2018 in review: Double homicide trial was top story in October

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Two people stood trial for a 2016 double homicide in Scurry County and only one of them received a prison sentence. That was the top story in October.
Following a week-and-a-half of testimony, a jury found Juan Ramon Barron guilty of murdering Joshua Hoover in the early morning hours of Jan. 24, 2016. 
The jury sentenced Barron to two years in prison for his conviction. The minimum sentence for murder is usually five years in prison, but because the jury returned with an “affirmative finding” that Barron acted under sudden passion arising from an adequate cause, the jury was able to consider lowering the punishment to two years.
Juan Barron and Nicole Barron, both of Snyder, had been accused in the shooting and stabbing deaths of Hoover, of Snyder, and Benjamin Bruns, of Victoria, during a confrontation at the Barrons’ residence in the 2100 block of Ave. Z.
Juan Barron was acquitted of murdering Bruns, while Nicole Barron was found not guilty of murder and aggravated assault in Hoover’s death.
Trial testimony showed that Bruns and Hoover arrived at the Barrons’ residence at about 4 a.m. Jan. 24, 2016 dressed entirely in dark clothing and both wearing masks which concealed their faces. 
In addition, Bruns was carrying a semi-automatic pistol while Hoover was in possession of a pepper-spray canister.
Armed with knives, the Barrons confronted the intruders. During the ensuring struggle, Juan Barron gained possession of the firearm and fatally shot both men.
The couple is still facing tampering with evidence charges for hiding the victims’ bodies under their house. A tentative trial date has been set for late March.
On Oct. 16, Scurry County commissioners voted to allow Scurry County Health Unit Director Dana Hartman to hire another full-time nurse whose primary responsibility will be tending to inmates. An increase in the number of out-of-county inmates housed at the Snyder facility has stretched the health unit’s staffing thin, Hartman said.
The number of medical tests and services required by law has increased notably in the past year. Hartman said health unit nurses administered 266 tuberculosis tests and logged an average of 42 medical visits per month to the jail in 2017. 
Through August of this year, 356 tuberculosis tests were administered and medical visits averaged between 80 and 90 a month, Hartman said.
The Scurry County Appraisal District board of directors voted to retain Thomas Y. Pickett and Company as its mineral appraisal firm during an Oct. 25 meeting. 
The board voted 3-1 to retain Pickett for 2019 and 2020.
Officials from Pickett, Capital Appraisals and Pritchard and Abbott each made presentations during a meeting earlier in the month. Capital Appraisals had the lowest bid at $105,900 followed by Pickett at $109,000 and Pritchard and Abbott at $115,000. None of the proposals included start-up costs.
An Oct. 10 gas line rupture led to the evacuation of  35 people from their homes after in the 2000 block of 35th Street. 
Nathan Hines, deputy fire marshal for the Snyder Fire Department, said a contractor working on a water line inadvertently cut a gas line near the intersection of 35th Street and Ave. U. The evacuation order was lifted after three hours.
On Oct. 2,  Doug Baum’s short film Built to Last: A History of the Snyder Santa Fe Depot debuted with a near-capacity crowd on hand at the Ritz Community Theatre.
“This is what we were trying to get across to the people of Scurry County,” said Scurry County Historical Commission  vice chair Paula Hatfield of the depot’s history. “I could not be more pleased with the results. She was really built to last. We had her for 106 years and we are sorry she is gone now.”
Baum turned to Snyder residents to tell the story. The film includes interviews, which were conducted by Baum’s father, the late Jim Baum, with former railroad employees Avon Rushing, Ben Veazey and Nathan Benitez.
“I knew these folks would give the building its voice,” Baum said.
The annual Long Ear Benefit Trail Ride for the Ben Richey Boys Ranch raised more than $12,500 in October. The event was held at the Roland Springs Ranch and organizers were pleased with the attendance, despite wet conditions.
One candidate in the U.S. District 19 House of Representatives race visited Scurry County in October. 
Democratic candidate Dr. Miguel Levario held a town-hall meeting on Oct. 11. Incumbent Republican Congressman Jodey Arrington held a meet-and-greet on Nov. 5. Texas State Rep. Dustin Burrows also visited Snyder during the campaign.