Category: Tid Bits by Richie Priest

Here is what happened last week: Lytle PD officers responded to 60 calls for service last week and conducted 70 traffic stops. Those stops resulted in 61 citations and 9 warnings.
Property Crimes (2 Reported): #1 – On Election Day a candidate’s sign was taken from the polling place on Priest Blvd. #2 – Three crooks made off with about $1,000 worth of merchandise from the Western Brands store on IH-35. Probably some organized retail theft group, in the past this stuff ended up at flea markets, now it can be easily sold on the internet as well.
Arrests (7 Reported): #1 – A traffic stop resulted in the arrest of a male with a felony child endangerment warrant out of Medina Co. #2 – A male was cited and released for stealing a Beto O’Rourke sign from a polling place. #3 – A male subject evaded a traffic stop on a motorcycle, he was apprehended after a short pursuit and booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. #4 & #5 – A traffic stop resulted in two males being cited and released for possession of drug paraphernalia. #6 & #7 – Sgt. Hanson attempted to stop a driver for going 71 in a 30. After a brief pursuit the driver was arrested for felony evading and his passenger had a warrant out of Bexar Co.
I was out of the office most of last week. Myself, Lt Dear, Officer D. Lopez, and Officer S. Pena attended a 2 1/2 day Fire Marshal training conference in Pasadena (TX). This marks the 10th year that Lt. Dear and I have attended this conference. Lots of good material and we made lots of connections. When in the area, I suggest the Monument Inn Restaurant near the San Jacinto Battlefield and the Lynchburg Ferry. The “Pan Fried Shrimp” is wonderful.
The election has come and gone. I’m going to comment on only one race I followed. It looks like congratulations are in order for Anson Williams, he was elected Mayor of Ojai, CA (unofficial results). He played Warren “Potsie” Weber on Happy Days from 1974-1984. I watched a lot of TV and Happy Days was a staple.

Here is your weekly update from the Lytle Police Dept. We include not only our activity but important city information as well! Officers managed 43 calls for service last week, which is a slow week for the “number of calls”. Your officers conducted 65 traffic stops; those stops resulted in 56 citations and 9 warnings.
We had a huge turnout on Halloween night, the weather was perfect, and the candy was plentiful. We had 8 officers and 7 vehicles out in the field, so about all the officers and all the patrol vehicles. We didn’t have any reported issues involving safety or crime, we will call that a win. I’m still finding empty candy wrappers in my patrol truck; I can only assume that unknown persons were putting the wrappers in there. There is no way I ate all those mini-Snickers and Smarties.
Looks like we only had one property crime reported last week. The locks of 5 mini-storage units on Somerset St. were cut off. One unit reported three folding tables missing. Our crook might have family coming over for Thanksgiving; you can never have too many folding tables.
We also took two financial crime reports, a “hot” check was issued to Napa Auto Parts and a complainant reported that an unknown person cashed a fraudulent check on his account at TXN Bank.
Arrests: Officers made 5 arrests last week: The biggest arrest of the week was on Tuesday. Cpl. Robison and I responded to a disturbance on S. Somerset St. We arrested a 37-year-old female for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (a knife), and she was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. On Wednesday at 8:00 AM a 38-year-old female turned herself in at the P.D. She had an active theft warrant on a case we worked on at NAPA Auto Parts. She was transported to the Atascosa Co. Jail. Had she turned herself in a little later I would have dropped her off at the jail and then hit one of the good places to eat over in the Pleasanton/Jourdanton area. Officers also cited and released three others for possession of drug paraphernalia; those were from three separate incidents.
Emergency Alerts: It’s that time of year; we may be facing weather-related emergencies and issues. If you aren’t signed up to get alerts from the city, please do so. You go to this link and sign up; https://public.alertsense.com/signup/?regioniD=1618 I would suggest just checking off everything. We don’t sell your email or phone number, mostly because nobody has ever offered to buy them.
REMINDER: Starting on Monday, Nov. 7th the Northbound entrance ramp to IH-35 (in front of Lytle State Bank) will be closed for 2 weeks. Use Main St. North to get onto the IH-35 ramp (overpass just North of the City Limits) during that time. Lytle State Bank will be accessible but give yourself a little extra time to get to it.
