Horseshoe Bay’s free telecare program, run by the city’s fire department with support from community volunteers, continues to provide daily safety check-ins for at-risk residents who live alone across Horseshoe Bay, Oak Ridge, Blue Lake, and Deerhaven.
The telecare program was founded in 1990 by Betty DeLisle, wife of the fire chief at the time, to ensure that residents living alone would have reliable daily contact and timely access to help when needed. The city recently released a reminder that the fire department is continuing the tradition, and checking in on the residents in the area that need it most.
Enrollees participate by checking in with the fire station each morning, Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. On weekends, volunteers reach out to participants to check in. If an enrollee cannot be reached and has not previously notified the program of travel or schedule changes, HSBFD personnel will conduct a welfare check at the residence. Those who choose to do so may provide a key which is kept in a secure lockbox to allow emergency access, though it is not a program requirement. All participants sign an agreement acknowledging that the city and its representatives are not responsible for repairs if entry becomes necessary to ensure their safety.
Fire Chief Doug Fowler said the program and its volunteers remains a valued part of the department’s community service, which goes beyond fighting fires.
“The telecare program enjoys the full support of the fire department. They are more than happy to come by and check on the welfare of the participants,” Fowler told the DailyTrib. “Many firefighters have become attached to the volunteers and love watching these wonderful ladies put a smile in their voices as they answer the phones every morning.”
Originally operated solely by volunteers, the program is now scheduled and administered by the Fire Department with ongoing assistance from community members. It has proven especially important for older adults who want to maintain independent living but lack nearby family support.
The Telecare program was founded in 1990 by Betty DeLisle, wife of the fire chief at the time, to ensure that residents living alone would have reliable daily contact and timely access to help when needed.
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A Burnet County jury on Friday, Nov. 14, found former Burnet County Precinct 3 Commissioner Billy Wall guilty on six charges of animal cruelty connected to the starvation and neglect of his cattle during a drought in 2022.
About 80 cattle were seized from Wall’s property near Bertram in September 2022 after complaints were reported to the Burnet County Sheriff’s Office about the poor state of the animals. Ultimately, Wall was charged with eight counts of animal cruelty in the case and a jury of his peers found him guilty on six of those charges on Friday.
The case was handled in the Burnet County Court at Law by visiting judge Kevin Henderson and Williamson County prosecutor Mariel Kelley to avoid conflicts of interest Wall may have had with members of the Burnet County government.
He was given a one-year probated jail sentence, two years of probation, and 100 hours of community service for each guilty charge, but they will all be served concurrently. A “probated” jail sentence means that Wall will not actually go to jail unless he violates the terms of his probation over the next two years. Since each sentence will be served concurrently, he will only be on probation for two years total, complete a total of 100 hours of community service, and spend up to a year in county jail total.
Wall’s convictions were all Class A misdemeanor-level animal cruelty charges, each carrying a potential penalty of up to one year in jail and $4,000 in fines.
“Our law provides that a person commits an (animal cruelty) offense if he intentionally or knowingly fails unreasonably to provide necessary food, water, or care for a livestock animal in the person’s custody,” reads the charging documents in the case.
This 2022 photo shows a few of the cattle seized from the property of former Burnet County Precinct 3 Commissioner Billy Wall. Wall was charged with eight counts of animal cruelty for letting several of his animals starve and a jury recently found him guilty on six of those charges. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
Friday’s trial brings an end to years of legal back and forth between Wall and Burnet County. While Wall was still serving as Burnet County commissioner, the Sheriff’s Office conducted a raid on his property, seizing dozens of cattle that were malnourished, dehydrated, and unhealthy during a particularly harsh drought in the summer of 2022.
A 2022 affidavit from a sheriff’s deputy who worked on the case, Jason Jewett, gave insight into the state of the animals and their living conditions when they were seized.
“No clean water found around pens or on the property,” the affidavit reads. “Ground water tanks were all muddy and had dead cattle around them. Even Wall stated he had five dead ones in one tank.”
