukushima nuclear plant than to see anything like this happen to their children. They played their roles in both a convincing and emotionally moving fashion, which gave the program even more impact. We are reminded that you can’t pull off a program of this magnitude without a huge volunteer effort and a ton of planning behind the scenes. Kudos to Supt. Mark Pool and all those at El Campo High School who helped make this happen. A big thanks also goes out to the police, EMS, fire officials and other first responders for their work on this effort. For those of us who’ve been on the scene of several emergencies in our line of work, we can sometimes become desensitized to the level of talent and precision required by our emergency responders. Seeing firsthand the professionalism of those workers can only give the students a greater respect for the jobs they do to protect us. At events like this, folks often comment afterwards “if it just saves one life, it’s worth it.” I say let’s be way more ambitious than that. Let’s endeavor to save every last one of those students in attendance. After all, this is El Campo. Taking care of each other like no other community is just what we do.
By SHANNON CRABTREE scrabtree@leader-news.com
Screams for help filled Ricebird Stadium Monday morning as police, ambulance crews and volunteer firefighters raced to a fatality wreck sprawled before hundreds of onlookers. Gathered in the bleachers, the entire ECHS student body set in silence as one boy was covered in the all-too-familiar white sheet reserved in tele-
vision shows and movies for the dead. Later identified as the front seat passenger, Isaac Kresta had been partially ejected through the windshield, lying unmoving despite the wailing pleas of Taylor Michaelsen, the allegedly drunk driver. She was out and walking as emergency responders arrived, but was quickly detained by police. Soon the rescue tools of El Campo firefighters
Shattered
were at work cutting through the car to free the two others trapped inside as paramedics swarmed doing what they could to stabilize the patients they couldn’t fully reach. Moments later, El Campo parents A.J. and Molly Kresta ran forward while rescue efforts were still under way. Screaming for her son, she pushed through (See DWI BUST, Page 10-A)
Dreams Classroom ‘deaths’ grim reminder of costly toll By JODY LARIMER reporter@leader-news.com
Carrying a scythe and wearing a hooded black cloak, Death walked the hallways of El Campo High School Monday, claiming another teenager every 15 minutes as part of the Shattered Dreams program. Twenty-three students volunteered to “die,” but even this realization wasn’t enough to prepare them for the dreadful beckoning of the Grim Reaper that day. “My heart just basically stopped,” senior Zakary Arnett said of the Grim Reaper walking into the classroom to claim him. “It was like a mini heart attack.” Shattered Dreams is intended to have a powerful impact and make teenagers think about the dangers associated with drinking and driving. Counselors were on hand to offer their services in the instant any student needed to talk. “It seems the kids are taking it seriously,” counselor Sara Kahla said. “We’re getting the response we wanted.” For some, the program really hit home. “I lost a cousin (to drunk driving),” senior Ally Thonsgaard said. “Friday, it’ll be five (years).” Using the Every 15 Minute program is an attempt to ingrain the message that nationwide, drinking and driving kills some(See STUDENTS FACE, Page 10-A)
Emotional Impact
L-N Photo by Jay T. Strasner
El Campo senior Marissa Brown reacts in horror while viewing the events of the Shattered Dreams program at Ricebird Stadium. The dramatization was held Monday morning at the school.
Parents face nightmare of drunken child’s wreck A deadly crash involving a drunken teenage driver not only shatters the youth’s dreams of a bright future, it can turn the hopes of parents into lasting nightmares – ones that can so easily be avoided. That’s why programs like Shattered Dreams are held – to hopefully prevent a tragedy – one teen, one family at a time. Even though parents knew their children would be among the “injured” or “dead” during Monday’s event, they quickly became wrapped up in the might have been. Mom Devilon Temple and step-dad Yul David arrived at El Campo Memorial Hospital Monday morning to find their daughter Gabby Temple unresponsive as her mom stood at her bedside and kept calling her name – “Gabby, Gabby, wake up!” Paramedics performed CPR and (See ROLES BECOME REAL, Page 10-A)
Efforts In Vain
L-N Photo by Quala Matocha
El Campo EMTs (l-r) Christy Abke and Joan Rawlinson try to save the “life” of wreck victim Gabby Temple Monday after she is rushed to El Campo Memorial Hospital. She didn’t make it.