NEW NEWS (Traffic Related): I hope you are ready for some more traffic stuff – The Northbound I-35 off-ramp into Lytle (FM 3175) will be closed for a week starting around the 29th of November. Use Exit 127 at Natalia. (Either take the frontage road into Lytle or drive into Natalia and take 132 to Lytle) If you miss the Natalia exit, then take the Luckey Road exit and turn around back to Lytle. This is the only Northbound Exit off IH-35 to Lytle, so this will be challenging. We are putting the school rivalry aside and suggesting you exit in Natalia, please wave at everybody as you pass through. If you miss the Natalia exit then use Luckey Rd, take the overpass and come back and visit us. Like all good things, it is worth the extra effort.

Officers handled 51 calls for service last week and conducted 110 traffic stops. Those stops resulted in 102 citations and 8 warnings.
We started the week with a lot of arrests and then it fizzled out towards the weekend. In all, we had 8 arrests. #1 – Ofc. Pena stopped a vehicle on Wisdom Rd. and determined the driver had 2 felony warrants out of Bexar Co. for Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle (Plain English: He steals cars). He was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. #2 – Sgt. Hanson conducted a traffic stop and the driver came to a stop at his residence on Lytle-Somerset St. He had two active warrants out of Atascosa Co. (one felony and one misdemeanor). His girlfriend came out of the house and started yelling at him “that’s Karma,” I guess she was happy he was going to jail. That’s about the time I pulled up. The boyfriend then tells Sgt. Hanson that she has a warrant as well (original charge of a DWI), he confirms it and then I see him walk over to her and tell her she is under arrest too (that’s #3) and it “must be that Karma she is talking about”. They were both booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. #4 – Sgt. Hanson stopped a speeder in the school zone and determined he had an active felony warrant out of Bexar Co. for Family Violence. He was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. That was all on Monday! #5 – Ofc. Diaz stopped a vehicle for running a red light on Main St. The vehicle, a 2002 Buick, was reported stolen out of San Antonio P.D. The female driver was arrested for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and the Buick was recovered. She was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. #6 & #7 – Ofc. A. Lopez stopped a vehicle on Main St. for running a stop sign, the stop resulted in two adult males being cited for possession of drug paraphernalia. They were both released at the scene. #8 – Ofc. Diaz arrested a male, who was riding a bicycle, for public intoxication. He was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail.
Officers took 2 reports of property crimes last week. #1 – The owner of a 2000 Chevy P/U reported her vehicle was broken into while she was at work at the H.E.B. C-Store. A .22 revolver, misc. hand tools and a bag with change was taken. There were no signs of forced entry. #2 – A complainant reported that their mini-storage unit N. Somerset St. was burglarized, and the contents were removed. The contents included pictures, clothing, and sewing material.
Now, I have important news: Starting on Monday, Nov. 7th the northbound entrance ramp to IH-35 (in front of Lytle State Bank) will be closed for 2 weeks. Use Main St. North to get onto the IH-35 ramp (overpass just north of the City Limits) during that time. Lytle State Bank will be accessible but give yourself a little extra time to get to it. We might have another important road update next week, stay tuned! We are a “City on the Grow” ……. this is just part of that.
For up-to-date info. you Facebookers should keep up with: Ruben Gonzalez Mayor City of Lytle TX. You can follow me on Twitter @lytlepdchief, but I am not as fun (I’m an all-work and no-play kind of guy).
Once all this TXDOT stuff is done we will be in decent shape for sure! How long will all this planned work take? I’m not sure but IH-35 from Lytle to Dallas has been under construction since I started driving there to visit my grandparents in the late 80s.
Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here before you know it. With that comes our annual Christmas Hayride! The big night is Saturday, December 10th. I would rate this the #2 city event, right behind the 4th of July Fireworks Show.

Officers managed 48 calls last week, that’s on the low side. Officers conducted 73 traffic stops, 57 resulted in citations and 16 were warnings. It looks like even the crooks are taking time off to enjoy the cooler weather. Imagine how hot it was crawling underneath those cars and cutting off the catalytic converters during our super-hot summer. I guess I would take a break too.
I don’t have much to report, only one property crime and two arrests occurred last week. Property crime number 1 of 1: A mobile home was being moved on Creek St. and the AC unit was left by the side of the road, it appears it was picked up by someone who thought it had been set out as junk. If you want to get rid of something around here, just sit it by the side of the road. It will disappear quickly.
