NEWS
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[CRIME]
Dog Years Suspect in dog abuse case gets ten years on gun charge Written by
DOYLE MURPHY
P
aul “Paco” Garcia was sentenced May 7 to ten years in federal prison on a gun charge — and he still faces charges in a horrific case of animal abuse. he year old Barnhart man was arrested by efferson ounty Sheriff deputies in February after a dachshund named Flick was found dumped in a ditch in mperial. Flick s mu le and legs were bound in duct tape, and investigators believe the dog lay in the free ing ditch for twelve hours. etectives were able to trace a fingerprint on the tape to arcia, who
Paul Garcia was arrested in February 2019. | COURTESY JEFFERSON COUNTY SHERIFF told them he thought Flick had been sent to spy on him, authorities say. arcia, a meth dealer, e plained that he believed Flick was e uipped with a law enforcement camera. So arcia tied him up, put him in a bucket and drove him to a deserted area near a rock uarry, where he threw him out the window, authorities say.
This is how Flick looked after he was found in a ditch. | COURTESY JEFFERSON COUNTY SHERIFF week after his arrest on state animal abuse charges, the .S. ttorney s ffice filed federal charges, accusing Garcia of illegally possessing a gun as a felon. e had been stopped in September by police in efferson ounty, who were investigating him for trafficking meth. ccording to court documents, police searched the car and found metal
[LOVE AND MARRIAGE]
Altared Plans Couple livestreams nuptials after COVID-19 interrupts big day Written by
JENNA JONES
A
piano version of Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” starts to play. The church fills with music as the parents of the bride walk down the long aisle. Then, the flower girl and ring bearer are waddling down the aisle with the energy only small children can possess. Next, the bride makes her entrance. But there’s no one in the pews. No heads turn, no one stands as she and her father make their way down the aisle to a new future. Instead, the livestream floods with comments. Katie Hawkins and her new husband Zach were just one of the couples set to get married this spring when COVID-19 restricted gatherings of more than ten people, effectively canceling any celebrations that anyone had planned. The couple faced the same options
Katie and Zach Hawkins stand in front of a crowd of friends and family who had surprised them. | COURTESY KATIE HAWKINS others did: cancel the wedding or follow restrictions. Though it wasn’t what they’d initially imagined, the two decided to continue with a wedding on May 2 and to celebrate at a later date this summer. They created a Facebook event in order to invite friends and family to celebrate with them. “Who would have known something
that started out online five-ish years ago would end up back here for a wedding?” the digital invitation read. “We don’t want to wait another second longer to become Mr. and Mrs. So, find your favorite place on the couch or wherever you may be, put on your lazy Saturday best and join us as we begin the start of our forever.” As the ceremony unfolded, 100-plus
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knuckles and a ock sland rmory . caliber revolver. arcia has multiple convictions for domestic abuse, along with convictions for trespassing and possession of chemicals used to make meth. So he s not legally allowed to have a gun. e remains in custody in rawford ounty ail. n people were on the livestream at times, from all around the country and world. “As much as we wanted our family and friends there in person, we also knew we could be in the same situation in July as well,” Katie Hawkins says. “Now, we’ll get to celebrate two days. How cool is that?” Exactly ten people comprised the wedding party itself, including the priest at St. Francis Borgia in Washington, Missouri. During the 30-minute ceremony, the priest talked into a mic, allowing livestream viewers to hear every moment. Comments flowed in with words of encouragement and congratulations. “Today, we prove that nothing can separate or keep us apart,” Father Mike Boehm said as he married the couple. Outside, friends and family had a surprise waiting for the newlyweds. Guests had arranged themselves in the parking lot to follow social distancing rules. There were balloons, signs, music, bubbles and plenty of cheering in the parking lot. As the wedding came to an end, the couple had a drive-by receiving line for the couple. People shouted their congratulations from their cars as the Hawkins waved them on. “Zach and I joke around that the whole experience kind of felt a little royal-wedding-esque,” Katie Hawkins says. “It was such a fairytale-like feeling, as cliché as that sounds.” n
MAY 13-19, 2020
RIVERFRONT TIMES
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