WASHINGTON CO. SHERIFF WARNS OF RISE IN SCAM ATTEMPTS

  

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is encouraging the public to be on the lookout for scam attempts.

During Sheriff Trey Holleway’s monthly report at this (Tuesday) morning’s county commissioners meeting, he advised that his office is seeing an increase in reported scams, both online and over the phone.  He said they are mainly phishing scams, where the scammer will try to get the victim to click a suspicious link or otherwise disclose private financial information.

Holleway noted that some neighboring counties are experiencing scammers who are spoofing the phone number of the local sheriff’s office, calling to tell people they have warrants for their arrest and pressuring them to make an immediate payment.  He said while the Washington County Sheriff’s Office may make courtesy calls to inform people if they have a warrant, it will only be to discuss options on how to resolve the warrant and will never be to demand payment over the phone.

The scam attempts appear to be extending to in-person encounters, too, as Commissioner Kirk Hanath shared information about a family who has recently come to area churches to illegitimately collect money from the congregation under the guise that they were in need.

Also during Holleway’s report, he announced that the Texas Commission on Jail Standards performed an unscheduled inspection at the county jail facility this month, and the jail passed the inspection.  In addition, the Texas Department of Public Safety performed a National Crime Information Center / Texas Crime Information Center audit of the sheriff’s office last month.  The results of the audit are pending, but Holleway said he is “very optimistic” that the sheriff’s office will receive a good score.

In other business today, commissioners accepted a bid from Concrete Solution, LLC of Chappell Hill for the EMS Station #2 parking lot project.  Three bids were received, with Concrete Solutions being the lowest bid at $79,800.

The project will entail hauling off and removing existing base material, grading and compacting the subgrade, installing 13,000 square feet of new concrete along with necessary expansion and seal joints, and performing final grading to ensure proper drainage and a uniform surface.

Funding for the project comes from what the county received in payment from the state, after it paid for land on the property where the station is located to accommodate TxDOT’s Highway 290 cloverleaf project.  The state paid the county $348,000 for the land.

The court then moved to reject bids for the EMS Station #6 project at Lake Somerville due to lack of response.  EMS Director Kevin Deramus explained that the county only received one bid, but multiple contractors did reach out near the deadline for bid submissions, asking if the deadline could be extended.  The county is expected to go out for re-bid on the project in the near future. 

Also in court, commissioners:

• Approved a change order to a contract with Phoenix I Restoration and Construction, LLC for courthouse life safety repairs, in the added amount of $27,650.
• Read a proclamation in recognition of March 2^nd as Texas Independence Day in Washington County.
• Approved a master interlocal purchasing agreement with North Central Texas Council of Governments.
• Approved an oil and gas development permit for Magnolia Oil and Gas Operating, LLC for the use of Homeyer Mountain Road in Precinct 4.
• Heard monthly reports from the county and district clerks, justices of the peace, auditor, tax assessor-collector, treasurer, constables, elections and veterans service office.