Brian Edwards, 41, of Llano County pleaded guilty June 26 to multiple charges related to child pornography and child exploitation. He was sentenced to 45 years in prison.

Edwards was originally arrested in February 2024 on 21 charges related to the possession of child pornography, sexual performance by a child, lewd visual material depicting a child, and invasive video recording.

He ultimately pleaded guilty to charges of sexual performance of a child under the age of 14 years, sexual performance of a child, and possession of child pornography. 

In total, he was sentenced to 45 years for the sexual performance of a child under the age of 14 years, 45 years for the possession of child pornography, and 20 years for sexual performance of a child—a combined 110 years in prison. He will serve the sentences concurrently, meaning at the same time, making his max term 45 years with the eligibility for parole after half that time is served.

Edwards also must register as a sex offender.

The crime of sexual performance of a child occurs when an individual knowingly induces a child younger than 18 years of age to engage in sexual conduct or performance. Normally a second-degree felony, it becomes a first-degree felony when the child is younger than 14 years.

According to 33rd/424th District Attorney Perry Thomas, multiple victims of ages older and younger than 14 years were involved in Edwards’ case.

dakota@thepicayune.com

A 43-year-old San Saba man was sentenced to 40 years in prison on multiple narcotics charges, including intent to distribute, in an investigation covering San Saba and Llano counties. Donald Ray Riggs pleaded guilty on Tuesday, July 15, in the 33rd Judicial District Court of Llano County with Judge Allan Garrett presiding.

Riggs was arrested on Oct. 18, 2024, during a traffic stop in Llano County following a lengthy, joint investigation by the sheriff’s offices of Llano and San Saba counties and the police departments of San Saba and Marble Falls into the distribution of narcotics in Llano and San Saba counties, according to a media release from the office of 33rd/424th District Attorney Perry Thomas.

During the traffic stop, a drug-detection dog alerted his handler to the presence of narcotics in Riggs’ vehicle. A search by law enforcement found almost a kilogram of meth, a significant amount of pills containing a controlled substance, and a small amount of cocaine.  

On Tuesday, Riggs pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver in exchange for a 40-year prison sentence. He also pleaded guilty to possession with intent to deliver for the illegal pills in exchange for a 20-year sentence and possession with intent to distribute for the cocaine for a 10-year sentence. All sentences will run concurrently. 

Riggs has previous convictions for drug-related offenses in both San Saba and Llano counties. 

editor@thepicayune.com

UPDATE, THURSDAY, JULY 17: A major gas leak on U.S. 281 in Marble Falls has been repaired. A portion of the highway from RR 1431 to Broadway was closed to both southbound and northbound traffic on the afternoon of Wednesday, July 16, and traffic diverted while crews and first responders attended to the scene.

4 P.M. WEDNESDAY, JULY 16: First responders are working a major gas leak on U.S. 281 in Marble Falls, which has closed northbound and southbound lanes from RR 1431 to Broadway. Drivers should find an alternate route and avoid the area. (CORRECTION: A previous version of this alert mistakenly said the lane closures were due to a vehicle accident.)

Family, friends, and first responders are still looking for missing Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department Chief Michael Phillips, but his department and those closest to him have announced an “end of watch” for the first responder after 11 days of searching. 

Phillips was swept away in his vehicle as he attempted to cross Cow Creek while responding to a distress call July 5 amid the chaos of the Fourth of July flood. He was one of six people known to have gone missing in Burnet County during the disaster. The bodies of the other five have been recovered, but the chief had not been found as of Wednesday, July 16.

The Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department announced an official end of watch for Phillips on Tuesday. An end of watch is typically made when a first responder retires from a long career of service or dies in the line of duty. It is often a solemn moment announced over dispatch lines followed by a period of silence to honor the service of a retiree or the dead.

“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the end of watch for our Chief, Michael Phillips,” the department posted on social media.

“Chief Phillips passed away in the line of duty while responding to a call for service in the early morning hours of July 5th, 2025. At this time, he remains missing.

“He was more than just a friend, mentor, and leader—he was our family. His absence will leave a void in our hearts and our department that cannot be filled. We will honor his legacy and the extraordinary service he gave to our community by continuing to be the first responders he strived for us to be.

“We love you Chief.

“Rest in peace because we’ve got it from here.”

Phillips is well known in the Highland Lakes community, having served with the volunteer fire department for 30 years and the Marble Falls Independent School District for 28 years.

“I don’t know that I am ready to talk about it just yet,” firefighter David Short told DailyTrib.com on Wednesday. 

Short has known Phillips since 1983 and was working with him the morning he went missing.

