Official site of Tribune News serving Tomball, Magnolia and Waller

While the summer is winding down, Tomball is preparing for a second round of festivals and events this fall.

First up is the second annual Bugs, Brew and Barbeque event at the Tomball Depot, Sept. 29.

“It’s the first of our second annual events,” Tomball Marketing Director Mike Baxter said.

Admission is free.

Baxter said that more than 75 classic Volkswagen “bugs” will be on hand, courtesy of the North Houston Volkswagen Club.

“Beetles, vans, Ghias and dune buggies will all be there,” he said.

Attendance at last year’s event was just under 1,900. Baxter hopes to increase that this year.

New this year is a partnership with Spec’s which has allowed Baxter to bring in a wider variety of Texas craft beer to the event. More than 30 varieties will be available including Southern Star, St. Arnold, Shiner, Real Ale, Alamo and Rahr & Sons. Cisco’s Salsa Company will be serving the beer.

“Working with Spec’s opened up a wider selection of Texas craft beers this year,” he said.

Local barbeque favorite the Original Rib Tickler, as well as a new Tomball Dickey’s location will be among the local barbeque vendors. Pulled pork, brisket, sausage and more will all be available, Baxter said.

There will also be a kids area and vendors selling everything from jewelry to pantry foods.

“We look at vendors that are applicable to each event rather than open it up to anyone,” Baxter said.

Souvenir mugs will also be for sale.

The event, which runs from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., will also feature three live bands. A performance from Credence Clearwater Revival tribute band Unfortunate Sons, followed by classic rockers The Bottle Rockers, while honky tonk favorite Jeff Woolsey and the Dancehall Kings will round out the entertainment.

“Folks can come out and enjoy the whole day without paying for anything but their brews and barbeque,” Baxter said.

Baxter said the city’s goal during the new festival season is to create a mix of events that people can associate with Tomball.

“We are trying to offer things and events that are unique and people can’t find easily elsewhere,” he said.

For more information visit www.ci.tomball.tx.us or call 281-351-5484.

An illegal immigrant has pleaded guilty in a Harris County court to murdering a woman in 2003 and leaving her body in wooded area in Tomball, but the victim’s family is upset about the sentence.

Joel Guadalupe Sanchez, 34, pleaded guilty in Judge Susan Brown’s courtroom Sept. 12, after a plea bargain was reached with Harris County prosecutors. Brown sentenced Sanchez to 10 years behind bars.

Tomball investigators were able to tie Sanchez to the murder of Sandra Williams last year, after a state DNA check received a hit from evidence entered by the Tomball Police Department.

Williams’s body was found by a witness who had been flying a remote control plane around the 900 block of Persimmon. The witness notified Tomball Police.

Williams’s body was savagely beaten and she was tied up. A sledgehammer with her blood was found nearby.

“The body was bound and it appeared there was trauma to the head,” Tomball detective Gary Hammond said. “We recovered DNA off the body.”

After forensic evidence was collected, Hammond tried to find out information about the victim and her connection to Tomball. He hit a brick wall.

“It was very difficult,” he said. “No one could give me a tie to the Tomball area.”

Hammond kept in touch with the victim’s mother Lula Washington and the victim’s daughter Crystal Williams, even as the case grew cold over the years. Both of the family members reside in North Carolina.

“I told (Washington) at the beginning that we would find the person responsible and she reminded me of that every time we talked,” Hammond said.

The case remained cold until 2010, when Hammond received a phone call that a prison inmate, who underwent required DNA testing, had come back as a match to DNA found at the crime scene. That inmate was Joel Sanchez.

Hammond then went to the prison unit where Sanchez was incarcerated and obtained a saliva sample. That DNA test also proved a match.

“He said he didn’t know (the victim),” Hammond recalled. “Saying you don’t know someone isn’t a plausible reason for why their DNA was found on the victims body.”

Another break came when the girlfriend of one of Williams acquaintances said that Sanchez came to their home looking for Williams.

“She said that (Sanchez) came by their house looking for Williams,” Hammond said. “He was really mad because she had taken his car and had not returned it.”

A connection to Tomball was established when Hammond learned that Sanchez had family that lived near the crime scene.

