Bastrop, Texas Events, News & Stories

Bastrop, TX–After 37 years as pastor of Ascension Roman Catholic Church in Bastrop, Msgr. Edward J. Dokupil has announced his retirement. During his tenure “Father Dock,” as he is fondly called, guided the parish to significant growth.

When he arrived the church was a small late 19th century wooden structure. The parish property today covers a full city block bounded by Chestnut, Pecan, Pine and Water Street facing the Bastrop County Courthouse. Current facilities include brick buildings for worship services, a parish hall and a two story educational structure.

Dokupil will be honored with a special Mass at Ascension at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 11 with the Most Reverend Gregory M. Aymond, Bishop of Austin. A reception will follow from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Bastrop High School cafeteria, 1614 Chambers St.

Dokupil was ordained as a priest 45 years ago.

Bastrop, Tx–The burglary of a legendary Bastrop barbecue restaurant and the robbery of a popular hamburger drive-in west of the city were notable in the first week of 2009.

A burglar or burglars hit Billy’s Pit BBQ on Texas 71 in Bastrop over the New Year weekend. Billy came to the down-home eatery Jan. 3 (Saturday) to find the glass front door smashed and cash and guns missing about 8:30 a.m.

Bastrop Police Chief David Board declined to tell Bastrop-News.com today how much money or how many or what kinds of firearms were missing. The chief did say, however, that his investigators had “some leads” which they are busy following up. “They’re working on it pretty hard,” he said Tuesday.

Even less information was immediately available about a Jan. 4 robbery of the Sonic drive-in burger joint west of Bastrop on Texas 71 near the intersection with FM 1209. Officers were dispatched to the scene, but officials with the Bastrop County Sheriff’s Department familiar with the case could not be reached earlier today for more details.

The same highway business was also hit by robbers last year, suggesting to some law enforcement officials that Texas 71 in the Bastrop area, including the city, has become something of a “robbery road” for criminals in the region.

BASTROP, TX–Bastrop Police Chief David Board today released a report suggesting the rate of major crimes in the city declined sharply last year from 2007. Major crimes include murder, rape, aggrivated assault, robbery, burglary, larceny, auto theft and arson.

Bastrop remains a small town, roughly 8,000 people, and the number of major crimes for last year reached 412, down 28 percent from 2007. The bulk of the total was in the larceny category (447 in 2007, 333 in 2008), a 26 percent decrease.

Year to year, burglaries were also off 40 percent, rape down 50 percent (six in 2007, three in 2008), and auto theft, off 32 percent (19 in 2007 vs. 13 in 2008). Board also noted that a spike in robberies (chiefly convenience store heists) in 2007 fell by half in 2008. Local police were faced with 14 such incidents in 2007, seven in the past year.