County’s Democratic incumbents to keep their seats county treasurer as she earned

By BRENDA BROWN
Journal Publisher
Cass County’s elected
officials fared well in Tuesday’s
Democratic Primary with all
incumbents retaining their seats
as they are unopposed in the
November general election.
Charles McMichael will
retain his county judge’s position
with 54 percent of the vote.
Challenger George Fite, city
manager of Hughes Springs, lost
the election by 396 votes, with
McMichael winning 1,800 votes
to Fite’s 1,484.
In Precinct 2 commissioner’s
race, incumbent Danny Shaddix
garnered 58 percent of the vote,
with 584 votes compared to
challenger Henry Guinn’s 422
votes.
Gina Bassham, incumbent
justice of the peace in Precinct 2,
will also keep her job as she won
the three-way race for the office
with 51 percent of the votes cast.
Bassham received 495 votes,
while challenger George
McFarland garnered 336 and
Charles “Chuck” Wise received
143.
Incumbent Precinct 1 JP
2,350 votes. The incumbent,
Barbara McMillon handily won
Martha Sheridan, chose not to
reelection with 88 percent of the
run for reelection. Stephen Wicks
votes cast in her precinct.
filed for a spot on the primary
Challenger Susan K. Fields
ballot but dropped out of the race
received 136 votes to
weeks ago. Still, he won 605
McMillon’s 1,005.
Donna Early will be the new Please see ELECTION page 2

WEEKEND EDITION
March 7, 2010

USPS NO. 114-160 VOL. 131, NO. 19 50 CENTS CASS COUNTY, TEXAS • 2 SECTIONS, 12 PAGES

Daughter testifies of abuse in Moulton trial

By MARTI ALEXANDER
Journal Editor
Stephanie Byrum told of domestic violence
in her home when she took the stand on
Thursday during the trial of David Moulton,
who is charged with murder for his wife’s
death.
Rebecca “Becky” Moulton was found on
April 17, 2004, in a pond located behind the
couple’s residence off of South William Street
in Atlanta. Moulton’s trial began Wednesday
in the 5th District Court in New Boston. The
trial venue was moved from Cass to Bowie
County by District Judge Ralph Burgess
because of pre-trial publicity in the case.
Byrum told the jury that during the time
she lived at home the atmosphere could be
described as “very tense.”
She also described several instances where
she witnessed domestic violence against her
mother.
At one time, Byrum said they lived in a
trailer on Farm-to-Market 96 in Queen City.
While living there, she said her mother’s
relationship with Moulton was “bad, rocky.
They argued and fought a lot.”
It wasn’t unusual for Moulton to hit Becky,
her daughter said. “He was quick to have a
temper,” Byrum stated.
One of the first incidents Byrum told the
jury of was when she was brushing her teeth
while getting ready for school.
“I could hear them arguing and then my
mom came running through the bathroom
with David chasing her,” Byrum said. “When
he caught up with her he hit at her but missed
and punched a hole in the door.”
On another occasion, Byrum said she could
hear her mother and David fighting in their
room. “She was crying and I could hear him
hitting her,” Byrum said.
She told the jury that David eventually left
and she went in to check on her mother and
found her covered “head to toe in bruises, on
the floor and couldn’t get up.”
Byrum said she was 10 to 12 years old at
the time.
The jury heard from Byrum how she would
leave the house when her mother and David
were fighting and ride her bicycle down the
street to get away. This happened about three
times a week.
“It got to the point that as soon as I would
get off the bus from school I would
automatically get on my bicycle and leave,”
she said.
Upon request from her mother, Byrum said
she never told anyone about the abuse or the
fighting. “She was a private person,” she said.
At one point during the relationship,
Byrum said she recalls the couple fighting and
her mother grabbing the keys to the car and
her attempting to leave David.
“He followed us out and grabbed the keys
and threw them into a creek,” Byrum said.
At this time, Byrum said she was of junior
Please see MOULTON page 4