That evidence was enough to pursue charges of murder against Sanchez last May.

Sanchez’ lawyer, Monica Gonzales, said the decision to plead guilty was his alone.

“He pled guilty,” Gonzales said. “The evidence against him was only circumstantial, but it was his choice to plead guilty.”

While Williams’ family is satisfied that their loved one’s killer was caught, they are upset with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office nonetheless.

“At least they got the person that did it,” Washington said. “I thought he should do more years though.”

Both Washington and Williams said no one from the district attorney’s office contacted them to ask about the plea bargain, or to tell them when a court date would be.

“I thought they would call because we planned to be there, but we didn’t hear anything from them,” Washington said. “The only way I found out is because Mr. Hammond called to tell us.”

“I want to know why he killed her,” she added. “Why did he do the things he did to her?”

Williams agreed with her grandmother.

“He didn’t just shoot my mom,” she said. “He brutally murdered her and gets 10 years? It’s not right. They knew that I kept up with the case all these years and they never contacted me.”

 She blames the system for several cracks, including that Sanchez is an illegal immigrant.

“This dude --- this illegal immigrant --- he’s a terrorist too,” she said. “He came here, killed a United States citizen and he will be out by the time I’m 35.”

The district attorney’s office did not return repeated calls for comment before press time.

“I would like to know how he knew my mom and why he did what he did,” Williams said. “My mom has three grandchildren she will never meet.”

The Tomball Police Department will be participating in the annual National Night Out, along with members of the Tomball Fire Department and Northwest Rural Emergency Medical Services, officials recently announced.

The event, held Oct. 2, will feature a community wide cookout and a roll call presentation at the Tomball Depot Plaza.

“This event will give Tomball community members and visitors a great opportunity to see that Tomball is Texan -- for public safety,” Sgt. Rebecca Carlisle said.

National Night Out is a nationwide event that is now in its 29^th year. The National Association of Town Watch started the program, which has grown to include 37 million people in 15,325 communities nationwide, in Canada and at military bases worldwide.

National Night Out Project Coordinator Matt Peskin said the event has not only grown in numbers, but also in presentation.

“There has been huge growth in terms of numbers, but in addition to that it has grown into the event we see today, with the block parties, cookouts and neighbors getting out and meeting each other,” he said.

The event started with traditional outside lights and front porch vigils and has grown into cities celebrating with block parties, cookouts, parades, festivals, visits from local officials and public safety personell, safety fairs and youth events.

The organization’s goals for the event are to heighten crime prevention awareness, generate support for and participation in local anti-crime programs, strengthen neighborhood spirit and public safety community partnerships and to send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and prepared to fight back.

Tomball Police Chief Robert Hauck said the local event is designed to bring residents and public safety officials closer together.

“We already have a great working relationship with our citizens,” he said. “This gives us a chance to thank them for how they help us do our jobs better and to meet them in a more personal setting.”

With the former Klein’s Supermarket sitting gutted for months, many residents began wondering what was stopping progress on the future Veterans Administration (VA) clinic site.

VA officials said there were several unanticipated challenges in converting the former grocery store, but the process is now ready to begin. Nabholz Construction was hired this month to begin work on the site.

The site is being leased for $1 million per year.

Another VA clinic is being built for the Katy area as well.

“We are excited about the progress being made on the new VA outpatient clinics for Katy and Tomball,” director Adam Walmus said. “Our goal is to bring medical care closer to where veterans live and eliminate the hassles they face fighting traffic and parking in Houston.”

The Tomball facility is projected to be 30,000 square feet and will provide veterans with several services including primary care, mental health, womens specialty care, phlebotomy, optometry, audiology, x-ray, telemedicine and teleretinal imaging.

Officials said that the recent challenges in converting the store have pushed the projected opening of the facility back to July 2013.

“For Tomball and the challenges of converting a former grocery store, we are looking at a July 2013 opening,” deputy director Bryan Bayley said. “We eagerly anticipate cutting the ribbon and opening these new clinics.”

Officials at the VA estimate the new Tomball clinic will serve more than 7,500 veterans within the first year.

Houston VA communications director Bobbi Gruner said that officials have already started looking for staff to run the facility, as well as nurses and doctors to serve patients.

