LUBBOCK, Texas — In one of the biggest Lubbock and South Plains stories of 2022, police said a Lubbock mother in 2022 “did an outstanding job,” after she fought off a kidnapping attempt of her 4-year-old child. The suspect turned out to be the same man who was chased and hit by a vehicle after he was found in bed with a child, and the same man approaching young girls in the Canyon Lakes area.
In March, nine people were killed, including six students from the University of the Southwest after a crash in Andrews County. The National Transportation Safety Board initially said a 13-year-old was driving one of the vehicles, but DNA testing later proved that was not the case.
Tragedy struck South Lubbock when a family of four was found dead after a shooting and arson at a South Lubbock home in October. The victims were identified as Angelica Vasquez, 46, Felipe Madrid, 18, Andres Madrid, 15, and William Boyles, 48. A search warrant later said Boyles was the murder suspect.
A Lubbock woman was stabbed, doused with flammable liquid and set on fire in late November. While she is on the road to recovery, aspiring actor Ynez Spencer, 27, was locked up at the Lubbock County Detention Center.
The West Texas school superintendent who was under investigation for Invasive Visual Recording shot and killed himself. The Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office said Joshua Neil Goen, 43, was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound on December 9.
A newborn baby was taken to a Lubbock hospital after his mother was accused of throwing him into a dumpster in Hobbs while temperatures were in the mid-30’s Fahrenheit back in January.
In August, Bailey County Judge Sherri Harrison was arrested and charged with official oppression, purchasing alcohol for a minor and criminal trespassing. A petition for removal referred to Harrison as the “drunk Judge.”
A former Lubbock police officer was arrested by Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office deputies in June. Jamie Lacraig Farris, 30, was charged with grand theft over $500,000, burglary and use of a vehicle during a felony.
In May, Bart Reagor was required to report to the federal prison in Oakdale, Louisiana. The Lubbock businessman was convicted of making a false statement to a bank. Before heading to Oakdale, Reagor sat down for a one-on-one exclusive interview with KLBK’s Terri Furman.
Not one, but two officers at the Lubbock County Detention Center were arrested in 2022. Taylor Millett, 27, was charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver fentanyl. Alsires Betancur, 26, was arrested for a third-degree felony charge of Prohibited Substance in a Correctional Facility.
39 people were sentenced to a combined 415 years in federal prison in a major Lubbock drug bust dubbed “Operation Taste the Rainbow.” According to a press release from the USDOJ, they were found to have “distributed dozens of kilograms of methamphetamine in the Lubbock community.”
Texas Tech Head Basketball Coach Chris Beard was arrested in Travis County after his fiancé told police that “he just snapped on me and became super violent.” More recently Beard has been the head coach for the University of Texas. Beard’s fiancé later released a statement saying he didn’t strangle her and that she never wanted to press charges.
Former Texas Tech Head Football Coach Mike Leach, more recently head coach at Mississippi State University, passed away. Leach was Red Raider coach from 2000 to 2009 and he remains the winningest coach in TTU history.
A buyer was found for Joyland after the Dean family announced the park was to be auctioned off. In October, the new owners said they plan to keep the amusement park open “for years to come.”
Sadly, after nearly four decades, Tony and Judy Mann said they made the difficult decision to sell the Lubbock Stockyards. They said the buyer planned to shut the operation down.
We wrap up with touch of spice, and it’s good news. A family-owned farm in Tahoka specializes in growing in the most expensive spice in the world, saffron. The spice could sell for a minimum of $9,000 a pound.
