The Llano County Sheriff’s Office recently carried out Operation Red Light, resulting in the arrests of five individuals on charges of soliciting prostitution. In addition to the solicitation arrests, five sex offenders who had failed to comply with registration requirements were taken in as a result of evidence gathered during the operation.
One of the suspects was also charged with solicitation of prostitution of a child. All five of the arrested sex offenders had been previously convicted of crimes involving children between the ages of six and 15 years old.
The law enforcement action, carried out in late June, was described by Sheriff Marquis Cantu as a “proactive operation focused on protecting our community from sexual exploitation.”
“In Llano County we will continue to pursue those who exploit others,” Cantu said in a filmed statement shared on Monday, June 29. “Those who come here looking to victimize the vulnerable can expect to leave in handcuffs. Predators beware, we are watching, we are investigating, and we will find you.”
The operation targeted individuals seeking commercial sex in Llano County. The charge of solicitation of prostitution is a state jail felony, punishable by up to two years in prison and $10,000 in fines. Solicitation of prostitution of a child is a second-degree felony, punishable by up to 20 years in prison and $10,000 in fines.
Solicitation of prostitution arrests
Jack Lawson, of Liberty Hill, arrested on June 25, 2026 (also charged with solicitation of prostitution of a child)
Dennis Robinson, of Lampasas, arrested on June 25, 2026
James Eck Rippie Jr., of Taylor, arrested on June 25, 2026
Tobas Augustin, of Plano, arrested on June 25, 2026
Samlee Garner, of Burnet, arrested on June 26, 2026
The LCSO also released the following statement on the impacts of prostitution:
“Commercial sex crimes are one of the largest contributors to human trafficking and are often associated with assaults, narcotics offenses, and other criminal activity.
“While these arrests represent individual criminal offenses, they also address a broader public safety issue. Human trafficking exists because there are individuals willing to pay for the exploitation of others.
“By targeting those who create the demand for commercial sex, law enforcement disrupts the market that allows traffickers to profit from vulnerable adults and children.”
Those arrested for violating their sex offender registration requirements had all already been convicted of child sex crimes.
Failure to comply with Texas sex offender registration requirements arrests
Logan Pruitt, original charge: indecency with a 15-year-old child
Richard Mosely, original charge: indecency with a 7-year-old child
Trinity Chambers, original charge: sexual assault of a 14-year-old child
Roy Blalock, original charge: indecency with a 12-year-old child
Cody Sample, original charge: indecency with a 6-year-old child
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According to the LCRA, an alert siren warning of the floodgate’s opening will sound for approximately 15 minutes on Tuesday morning leading up to the test. Downstream flows from the dam in Lake Marble Falls are expected to be higher and faster than typical during and shortly after the test. Wirtz Dam separates Lake LBJ from Lake Marble Falls.
Once the test is completed, the LCRA will update its online notice found here.
The test is part of a broader initiative to modernize the Wirtz Dam to ensure it will operate safely in the future. The initiative, projected to cost a total of $76 million, will replace each of the dam’s 10 floodgates with new, modern ones. The first of those replacements was completed in March 2024.
The LCRA also plans to upgrade the dam’s hoists and hoist bridge, which help to lift the floodgates.
The project is currently estimated to be completed in 2026. For more information, visit the Wirtz Dam Project website.
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The communities of Burnet County are invited to an early morning patriotic ceremony on the grounds of the County Courthouse on Thursday, July 2.
Local officials from the Burnet County Commissioners Court will host a prayer and reading of the Declaration of Independence at 7 a.m. on Thursday near the flagpoles of the Burnet County Courthouse, 220 S. Pierce Street.
The Commissioners Court officially passed, on June 23, a resolution of Thanksgiving for Community, History, and the 250th Anniversary of the United States of America.
“We express our gratitude for the people, history, traditions, and communities that have shaped Burnet County and contributed to its success,” reads the resolution. “We recognize and celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the United States of America and encourage all citizens to reflect upon the enduring principles of liberty, civic responsibility, and service.”
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Marble Falls is hosting its annual fireworks show for the Fourth of July holiday at Lakeside Park and packing Johnson Park with live music two days straight for the ongoing Summer Concert Series.
Friday, July 3
The Marble Falls Summer Concert Series continues at the Johnson Park Amphitheater, 230 S. Avenue J. Food trucks and vendors open at 6 p.m. and live music kicks off at 7 p.m. with local legend John Arthur Martinez as the headliner.
Saturday, July 4
Independence Day means fun at the pool, food, fireworks, and live music in Marble Falls.
The Lakeside Pool will have free admission noon- 5 p.m. at Lakeside Park, 305 Buena Vista Drive.
Food trucks and vendors open at 6 p.m. at Johnson Park and another night of live music starts at 7 p.m. with headliner Dysfunkshun Junkshun.
The fireworks fly at 9:15 p.m. at Lakeside Park. Bring your own chairs to enjoy the show.
Boaters on Lake Marble Falls should know that there will be a partial lake closure on the lake 5 p.m.- midnight near the fireworks launch zone.
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The Granite Shoals deer management program will operate under new rules this fall after recent updates to the city’s ordinance governing the initiative.
The Granite Shoals Wildlife Advisory Committee’s archery-only program resumed in September 2025 after a five-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program uses trained volunteer “harvesters” to help control the city’s wild deer population using archery equipment at designated sites throughout the city.
Among the biggest changes to the program, approved by city council on June 23, are tougher qualification standards for volunteer harvesters.