APD investigates two accidents on 59 West tells Wednesday

By CHRISTY
GREEN
Staff Writer
Two accidents occured
on Highway 59 within
hours of each other
Thursday afternoon.
Chief Mike Dupree of the
Atlanta Police Department
stated that at 12:44 p.m., James
William White Jr., 51, of
Atlanta was injured when
his 2004 Honda motorcycle
struck a 2000 GMC pickup
driven by John Franklin
Dixon, 69, of Vivian, La.
Dixon was exiting a
business driveway, crossed
southbound traffic and
pulled into the northbound
lane where White was
driving. To avoid hitting
the pickup, White laid down
his motorcycle. He was
transported with unknown
injuries to Atlanta
Memorial Hospital by
Atlanta Fire Department
James William White Jr., 51, of Atlanta is injured Thursday afternoon after his
motorcycle struck a pickup that pulled out in front of him on Highway 59.
EMS.
The other accident
occurred at 2:47 p.m. when a
2007 International 18-
wheeler driven by Anthony
Andrew Fishar, 59, of East
Bernard struck the left rear of
a car that was slowing down
as it approached the
intersection at 59 and Emma
Lena Way.
The car was driven by
Photo by CHRISTY GREEN
Susie Elizabeth Jackson, 72,
of Atlanta. Both vehicles
were southbound on 59.
There were no known
injuries to either driver,
according to Chief Dupree.
about investigation into
death of Moulton’s wife
By MARTI ALEXANDER
Journal Editor
The first witness to testify
in the case against David Len
Moulton at the opening of his
murder trial on Wednesday was
Mark West, who investigated
the death of Rebecca “Becky”
Moulton.
West, who worked for the
Atlanta Police Department,
told the jury he received a call
on the night of April 17, 2004,
from Sgt. Eric Jones and the
emergency medical
technicians (EMTs) about the
death.
Since Becky’s body was
still at Atlanta Memorial
Hospital when he received the
call, West said he went there
first to photograph the body as
a way of depicting the body as
it was found.
A couple of marks on the
body were photographed with
a scale including a mark on the
front center of Becky’s neck
and what West said “appeared
to be drag marks” on the back
of her legs.
West was also shown a cross
necklace, which he identified
as being a necklace that was
brought to him by Becky’s
mother two years later in the
investigation. He noted the
necklace had a break in the
chain. He said no testing was
done on the necklace due to the
chain of custody and so many
people having handled it.
After photographing the
body, West met with the
Please see TESTIMONY page 4

Teacher’s aide faces charges The one rule for this year’s
for improper relationship in HS
A teacher’s aide who
worked in Hughes Springs
posted $25,000 bond after she
was arrested and charged with
improper relationship between
an educator and a student,
authorities said Tuesday.
Tammy Jo Williams, 32, of
Omaha turned herself in to
Hughes Springs police Friday,
Chief Randy Kennedy said,
and she was booked into the
Cass County Jail and posted
bond the same day.
HSISD Superintendent
Rick Ogden said in a statement
that Williams worked in
Hughes Springs but was
employed by Mount Pleasant
ISD. She was placed in Hughes
Springs through a cooperative
program between the districts,
Ogden said.
Allegations of an
inappropriate relationship
arose on Jan. 14 and Williams
was placed on immediate
leave, he said. Parents of the
student were notified.
Kennedy said the student
was under 17.
The Cass County District
Attorney’s Office is
investigating the case. District
Attorney Clint Allen was not
available for comment
Tuesday.
Editor’s Note: This story
was originally published in the
Longview News-Journal, a
sister paper of the Citizens
Journal.
Rotary Bee is to have fun
By BRENDA BROWN
Journal Publisher
Fifteen teams will
compete in Thursday night’s
Atlanta Rotary Club’s 10th
Annual Spelling Bee but the
rules have changed this year in
order to add a little spice to the
event.
“The rules – there really
aren’t any. We took the
traditional spelling bee rules
and discarded them,” said

‘Celebrate Our Stars’

Rotarian Darlene Waites. “The
bee will be less serious this
year and we think we have a

at April 10 banquet
Tickets are on sale for the
Atlanta Area Chamber of
Commerce Membership
Banquet, set for 6 p.m.
Saturday, April 10, at the First
soon vote and the names of
the Outstanding Man,
Outstanding Woman and
Business of the Year will
highlight the banquet. New
lineup of fun people to make
this year’s program more fun
than ever.”
The bee, along with its
silent auction and live auction,
is all about raising money to
provide college scholarships to
area students, Waites said. Photo by CHRISTY GREEN

Baptist Church Family Life
Center.
This year ’s theme is
“Celebrating Our Stars” and
the featured entertainment
will be “Elvis.”
Chamber members will
this year will be recognition
of the Outstanding Educator
and Outstanding Volunteer of
the year.
“This is one time during
Please see CHAMBER page 4
Hundreds of dollars worth of
donated items have been
collected for the event, which
will be held at Morris
Upchurch Middle
Please see BEE page 2
Items for a live auction to be held during the Rotary
Spelling Bee include a framed T-shirt autographed by
Reggie Bush, running back for the New Orleans
Saints; an autographed Nolan Ryan baseball; and an
autographed picture of Drew Stubbs of Atlanta, who
now plays professional baseball for the Cincinnati
Reds.