BEST FISHING IN TEXAS
SPORTS NEWS
Kaz’s Korner
Capt. Dickie Colburn Page 2B
Page 4B
Hometown Sports See Section B
LOCAL SCHOOL NEWS See Page 6A
Where The Sun Rises On Texas And The Stars Shine First!
County Record Vol. 54 No. 1
The Community Newspaper of Orange, Texas
Week of Wednesday, April 9 , 2014
Candidates readying for May 10 elections
David Ball
For The Record
Now that the March primaries are over the next election event on the calendar is fast approaching. Cities, school boards, county offices and special districts are gearing up for their election on
Sheriff Issues Scam Warning Staff Report For The Record
In recent weeks, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office has received a rise in reports of scammers targeting Entergy customers. Entergy is Merritt aware of the scam and has an internet web page dedicated to this particular scam. The link is: http://www.entergy.com/alerts/scam2.aspx This particular scam involves a phone call to an Entergy customer by a person claiming to be an employee of Entergy. The victims are told that they are currently behind on their electric bill and their electricity will be turned off if the bill is not paid in full within an hour. Then they are directed to transfer funds electronically, sometimes through the system known as “MoneyPak.” Entergy acknowledges that it sometimes places courtesy calls for a disconnect notice, but they are usually recorded messages. Entergy insists they will not demand immediate payment over the phone. While the Sheriff’s Office is unaware of any persons in Orange County falling victim to the scam, we are hoping to keep the public aware of the scams in which we see an increase. Sheriff Keith Merritt cautions all citizens to be wary of suspicious phone calls when someone is asking for personal information or demanding payment. These are usually indicators that it is a potential scam.
Saturday, May 10. The following information is for contested races in the election. City of Orange Place 6 At-Large City Councilman and incumbent Charles Guillory will be facing challengers Cullin Smith and Larry Spears Jr. Guillory is retired, Smith is in the real estate business and Spears is a safety, health and environmental coordinator. City of Pinehurst Two At-Large positions are up for grabs on the city council. Incumbent John Zerko will be running again. The other incumbent, Ron Cowling, is running for Precinct 2 County Commissioner and his city council seat is open. The two challengers will be Mike Anderson and Suzy Permenter. Anderson is retired and Per-
menter is an Orange County employee. West Orange-Cove CISD Four candidates will be running to fill two At-Large positions on the school board. Ruth Hancock is retired, Sarah Jefferson Simon is a detective with Orange Police Department, Shirley Martin Joseph is a safety specialist for Jefferson Energy and Ricky Blagburn is a television director for Delta Downs. Port of Orange-Cove Incumbent port director Keith Wallace will face Carroll Holt in May 10 election. Wallace owns Reliable Cleaners while Holt is retired. Orange County Drainage District Incumbent Karl Stephenson, Precinct 3 drainage district director, will face challengers Hal LaPray and Woodrow “Woody”
Dugas. Mauriceville Municipal Utilities District The Mauriceville MUD will have a busy election this May
with candidates running for three At-Large positions on the board of directors. The incumbents on the board are Tommy Smith and
Bill Hutto. Challengers are Terry Block, Corey Oldsbury, Jon W. Sherwin and Nelda Burton.