Be A True Friend
When we’re out with friends we all like to have a good time, but that good time shouldn’t end in a car accident. The next time you go out designate a driver before you reach your destination. Everyone will enjoy the evening more knowing he or she will arrive home safely. Be a true friend – Volunteer to be the designated driver and don’t let friends drink and drive. 24 HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE
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Attorneys At Law Duckett Bouligny & Collins has served the Texas Gulf Coast for more than 65 years and will be here for many more.
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Page 10-A
El Campo Leader-News • Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Shattered Dreams Every 15 Minutes Senior Ally Thonsgaard, left, was the fourth victim claimed by the Grim Reaper (Larry Hensley) Monday as part of the Shattered Dreams program. The event was particularly emotional for her, she said, because she had a cousin who was killed from a drunk driving accident in 2006. L-N Photo by Jody Larimer
Sobriety Test Alleged drunk driver Taylor Michaelsen, at right, receives one of several sobriety tests Monday morning as part of the Shattered Dreams crash scene at El Campo High School. Agreeing to take on the role of the driver, she was found guilty in a trial shown to students Tuesday.
L-N Photo by Shannon Crabtree
—Students face tragedy in Tuesday ECHS service
—DWI bust, crash rescue in program
(Continued from Page 9-A)
(Continued from Page 9-A) several emergency workers before being stopped by police who told her simply, quietly, “Ma’am, you don’t want to go up there.” Gabrielle Temple, the rear right passenger, was cut free after suffering extensive injuries including an obviously fractured arm. El Campo medics summoned Life Flight helicopter ambulance to rotor her to the hospital – but it was too late. Temple reportedly died in the hospital (please see related story). The rear left passenger Victor Hernandez reportedly suffered only minor injuries in the crash. Awaiting word on the injured, Molly Kresta jerked and twisted trying to see, held up right by her husband. “They were going bowling,” she tried to explain to officers. “That’s all they were doing. They promised me.” But that wasn’t where the four had been. “The four individuals had been coming home from a party. The driver lost control and struck a pole,” Precinct 4 Constable Shannon Srubar told the Leader-News, adding the driver appeared to be intoxicated. El Campo police booked Michaelsen on DWI charges as Hernandez and Temple were being transported to the hospital. In a swift bit of justice, she would be found guilty in time for the trial to be seen as part of Tuesday’s memorial service (please see related story). Wharton County Justice of the Peace Precinct 3 Dennis Korenek pronounced Isaac Kresta dead at 8:57 a.m., shortly before his body was transported from the scene by Triska Funeral Home. All four involved in the crash are or were ECHS students. Shattered Dreams
The wreck above wasn’t real. Instead, it was a theater production, courtesy of ECHS students, emergency responders and El Campo Memorial Hospital personnel, designed not to entertain, but rather to shock youngsters presenting an all-too-real scenario of what might one day be. “We tried to make it as realistic as possible,” El Campo Volunteer Fire Department Chief Jimmy Nielsen said, adding firefighters’ actions were “exactly what we would have done at a real accident. “Unfortunately, we’ve had too much practice.” The silence in Ricebird Stadium stands was a good sign, he added. “Hopefully, they’ve gotten something from this. Hopefully, they realize how quickly something like this can happen,” the chief said as the crashed car was loaded onto a wrecker. Srubar agreed. “That was the real deal there. It’s as real as they come in my opinion,” he said.