Arrests last week: #1 – Officer Diaz (assisted by Ofc. Pena) conducted a traffic stop on Main St. The suspect had “veered” into the other lane of the traffic. He was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. #2 – While on patrol in the 17900 Blk. of Wisdom Road, Ofc. Pena observed a roadside fire and a man holding a gas can. The suspect had poured gasoline on a deceased dog and lit it on fire. It was determined that the dog belonged to the suspect, and it had been struck by a car a few days prior. The suspect was arrested for arson and booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. I am not sure what was going on in this guy’s mind but starting a fire on the side of the road at 3:45 AM is never a clever idea.
Here is some “news you can use”: It looks like City Hall has worked out a plan where they can remain open during the lunch hour! It was that way 5 or 6 years ago and then was changed. Being open during the noon hour will make the city hall more accessible to the public. When I am down there, I have often commented that “It wouldn’t hurt if you all missed a few meals.” Maybe, they decided to skip lunch based on my words of wisdom. No matter who gets credit for this, me, or the people that actually work down there and make decisions….it is a win for our citizens.
There has been lots of other activity in town. The Lytle HS Band did very well at their competition in Beeville. We escorted them out of town on Saturday morning and night shift brought them back into town at 2:45 AM on Sunday! I thought I had some long days. The community clean-up on Saturday morning went well too! I saw some big dumpsters full of junk and trash. I am proud that when the call goes out to our community to find some junk…. they always come through.

This week at Lytle P.D. … Officers handled 74 calls for service! They conducted 45 traffic stops that resulted in 37 citations and 8 warnings.
Officers kept busy – Reported Property Crimes, we had 8 of them: #1 – A construction company working in the Saddle Ridge subdivision reported 140 gallons of diesel missing from two pieces of equipment. #2 – a 2012 Toyota Tundra had the catalytic converter cut off, this happened at the Lytle Crossing parking lot. #3 – An Adams St. resident reported that someone damaged the side mirror on their vehicle. #4 – Lytle ISD reported that somebody passed another fake $20 bill at the concession stand. #5 – H.E.B. Plus reported that a crook made off with 8 trees valued at $58.76. #6 – Officers took a report of a vehicle being “keyed” at the H.E.B. Plus, it occurred during a disturbance. #7 – Burglary of a building, N. Pecan St. Approx. $500 worth of wire was taken from a shed. On an interesting note, the victims had a video of the suspect’s vehicle and saw him a few days later at Dollar General. They confronted the suspect, something I wouldn’t suggest doing. They were able to recover some of their property. #8 – A catalytic converter was cut from a 2004 Toyota Tundra while parked at Hurley’s Funeral Home.
Arrests last week, we had 4 of them: #1 – Ofc. A. Lopez (assisted by Sgt. Hanson) cited and released the driver for possession of drug paraphernalia. #2 – Ofc. L. Diaz was checking out a suspicious person at the Lytle Mini Storage and found him to have an active assault warrant out of Bexar Co. He was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. #3 – A welfare check by Ofc. Pena on a female at H.E.B.’s curbside area resulted in a female being arrested for an active warrant out of Bexar Co. for contempt of court. She was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. #4 – Ofc. Pena conducted a traffic stop on Wisdom & Norvell. The driver was arrested for felony DWI and had two active felony warrants out of Bexar Co., both were child sex crimes.
So that is it for the crime reports, now on to some other stuff:
Perhaps your nose was picking up an odd smell over the weekend? We were scrambling around to figure out why Lytle was using the temporary motto “A City on the Stink.” We were able to find the source of the “fowl” odor as being chicken manure that was recently applied as fertilizer to a large farm just outside of town. We almost broke out our masks again!
Our National Night Out event went very well, we ran out of hotdogs towards the end (we served over 300!). Special thanks to the Lytle VFW and their Auxiliary for cooking and serving the hotdogs and providing a DJ. Thanks also to the Lytle HS Honor Society for serving the drinks, and the Lytle PD Civ. Aux. members for staffing our booth, we had numerous businesses and organizations set up as well. I even had my wife and kids handing out ice cream bars. Thanks to all those that participated and or attended the event, there is no way I can list them all here. The Lytle Fire Dept. was able to highlight a new truck and we had a new Tahoe on display too. Plans are already in the works to make the event next year even better.
