Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 127, No. 68, Ed. 1 Sunday, August 23, 2009 Page: 1 of 50
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Polk Coun
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| Volnme 127 Number68
www.easttexasnews.com
The Dominant News and Advertising Source in Polk County
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Sun
8/23
95/70
Mainly sunny. High around 95F.
Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.
Mon
8/24
95/69
Timas of sun and clouds. Highs In
the mid 90s and tows In the upper
60s.
ru® 96/68
8/25
Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 90s
and tows in the upper 60s.
96/68
Wed
8/26
Abundant sunshine. Highs in the
mid 90s and tows in the upper 60s.
Thu
8/27
95/69
Livingston man killed in home invasion
One suspect captured, warrant issued for another
Sports
The Corrigan-Camden
Bulldogs posted an 8-2
record last fall and will
host Class 2A No. 10
ranked Newton Eagles
(9-4 last year in Zero
Week Friday.
Set Sports, Pg. 9A
BY VALERIE REDDELL
Editor
polknews@gmail.com
LIVINGSTON - A 40-year-
old Livingston man, Billy Ray
Ki mberlin Jr., was fatally shot when
two men forced their way into his
home in the 1000 block of Polk
Street at about 10:25 p.m. Friday,
Livingston Police Department
spokesman Lt. Matt Parrish said.
Parrish was in his private vehicle
and was joining officers responding
to the residents’ call for help. He
confronted two subjects who fled
into a garage. Parrish chased them
but they eventually eluded him.
Officers were securing the crime
scene when Parrish again spotted
one of the suspects and he was
chased into the woods.
‘The suspect began back-
tracking through the woods and
Deputy Vance Berry saw someone
fitting the suspect’s description
broadcast by LPD. Berry
apprehended the suspect near the
Subway restaurant.
The suspect was identified as
Alderick Lapaul Johnson, 18, of
Houston. The second suspect is
also from the Houston area and
Parrish said Saturday morning he
doesn’t believe the suspect is still
in the Livingston area.
The suspects apparently tapped
on the door of one of the smaller
residential buildings on the property
and when a resident opened the
door the suspects forced their way
inside.
The suspects then went to the
main house, entered it and robbed
residents there. Billy Kimberlin Jr.
was shot in the main house on the
property.
He was pronounced dead by
Pet. 3 Justice of the Peace Steven
B. McEntyre and was taken to the
Jefferson County Morgue for an
autopsy.
“There are a lot of theories of how
it went down and we’re continuing
to interview several people who
witnessed the incident,” Parrish
Living
Three women offering
sanctuary to aging, ne-
glected horses. Some
ready for new, loving
homes.
Sm Living, Pg. 1B
j ; ' ‘.
Jury Duty
cancelled
The Petit Jury
called to appear at
8:30 a.m. Monday,
Aug. 24, for 258th
District Court with
Judge Elizabeth
Coker presiding has
been cancelled.
Local Weather
said Saturday morning. ‘That will
make it clearer exactly what took’
place."
Parrish added that LPD received
a tremendous amount of assistance
from the Polk County Sheriffs
Office, the Texas Department of
Public Safety and the Polk County
District Attorney’s Office.
“It was very much appreciated,”
Parrish said.
Parrish said it's not yet clear
what brought the suspects to the
Livingston area.
ENTERPRISE PHOTO BY CHARLES K FRANKLIN
Agents from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service (APHIS) seized two elephants belonging to Willie Davenport of Leggett. As shown
above, agents staged their truck in the Leggett school parking lot to prepare it for the seizure
operation. School officials asked them to leave the campus because the trailer, vas blocking
traffic and because Davenport was a student and valedictorian there in 2004.
lepha
disbelief. Neighbors say there was never any abuse toward
these animals as they rallied behind him.
USDA seizes 2 elephants from owner in Leggett Thursday
BY CHARLES K. FRANKLIN
Staff Reporter
CharlesKFranklin @ gmail.com
LIVINGSTON - Federal
agents came for one, but seized
two elephants from Willie
Davenport, 24, of Leggett on
Thursday. A spokesman from the
U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) claims the animals had
been mistreated and the seizure
was necessary for the benefit of the
elephants.
The two Asian elephants, Jewel,
45, and Tina, 42, have been in
Davenport’s care for just over two
years.
