This Just In

Kaufman County sheriff's office disputes rumors of drive-by shooting

Assistant DA Mark Hasse was slain outside the Kaufman County Courthouse inJanuary.
texasancestors.com
Kaufman County district attorney Mike McLelland is the second official to bemurdered.
Photo courtesy of Kaufman County

Despite what you may have heard, there wasn't another act of violence in Kaufman County April 9. The sheriff's office released a statement dispelling rumors of a drive-by shooting in the town of Combine. False reports stated that a county official and a law enforcement officer had been shot in the melee.

"There has been no shooting and all county officials are accounted for," the statement reads.

A caller reported hearing a gun shot in the area around 1 pm, and authorities quickly investigated the scene and found no evidence of foul play. Schools in nearby Crandall were temporarily placed on full lockdown as a precautionary measure.

Of course, gun shots are not uncommon in rural Texas towns, and Kaufman County officials acknowledged as much in the statement.

Daily law enforcement activities occur in the county simultaneously with the joint investigation of the murders of Mike and Cynthia McLelland and Mark Hasse. Other incidents will be reported and investigated that have no connection to the murder investigation. Gunshots are reported in the rural areas of the county on a very regular basis and are not uncommon.

The area is still reeling from the high-profile deaths, which remain unsolved. Crimestoppers has a $200,000 reward for information on the crimes, and the FBI is soliciting tips on the crimes via billboards in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi and New Mexico.

Although two people have been arrested for making threatening statements directed at county officials, neither of those men has been named as suspects in the district attorney murders. Initial theories about a motive in the killings focused on white supremacist groups, and assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hileman stepped down as the lead prosecutor in the case on April 2.

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E-Cigarette News

Dallas City Council places restrictions on vaping in public

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Man vaping

Vaping will now be banned exactly like smoking, thanks to a new ordinance from the Dallas City Council.

At their December 11 meeting, the council passed an ordinance to ban vaping in all the same areas where smoking is not allowed. It'll go into effect on December 11, 2025 — giving everyone a year to get into compliance.

Proposed by City of Dallas Environmental Commission (EVC) and the Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability (OEQS), the ordinance amends the definition of “smoking” in the Dallas City Code to include the use of vaping devices.

The ordinance does not ban vaping — it only bans where you can vape: no vaping in all indoor and enclosed spaces; within 15 feet of building entrances; and on park property. The ordinance also bans marijuana smoking in those same places.

In addition, the amendment requires restaurants, hotels, fitness centers and other businesses to update their signage to clearly state that both smoking and electronic smoking devices are prohibited.

The ordinance already earned widespread support from health organizations such as the Dallas County Health and Human Services, the American Lung Association, and the American Heart Association. These organizations, along with the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Surgeon General, have all raised concerns about the health risks of direct and second-hand exposure to vaping aerosols, particularly for vulnerable populations such as children and older adults.

Dallas is not the first city to impose such a ban: San Antonio enacted a similar ban in October. Theirs goes into effect on January 1, 2025.

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