The only downside to the event was Ofc. D. Lopez lost his body-worn camera while taking down the bounce house. Several of the officers got aggressive and jumped on it to force the air out. Later we realized that maybe his camera was rolled up in there. The next morning, we contacted the owner of the bounce house, who happens to be a city council member, and asked about unrolling it and looking for the camera. He found it! The story continues…. he was running a little late, so he texted his wife on his cell phone, and “bodycam” auto-corrected to “body” ……so the text came over as “found body in the bouncer, texting Richey.” I can imagine the thoughts running through her head that we wrapped some kid up in the bouncer the night before.

Greetings from all of us here at the Lytle P.D.! We had 60 calls for service this week and 71 traffic stops. Of those 71 traffic stops, 63 were issued citations, and 8 were given warnings.
We took 6 reports of property crimes, here you go: #1 – Some aspiring artists hit John Lott Park with graffiti. The pavilion sign, building, and trash can were targeted. #2 – A Wisdom Rd. resident reported that their trash can was stolen. #3 – A catalytic converter was taken from a 2015 Toyota Tacoma while it was parked at the TXDOT Park and Ride across from Lytle State Bank. #4 – A homeowner on CR 6842 reported someone was inside their home. Officers arrived and arrested a male for burglary of a habitation. #5 – A catalytic converter was taken from a 2018 Honda CRV while it was parked at O’Reilly Auto Parts on McDonald St. #6 – H.E.B. reported the theft of some trees, looks like the same vehicle from last week. The items taken (28 trees) were valued at approx. $720. These guys were pointing out what to get like they were filling a shopping list. We got better video this time……maybe we can track them down.
Officers made two arrests last week. #1 – A man was arrested for burglarizing a home (the incident on CR 6842). The homeowner caught him on camera. He was booked into the Medina Co. Jail. #2 – A man with 2 parole board warrants (possession of a firearm by felon & controlled substance possession) was sitting in front of the PD and turned himself in. He was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail without incident.
We had a lot going on last week, this including assisting with 4 pursuits. #1 – Thursday (9/29) around noon officers assisted with a pursuit that ended just south of the city limits on IH-35. This incident involved human smuggling. #2 – Friday (9/30) around 4:30 PM officers assisted with a pursuit from the south on Main St. The vehicle (a stolen F250) turned up 2790 N, looped down Blume Dr., and then took off towards La Coste. The pursuing officers lost the vehicle. It most likely involved human smuggling, the vehicle was stolen out of SA, and so I doubt our crooks were simply returning it. #3 – Saturday (10/1) just after midnight, officers assisted with a pursuit from La Coste that ended in the LHS parking lot. It was not related to human smuggling. #4 – Saturday (10/1) about 9AM, State Troopers pursued a vehicle into town on Main St. from the south. The suspect vehicle collided with two vehicles at the intersection in front of city hall and then came to rest in front of a house next to city hall. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries. This vehicle was engaged in human smuggling. My family was just up the street conducting a garage sale in front of some old buildings we have. My wife and son saw the crash; I was inside and heard them holler for me. I sprinted down the street as the officers were taking the suspects into custody. The road was shut down for a while. I was later told by a witness that I didn’t sprint down the street; it was more like a fast walk. Well, it seemed like I was sprinting. On a positive note, my wife said sales soared at the garage sale due to the road closure.
Just be careful out there, I have never seen so many pursuits and incidents involving human smuggling in my 30+ year career as a peace officer. We are well over 100 miles from the border, so I can imagine what it is like further south. I’m not talking politics, just letting you know what is going on in our community. My advice: Be extra careful at all intersections, even if you have the right of way. If you see and or hear emergency vehicles get off the roadway as soon as possible, I suggest pulling into a parking lot or well into the grass if that is your only option.
I’m so proud of myself; I focused on a serious topic. I was going to scrap all that and rave about the Italian food place we ate at in Helotes after the garage sale.

The Lytle P.D. numbers say we had a “slow” week. We had 45 calls for service and conducted 47 traffic stops. Those stops resulted in 43 citations and 4 warnings. There was not a lot to report this week.
There were no arrests last week! That is a good thing, a lot of crooks just see a night or two in jail as a chance to regroup and refocus.
We had two property crimes reported last week: #1 – A TXDOT contractor working on the IH-35 Access Rd. project had a hand-held compactor and a jackhammer taken. The loss was valued at $4,000. #2 – A person in a brown Dodge P/U lifted over $1,100 worth of trees from H.E.B. Plus. The theft occurred on Saturday morning at 3:06 AM. We usually see AC window unit thefts when it gets this hot, I guess the rising electrical cost have forced people to steal shade trees.