“As the search continues, our hearts are heavy with grief,” reads a Marble Falls ISD statement on Monday, July 14. “Michael’s unwavering commitment to protecting others—demonstrated in his final act of service—is a powerful reflection of the man we know him to be.

“We offer our deepest love and prayers to the Phillips family, the Marble Falls (Area) VFD, and all who knew and loved him. He will always be remembered as a true hero.”

The Marble Falls community turned out in force as they remembered, honored, and mourned Phillips during a candlelight vigil July 11 at the volunteer fire station at 606 Avenue U. A memorial of flowers, candles, and charms adorn the department’s Engine 22, parked out front, along with a copy of the Fireman’s Prayer.

Phillips also will be honored at 8 p.m. Friday, July 18, at the Marble Falls Rodeo during the first responders recognition ceremony. The rodeo takes place Friday and Saturday at Charley Taylor Arena, 3053 U.S. 281.

dakota@thepicayune.com

The historic Joppa Bridge was found in a twisted heap of metal and debris on private land in Burnet County a week after it was washed away in flash floods that devastated Central Texas over the Fourth of July weekend.

The iron-truss bridge spanned the San Gabriel River in northeast Burnet County at the intersection of County Roads 210, 272, and 200. It was erected in 1907 and used until the Texas Department of Transportation built a new bridge in 2000. 

The Joppa Bridge and the Russel Fork Bridge, another iron-truss structure 2 miles south, both received Texas Historical Markers in 2017. The Russell Fork Bridge is still standing, but damaged. Repairs to the Joppa Bridge were pending before the flood.

“We were in the process of getting bids to get the wood flooring fixed and the iron trusses braced and strengthened,” said Burnet County Precinct 2 Commissioner Damon Beierle. “We only got one bid but haven’t had a chance to open it yet.” 

Beierle estimated it would have cost $50,000 to $75,000 to strengthen the bridge. The county installed an electrical pole last year to make it easier for the community to decorate the bridge with lights for Christmas. 

“We will have to pull it out (of the river) in pieces,” Beierle said. “I don’t know if the bridge has much of a future.”

The newly formed Friends of Joppa Community held a meeting the weekend of July 12, immediately after the bridge was found. 

“It was a good meeting,” said Rachel Bryson, who grew up in Joppa and crossed the bridge almost every day to get to school. “The Joppa community is already thinking about what to do next. We can’t replace the bridge, but there are other ways to tell the story of the bridge and its place in history.” 

Burnet County was expected to send out a public statement on Tuesday, July 15, about having located the bridge. That statement was not received as of DailyTrib.com deadline, but others had seen it. 

“I was sent a statement by the county that they will work with the private landowner for removal,” said Joppa resident Delbert Cain. “But that will take some time.” 

Another Joppa resident and member of the community association, Toni Schmid, posted a video and pictures of the mangled bridge on YouTube. 

“It’s not recognizable,” she said. “Below the water, you can see the twisted metal. We are going to give it time, and when the water goes down, the county will get in there and salvage what they can.” 

Cain and an assistant were able to rescue a plaque from the top of the bridge, although it came off in pieces with some parts missing. All parts were immediately sent to a foundry for repair. The plaque reads: William Payson Contractor 1907. 

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story said the Joppa and Russell Fork bridges received Texas Historical Markers in 1979. They actually both got markers in 2017. DailyTrib.com apologizes for the error.

suzanne@thepicayune.com

Llano County is now among the 10 Hill Country counties included in a presidential disaster declaration following the Fourth of July flood, making it eligible to receive public assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). 

The initial declaration only included Kerr County, the heaviest-hit area, but as of July 13, it also covers Burnet (added July 11), Llano (July 13), Kendall, Kimble, Mason, McCulloch, Menard, San Saba, and Tom Green counties.

Llano County is only eligible to receive public assistance, meaning federal funds can be used for public works projects but not for residents or individual property owners. Burnet County qualifies for both public and individual assistance due to the extent of damage to public and private properties.

“As far as I know, we just have damaged roads,” Llano County Emergency Management Coordinator Gilbert Bennett told DailyTrib.com. 

Bennett said little damage to private property was reported, but many county roads and low-water crossings were washed out in flooding over the July 4 weekend. Another flood July 12 caused even more damage to roadways. Llano County had no reported fatalities are major injuries during either event.

Many of the damaged roads are now repaired and passable, but as of Tuesday, July 15, low-water crossings on County Road 102 and CR 307 (Slab Road) are still submerged.

Federal funds will be used to recoup the costs of Llano County’s flood response and repairs to county roads.

According to Bennett, county officials were prepared for flooding on their end as Lower Colorado River Authority monitors on the Llano River registered steep rises leading up to July 4. 

