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Several sentenced in district court

Multiple cases were processed in the last weeks in the 46th Judicial District Court sitting both in Wilbarger and Hardeman counties.

Christina Magilene Nava Smith, 45, of Vernon, was sentenced to eights years in prison following her plea of guilty to possession of methamphetamine.

On April 26, 2020, a Vernon police officer made a traffic stop of Smith. The officer noticed indicators of criminal activity and asked for consent to search which was granted. The officer then located 5.9 grams of methamphetamine in Smith’s purse.

She was represented by Sage Seal of Childress.

Pulled from car while attempting to flee

Joshua Lee Brown, 40, of Vernon, was placed on probation for a period of four years and ordered to complete a term of confinement in a substance abuse felony punishment facility (SAFPF) following his plea of guilty to possession of methamphetamine.

On December 11, 2019, a Vernon police officer saw Brown driving a vehicle and knew that he had an outstanding warrant for misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance. The officer initiated a traffic stop.

As the officer stood at the window of Brown’s car discussing the reason for the stop, Brown put his hand on the gearshift in an attempt to flee. The officer opened the door and pulled Brown out before he could get the vehicle into drive.

The officer then noticed three clear baggies containing a white crystal substance on the driver’s seat. A DPS lab report showed Brown to be in possession of 1.26 grams of methamphetamine.

In addition to the probation and SAFPF requirement, Brown was ordered to pay a fine of $4,000, and complete 200 hours of community service. He was represented by Angela Baskerville of Vernon.

Continuous family violence case

Antonio Scallion, Jr., 29, of Vernon, pleaded guilty to continuous violence against a family member and was placed on probation for a period of three years.

The charges arose from incidents that occurred on April 9, 2021, and April 24, 2021, in which Scallion assaulted his girlfriend.

Scallion was ordered to pay a fine of $1,500, complete 100 hours of community service, and to successfully complete a 27 week battering intervention and prevention program.

He was represented by Michael Valverde.

Choked woman during assault

Humberto Davila, 31, of Vernon, was placed on probation for a period of five years after entering a guilty plea to assault against a family member by impeding breath. On April 16, 2020, Vernon police were dispatched to a residence regarding a domestic assault.

The victim was shaking and crying and reported to police that Davila had choked her and assaulted her. Davila was ordered to pay a fine of $3,5000, complete 350 hours of community service, and attend a battering intervention and prevention program.

He was represented by Angela Baskerville.

Threw a brick at woman

Bradley Deshaun Reese, 28, of Quanah, was placed on probation for a period of five years following his plea of guilty to assault family violence with previous conviction. On April 15, 2021, Vernon police responded to a residence regarding a domestic assault.

The victim told police that Reese, her ex-boyfriend, had thrown a brick at her striking her in the leg.

Three other witnesses confirmed the victim’s account. The victim did not suffer any serious injuries but did have redness and bruising to the leg. Reese was ordered to pay a $1,500 fine, complete 100 hours of community service, and successfully complete a battering intervention and prevention program.

He was represented by Earl Griffin of Childress.

She had a stolen gun

Misty Rene Cox, 42, of Vernon, was placed on probation for five years following her guilty plea to unlawful possession of a firearm.

On October 15, 2019, Vernon police initiated an investigation into the report of a stolen firearm.

During the course of the investigation, Cox admitted to officers that she had possessed the gun for a short time but that she had given it to a third party. Because of a prior felony conviction, Cox was prohibited from possessing the firearm. Cox was ordered to pay a fine of $1,500 and to complete 150 hours of community service.

She was represented by Angela Baskerville.

Dumped construction debris

Jeremiah David Ramirez, 43, of Vernon, pleaded guilty to illegal dumping and was placed on probation for a period of five years.

On October 7, 2020, a construction company in Vernon hired Ramirez as a subcontractor to remove debris after a two story building was demolished.

Rather than take the materials to an approved landfill as required by law, Ramirez dumped the building materials on a small amount of property that he owned in the northern part of Wilbarger County.

As part of the probation, Ramirez was ordered to pay a fine of $3,500, complete 250 hours of community service, and to remove and properly dispose of the unlawfully dumped materials within six months.

He was represented by Earl Griffin.

Burglary of a building

Kevin Orban Lee, 25, of Vernon, was placed on probation for a period of two years following his plea of guilty to burglary of a building.

On December 5, 2019, a local business owner reported the theft of an oxygen bottle and acetylene bottle along with a cutting torch and some other related equipment. The materials were eventually traced to Lee after he sold them to a third party. Lee was ordered to pay a fine of $2,000, complete 100 hours of community service, and make restitution to the victim.

He was represented by Angela Baskerville.

Drug possession cases

Five cases in Wilbarger County involved possession of a small amount of methamphetamines where probation is mandatory by state law. These included the following: Kimberly Tishay Randle, 37, of Vernon; Tara Elisabeth Peterson, 36, of Vernon; Colton Jack Lucas, 20, of Vernon; Cecilia Marie Pitchford, 59, of Vernon; and Belinda Bustamante, 51, of Vernon.

All of the defendants were placed on probation for a period of two years and ordered to pay a fine, complete community service, and attend outpatient substance abuse counseling and Helen Farabee.

Hardeman drug stop

In a Hardeman County case, Christopher Cano, 39, of Quanah, was sentenced to three years in prison following his plea of guilty to possession of a controlled substance. On October 18, 2018, a Hardeman County deputy pulled over Cano for speeding. During the course of the stop, the deputy noticed several indicators of criminal activity.

At one point during the stop, the deputy saw Cano kick something under his car which was later found to be a meth pipe. A probable cause search of Cano yielded a baggie of methamphetamine in his sunglasses case.

Cano was represented by Michael Valverde.

The cases were prosecuted by the 46th Judicial District Attorney’s Office while District Judge Dan Mike Bird presided over the hearings and assessed the sentences.

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