If you haven’t heard…. the temporary ramp closure project for IH-35 (the one by Lytle State Bank) has been delayed. We will let you know when we have new dates.
It’s never too early to mark your calendar for our annual Christmas Hayride! It will be held on Saturday, December 10th. This is one of our most popular events.
Please join us for our National Night Out event that will be held next week on Tuesday, Oct. 4. It will be at the Lytle Community Center on Priest Blvd. The times will be from 6 PM – 8 PM. There will be numerous community groups set up as well as displays of fire and police vehicles and equipment. The Lytle VFW and their Auxiliary will cook and serve hotdogs for us. We also will have a DJ! There will be plenty of drinks and snacks too. It’s a fun time to come out and meet your public safety workers. We will have gun locks to give away as well as our new 1 oz mini bottles of hand sanitizer. If nothing else, you will be able to leave with a full stomach and hand sanitizer. Plus, the joint has air conditioning and indoor plumbing.

Welcome to “What Happened Last Week at Lytle PD,” not exactly the nightly world news but here you go: Officers handled 51 calls for service and conducted 42 traffic stops. Those stops resulted in 37 citations and 5 warnings.
Officers made 2 arrests last week (both were booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail): #1 – Ofc. Diaz conducted a traffic stop on IH-35 Access Rd. and determined the driver had an active felony dope warrant out of Dimmit County. #2 – Ofc. Diaz received a report of an intoxicated driver. He conducted a traffic stop on FM 3175 @ the IH-35 Access Rd. and determined the suspect to be intoxicated. He was arrested for D.W.I.
We took reports of 5 property crimes: #1 – Camino Real on Benton City Road reported a flatbed trailer was stolen. #2 – The construction company doing site work at Saddle Ridge Estates reported that approx. 200 gallons of diesel fuel was taken from 3 machines, a window was broken as well. That’s a lot of diesel fuel, about $900 worth! #3 – A complainant reported $1,100 in unauthorized transactions on their bank account. Here is a hint: If you use my plan and keep your account on the verge of being overdrawn you will never have that problem. #4 – A Benton St. resident reported that an unknown female entered his residence and took one Miller Lite beer. He captured the incident on his home security system. Yes, this did really happen. I am just going to call this unknown suspect the “One Beer Bandit.” #5 – We ended the week with the report of a theft of a catalytic converter from a vehicle that was parked at the Park & Ride on IH-35 (by Lytle State Bank). The vehicle was a 2014 Camaro so it must have been a skinny thief that got under that car.
The Natalia Mustangs pulled off a victory over our hometown Pirates. Let me be the first to say, “Welcome to Lytle, the Gateway to Natalia.” There is always next year.
Now for some important news: TXDOT will close the NB Entrance Ramp to IH-35 (this is the one by Lytle State Bank). It will be closed from Sept. 21st – Oct. 4th. There will be some construction work on the ramp. A lot of people use this route to get to San Antonio; you can always take Main St. and access NB IH-35 that way. Just tell yourself you are taking the “scenic” route and maybe it won’t be so bad.
The ramp closure caused rumors to run wild. Did a few TXDOT employees have a bet over the big rivalry football game? If Lytle won, they would shut down a ramp in Natalia and if Natalia won, they would shut down a ramp in Lytle. I investigated this rumor and believe it is nonsense that popped into my head as I drafted my weekly report.

Lytle P.D. managed 47 calls for service last week. Officers conducted 83 traffic stops. Those traffic stops resulted in 72 citations and 11 warnings.
We only had one property crime reported last week! It was an internal theft at NAPA Auto Parts. It is always nice when people don’t get their stuff ripped off by some crook, so I really like the low theft numbers.
Officers made three arrests last week: #1 – Ofc. L. Diaz (assisted by Ofc. J. Cortez) conducted a traffic stop on McDonald St. and determined the driver to be intoxicated. He was arrested for DWI. #2 – Ofc. A. Lopez conducted a traffic stop on Adams St. and determined the driver had an active felony warrant (Agg. Assault w/a Deadly Weapon) out of Bexar Co. #3 – Ofc. J. Cortez (assisted by Sgt. G. Hanson) conducted a traffic stop on Mains St. for speeding. The female driver was arrested for DWI. All three of those were booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail in Jourdanton. It may not seem like a lot when you read it, but stopping and arresting an intoxicated driver in the middle of the night is a stressful and dangerous event. Your officers are out there keeping you safe 24/7.