The seized animals were sold at auction in November 2022 to help cover the costs associated with the round up of the cattle and their care once they were in custody. While the cattle brought in $45,081.81, this was about $18,000 short of the estimated $63,000 spent transporting and caring for the animals while they were held at the Burnet County Fairgrounds for nearly two months. An agreement signed in the Burnet County Court at Law stated that Wall would pay the remaining cost.
DailyTrib was unable to obtain additional information on whether or not Wall paid the full restitution amount or what that amount was by the time of this article’s publication.
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Two scammers were sentenced to years in prison and ordered to pay millions of dollars in restitution for an elaborate “phishing” racket which targeted elderly victims across the country, including a Granite Shoals resident who was swindled out of $180,000.
Dhruv Rajeshbhai Mangukiya, 21, an Indian national in the U.S. on a student visa, was sentenced to 97 months, just over eight years, in prison and ordered to pay more than $2.5 million in restitution for conspiracy to commit money laundering, while his coconspirator, Kishan Rajeshkumar Patel, 20, received a sentence of 63 months, or five years and three months, in June. The case was handled by the Western District of Texas U.S. Attorney’s Office.
According to federal filings, Mangukiya and Patel were part of a network of scammers that contacted vulnerable individuals, often elderly, through fraudulent messages and follow-up phone calls from scammers pretending to be federal officials in the hopes of getting valuable personal information, money, or valuables. This type of scheme is known as “phishing.”
The case drew in local authorities after federal investigators determined that Granite Shoals was among the communities targeted by the group’s operation. The FBI led the investigation with assistance from the Granite Shoals Police Department and the Fort Worth Police Department.
One of the victims, a Granite Shoals resident, was told by the scammers that his identity had been stolen and connected to drug cartels, and that he needed to provide funds to the U.S. Treasury Department to avoid legal trouble. Believing the claim, the resident withdrew and handed over $180,000 in three separate transactions.
A similar scam unfolded in Fort Worth, where a woman gave Patel $30,000 after being told her Social Security number had been misused and tied to a money laundering scheme.
Both Mangukiya and Patel were charged in a two-count superseding indictment on Dec. 3, 2024. Patel pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud on March 18, while Mangukiya pleaded guilty on June 16 to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Court documents show that Mangukiya collected cash and gold from victims and shared the proceeds with his coconspirators. Following Patel’s arrest in August 2024, investigators recovered messages linking both men to two other individuals identified only as “Hunter” and “Master.”
Mangukiya was arrested in New Jersey on Dec. 5, 2024, where agents seized $73,422.96 in cash and a printer used to produce fake identification documents. He later admitted to receiving a percentage of the fraud proceeds and recruiting Patel as a courier.
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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.
Monday, Nov. 17
Marble Falls Independent District Board of Trustees
consider approval of an Amendment to the First Amendment to the Municipal Solid Waste Agreement – Schedule A (Residential Unit Collection Rates). Russell Sander, Assistant City Manager
Granite Shoals City Council
6 p.m. regular meeting
City Hall, 2221 N. Phillips Road in Granite Shoals
discuss and take action on Business Grant Program rules and consideration of applications for assistance
Cottonwood Shores City Council
6 p.m. regular meeting
Civic Center, 4111 Cottonwood Shores Dr in Cottonwood Shores
No agenda was posted at this time.
Friday, Nov. 21
Pedernales Electric Cooperative Board of Directors
9 a.m. regular meeting
PEC Headquarters Auditorium, 201 S Ave F in Johnson City
No agenda was posted at this time.
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A Burnet County jury sentenced a Spring man to life in prison on Nov. 7 after convicting him on three counts of aggravated sexual assault and one of aggravated kidnapping stemming from a 2022 incident in Bertram.
Milton Escamilla, 59, of Spring was accused of sexually assaulting and kidnapping his then girlfriend’s adult-aged daughter in April 2022. According to a media release issued by the 33rd & 424th District Attorney’s Office on Friday, Nov. 14, Escamilla ambushed the woman, assaulted her, and held her captive in her Bertram home for 15 hours.