The written exam has been expanded from 15 to 20 questions. The archery proficiency test was revised, requiring hunters to shoot from an elevated position 20 yards away and place one arrow inside a 2-inch inner target and a second inside a 3-inch outer target with 100 percent accuracy. Previously, the outer target measured 4 inches.
The updated ordinance will also require volunteer harvesters to donate their first three deer before keeping venison for personal use. In addition, the Granite Shoals Police Department must approve all harvest locations, and the ordinance formally incorporates the online application and electronic scheduling system introduced during last season.
The upcoming season will also see future harvests handled at the Ark of Highland Lakes meat processing facility.
Last season, 73 percent of the harvested deer were donated. During the program’s most recent distribution in June, volunteers provided about 1,100 pounds of venison to Granite Shoals residents.
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Nearly one year ago, Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Chief Michael Phillips was lost in the line of duty while responding to the devastating flash floods that swept through Central Texas during the 2025 Fourth of July holiday weekend. A new fire station was dedicated to Phillips on Saturday, June 27, and the community turned out in force to honor his memory.
The station dedication was led by current Marble Falls Area VFD Chief Derrick Curtis.
“I dedicate this station in (Phillips’) memory to make sure that his name and legacy remains a part of our department’s future and that every call answered from this station, every firefighter trained here, everyone helped, and every life protected will help carry forward that memory,” Curtis said to those gathered for the ceremony.
According to organizers, 150-200 people turned out for the Marble Falls Area VFD Station No. 2 dedication ceremony on Saturday, June 27. Photo by Jonathan Leflet
Organizers estimated that 150-200 people turned out for the event, which had been planned months in advance. When the station was still under construction in 2025, the Marble Falls Area VFD announced that Station No. 2 would be dedicated in memoriam to Phillips.
“His dedication, service, and character has made a lasting impact, whether through his commitment to the fire service, his love for this community, or the example he set for others, Chief Phillips represented the values we hope this station will stand for: courage, service, sacrifice, and compassion,” Curtis said.
The new fire station, located at 6423 CR 120 north of Marble Falls, will serve as the second base of operations for the Marble Falls Area VFD, providing a storage space for emergency vehicles and a staging area for firefighters battling blazes surrounding Marble Falls.
“We were thankful for everyone who came out,” Curtis told DailyTrib. “It is a chapter of healing for the department. We have our memories, but now because of this station, his name will be here for future generations.”
Former Marble Falls Area VFD Chief Michael Phillips. Courtesy photo
Phillips
“Mike was the type of guy who was a mentor or father figure to everyone,” Curtis said. “He just touched people’s lives in so many different ways. He was just a great human being to be around. He would give you the shirt off of his back or anything in his power to help you.”
Phillips was reportedly swept away by flood waters in the early morning hours of July 5 while responding to a distress call east of Marble Falls. It is believed that he and his vehicle were washed downstream when he attempted to cross turbulent waters on Cow Creek. His vehicle was found, but his body was not.
Phillips served with the Marble Falls Area VFD for about 30 years and worked for the Marble Falls Independent School District for over 20 years.
A recording from a 2012 interview with Phillips was played during his memorial service. A transcribed excerpt from that recording reads:
“Some people have money, some people have patience, some people have a lot of gifts, but my gift is that I like to work hard, and if something in that work can help somebody else pull through the worst day of their life, that is the reward I get out of that.”
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A Boeing 777 freighter made an unusually low pass over Horseshoe Bay Resort Jet Center on Wednesday, June 24. A video showing the plane descend to near ground level before pulling away drew considerable public concern and attention.
The aircraft, registered under N705DN with the Federal Aviation Administration, is currently owned by Horseshoe Bay-based aviation company Jetran LLC. The Boeing 777 was converted into a freighter by Mammoth Freighters and is painted in Qatar Airways livery, but is not yet owned or operated by Qatar Airways.
DailyTrib reached out on Friday, June 26, to the Horseshoe Bay Resort Jet Center and Jetran LLC for more information on the low flyover, but was not given comment by the time of this article’s publication.
Following the widely shared video, Mammoth Freighters, a Fort Worth-based company, issued a statement emphasizing that it did not own or operate the aircraft during the maneuver and that Qatar Airways was not involved in the flight.
“Mammoth Freighters has been made aware of a video circulating on social media showing a low-pass flight of a Mammoth-converted 777 freighter aircraft in Qatar Airways livery.
Mammoth is not the owner of the aircraft and Mammoth was not in control of the aircraft at the time of the maneuver. The current owner (which is not Qatar Airways) was in control of the aircraft at the time of the maneuver. The aircraft is in its final stages of preparation prior to delivery to Qatar Airways.
While the aircraft is painted in Qatar Airways livery, it was not owned or operated by Qatar Airways, did not carry a Qatar Airways registration, and the pilots on board were not Qatar Airways pilots.”
FlightRadar24 data shows the flight originated from Grissom Air Reserve Base in Peru, Indiana, and was headed to Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport in Fort Worth.
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Agendas for Highland Lakes governments are posted 72 hours before a meeting so are not always ready by the time this story is published. Check the links for more information.
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The Llano County Republican Party is moving into a permanent address, and local supporters are invited to the grand opening on July 3.
The ribbon cutting ceremony for the new LCRP headquarters is 4-7 p.m. on Friday, July 3, at 805 Bessemer Avenue in Llano. Hot dogs, snacks, beverages, and refreshments will be provided.
“This headquarters represents hard work, dedication, and support from Republicans across our county,” reads the event invitation posted on the party’s Facebook page. “It will serve as a place to organize, educate, volunteer, support candidates, and keep conservative values strong for years to come.”
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