Sorry for the short and boring report, so what else is going on? We are getting close to our annual National Night Out event. It will be held at the Lytle Community Center on Priest Blvd. The date is October 4, 2022, and we will start at about 6 PM. You can expect a free hotdog and something to drink. You can mingle with our officers, and we will also have some folks from the fire department as well. We welcome businesses or organizations that want to set up too. Just call or email so I can reserve a table for your group. In addition to a free hotdog, you will score some other free stuff. Bring out the whole family! Everyone is welcome, even if you don’t like the “police” I am sure you will like a free hotdog.

When you look at the call volume, only 47 calls, it might appear it was a slow week. It was a busy one with 9 reported property crimes, more on that later. Officers conducted 71 traffic stops which resulted in 63 citations and 8 warnings.
Let’s get the arrest activity out of the way, we had 4 arrests last week. Here we go with my simple numbering system to help me from getting confused: #1 – The detergent theft lady from last week was located by Ofc. D. Lopez, she was given a citation and released. #2 – Ofc. Pena conducted a traffic stop on Main Street and found the driver to be intoxicated. He was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. #3 – Ofc. A. Lopez responded to a disturbance on N. Prairie St. A male was arrested for assault causing bodily injury (family violence) and booked into the jail in Jourdanton. #4 – Ofc. Pena observed a single vehicle accident and arrested the driver for DWI, he too was checked into the jail in Jourdanton.
Property crimes reported last week: #1 – A rear door to a home under construction on Lonesome Dove was taken. #2 – A laptop valued at $1,000 was taken from a vehicle parked at the H.E.B. Plus. #3 – A complainant reported that an unknown male took a folder full of personal papers from her unlocked vehicle, this occurred at the Dollar General. #4 – A light blue 3-wheel bicycle was stolen from a residence on Oak St. #5 – A complainant reported that an unknown person entered their business on Main St. and took approx. $60 worth of misc. brass fittings. They slid under a garage door that was left just barely open. #6 – A resident on Huckleberry Dr. reported the theft of a trash can. #7 – Criminal mischief was reported at the IH-35 Park & Ride, a truck tractor was damaged in an attempted break-in. #8 – On Sunday evening (8/21) a complainant reported that his 2020 Dodge Ram Rebel p/u was stolen while parked in the 15000 Blk. of Main St. He had left it in a parking lot for a 24-hour period and the keys were left inside. #9 – Later that evening officers took a report of a 2003 Ford F250 taken from the H.E.B. Plus parking lot. It was recovered several hours later by S.A.P.D.  Now, we have a lot of investigating to do.
I took three days of leave and headed east with the family. The first stop was Livingston/Onalaska to spend a night with my wife’s sister and her family. We dropped off a couple of the kids and headed to Monroe, La. for a conference my wife and oldest daughter wanted to attend. I was mostly along for the trip to take care of the baby. After a couple of nights there we headed back to pick up the kids. We slid into Lytle on Monday night; I was 30 minutes late to the city council meeting. As usual, I did a good bit of eating at good places. I can’t resist touching on a few high points:  The Main St. Café in Carthage (TX): Catfish & frog legs plate lunch, fried okra, and coleslaw. (I opted out of the frog legs and got extra catfish). Don Chuy Mexican Grill (West Monroe, La.) – The chips and salsa. The Ranch House Café (Leesville, La.) – The crawfish etouffee and chocolate chip cookies. Let’s end this out with cornbread from 3rd On Main Kitchen in downtown Bryan (TX). On a side note, to this already side note, downtown Bryan has really been fixed up since I was a kid there in the early 80s, other than Woolworths and TSO there wasn’t much reason to go downtown.
Now back to something official. I testified in district court early last week over in Jourdanton at the Justice Center. I have said before that place is lovely. I just found out the whole second floor is not being used and hasn’t been built out. I can’t believe somebody hasn’t cut a backroom deal to fill that place up with those 8-Liner gambling machines. The cops would never suspect an illegal casino on the second floor of the justice center. All the traffic at all hours of the night could be attributed to the courts running around the clock to catch up from a COVID backlog.