20 years ago…
June 16, 2005
SOUTHMAYD POLICE CHIEF NABS SHERMAN ROBBERY SUSPECT
Shortly after 8 a.m. Monday a white female later identified as 43-year-old Lisa Prejean entered the Super Wash Laundromat at 2105 East Lamar in Sherman. She carried with her a metal chain link fence post that she used to hit several pieces of equipment inside the Laundromat before turning to the single female employee of the business.
Prejean demanded the money and keys to the business and the employee wisely complied. The suspect then left, but not before the quick-thinking clerk obtained a description of the suspect and her vehicle.
At about 8:25 a.m., Southmayd Police Chief Bart Mitchell observed a vehicle fitting the general description headed westbound on State Highway 56.
Chief Mitchell stopped the white 1969 Chevrolet pickup and determined that this was the suspect that Sherman Police were looking for and took her into custody.
She was transported to Grayson Jail where she remained in custody on a charge of aggravated robbery with a bond amount of $20,000.
30 years ago…
June 22, 1995
105-POUND ALLIGATOR GAR CAUGHT AT HAGERMAN
Two Southmayd fishermen unexpectedly hauled a huge alligator gar into their boat last week at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge.
Mark and Scott Terry, bow fishing in a creek area near the facility headquarters, took the 105-plus pound creature on Friday.
Refuge Manager Jim Williams squashed a variety of rumors -- which had developed the fish into an irate, man-eating sized alligator.
He said, “This was definitely the largest gar we’ve ever seen at our refuge. To anyone simply looking at the head of this fish, it would certainly appear to be an alligator. It looks like an alligator with no legs.”
Flooding conditions likely contributed to the presence of the species -- which traditionally lives only in the tributaries of the Gulf.
40 years ago…
June 20, 1985
BANK VAULT TIMER MALFUNCTION CAUSES SANCTIONED ‘BREAK-IN’
The main vault at the Collinsville State Bank proved to be TOO safe last week when access had to be gained by cutting a hole through an 18-inch brick wall and a quarter-inch steel plate.
The vault staged a two-day “lock-out” caused by a malfunction of the vault’s timer. “Someone had to crawl through the hole and manually open the vault,” said Jean Carney, vice president of Collinsville State Bank where she has been employed four years. “I’ve been in banking since 1957 and I’ve never seen it happen.”
60 years ago…
June 17, 1965
COLLINSVILLE VOTERS APPROVE SCHOOL BOND
Collinsville voters overwhelmingly approved a $60,000 bond in a recent election by a ten-to-one margin. The bond called for many needed improvements for the Collinsville school facilities. There were 89 votes cast approving the bond, while only 9 voters opposed the bond.
The bond will be repaid in 15 to 20 years with a slight tax increase which will be approximately 15 percent.