Van Zandt County Crime Stoppers Gives Out $2,600 in Rewards

CANTON — Anonymous callers who provided valuable tips that led to the arrests of six individuals in the last two months have been given rewards totaling $2,600 by the Van Zandt County Crime Stoppers. Rewards ranged from $600 for an arrest on a manslaughter warrant to $100 for a bad checks warrant. Four of the six arrests were of individuals listed on the county’s Top 10 Most Wanted list.

The $600 reward was for a tip that resulted in the arrest of a Ben Wheeler man on separate warrants for manslaughter and drunk driving. The man is accused of beating another man to death. There were two $550 tip rewards, one for the arrest of a Wills Point man wanted on a sexual assault charge and another for arrest of a second Wills Point man who had been sought on a charge of assaulting a public servant.

Two awards, for $400 each, went to the anonymous callers whose tips led to the arrest of a Wills Point woman on two counts of fraud and engaging in organized crime, as well as of a Gun Barrel City man accused of stealing six saddles. Authorities say the saddles, worth about $3,000, were taken from a First Monday Trades Days vendor — and that the suspect had his girlfriend try to pawn them in Gun Barrel City. The $100 award was for the arrest of a Fruitvale man who had been sought on 10 warrants for writing bad checks.

“Crime Stoppers is working more effectively than ever,” said Andy Flowers, president of Van Zandt County Crime Stoppers. “In the past five months, we have paid out nearly $5,000 in rewards and helped take nearly a dozen criminals off the street. Because the calls to the Crime Stoppers tip line, 903-567-7867, are always kept completely confidential, people know they can turn in criminals and never have to worry about being identified. The callers win, because they get rewards for their tips, and we all win when fewer criminals are out walking the streets.” Go to http://www.vanzandtcrimestoppers.org for more information about Crime Stoppers.