Rescue In Progress
L-N Photo by Shannon Crabtree
El Campo volunteer firefighter Justin Priesmeyer uses one of several rescue tools to force open one of the crashed car’s doors. In the Shattered Dreams skit, four people were inside. One dies at the scene and another at the hospital. The driver is arrested and found guilty of drunk driving. The fourth person in the vehicle escapes with minor injuries.
one every 15 minutes of the day. “I checked with the Texas Department of Transportation and that number is still about the same,” Precinct 3 Constable Shannon Srubar said. “It’s really sad.” Fortunately for these teenagers, death was only temporary Monday, and they returned to classes after Tuesday’s trial and memorial service. Tuesday’s service was grim and sober as students and parents assembled to remember those taken in the previous day’s dramatized fatal car accident. “I want you to understand how big of a deal this is,” Principal Rich DuBroc told those assembled, adding more than 200 volunteers had given their time to make the program happen. “Not because it was fun. We as a community – these people realize the consequences and effects of alcohol and driving. We want you to have a good life. We don’t want you to die.” Thonsgaard addressed the crowd to tell her family’s story. Her cousin, Erin, who was killed in a car accident on June 6, 2009, would have graduated with a bachelor of business administration degree in accounting from Texas State University in August 2009. She had planned to continue with the master’s program at TSU. “One night and it was all taken away from her,” she said. “Being a part of this program has been an honor for me.” Videos were shown of the obituaries of each of the 23 who
were taken the previous day, the crime scene and the trial. “I wish you all the best,” Wharton County District Attorney Ross Kurtz said. “If I see you in H.E.B., I want to know how you’re doing. We’re all on you side. But it’s different if I see you in court. There are no second chances with drunken driving in Wharton County.”
“This is a great way to not only show the dangers of drinking and driving, but also how committed our community is to keeping our kids safe,”
– Rich DuBroc Following Tuesday’s program, the students who had volunteered to die were reunited with their families and it was an emotional moment as parents simply held their children, not letting go. “This is a great way to not only show the dangers of drinking and driving, but also how committed our community is to keeping our kids safe,” DuBroc said. “The amount of community people and organizations involved and the amount of time it takes to make this happen is awe-inspiring for me and I believe the students realize what a big deal this really is.”
—Roles become real as parents face possiblity of child’s loss and nurses took every measure they could to revive her. “It was so real,” Temple said as she stood by her daughter’s bedside. “When I called her name and she wasn’t responding, I was like ‘this could be reality.’” In the Shattered Dreams script, Gabby Temple didn’t make it. In reality, her mother was able to say goodbye and she was transported to an overnight retreat along with wreck victim Isaac Kresta and 20 other El Campo High School students pulled from class every 15 minutes Monday by the Grim Reaper. El Campo High School teacher Molly Kresta stood wailing before the student body Monday morning as the events of a fatality drunk driving crash unveiled. The possibility, even when you know it’s just a sort of play, is all too real. “A friend called (who had been in the Ricebird Stadium stands) and said, ‘I was fine, then A.J. (Kresta, Isaac’s father) said, we need to call Eli,’” she said, adding that’s when it hit her too. That’s what they would be doing in the event of a nightmare, calling family
with the worst news. Devilon Temple was notified to come to the hospital by Wharton County Precinct 4 Constable Shannon Srubar. Even though she knew the incident was happening and was not real, the call was chilling, she said. “He told me she was in an accident, but could not tell me any details,” she said. “So we drove to the hospital and I told him (Yul) ‘you need to drive a little faster– run the red lights.’” “When I saw her laying there, it just took my breath away. “And then when I got home and her car was in the garage – that hit me too. If they wanted it to be effective, it was.” The “dead” students weren’t allowed to interact with friends until after the memorial service Tuesday (please see related story). “That was the hardest part,” Susan Nohavitza said. “Not being able to talk to them.” Susan and Jeff’s daughter, Natalie, was one of the victims taken Monday. Jeff knew where the kids were staying Monday night and said he drove by really slowly
to see if he could get a glimpse of his daughter. Even though Gabby Temple has never been in any trouble aside from the typical clean-up-your-room issues, her mom said she realizes anything could happen. “I try not to say my child won’t do this, but when they aren’t around you, it’s a different story. I just pray for her, that she stays strong,” she said. “Her life could be here today and gone tomorrow. We need to realize every moment we have with our children or our loved ones we should cherish it. “Just thinking about someone losing their life to drinking and driving – it’s not worth it.” As a teacher, Kresta interacts with students each day. Shortly after Monday’s event was over, she was told something that left her hoping, praying Monday’s Shattered Dreams effort wasn’t in vain. “Two kids have already come to me and said, ‘you know kids do this every weekend.’”
