DPS trooper in Stanton honored for offering aid after feral hog attack
In November of last year, Helms was working patrol in Howard County when he received information about a man who had been severely injured in a feral hog attack. Trooper Helms responded to the call and learned that the man had a puncture wound on his back.
Helms provided first aid and tended to the victim's injuries until paramedics arrived; medical staff later told Helms that the victim suffered multiple cuts, cracked ribs, a cracked spine and a collapsed lung in the attack.
Helms received the Lifesaving Award for his quick action that November day.
'We're proud to recognize these individuals who demonstrated extraordinary commitment to serving others,' said DPS Colonel Freeman F. Martin. 'Their selfless actions— whether from within our agency or beyond — represent the very best of public service and remind us of the powerful impact one person can make.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Family of flood victim sues RV park over alleged negligence
AUSTIN (KMID/KPEJ)- Loved ones of 22-year-old Jayda Floyd, an Odessa juvenile probation officer who lost her life last month in the devastating floods that swept through the Hill Country, have filed a lawsuit against the RV park, attorneys with Glasheen, Valles & Inderman announced Tuesday afternoon. Jayda was staying at the HTR TX Hill Country Resort, a luxury RV park and campground on the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas, over the Fourth of July weekend with her fiancé, Odessa Police officer, Bailey Martin, and his family, when floodwaters roared through the area overnight. Woken by the commotion, attorneys for the family said that Jayda helped Bailey's teenage siblings climb onto the RV before she was swept away. That last heroic act saved the teens, but tragically, Jayda, Bailey, and Bailey's father and step-mother, Bobby and Amanda Martin, were killed. A dedicated juvenile probation officer in Ector County, Jayda was pursuing her master's degree in psychology at the University of Texas Permian Basin. Her mission was to serve at-risk youth and change the course of young lives. 'She was someone who was going to make a difference in the lives of people, particularly kids,' said her father, David Floyd. Attorney Kevin Glasheen said, 'The family wants answers and accountability. They want to know why the resort had no effective system to monitor extreme weather and flooding, no adequate warning for guests like Jayda, and no timely evacuation procedures.' The lawsuit states that the defendants may have ignored the following warnings: ● 5:47 p.m. Wednesday, July 2: Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) announced the agency activated state emergency response resources in anticipation of flooding in West and Central Texas ● Morning of Thursday, July 3: National Water Center issues Flood Hazard Outlook, identifying flash flood potential for Kerrville and surrounding areas, according to the Department of Homeland Security ● Approximately 1:45 p.m., Thursday, July 3: A Flood Watch was issued for Kerr County ● 6:22 p.m. Thursday, July 3: National Water Center warns of considerable flooding risks north and west of San Antonio, including Kerrville, according to the Department of Homeland Security ● Approximately 8:12 p.m. Thursday, July 3: The Flood Watch was extended ● 1:14 a.m. Friday, July 4: Flash Flood Warning with 'Considerable' tag issued for Bandera and Kerr Counties, triggering Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) and NOAA Weather Radio notifications, according to the Department of Homeland Security ● Approximately 2:37 a.m. Friday, July 4: The Flash Flood Watch was extended ● 3:19 a.m. Friday, July 4: A River Flood Warning was issued for the Guadalupe River at Hunt ● Approximately 3:28 a.m. Friday, July 4: A Downstream River Flood Warning was issued for the Guadalupe River in Kerrville ● Approximately 3:36 a.m. Friday, July 4: A Flash Flood Warning was issued for south-central Kerr and northwest Bandera Counties ● Approximately 3:56 a.m. Friday, July 4: A new River Forecast Warning was issued for the Guadalupe River at Hunt ● Approximately 4:04 a.m. Friday, July 4: A Flash Flood Emergency was issued ● 4:23 a.m. Friday, July 4: NWS posted on X that 'a PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION and a Flash Flood EMERGENCY is in effect' ● 5:34 a.m. Friday, July 4: A Flash Flood Emergency for the Guadalupe River from Hunt through Kerrville and down to Center Point was issued According to reports, police and fire officials observed RVs being swept away in the darkness at or near the campground around 5:00am. Surviving guests of the HTR TX Hill Country Resort campground report that it was someone honking a car horn that awoke them, and they were barely able to escape with their lives as the water rose from ankle deep to waist deep in minutes. Witnesses report watching in horror as the flood waters carried away entire cabins, ripped from their foundations, and RVs, while people trapped inside them screamed for help. 'Defendants were negligent and grossly negligent for the following reasons,' the lawsuit stated: a. Failing to establish proper storm and flood monitoring procedures; b. Failing to provide proper equipment and training for their employees and/or agents to monitor the potential for catastrophic flooding; c. Failing to establish proper emergency response procedures; d. Failing to establish proper evacuation procedures and processes; e. Failing to properly, safely, and timely evacuate the property; f. Failing to warn guests of the risk of flooding and/or of the actual flooding that occurred; g. Placing guests in a known floodplain with a history of dangerous flooding; h. Installing structures not designed to withstand flooding conditions; i. Failing to implement sufficient infrastructure improvements and maintenance to establish and maintain a safe means of egress from the property to safety in the event of a flood such as the one encountered; j. Any violations of applicable, local, state, and federal laws and/or regulations; k. Vicarious liability for the conduct of its agents and/or employees; and l. Other acts negligent acts or omissions identified throughout the course of the lawsuit. 'Businesses operating campgrounds along the river have known about its flooding history for decades,' said Jon Clark, attorney for the family. 'We will investigate what steps—if any—were taken to monitor conditions and warn guests of the danger they were in.' In response to the lawsuit, a spokesperson for HTR TX Hill Country said, 'Our hearts go out to Ms. Floyd's family, her fiancé, and other loved ones – and to all of those who were impacted by the flooding that devastated the Kerrville community. As has been widely acknowledged by state and local authorities, meteorologists, and other experts, no one could have anticipated the unprecedented severity and rapid onset of the flooding that occurred and that exposed serious failures in public warning systems and emergency response protocols. While we have not yet been served with this complaint, we have reviewed a copy. We reject its fundamental thrust and will be prepared to vigorously defend ourselves in court.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Post
