Burnet County Sheriff's Office

By Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

A former jail inmate alleged in a federal lawsuit April 16 that his incarceration was a case of “mistaken identity” and lodged complaints against Burnet County and Hamilton County law enforcement based on how they handled his pleas to clear his name.

James Matthew Robinson, 38, of Longview was incarcerated in the Burnet County Jail from June to October 2018 based on a Hamilton County Sheriff's Office warrant, according to jail documents. …

From staff reports

A test rocket engine fire at the Firefly Aeronautics facility in Briggs resulted in temporary evacuations and closure Jan. 22 of a stretch of a state highway and several Burnet County roads, officials reported.

Initially, Burnet County Sheriff's Office reported just before 6:30 a.m. a “possible explosion” had occurred at the facility. The report led to an evacuation of residents and businesses within one mile radius of the site and shutdown of U.S. 183. Roads were re-opened about three hours later. …

From staff reports

A Spicewood man is dead following an alleged “road rage” incident Jan. 15 in the parking lot of a convenience store, just off Texas 71 in Spicewood, according to the Burnet County Sheriff's Office.

A BCSO press release stated that around 2 p.m. 44-year-old Thao Ton suffered at least two gunshot wounds and died at the scene. Investigators stated Ton was involved with 36-year-old Milton Kim of Leander in a “non-collision road rage incident on SH 71 and had mutually pulled into the Spicewood Square Chevron parking lot” where an altercation ensued. …

By Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

Hundreds of peace officers and emergency personnel from around the state descended on Marble Falls two days before Christmas to honor a Burnet PD K9 handler who died after suffering an apparent heart attack, just a week short of his year anniversary with the agency.

A funeral mass for Burnet PD K9 Officer Jose Humberto Meza was conducted at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church Dec. 23, followed by a procession to Post Mountain Cemetery where graveside services were conducted with full law enforcement honors. …

From staff reports

What started as an attempt to serve an eviction notice, evolved into a suspect standoff Dec. 5 in Spicewood in Burnet County, authorities said.

Marshall Willard Brown, 43, was eventually apprehended at 3:20 p.m. following an hours long standoff at an empty mobile home. Authorities reported he was a member of the Aryan Circle gang and had been on the run since 2018. 

Contributed/BCSO
Members of a new Burnet County Crisis Negotiation Team are comprised of officers from both Burnet County Sheriff's Office and Marble Falls Police Chief that will be available to respond to assist any agency in Burnet County.

Find the rest of this story in the Tuesday, Nov. 26 issue of The Highlander, the newspaper of record for the Highland Lakes. To offer a comment or news tip, email lew@highlandernews.com. To subscribe to the newspaper, call 830-693-4367 or click here to subscribe to our e-Edition online.

Special to The Highlander

Burnet County Sheriff Calvin Boyd will be speaking Thursday, Sept. 12, about the crisis on the border, drug cartels and the financial burdens of unchecked illegal immigration as well as the collateral damage and potential dangers of an unsecured border.

By Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

Burnet County authorities have arrested a suspect in an illegal dumping investigation tied to several properties in a Prairie Creek Drive neighborhood, including one on Elm Creek Drive, where a blaze threatened homes three days after the man was taken into custody in the Brazos Valley.

Levi Dakota Baay, 19, of Bernard will face a state jail felony charge of illegal dumping (less than 1,000 pounds and/or 200 cubic feet). He was booked into the Robertson County Jail on Aug. 18. Baay was released on Aug. 20 after posting a $10,000 bond, according to jail records.

By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor

Burnet County commissioners are expected to propose an overall tax rate of 39.99 cents per $100 valuation at a special called meeting at 9 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 8, in order to support a proposed $29.92 budget for fiscal year 2020.

Connie Swinney
Staff Writer

Burnet County authorities tracked down a suspect July 30 accused of stealing as many as six vehicles in about 10 days, after finding a stolen pickup abandoned in the vicinity of one of the other incidents.