(Left photo) The atmosphere was somber Tuesday morning in the standing-room-only high school auditorium during the trial and memorial service. Students were reminded that they have choices to
make every day and some of those choices could lead to death. (Right photo) Brandi Knudsen wipes a tear from her eye while a student behind her covers his head in grief. The students were watching the
first part of the Shattered Dreams program Monday at Ricebird Stadium.
(Continued from Page 9-A)
– Leader-News reporters Quala Matocha, Shannon Crabtree and Jody Larimer contributed to this story.
L-N Photo left by Jody Larimer, right by Jay T. Strasner
Page 4-A
El Campo Leader-News • Saturday, June 7, 2014
www.leader-news.com
Viewpoint
lettertoeditor@leader-news.com
‘Battle’ boy just one wonder found by roving writer What’s the phrase? “Will wonders never cease?” Hopefully not. Otherwise I might never again encounter a Hispanic family who enriches their children’s lives with wonderfully meaningful Aztec names. Or, spot a kilt-clad, non-Scottish local man and his wife, both fierce competitors in the Houston Highland Games. I literally bumped into Jose and Yvonne Salas and their four children in the dining area at Prasek’s. Escaping without injury or dumping food, introductions followed. The Salas hail from Corpus Christi. Jose is a construction company su-
pervisor while Yvonne works at UPS and they were on their way to New Orleans and the National Youth Basketball tournament. Mr. Salas then brought each child over and formally introduced them from youngest to oldest beginning with 2-year-old Moises Camatzli Salas. “Camatzli means god of war and hunting,” announced Salas. Next up: 4-year-old Luis Necalli Salas. “Necalli means battle,” he intoned. Then came 8-year-old Phoenix Metzli Garza. Metzli translates to god of moon. Ten-year-old Tizoc Allan Garza then presented himself. “Tizoc was
Jerry Aulds
kilt-clad muscular young man attracted my attention and caused a general stir among the onlookers as he raced from his vehicle, legs pumping and colorful kilt swirling, from the gasoline pumps to the underconstruction El Campo Speedy Stop. Intrigued, I hot-footed it over to his vehicle before he could pull away. “Are you a Scot?” “Nope, not with a name like Nathan Schroedter,” he said with a grin. Nathan went on to explain that his dad Duane Schroedter “used to drag me around to all the Highlander Games competitions and I got hooked. Hooked pretty good, too. “Fin-
COMMUNITY RESPONSE the last emperor of the Aztec empire,” advised Salas. When asked about the why of the children’s Aztec names: “Each of those names mean something and it connects each child to their history,” Salas proudly pronounced. The encounter with Nathan and Holly Schroedter occurred when a
ished second in the B&L. That’s Big and Large class competition.” For those unfamiliar with the Highland Games, one part involves grabbing hold of the base of a huge pole, racing forward and underhanding it downrange. Longest throw wins. Schroedter, urged on by his bride announced, “Holly took first in the non-traditional category.” “Come again?” “I won for my baked cookies. Everybody loved how they looked and tasted! For the record, Holly did not attempt to see how far she could pitch one of those cookies down field. Now that’s a wonder!
From the L-N Facebook page In addition to coverage in Wednesday’s edition of the El Campo Leader-News, the following report was placed on the paper’s Facebook page. The posting reached almost 12,000 people, according to the website’s statistics. Here are comments readers shared about the anti-drinking event.
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