“We saw the 21-foot rise in the (Llano River) at Mason, and it gave us time to clear everybody out,” he said.

Llano County first responders provided mutual aid to Burnet County during the thick of the flooding as well as a 13-person team in the ongoing search for missing Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department Chief Michael Phillips, who was washed away in his vehicle on Cow Creek while responding to a distress call July 5. As of Tuesday, he is the last known missing person in Burnet County following the flood.

dakota@thepicayune.com

A 52-year-old Waco man received life in prison without parole for the sexual abuse of three children in Burnet and McLennan counties. 

Angel Escalante’s sentence was handed down July 11 after a five-day jury trial in Burnet County with 33rd Judicial District Judge Allan Garrett presiding.

The case was prosecuted by assistant district attorneys Bill Price of Burnet County and Tara Avants of McLennan County. 

“I am very proud of the joint efforts of our office and the District Attorney’s Office of McLennan County for seeking the maximum sentence for someone who has abused children,” Burnet County District Attorney Perry Thomas said in a July 14 media release announcing the conviction. “I hope this sends a message that children who report abuse will be believed and their abusers held accountable.”

Evidence at trial revealed Escalante had abused three different family members starting as far back as 2009, according to the media release. The molestation continued until 2023, when two of the three survivors reported the abuse to a family member and then to Waco law enforcement. The Burnet County case was investigated by the Burnet Police Department.

Because the victims were younger at the time they were abused in Burnet County, and due to the repetitive nature of the offenses, that county’s charges carried a greater punishment and the trial was set there.

All three survivors testified at the trial along with witnesses from law enforcement and Child Protective Services. Jurors also heard testimony from a forensic interviewer in Waco and a child therapist who is an expert in the traumatic effects of child sexual abuse. The defense called almost a dozen witnesses.

Escalante had prior convictions for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, burglary of a habitation, and injury to a child.

editor@thepicayune.com

Operations at the Bend Post Office, 22902 FM 580 West, are back to normal, according to a U.S. Postal Service media release issued the afternoon of Tuesday, July 15. The facility had been closed and services moved to the Lometa Post Office due to flooding..

Retail hours at the Bend Post Office are 9:30-11:30 a.m. Monday-Friday and 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays.

editor@thepicayune.com

The Lower Colorado River Authority opened floodgates on Buchanan Dam for the first time since 2019 as Lake Buchanan approaches maximum capacity due to flooding in the Texas Hill Country that’s been ongoing since July 4.

The LCRA opened two gates on the massive dam at around 2 p.m. Monday and might open two more later in the day if needed. Lake Buchanan was around 98 percent full on Monday following the Fourth of July flood and days of heavy rain across Central Texas. Since July 3, the reservoir has risen about 17 feet, from 1,002 feet above mean sea level to 1,019 feet MSL as of Monday. The lake is full at 1,020 feet MSL.

The water from Lake Buchanan runs into Inks Lake, which goes into Lake LBJ and then Lake Marble Falls and Lake Travis. From there, it heads downstream into Austin and beyond.

With floodgate operations underway, the LCRA is advising people to stay off of lakes Buchanan, Inks, LBJ, Marble Falls, and Travis due to fast currents, flood debris, and higher levels of bacteria. The city of Marble Falls took it a step further and closed off all unnecessary access to Lake Marble Falls.

Buchanan’s rapid rise can be attributed to massive amounts of rain across the northern Lower Colorado River Basin, which saw a large volume of rainfall during the Fourth of July weekend. Following that deluge, several inches of rain continued to fall, and more is in the forecast. 

The Colorado River is still pouring into Lake Buchanan at about 38,000 cubic-feet per second as of Monday. For perspective, at the peak of the Fourth of July flood, it flowed at about 74,000 CFS. Its typical flow is around 55 CFS in the summer.

The LCRA has opened floodgates on Inks, Wirtz, and Max Starcke dams to help control floodwaters from Buchanan and the Llano River, which is also dumping enormous amounts of water into Lake LBJ.

The Llano River also saw a rapid rise, shooting up about 13 feet on Sunday and reaching a flow of about 45,000 CFS. The river was much higher during the July 4 flooding, rising about 20 feet and flowing at 126,000 CFS. It normally flows at around 40 CFS in the summer.

The Colorado and the Llano rivers have both been flowing at high rates for a prolonged period of time, remaining at or around flood-stage levels since July 4.

As of Monday, the combined storage of lakes Buchanan and Travis, the two reservoirs in the Highland Lakes chain, is 87 percent, a massive increase from 52 percent just 11 days ago on July 3.

dakota@thepicayune.com