Burnet County news

BY ALEXANDRIA RANDOLPH

HIGHLAND LAKES NEWSPAPERS

The U.S. Marshals are hunting a Marble Falls man previously convicted on drug trafficking charges.

Thomas Richard Sims, 35, is wanted for violating the terms of his release following several years in prison on distribution and possession charges. A warrant was issued for his arrest on Saturday, July 26.

Supervisory Deputy Hector Gomez of the U.S. Marshals Western District of Texas said Sims went missing just before he was scheduled to check in to a substance abuse treatment program. His probation officer purchased him a ticket to the program on July 8, but Sims never showed up.

Sims is expected to be hiding in Burnet County or the greater Austin area.

“His network isn’t there anymore, but we figure he’ll be in Marble Falls or the Burnet County area, or here in Austin,” Gomez said. “We figure if we get his name and photo out, it will shake the trees up a little bit.”

by Alexandria Randolph

Burnet Bulletin

Burnet County officials and law enforcement are preparing for an influx of inmates from nearby counties in coming weeks.

Burnet County Judge James Oakley said commissioners court approved contracts with three Texas counties on Tuesday to house inmates in overflow conditions or special circumstances, and the jail has hired additional staff to handle the increase. Hayes, Somerville, and Taylor county jails have all contracted for the ability to send inmates to Burnet County Jail.

BY CHRISTI BERTELSON
HIGHLAND LAKES NEWSPAPERS

A late night accident Thursday claimed the life of one person just west of Marble Falls.

The accident occurred when two vehicles collided on Texas Highway 71 near the Burnet and Llano county line at 11:28 p.m. Thursday, July 14, about two miles west of the intersection with U.S. Highway 281.

One man, J. Lee Rethaber, of Kingsland, was killed in the accident. It was unknown what factored into the crash.

By Lew K. Cohn, Managing Editor

The Highlander

Four Phoenix Center staffers recently returned from Banff, Alberta, Canada, where they presented information about the center's model for assisting children with trauma at an international symposium.

by Alexandria Randolph

Highland Lakes Newspapers