“All federal jobs are posted at usajobs.gov,” Gruner said. “It’s a simple website to use, you can search jobs by area or by profession.”

Whispy clouds drift across a full moon and cool evening breezes bring with them strange rustling sounds and indistinguishable shadows in the night.

In the light of day Tomball is filled with vibrant antique and specialty shops, mom-and-pop eateries, live entertainment, festivals, and a quality of life that makes living in small town Texas something special.

But, despite the lively daytime activities here it’s rumored that after dark Tomball is filled with a “spirited”  nightlife all its own -- a nightlife of creepy, unexplained activities and things that go bump in the night.  It’s Halloween time in Tomball, y’all.

PHANTOM OF FANNIN STREET

The yellow, turreted two-story home at the corner of South Walnut Street and Fannin doesn’t fit the image of a Victorian style “haunted house” -- but years of alleged paranormal activities inside have forced the landlord to include a special clause in the lease agreement for his renters.

“My lease reads that paranormal activity is not grounds for terminating the lease contract,” said current resident Rocky Pilgrim. 

Pilgrim, a local attorney, had heard the stories of the house before moving in but was skeptical; that is until things began to happen that she couldn’t explain logically. 

“As the story goes, two spinsters lived in the house alone and for whatever reason one of them hanged herself from a beam in the second floor loft,” she said.

Former residents have told tales of children at play upstairs hearing voices telling them to “get out” and “leave, I don’t like you”. On more than one occasion vases and other inanimate objects have been known to migrate time and again from one space to another within the house, when no one was watching and glowing orbs have been photographed around the property by the occasional ghost tour, says Pilgrim.

An incident involving Pilgrim’s parents one night still leaves everyone wondering about her secretive housemate. 

“My parents were staying with us,” she said.  “The window covering was up and the doors into the room were locked.  During the night my dad heard actual ‘people’ footsteps crossing the room and stopping in front of doors.”

“In the half-light he made out a shadow, a silhouette, from the light shining in through the seams around the sill. Thinking it was my mom trying to open the door that sometimes sticks, he got up to help her.”  Pilgrim added.

When her father reached the shadow, it abruptly disappeared and the covering over the bedroom window fell to the floor revealing her mom sleeping soundly in bed.

“I have never been creeped-out living here,” she said. “Maybe it’s because I’m skeptical that nothing has happened to me -- it just happens around me.  I guess I prefer to remain in ignorance, but it’s worked well so far.”

GRANNY’S GHOST

The mischievous spirit at Granny’s Korner across from the historic Tomball Depot, has been named Gertie by shop owner Mary Harvey. For years the sprawling antique and gift shop on Market Street has experienced unexplained voices and activities, both day and night.

“I’m sure that there’s a ghost here. Customers have even commented on it,” said Harvey. “Gertie slams doors, causes things to fall, makes all sorts of noises and has even touched people as they shop.”

But for Harvey, coming face to face with Gertie in the shop one day was all the proof she would ever need be become a believer.

“I was in a hurry and walked around a wall and nearly ran over her,” she said. “Thinking it was a customer, I put my hand up to keep from bumping into her. That’s when she just disappeared.”

Harvey says that she was so surprised to see the ghost that all she can remember is that Gertie was about 5’3” tall and had long hair.

“We’d heard that there was possibly a cemetery here at one time, and there was a jail nearby for many years,” said Harvey. “I’ve also been told that many years ago a woman was stabbed to death in what’s now the courtyard of our shop.”

Despite lights and ceiling fans that turn on and off without human hands, a thermostat that won’t stay put and merchandise that relocates on its own, the ladies who work at Granny’s Korner have accepted Gertie and hope that she will someday accept them.

“We’ve learned to deal with her,” Harvey said. “We’re not scared of her and actually enjoy talking to her and having her around.”

THE MUSEUM MYSTERY

Nestled in the heart of the popular Tomball Museum Center -- with its historic homes, log cabin, church, one-room school house and farm museum -- is the Griffin Memorial House.

Built around 1860 by Eugene Pillot, a renowned builder along the Texas Gulf Coast, the Griffin House is a beautifully restored example of Civil War era architecture complete with its own apparition in the attic.