LCM grad a war hero
Crawfish fest this weekend David Ball
For The Record
Springtime in Texas means milder temperatures, beautiful wild flowers, Easter, going outdoors, and maybe most importantly, the beginning of crawfish season! The folks in Mauriceville have been knowing how to celebrate the season for more than three decades now and this year is no exception. The 34th annual Mauriceville Crawfish Festival will be held from April 11-13 at the crawfish festival grounds, 7441 Cohenour Road off of Highway 62. Hours for Friday will be 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday will be 10 a.m. to 12 a.m. and Sunday will be 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to Karen Keath, president of the festival board. Tickets will cost $5 for adults, $4 for senior citizens and students and free to children 5 and under. Tickets, however, will be $7 across the board after 5 p.m. on Saturday. The parade will start at 9 a.m. on Saturday and proceed down Highway 12. The parade theme is Beau Garcon’ in Boots and Pearls. This year’s parade marshals are Jeff and Teresa Viator. “We are excited and honored to be chosen as the 2014 Mauriceville Crawfish Festival Parade Marshals,” Teresa said. Jeff has lived in Mauriceville since the age of 3. He graduated from Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School. Teresa is a graduate of Bridge City High School. One of their earliest dates was at the first Mauriceville Crawfish Festival 34 years ago when they were
high school sweethearts. They have been happily married for 31 years and have three daughters- Jennifer, Julianne and Jace- and a new son-in-law, Shayne Seago who is married to Jennifer, Teresa said. “Through the years we have supported our community, volunteering as little league football and cheer leading coaches. We have also been avid supporters of the Mauriceville Senior Citizens Christmas Dinner and, of course, the crawfish festival,” she said. For several years they coached and served as groundskeepers for the Orange Crush softball team, featuring their daughter, Julianne. Teresa also volunteered as home room mom for many her daughters’ classes during their years as Mauriceville students. Teresa added the Viators have been involved with benefits for family and friends, barbecue cook-offs and they have provided hardy and delicious tailgating meals for the Lamar University Softball team and fans. Daughter Julianne is also on the Lamar team. “When it come to the community, we are always enthusiastic and more than willing to lend a helping hand,” Teresa said. The Viators are members of St. Mauriceville Catholic Church where Teresa served as a CCD teacher for the youth program. Jess is a paint contractor and owner of J&J Painting. Together, the couple owns JT’s Country Cottage rental property. Teresa was in banking for 30 years and now manages the MAURICEVILLE Page 3A
Sam Steirman is a LC-M High School graduate and a 22 year army veteran. He sustained a traumatic brain injury from an IED in Iraq. He now helps other soldiers transition into civilian life at the Hickok Center for Brain Injury where he won the 2014 Community Hero Award.
David Ball
For The Record
What’s most impressive about America’s military heroes is that they never give up and they never stop serving. One soldier who exemplifies that spirit is First Sergeant Sam Steirman, age 42, and a 1990 graduate of Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School. In fact, he received the 2014 Community Hero Award in Rochester, N.Y. for assisting veterans transition
back to civilian life after he received a traumatic brain injury serving in Iraq and for his community service. Steirman was told he was to receive an award from the Hickok Center for Brain Injury. He soon discovered the award was much bigger than he originally thought. “I feel humbled to accept an award from an organization like the Hickok Center. The work they do is irreplaceable. Men and women go there daily to improve their quality of life. And I can appreciate
that for what it is,” Steirman said on www.rochesterhomepage.net. Steirman spent 22 years in the army. His service ended when he suffered a traumatic brain injury while serving in Iraq. “It was from and IED strike in Iraq. Probably more than one incident. Whether it was a direct hit to us or a hit that was near us that caused a concussion. I can’t pinpoint STEIRMAN Page 3A
Cops hunt sexual assault suspect David Ball
For The Record
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public’s help in locating a suspect wanted for one count of aggravated sexual assault of a child. The charges against 73-year-old Darrell Lacouture stem from an incident involving his grandaugther. In October 1997, Lacouture’s 10-yearold granddaughter made an “outcry” to her mother. She said her grandfather had “touched her” and pointed to her vaginal area. Lacouture was confronted with the allegations, but denied doing anything wrong. However, Lacouture left the residence as the mother of the
girl called 911. He was gone before authorities arrived. Deputies arrived at the residence and spoke to the mother in reference to the offense. As a result, the girl was transported to a local hospital for treatment. She later went to the Garth House for an interview. During the interview the investigator said the child appeared to be “very traumatized.” During the investigation it was determined several other female family members were also accusing Lacouture of sexually assaulting them as children too. But, as children
they were too scared to report the incidents. It was reported Lacouture had threatened the young girls “don’t tell or you will be in trouble.” He also told them if they reported the incidents to anyone he would kill them. Lacouture agreed to be interviewed by investigators. But, he failed to show up at the designated time and location. A warrant was issued for his arrest for aggravated assault of a child. Since then, investigators have been unable to locate Lacouture but have been actively searching for him. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the OCSO at 409-8832612.