Latest news with #HaysCounty
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Fox tests positive for rabies in Wimberley community, HCSO says
AUSTIN (KXAN) — A fox tested positive for rabies in Wimberley on Friday, according to the Hays County Sheriff's Office. HCSO said in a social media post that a fox 'was found exhibiting abnormal behavior' in the Palo Pinto Path in Wimberley, which is near Cypress Creek. The agency said the fox was tested by the Department of State Health Services (DSHS), and that was when the test confirmed to be positive for the virus. 'We are asking all people to please be careful. If you come in contact with a fox please do not touch it. There has been no known human contact with this fox,' HCSO said. If anyone in the community may have come into physical contact with the fox can call HCSO, Animal Control Unit at (512) 393-7896, the Hays County Health Department Epidemiology Department at (512) 393-5520 option 3, or DSHS Zoonosis Control at (254) 778-6744, the agency said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Terrified female hiker attacked by unexpected animal SIX times while enjoying peaceful Texas trail
In a rare encounter, a female hiker was attacked six times by a rabid fox while enjoying a scenic walk through a Texas park. Michelle Danos, a Texas State University student, headed to the trails at Purgatory Creek Natural Area in San Marcos on Sunday, hoping to unwind with a peaceful hike through the nature-filled paths after finishing her shift, KXAN News reported. However, her serene walk took a terrifying turn when she was confronted by an unexpected threat - a fox - that attacked her repeatedly before she managed to escape, ultimately making her the fourth victim that weekend. 'The sixth time, I was just wondering if anyone was going to hear me screaming for help,' Danos told CBS Austin. Purgatory Creek Natural Area, a popular and expansive recreation spot in Hays County, features hundreds of hiking and biking trails, along with scenic overlooks that showcase the area's stunning natural beauty. The Lower Purgatory trail on Hunter Road is the most popular entry point, particularly among mountain bikers and trail runners, due to its natural, single-track surface - free of rocks and tree roots - and its more than 12 miles of uphill terrain. Seeking a moment of peace, Danos headed to the lower Purgatory Creek trail on Sunday evening, hoping a walk in the great outdoors would help clear her head. 'I got off work, thought maybe I want to go on a hike,' she told KXAN News. As Danos walked toward a field of blooming Prairie coneflowers, she heard rustling in the brush behind her. 'It was a fox,' Danos told KXAN News. 'It just started walking towards me.' Immediately, she sensed something was wrong as the fox began to approach her - an unusual behavior, as foxes are typically elusive and tend to avoid humans. 'It was a fox walking, not running, not snarling, just walking towards me,' the college student told CBS, noting that the wild animal wasn't foaming at the mouth or charging. 'I went running, not knowing if anybody was going to hear me.' The situation quickly escalated when the fox circled behind her and suddenly bit her ankle. Danos attempted to escape, hauling rocks at the fox and even physically pushing it away, but it continued to return - relentlessly attacking her again and again. 'I grabbed it with my hand and threw it,' Danos told CBS. 'Then it came at me again, and I threw it on the ground. Then it came at me again.' In spite of her desperate attempts to fend off the animal, the fox succeeded in biting her hands and fingers. 'By the fourth time, I threw it into the trees, and it still came,' she added. 'Fifth time, I threw it in the cacti and it came.' 'Sixth time, I was just wondering if anyone was going to hear me screaming for help.' Finally, Danos managed to throw the fox into a cactus, temporarily stopping the attack. By that point, she had been bitten six times and had lost her cellphone in the struggle - mistaking it as a rock and using it as a weapon during the attack. 'I ran screaming for help, and I ran to a family,' Danos told CBS. 'I asked him, call 911. They said there's already an ambulance in the parking lot for you.' Danos is now focused on ensuring her health is intact after the terrifying encounter with the fox, noting that she has already received several rabies shots as a precaution. 'I have to get more tomorrow, and then seven days, and then 14 days,' she told KXAN. 'So, it's a process.' However, Danos was just one of four unsuspecting victims who were attacked on Sunday, all near the Beatrice, Dante and Ripheus trails, CBS reported. 