A Burnet County jury found Escamilla guilty of the felony-level counts of aggravated sexual assault and kidnapping on Nov. 7 after hearing testimoy from the victim and evidence from several Burnet County law enforcement agencies.
“This verdict was reached because of the tremendous courage of the victim in the case, the tireless and compassionate work of our law enforcement partners, and the careful consideration of the Burnet County jurors,” said Kelly Bazie, assistant district attorney, in the media release. “The events were tragic but the system worked as it should, and justice was served.”
Another assistant district attorney on the case, Sheri Bloom, added to Bazie’s statement.
“The jury reached the right result, and we’re proud to protect the community from predators,” Bloom said.
Escamilla had previously been convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child by a Llano County jury and had served several years in prison for those convictions. He was on parole for those Llano County crimes when he committed the assault in 2022.
“This was a great victory for both law enforcement and the victim’s family,” District Attorney Perry Thomas said. “A Burnet County jury sent a very clear message that the people of our district have no tolerance for abusers.”
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A community along Cow Creek recently renamed one of its parks after Michael Phillips, the former Marble Falls area volunteer fire chief who went missing along the creek while on duty during the devastating Fourth of July weekend flood this past summer.
Canyon Ridge Springs, a small community in the rugged foothills east of Marble Falls on Cow Creek Road, officially changed the name of a creek-side park to Michael Phillips Fire Chief Memorial Park. A plaque at the site also marks Phillips’ end of watch date, July, 5, 2025.
Phillips was last seen on July 5, when he responded to a call for assistance in high water near Cow Creek. As he lived nearby and had a fire department command vehicle at home, he headed straight to the scene. Unaware of how quickly the floodwaters had risen, he was swept away. His vehicle was later found downstream, destroyed by the flood. Phillips remains missing.
Current Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Chief Thomas Jacobs, who worked alongside Phillips for 11 years, said the tribute could not be more fitting. Jacobs noted that the park carries special meaning because of Phillips’ long connection to the creek.
“He always loved it out there,” Jacobs told DailyTrib. “Before the flood, it was beautiful. Water always flowing and all that. He always liked it.”
Beyond his love for the area, Phillips, a 30-year veteran of the Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department, was deeply respected within the fire service.
“He had a big heart,” Jacobs said. “New people coming up in the fire service had to make a fire with him before they could even go out on a fire.”
Jacobs described him as a natural mentor whose enthusiasm shaped generations of firefighters.
“If he expected us to do something, he did it first,” Jacobs said.
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Burnet and Llano counties are keeping their burn bans on as the landscape continues to dry out this fall. Temperatures are falling and there could be rain on the way, but for now, fire danger is on the rise.
“The forecast fire danger is very high, the KBDI is 400-600,” Llano County Emergency Management Coordinator Gilbert Bennett told the Llano County Commissioners Court on Monday, Nov. 10. “All of the firemen are saying leave (the burn ban) on.”
Bennett was referring to the Keetch-Byram Drought Index, a 0-800 scale used by Texas counties to determine the relative risk of fire danger based on precipitation levels and overall soil moisture.
As of Friday, Nov. 14, Llano County is at an average of 492 on the scale and up to a 594 in some areas. According to the KBDI, this puts the county at a significant risk for wildfires.
Following Bennett’s presentation, the Llano County Commissioners Court voted unanimously to table talk of removing the burn ban.
Burnet County is seeing similar conditions to Llano County with an average KBDI rating of 466 and some areas seeing up to 572 on the scale. The Burnet County Commissioners Court also kept their burn ban going after tabling the matter during a Thursday, Nov. 13 meeting.
While autumn storms in late October brought a few inches of rain to the Highland Lakes, the fall overall has been fairly dry, with no other significant precipitation.
The overgrowth of foliage left behind by summer rain and the latest fall storm is also a cause for concern according to Bennett.
“The growth is now just kindling waiting to happen,” he told DailyTrib. “We need to be extra cautious. To have a fire you just need oxygen, fuel, and heat. A fire can happen in the winter, you just never know.”