05-08-2025
- New York Post
Sen. John Cornyn urges FBI to help locate Texas Democrats who fled state to stall redistricting effort
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) asked the FBI Tuesday for help locating, arresting and investigating dozens of Texas Democratic lawmakers who fled the Lone Star State in an effort to stall a Republican-led redistricting effort. Cornyn, who is facing a primary challenge for his Senate seat from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, made the request in a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, where he described the 57 absentee Democrats – some of whom appear to be holed up in Illinois and New York – as 'potential lawbreakers.' 3 Cornyn noted that several of the absent Democrats appear to be hiding in other states, including Illinois and New York. AP 'Since these state legislators are currently outside of Texas, the Texas Department of Public Safety may need support to arrest the fleeing lawmakers,' the senator wrote. 'I request the FBI's assistance, as federal resources are necessary to locate the out-of-state Texas legislators who are potentially acting in violation of the law,' Cornyn continued. 'The FBI has tools to aid state law enforcement when parties cross state lines, including to avoid testifying or fleeing a scene of a crime.' 'Specifically, I am concerned that legislators who solicited or accepted funds to aid in their efforts to avoid their legislative duties may be guilty of bribery or other public corruption offenses,' he added. Cornyn noted that his request is 'time-sensitive' as the Texas Legislature only has about two-weeks remaining in its special session to consider flood-relief bills and the redrawing of state congressional maps. The FBI declined to comment. By absconding from the state capitol, the missing Democratic lawmakers have prevented the GOP-controlled legislature from establishing the quorum necessary to consider the bills. Cornyn's request comes after Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state authorities on Monday to 'arrest' the 'delinquent Texas House Democrats' and bring them back to Austin so the special session can continue. Abbott also directed the Texas Rangers to 'immediately investigate fleeing Texas House Democrats for potential bribery and any other potential legal violations connected to their refusal to appear for a quorum, conduct business, and cast votes.' The governor indicated the investigations would extend to 'anyone who aided or abetted such potential crimes.' 'As we're talking right now, Texas Department of Public Safety officers are on the streets looking for those Democrat House members to arrest them and to take them to the Texas capitol and hold them there until a quorum is reached,' Abbott said in an interview with Fox News host Will Cain on Tuesday. Abbott noted that it's unclear how many of the Democratic lawmakers remain out-of-state but that authorities are 'working with officials in other states to find ways in which we can try to arrest' them and 'bring them back to the state of Texas.' 3 The absent Democrats have prevented the Texas House of Representatives from reaching the quorum necessary to consider a controversial redistricting effort and other legislative measures. Getty Images 3 Cornyn's request to Patel comes after the Texas governor and attorney general moved to arrest and investigate the missing lawmakers. REUTERS The governor also said he'll seek to remove Democratic House members for the legislature who received financial assistance to leave the state. 'Democrats don't seem to know that taking or receiving a payment like they have to escape or not take a vote subjects them to forfeiture of their seat,' Abbott said on 'The Will Cain Show.' 'It's going to be one of the legal grounds you're going to see asserted here immediately to seek the vacation or elimination or abandonment of these House seats by the Democrats,' he added. 'So we will remove them from office and call for elections to replace them.' Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows and Paxton have set a Friday deadline for the runaway Democrats to appear at the capitol before 'judicial orders' are sought declaring that they have 'vacated their office.' 'The people of Texas elected lawmakers, not jet-setting runaways looking for headlines,' Paxton wrote on X. 'If you don't show up to work, you get fired.' The deadline was issued after the Texas House again failed to reach a quorum on Thursday afternoon.
USA Today
05-08-2025
- USA Today
Trump says FBI 'may have to' force Democratic lawmakers back to Texas
President Donald Trump said the FBI might help arrest Texas Democratic lawmakers who fled to other states to block a Republican redistricting plan. President Donald Trump said the FBI "may have to" help arrest Texas Democratic lawmakers to their home state after more than 50 fled to block a Republican redistricting plan that could flip five U.S. congressional seats. "A lot of people are demanding they come back. You can't just sit it out. You have to go back," Trump said at an Aug. 5 press event. Trump made the remarks when asked by a reporter about Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn's request earlier in the day for the FBI to "take any appropriate steps to aid in Texas state law enforcement efforts to locate or arrest" the Democratic lawmakers. Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety Aug. 4 to arrest the Democratic lawmakers. His order was designed to force the absconding legislators to comply with civil arrest warrants that state Republican lawmakers voted to issue earlier in the day. However, it has not been clear how Texas law enforcement would be able to force the Democrats back to Texas when they are in states where local law enforcement might not be willing to execute the warrants. Many of them went to the Chicago area in Illinois, where Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker greeted them. Others went to Boston, Massachusetts and Albany, New York. "A lot of people are demanding they come back," Trump said Aug. 5. "You can't just sit it out. You have to go back." Contributing: Savannah Kuchar – USA TODAY