According to Museum Director Charles Hall, stories of a female spirit in the Griffin House have circulated for years.  As the story goes the figure of a woman dressed in period clothing has been seen in the upper reaches of the home and more than once rocking quietly back and forth in her rocking chair in the parlor. 

The ghost is thought to be the 21-year-old daughter of the Faris family that once lived in the home. The mysterious cause of the young woman’s death has never been determined.

SPRING CREEK SPECTERS

During the Civil War, a Confederate powder mill sat in what is now Spring Creek Park, just a short drive from downtown Tomball. It was there Texans loyal to the Confederacy worked around the clock making cannon powder for the rebel army’s artillery pieces.

In 1864 a horrific explosion destroyed the facility killing three men working there. The force of the blast was so great that a huge crater was created that over time filled with water and became a popular swimming hole for locals.

Despite rumors of spirits at the pond and in the surrounding woods, the lure of the cool dark water continued to draw swimmers to the powder mill site willing to risk a ghostly encounter for a quick dip.  Unfortunately for some, that decision ended in their death. After several curious drownings, the powder mill pond was fenced, but the rumors remain even today.

A paranormal investigation was conducted at Spring Creek Park in 2008 with results showing evidence of unexplained responses, shadowy images and psychic impressions. Could these have been the spirits of deceased soldiers of the Confederacy, drowning victims or possibly both?

From its haunted homes, to spirited shops and shadow filled cemeteries, Tomball is “Texan for Fun” in this life and apparently in the next! 

For more information about Tomball, call 281-351-5484, visit www.ci.tomball.tx.us, or “like” Tomball on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TomballTexanForFun.

Tomball police have arrested a man suspected in an early morning hit and run which seriously injured a pedestrian Oct. 8.

Detectives obtained a warrant for Juan Carlos Romero, 32, of Tomball after evidence led them to a vehicle owned by the man. He was charged with a felony of Failure to Stop and Render Aid.

The events started when a Tomball police officer found Earl Moore, 55, lying in a ditch on James Street. The officer determined that Moore had been hit by a car. He was life flighted to Memorial Hospital where he is still being treated for his injuries.

Detectives pieced together a ford headlight from evidence left behind. After calling in representatives from Ford, it was determined that the vehicle was either a white Ford Ranger or a Ford Explorer.

Detective Harral decided to drive through a nearby apartment complex, Dartford Square Apartments, and found a Ford Explorer with damage that was consistent with debris left at the accident scene.

"I spoke with the defendant's wife who stated that she was a passenger in the vehicle the night of the accident," Harral wrote in the charging documents. "It was learned, through the passenger, that the defendant struck a pedestrian who was walking west on the north side of the roadway."

Romero's vehicle was taken into custody for forensic processing.

Romero was arrested at around 11 p.m. Oct. 17, at his apartment.

He is being held on $5,000 bond.

The sound made famous by artists like Bill Monroe and Ricky Skaggs will fill the air of Tomball Oct. 27, as the city hosts its first ever Tomball Bluegrass Festival at the Tomball Depot.

The event, which will feature four bands, has been drawing a lot of interest, according to Tomball Marketing Director Mike Baxter.

"We've been getting a lot of phone calls and it's getting a lot of interest," he said.

Baxter said he came up with idea after the successful honky tonk festival last year.

"That is the great thing about our events," he said. "Instead of a country music festival, we have been able to do events that are more defined, like this and the honky tonk festival."

Headlining the event are Darin and Brook Aldridge, the Sweethearts of Bluegrass. They were voted the 2011 "Emerging Artists" award by the International Bluegrass Music Association, while also winning the gospel group, album and Song of the Year awards from the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music.

Wood & Wire, a bluegrass group from Austin, will bring a unique mix of Americana and swing. Singing originals and traditional Bluegrass favorites, Baxter said the group peppers their songs with funky acoustic jams and instrumentals.

Local favorites TayHoss will also perform, bringing with them a regional style with touches of country, blues and mountain traditional.

A fourth band, the Soundcheck Band, will open the show, starting at 11:30 a.m.

Baxter said the event will also feature a jam tent, which will feature several Bluegrass artists throughout the day in traditional and fun jam sessions.

Food and beverages will be available, along with vendors, kids activities and games.