'So right before me, someone got attacked, and I heard a few people got attacked after me,' she told the outlet. The unexpected attacks, which are exceedingly rare in Texas, raised concerns among health officials about the safety of hikers in the area, with suspicion that the fox may have been rabid. Natasia Moore, an urban biologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, visited the trail on Monday with a team to investigate the incident and determine if there was any denning activity in the area, which could explain the fox's aggressive behavior. 'It's not typical behavior. This is the first case of a fox attack in Texas that I know of to date,' Moore told KXAN. 'In urban areas, if an animal is showing aggression, it can be because they are protecting a den site,' she added. 'We did not see any fox activity.' 'Unfortunately, a rabies infection is looking like the most likely scenario.' The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that rabies is 'a fatal but preventable viral disease' that can be transmitted between people and animals through bites and scratches. If left untreated before symptoms appear, the disease can cause severe brain disease and, if left unchecked, can lead to death. Madison McLarry, an epidemiologist with Hays County Public Health, also emphasized the seriousness of rabies during an interview with CBS following the attacks. 'If you do progress through the symptoms of Rabies, which can happen from a couple of weeks to a couple of months after exposure, depending on where you're bitten, if you're showing symptoms, it's almost always fatal,' McLarry told the outlet. Now, at the trail entrance, a large sign warned hikers of the danger, displaying flashing messages such as 'Rabid Fox In Area' and 'Hiking Not Advised'. The fox has yet to be found. However, officials told KXAN that if the animal is rabid, it will likely die soon - if it hasn't already.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
Texas man's murder charges dismissed after his arrest 7 years ago
The Brief Murder charges against Devonte Amerson dismissed Amerson was arrested seven years ago, and has spent almost six years in jail fighting for his freedom This all comes after the murder of Justin Gage in 2015 near Texas State University HAYS COUNTY, Texas - The Hays County district attorney has dismissed murder charges against a man who was arrested seven years ago. Devonte Amerson spent almost six years in jail fighting for his freedom. The backstory When FOX 7 Crime Watch reporter Meredith Aldis showed Devonte Amerson a picture of him getting out of jail, his reaction was, "That day was pretty heavy for me. I felt something instantly in that moment." Back in 2015, the man who lived in a unit at The Retreat, a university housing in San Marcos, said three people came through his front door, shot Texas State student Justin Gage, took a cell phone, and left. Investigators said the phone was turned off immediately after the murder, then turned back on briefly in Katy, and again near Houston. Cell tower records showed the one other phone pinging at these locations during those times was Amersons. Amerson was arrested in 2018. "Just because they were here at those same times, they built a whole case around it and that just shouldn't be enough to take someone's 20s away," Amerson's attorney, Chris Self said. Dig deeper Amerson was held in the Hays County Jail on $250,000 and was unable to raise the money to make bail, so he sat and waited. "It is ugly in there," Amerson said. Court records showed he was scheduled to go to trial four different times, but a trial never happened. "If the state's not ready for trial within a reasonable amount of time, someone's entitled to affordable bail," Amerson said. It wasn't until December 2023 that Amerson's bond was reduced, and he was able to bond out. "Do you blame your previous attorneys for not helping you get out sooner," FOX 7's Aldis asked Amerson. "Yes," Amerson responded. "I feel like that's what I was dealing with, a bunch of people playing around with my life." What's next Chris Self and Brad Haggard took over the case in February 2025. They said they were ready, filed a motion for a speedy trial, and then the district attorney dismissed the charges. The charges were dismissed without prejudice, meaning the district attorney's office can refile them at a later date if they choose. "I'm confident that they won't come back because I've seen the evidence, and it's just not there and that's why it was disposed," Self said. "We're happy, but how can we continue to be happy for real, knowing that they can just come pick us up any given day," Amerson said. Amerson said he's trying to look forward to the future, though. "I was in a position where I was forced to live my dreams mentally to where now I did that so much, where I can get out and do it, and it's not going to be as hard because I already worked at it," Amerson said. He said he has a demolition company and is learning the ins and outs of building residential and commercial buildings. Amerson maintains his innocence. The Source Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Meredith Aldis