They, along with Boo, 52, are
part of a traveling show Davenport
produced for ci reuses, carni val s and
other events around the country as
his family has done for the past 60
plus years. He is a third-generation
elephant handler.
It was the second attempt
in a week by the Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service
(APHIS), a branch of the USDA.
The agency had previously
attempted to seize one of the
elephants Saturday, Aug. 15, but
its efforts were thwarted when
Davenport declined to assist the
agents in the loading process.
Authorities returned Thursday
with more manpower and lots of
guns. As agents with automatic
assault rifles walked the perimeter
of the compound, USDA Field
Specialist Dr. Denise Sofranko
waited inside a nearby vehicle and
directed the operation.
_ Jewel, 45, was seized by federal
authorities “for failure to provide
adequate and necessary care,”
according to the USDA seizure
order dated Aug. 15, just two
days after a veterinary specialist
released his preliminary findings
from a July 10, procedure to find
the cause of the weight loss.
Tina was taken as well when
Davenport was forced to sign a
voluntary release form. Agents
threatened him with additional
charges and fines if he did not
willingly turn her over.
With his finances exhausted
and his will to continue the fight
shattered, Davenport signed the
paperwork.
In a statement released
Thursday, Aug. 20, Acting APHIS
Administrator Kevin Shea said:
REGARDING THE
CONFISCATION OF AN
ELEPHANT FROM A LEGGETT,
TEXAS, FACILITY:
Today, officials from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Animal
and Plant Health Inspection
Service (APHIS), in conjunction
with local and federal law
enforcement officials, completedthe
confiscation of an elephant, known
as “ Jewel ”, by removing her from
the Maximus “Tons of Fun" LLC
facility in Leggett, Texas, following
a thorough investigation into the
animal’s care and treatment.
APHIS also removed a second
elephant ("Tina "), which the owner
of the facility relinquished to the
U.S. Department of the Interior.
APHIS takes the protection of
animals very seriously. One of
our core missions is to enforce the
Animal Welfare Act (AWA), which
is the federal law that ensures
that proper standards of care are
met for the humane treatment of
animals exhibited to the public.
Our veterinarians and animal care
inspectors are deeply committed to
making sure that exhibited animals
receive appropriate care and
exhibitors comply with the AW A.
When we find that an animal is in
a condition of unrelieved suffering,
we will confiscate the animal
and move it to a new facility to
ensure that its care meets AW A
requirements.
Jewel and Tina will be
transported together to a zoo
that has been accredited by the
American Zoological Association.
Willie Davenport talks with his father John Davenport and
Polk County Sheriff Kenneth Hammack following the seizure.
Hammack said the Polk County Sheriff’s Department had no
role in the action.
They will be housed together at the these elephants,
zoo. We chose this facility because The Polk County Sheriff's
it will provide Jewel with care that Office (PCSO) was quick to deny
best matches her particular needs, involvement in the seizure. Chief
as well as a new enclosure with Deputy Byron Lyons said these
other elephants on-site. APHIS not informed U.S. Marshals were
and zoo employees, including in Polk County until they were
veterinarians specializing in
elephant care, will be transporting See ELEPHANTS, Page 5A
Partly cloudy. Highs in the mid 90s
end lows in the upper 60s.
Index
Bulletin Board.............5B
Business Guide...........6B
Classified..............7B-10B
Crossword..................7B
Community Calendar........5A
Official Records..
........2A
Opinion................
........4A
Living...................
...1B-6B
Sports..................
9A-12A
Livingston school
district officials
throw a little dirt
at Ground-break-
ing ceremonies
held Tuesday at
the site of the new
high school cam-
pus. Shown from
left are; Principal
Barbara Shaw,
LISD trustees
Mike Nettles, Jeff
Galloway, Ben R.
Ogletree III, Bea
Ellis, Henry Ager,
Frank Henderson,
Brian Bounds and
Superintendent
Dr. Darrell My-
ers. See additional
photos, Page 7A
for additional
photos.
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Reddell, Valerie. Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 127, No. 68, Ed. 1 Sunday, August 23, 2009, newspaper, August 23, 2009; Livingston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth820173/m1/1/: accessed July 10, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Livingston Municipal Library.