Highs and lows in Burnet and Llano counties have been hovering in the 80s and 60s, and they are expected to keep dropping. According to current National Weather Service forecasts, there are chances for showers and thunderstorms starting on Tuesday, Nov. 18 that extend until at least Thursday, Nov. 20.
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The suspect in a gift swipe from a toy drive bin at the Marble Falls Police Department has reportedly come forward and confessed to his crime. Officers offered “The Grinch” a deal, saying that no charges would be pressed if he replaced the stolen gift.
A Facebook post shared by the Marble Falls Police Department on the afternoon of Wednesday, Nov. 12 stated that “The Grinch,” had been caught on security cameras taking something out of the Operation Blue Santa donation box on Monday in the lobby of MFPD headquarters, 606 Avenue N in Marble Falls. That post saw an enormous amount of engagement, seeing nearly 1,000 likes, over 250 comments, and nearly 500 reshares in less than one day.
According to MFPD Captain Jimmy Cole, the suspect in the case came forward on Wednesday following the social media firestorm and confessed to the crime. The item taken was reportedly a pair of headphones valued at under $100.
“He actually came forward and confessed,” Cole told DailyTrib. “If he gives back what he took, or replaces it, we won’t press any criminal charges. Let’s just make it even and there will be no more issues.”
The charge for the theft would have been a class C misdemeanor, which comes with up to $500 in fines, but no jail time.
As of Thursday afternoon, the return has not yet happened, but investigating officers believe the suspect will comply with the deal. The identity of The Grinch, will not be released to the public.
Operation Blue Santa is a Christmas charity run by law enforcement bodies all across the country, aimed at bringing in toys and gifts for the less fortunate during the holidays.
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District play for the 2025 high school football season is over and three Highland Lakes area teams are in the playoffs. Marble Falls was eliminated in district play and is out for the season. Burnet, Faith Academy, and Llano each face their first playoff opponents this week.
Here are the matchups for Round 1:
Burnet Bulldogs neutral game Andrews Mustangs
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14
WHERE: San Angelo Stadium, 1919 Knickerbocker Road in San Angelo
PREVIEW: Listen to an interview with Burnet head coach Ben Speer in the weekly segment on KBEY 103.9 FM: In the Bulldog Huddle.
LAST GAME: Stephenville 49, Burnet 0
Burnet (3-7 overall, 1-3 district) takes on Andrews (5-5 overall, 3-0 district) for its first game of the 4A Division I playoffs on Friday. The Bulldogs played their final district game against state powerhouse Stephenville (10-0 overall, 4-0 district) on Nov. 7.
“We got a little banged up here or there (in the Stephenville game), but nothing that doesn’t heal up in a couple days,” head coach Ben Speer told KBEY 103.9 FM host Ben Shields in an interview. “That was a win for us.”
The first round of playoffs sees Burnet face Andrews, a repeat of the 2024 matchup. When the Bulldogs and the Mustangs last faced each other, the Mustangs walked away with a 35-21 win.
Faith Academy Flames vs. Wylie Prep Academy Patriots
KICKOFF: 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15
WHERE: Faith Academy, 3151 E. RR 1431 in Marble Falls
LAST GAME: Faith Academy 58, Lutheran 8
Faith Academy (9-1 overall, 3-0 district) takes on Wylie Prep Academy (6-4 overall, 2-2 district) for the first round of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools 6 Man II tournament. The Flames secured the district championship in their last game against Lutheran Christian (6-4 overall, 1-2 district) last week.
The Flames made it to the playoffs last year, but were eliminated in the first round by Lucas Christian Academy 54-42.
Llano (9-1 overall, 5-0 district) takes on Poteet (2-8 overall, 1-4 district) on Thursday for its first round of 3A Division I playoffs. The Yellowjackets beat Ingram Moore (5-5 overall, 4-1 district) for the final game of district play.
Llano had a dominant run last year, making it to the fourth round of the playoffs before falling to Edna 41-14.
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