Many times DeWitt County folks, especially young ones, think ‘nothing ever happens here.’ But when we look back over a year, quite the opposite is clear. Plenty happens here. It just wasn’t viral on Tik Tok.
This week we look at the first month and a half of 2024.
January
Precinct 1 County Commissioner Curtis Afflerbach announced his retirement a year early. DeWitt County Commissioners appointed Precinct 1 Foreman Ryan Varela as interim commissioner, and he was sworn in on January 22. Varela as well as two other candidates ran for the position in the March Republican Primary. Varela prevailed and continued to serve out Afflerbach’s term. He will be sworn in to his four-year term on Jan. 1, 2025.
On January 27, cybercriminal Bolanle Adeosun, 34, a Nigerian national living in Maryland, was sentenced in a plea deal to five years for the theft of $305,301 from De-Witt County.
The theft occurred in June of 2022, when a county employee responded to an email from Adeosun, posing as a county vendor and requesting a change of account number. After that month’s bills were paid, the county auditor discovered that the vendor was not paid. The DeWitt County Sheriff’s Office investigated the crime and arrested Adeosun as the perpetrator. The 27th Judicial District Attorney’s office seized and acquired $350,301 from the JP Morgan account to which it was transferred.
After the initial crime, DeWitt County’s insurance policy with the Texas Association of Counties (TAC) reimbursed $250,000 to the county. When the seizure and acquisition of funds from the JPMorgan account happened, the county returned the insurance payout.
However in May of this year, the county received a demand letter from the Gemini Trust Company on behalf of JPMorgan Chase for the return of the funds, claiming that by the time the county acquired the money it was no longer the same funds that were stolen. County Attorney Jay Condie investigated and reported that the county had no standing or resources to fight the demand. The Commissioner’s Court approved his recommendation of returning the funds and taking another insurance payout. The county wound up $60,000 short in the aftermath of the theft.
According to County Judge Daryl Fowler, the employee who made the mistake no longer works for DeWitt County, and County Auditor, Naomi Williams, has instituted policies which safeguard against such unverified transactions.
February
On February 11, longtime educator and community leader Debra Baros passed away. The Westhoff native, famous for her exuberance and her hats, had an impact on every Cuero ISD student for decades, as well as multiple area organizations, including the Cuero Education Foundation, the Food Bank of the Golden Crescent, Cuero Community Foundation, the Chisholm Trail Heritage Museum, the Cuero Country Club, the Westhoff American Legion Auxiliary, and Cuero Turkeyfest. Later in the year, she was commemorated by the CTHM with a new education fund in her name and at the Concerts in Classrooms “Night Fever” fundraiser for the Cuero ISD Education Foundation.
On February 15, community pillar Joe Reuss passed away. He was fourth- generation pharmacist at Reuss Pharmacy. Reuss “hated to see an empty building” and was known for restoring many historic structures in Downtown Cuero. He was instrumental in bringing the TDCJ Stevenson Unit to Cuero in 1992 and in 2013 founded the Pharmacy and Medical Museum of Texas in downtown Cuero in partnership with the City of Cuero.
Election season started with two Democrats going up against typically unopposed Republican area representatives. Tanya Lloyd, a first-grade Lockhart teacher, challenged Republican Michael Cloud for District 27 U.S. House of Representatives seat. Community developer Stephanie Bassham declared for the open District 30 Texas State Representative seat. For the District 30 seat on the Republican side, Jeff Bauknight and AJ Louderback ran hardfought races in the primary.
Early voting in the GOP primary began on February 20. Contentious local elections included the positions of DeWitt County Sheriff office and 27th Judicial District Attorney. In the sheriff’s race Jeff “Rooster” Thompson challenged incumbent Carl Bowen. For district attorney, Tim Poynter and Brian Cromeen vied for the spot left open by outgoing DA Rob Lassman.
Bowen and Cromeens prevailed in the March primary. Bauknight and Louderback went into a run-off election in May, which Louderback won.
That was just the beginning of 2024. Next week, we’ll start with the astonishing 90-day capital fund campaign to pay off the $1.5 million loan on the Ag Friar Event Center.