Baxter said he hopes to draw around 1,500 people for the inaugural event.

"It all depends on the weather, but from the forecasts right now it looks like it's shaping up to be beautiful," he said.

Forecasts as of press time show sunny skies and a high temperature of 80.

Admission and parking are free for the event. The music starts at 11:30 a.m. and runs until 6 p.m.

For more information call 281-351-5484 or visit www.facebook.com/TomballTexanForFun.

The City of Tomball recently added land to its extraterritorial jurisdiction, which is currently being purchased by Baker Hughes, on the northeast corner of FM 2978 and FM 2920.

The land, once developed, will include a new 72,445 square-foot classroom building, a 36,000 square-foot workshop, a 16,730 square-foot lab and two training oil rigs.

The $50-plus million project will be Baker Hughes Western Hemisphere Education Center once complete. The company has a similar site in the eastern hemisphere located in Dubai, India.

The Tomball Economic Development Corporation (TEDC) is also in the middle of the project, as it will contribute a little more than $900,000 towards the cost of the projects infrastructure.

TEDC executive director Kelly Violette said she is confident that the project will create new jobs, new growth and lots of additional sales and property tax revenue.

The project is designed to help with training and education of Baker Hughes personnel and customers.

Officials said that the center will generate around 66,000 trainees per year, who will use more than 50,000 hotel room nights each year. The city estimates that the new facility will create 50 new jobs, as well as nearly 30 indirect jobs.

Officials are estimating more than an $8 million dollar benefit to the city over a 10-year period, with many of those dollars going into the hotel/motel fund, which is used to put on various events in the city and to promote Tomball as a tourist and business destination.

Construction on the site is expected to begin later this year or early 2013. Baker Hughes is now negotiating to buy the land and expects construction to be completed with a year of the start of construction.

Once the purchase of the land is completed, Baker Hughes will submit an application for annexation. Once that is complete the permitting process will begin, according to city officials.

The smell of gas still fills the air in the storage lot of Tomball Towing and Storage, days after a large fire destroyed at least 10 cars and damaged several more.

"There was stuff exploding the entire time we were fighting the fire," Tomball Fire Chief Randy Parr said. "Gas tanks, tires, shock absorbers. There was magnesium in one of the engine blocks and when you hit magnesium with water it just causes the flames to roar."

The fire started around 4:30 a.m. Oct. 30. While the cause is still under investigation by Harris County Fire Marshals, proof of arson still lies everywhere. Several cars had windows busted out and their insides were doused with gasoline, but were spared from the blaze.

Once Tomball Fire Department (TFD) firefighters reached the scene it look less than an hour to knock out the fire, according to Parr.

"Once we got through the gate it took us about a half-hour to three-quarters of an hour to knock it down," he said.

The lot serves as a storage lot for wrecked and damaged cars, as well as cars impounded by law enforcement.

"(The TFD) did a wonderful job," Randy Schmidt, owner of Tomball Towing and Storage said. "The response time and how quick they contained it was amazing. It could have been a lot worse. We could have easily lost 100 cars."

Officials from the Harris County Fire Marshal's office are still investigating the blaze.

The 47th annual Miss Tomball Pageant will take place at 7 p.m., Nov. 17, at the Salem Lutheran Church Worship Center. 38 young women will compete for the title of 2013 Miss Tomball. Contestants include (front row from left) Justice Phillips, Diana Fuggiti, Morgan Estes, Marissa Lemons, Kimberly Stricklin, Monica Dziak, Mara Seigler, Haley Moeller, Rachel Sembera and Devin Carriker; (middle row, from left) Randa Nickerson, Faviola Carrillo, Stacy Gomez, Jordan Allen, Jennifer Graves, Victoria Garza, Mikala Campbell, Rachel Sanguedolce, Hannah Henry, Katie Carnoski, Kasey Self, Jordan Sluder and Erin Monroe; (back row, from left) Anastasia Hoffart, Carley Naquin, Kelsey Zalesak, Emily Parker, Avery Morris, Rachel Lee, Stephanie Ludwig, Reagan Farmer, Isabella Mingalone, Hannah Plucheck, Christian Gehring, Bekah Kletecka, Rachael Shah and Kailey Studhalter.