Over the course of this weekend, Deputies from the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office responded to 146 calls for service. Many of those calls were, thankfully, non-life-threatening . However, sadly, some were life-threatening, even involving the use of or the threat of use by firearms or other weapons.
However, after reviewing all of the reports turned in by Sheriff’s Deputies this weekend, two calls were profound enough to stand out and warrant the attention of all the citizens in Liberty County.
The first call, reported on Saturday, July 31st Deputies responded to a Burglary of a Church. The Church targeted by these heartless criminals was the Tarkington Prairie Church of Christ, located on Highway 321 in Tarkington Prairie. The criminal(s) responsible for this crime stole two 4ton A/C units, forced entry through a back door, damaging the door and frame beyond repair entering into the Sanctuary. Once inside the suspect(s) removed the Church’s stereo equipment. The total estimate of loss by the parishioners has yet to be finalized, however, initial estimates are nearing several thousands of dollars.
The second call, reported on Saturday, July 31st Deputies responded to yet another Burglary call. This time, the victims are the citizens of the North Liberty County region near the Woodpecker Volunteer Fire Department. According to reports, unknown suspect(s) knocked security cameras from the outside of the Fire Station off of the building and cut the telephone lines leading to the Fire Station. Forced entry was made into the Fire Station by breaking a window, damaging the frame of the window in the process. Undisclosed items were taken from the Fire Department. A complete inventory of equipment shall have to be completed to determine exactly what equipment was stolen and or damaged by the suspect(s). This crime is such a loss not only for the completely Volunteer Fire Department, it is also a tragedy for the entire community as this crime placed many citizens needlessly in danger by the damage and theft of life saving/firefighting equipment.
Both of these crimes are a reflection the rising call volume in our County. The call volume and criminal cases has surpassed projections for the busiest year on record for the LCSO. Projections were at approximately 25,000 calls for this year. However, as of present, the LCSO has already passed 20,000 calls for service with over 5 months left within this year. Over the last five years, this is an increase of over 12,000 calls for service, all the while, the LCSO has the exact same number of Deputies and Investigators as in 2007.
The Liberty County Sheriff’s Office is asking for anyone with information about these crimes to please call the LCSO at (936) 336-4500 or log onto our website ( www.libertytxsheriff.com ) go to the Crime Stopper Tip page. Either way, your identity shall remain anonymous. Only with the support and input from citizens can we truly impact criminal activity in Liberty County making our community a safer place for our families and friends.
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