Latest news with #KylePoliceDepartment
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Kyle police host drug takeback event to prevent misuse
HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — The Kyle Police Department hosted a safe medication disposal site at their police station Saturday afternoon. The event partnered with St. David's HealthCare aimed to help prevent the misuse of prescription medications on National Drug Take Back Day. Jeff Barnett, the Chief of the Kyle Police Department, said holding this event helps reduce the chances of such drugs negatively impacting somebody or the environment. 'We really think that if medication is left in a medicine cabinet over the years, it's either going to fall accidentally or intentionally, through illegal means, into the wrong hands,' Barnett said. 'It could get sold on the streets illegally. It could get ingested by someone who did not have that prescribed to them-and it could be an accidental ingestion.' Colin Wolf was a local resident depositing various medications at the event, and he said he finally got the 'courage' to get rid of a 'stockpile' of medications after living in the area for over a decade. 'Most people probably don't go to a police station with a bunch of drugs,' Wolf said. 'I think it's just doing the right thing-not dumping it somewhere [and] getting it into a water supply.' In Texas, drug poisoning deaths have trended upward from 2014 to 2023 according to data collected by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). In 2022 and 2023 DSHS's data shows over 4,000 drug poisoning-related deaths each year. In that span, fentanyl poisoning contributed to over 40% of such deaths in 2022 and 2023. In 2024, DSHS's data shows the number of deaths recorded has been lower at 3,200. However, the data in 2023 and 2024 are preliminary and subject to change due to death certificates still being filed. The Hays County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) tracks its own data on Fentanyl overdoses. This data does not incorporate any data that's been collected by other law enforcement agencies in Hays County. Between 2022-2023, HSCO's data collected 56 fentanyl overdose cases. Since the start of 2024, HSCO's data shows that 10 people have overdosed on Fentanyl. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Fentanyl overdoses, deaths among young people continue to rise in Hays County In the 88th Texas Legislature, various pieces of legislation passed to implement fentanyl education for public schools. Mark Andrews, a deputy with HCSO who has been helping with such education, said he likes to think the 'message is getting across' with the decrease in opioid poisoning according to HCSO's data and the state as a whole. 'Prior to 2022 many students did not know what fentanyl was,' Andrews said. 'What we're teaching is basically the dangers of fentanyl-how powerful it is. We talk about the forms that it comes in. We talk about the sheer magnitude of how powerful it is.' In comparison to other drugs, fentanyl is 'approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin as an analgesic' according to the Drug Enforcement Administration's drug database. If you would like to dispose of any drugs but miss the event, you can check the Drug Enforcement Administration's website to find a year-round drug disposal near you. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Yahoo
Kyle Police Department honor beloved employee Samantha Dean who was killed a decade ago
At Kyle Police Department headquarters, there are two special rooms where officers and staff interview crime victims — one is called "Sam's Space"; the other "Maddie's Corner." They were named for Samantha Dean, a beloved crime victim counselor for the department, and her unborn daughter, Madeline. A decade ago this month, authorities found Dean's body behind a vacant office building in Bastrop County. Seven months pregnant at the time, she had been shot in the head three times. The grisly deaths rocked Central Texas, and in particular Kyle, where her family members and former colleagues gathered last week at the police department to honor and celebrate Dean on the 10-year anniversary of her death. Kimberly Dean, Samantha's mother, spoke at the ceremony in remembrance of her daughter, whose legacy she is determined to carry on. Helping people had brought Samantha to work in victim services, Kimberly told the American-Statesman. Her daughter was a gifted woman, with a knack for making people feel cherished, whether they were a friend, stranger or victim of a terrible crime, she said. At her funeral, "hundreds" had claimed to be Samantha's best friend, Kimberly said, epitomizing the effect that her daughter had on people. "She knew no strangers and she always wanted to help people." Kimberly said. "We definitely lost an angel." Even a decade after her death, Kimberly said she still receives daily texts, phone calls and messages on social media from Samantha's friends or acquaintances who share pictures, memories and stories about her. The three men found responsible for the death of Dean and her unborn child are in prison. During their trials, which drew drew national media attention, prosecutors determined that former Austin police officer VonTrey Clark, who was the baby's father, had asked Dean to get an abortion because he did not want to pay for child support, and already had a family with his wife. When Dean refused, he paid a friend, Kevin Watson, $5,000 to kill Dean. Watson then recruited another man, Freddie Smith, to help him. Evidence presented at trial showed that Smith shot Dean twice and Clark shot her once while Watson planned the killing and drove Smith to and from the scene of the crime. A few months after Dean's death, Clark fled to Indonesia, where he was found by federal authorities and extradited back to Texas. Clark, Watson and Smith were all charged with capital murder in connection with Dean's death. In 2019, Clark admitted to killing Dean before the case was set to go to trial, and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. The same year, Watson was found guilty and sentenced to 35 years in prison. Smith's trial was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but he, too, was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison, records show. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Kyle Police Department honor Samantha Dean who was killed a decade ago
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Yahoo
2 arrested in Kyle after participating in kidnapping ‘TikTok prank' near Hays CISD elementary school
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Kyle Police Department said two men were arrested Wednesday after allegedly asking children if they wanted to be kidnapped as part of a 'TikTok prank.' According to police, 19-year-old Kaine Villarreal and 18-year-old Lane Burch were arrested on charges of terroristic threat. KPD claimed that Villarreal and Burch followed and approached a 7-year-old and a 9-year-old as they were walking home from their elementary school. Police said the incident occurred at approximately 3:20 p.m. Wednesday. 'The children immediately contacted their parents, who notified the Kyle Police Department,' KPD said. Villarreal and Burch allegedly told police that they were copying a prank they saw on TikTok. Hays CISD officials were notified of the incident, according to police. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
