FEBRUARY 3, 2016 LIFE SAVER
WRASSLIN’
Defibrillator vest saves man’s life.
Pro wrestlers promote antibullying, anti-drug message.
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Hays Free Press ©Barton Publications, Inc.
Vol. 119 • No. 45
HaysFreePress.com
Serving Buda, Kyle and Northeast Hays County, TX • 75¢
Is 25% collection fee warranted?
Kyle residents sound off on license plate readers BY MOSES LEOS III
moses@haysfreepress.com
The installation of license plate recognition (LPR) technology in three Kyle Police Department vehicles has drawn various concerns from the constituents they serve. It comes as the department readies to use the LPR technology by March, according to Kyle Police Chief Jeff Barnett. According to Barnett, one of the purposes of installing the technology is to tackle the $4.8 million in outstanding warrants owed to the city. He added the technology would also flag sto-
In January, the Kyle City Council approved an agreement with Vigilant Solutions, Inc. for use of the LPR technology by a 5-0 vote. Within the agreement, the city received the products at no cost, provided Vigilant receives 25 percent of any warrant collected.
len vehicles and vehicles associated with Amber Alerts, Silver Alerts and missing persons. In January, the Kyle City Council approved an agreement with Vigilant Solutions, Inc. for use of the LPR technology
by a 5-0 vote. Within the agreement, the city received the products at no cost, provided Vigilant receives 25 percent of any warrant collected. Vigilant will install
LICENSE PLATE READERS, 2A
25%
Breakdown of Vigilant Solutions, Inc. Fee 25% FEE on all warrants paid during a traffic stop • 5% credit card transaction fee • 5% credit card handling fee • 15% vendor transaction fee Example: $400 warrant would cost $500.
Unsafe burglary attempt BY MOSES LEOS III
moses@haysfreepress.com
COURTESY PHOTO
Two men were apprehended trying to fit a safe in a passenger car and charged with Burglary of a Habitation.
on scene within a minute of the call. The officer observed the men attempting to load a large safe into
a passenger car. Both men fled on foot but were apprehended after a foot pursuit. The San
Marcos Police Department also responded to assist the Hays County Sheriff’s Office with the call.
COMING UP Mary Szybist poetry readings Mary Szybist’s first collection of poetry, “Granted,” was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the winner of the 2004 Great Lakes Colleges Associations New Writers Award. Her second book, “Incarnadine,” won the National Book Award for Poetry. Her work has appeared in the “Iowa Review” and “Denver Quarterly” and was featured in “Best American Poetry.” Szybist will have a book reading at the Witliff Collection on Feb. 4 at 3:30 p.m. and the Katherine Anne Porter Literary Center Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m.
FOOD TRAILERS Local food trailers try to find their place. – Page 1D
If officers collected all $4.8 million in outstanding warrants using the system provided by Vigilant Solutions, they would get $1.2 million.
NEWSBRIEFS Lawsuit against cities of Kyle, Princeton dismissed
A Louisiana doctor’s civil rights lawsuit against the cities of Kyle and Princeton was dismissed “with prejudice” and isn’t subject to appeal. A suit filed by Glen Hurlston claimed both departments were liable for “clothing” Jeff Barnett with state authority to harass and threaten him with arrest. Hurlston alleged Barnett led a campaign of harassment against him while having an affair with his wife during Barnett’s tenure as Princeton’s police chief. A lawsuit against Barnett, who is the current Kyle Police Chief, remains active.
DWIs spike over weekend The arrest of 19 total people on Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) charges over the week-
end was higher than normal, according to a Hays County Sheriff’s Office official. Of the 19 arrested, four were stopped by the San Marcos Police Department, while eight were arrested by Hays County. Kyle Police arrested three individuals for DWI. Hays County deputy Stephen Traeger said the number of DWI arrests was “higher than what we normally would see.” He said each entity along the Interstate 35 corridor sees approximately five DWI arrests over the course of the weekend. Traeger attributed the increase in traffic along the IH-35 corridor as one factor for DWIs in the county. “With the number of vehicles that travel on the highway 24 hours a day, that’s going to be a big part of it,” Traeger said. Growth along the corridor also plays a contributing factor in the increase in DWIs. “You have two popular cities, such as San Marcos and Austin, for
DWI SPIKE, 2A
Eddie Durham Celebration and Jazz Festival The annual Eddie Durham Celebration will be held Friday, Feb. 5, at 7:30 p.m. in Evans Auditorium at Texas State University – San Marcos. This year’s celebration will feature a lecture by NEA Jazz Master Doug Morgenstern on Durham’s pioneering contributions to jazz and a performance with an all-star big band featuring tenor saxophonist Doug Lawrence of the Count Basie Orchestra. The twenty-sixth annual Hill Country Jazz Festival will be held Saturday, Feb. 6, on the Texas State University campus. Outstanding adjudicators, clinicians, and performers promise to make this a memorable experience. A non-competitive event, the Hill Country Jazz Festival does not select winners but does recognize exemplary big bands, combos, and individual instrumentalists with “Outstanding Performance Awards.”
Primary Candidates Debate
On Monday, Feb. 8, the League of Women Voters of Hays County will sponsor a public debate for candidates in the upcoming primary election at 6 p.m. at the San Marcos Activity Center, 501 East Hopkins Street, in San Marcos. Hays County Democratic and Republican candidates in the upcoming primary election have been invited to participate. They include candidates for Sheriff, County Commissioner Pct. 3, Justice of the Peace Pct. 1 Place 1 & 2, Constable Pct. 2 and Pct. 5, and Republican Party Chair. Candidates in contested races will answer questions concerning their issues and qualifications for the office. Candidates in uncontested races will be introduced but will not debate.
INDEX
Two men were arrested following a short foot pursuit Jan. 28 after a law enforcement officer witnessed them attempting to load a safe they were trying to steal into a passenger car. The Hays County Sheriff’s Office arrested Joel Rene Perez, 20 and Oscar Perez Jr., 21, of Kyle. Both men were charged with Burglary of a Habitation, which is a second degree felony. Oscar Perez is being held on $15,000 bond. According to the release, authorities received a report of a burglary in progress at around 2 p.m. on Jan. 28 at a home in the 300 block of Woodrose in San Marcos. The homeowner called 911 after receiving a motion activated alarm on his cell phone. He then relayed the physical descriptions of the men to the 911 via surveillance camera footage he viewed on his phone. A law enforcement officer responded and was
The city’s agreement with Vigilant allows the company to collect a 25% fee on top of all warrants that are collected with the new technology
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