AUSTIN, TX – When the Texas House of Representatives convened Saturday, House Bill 1321 was among the pieces of legislation that passed.
Authored by State Rep. Keith Bell, HB 1321 will rename a portion of State Highway 198 in Henderson County to honor two sheriff’s deputies that were killed in the line of duty in 2007. That stretch of SH 198 will be named the Deputy Sheriff Tony Ogburn and Deputy Sheriff Paul Habelt Memorial Highway.
In a previous East Texas News story, Bell said he hoped the memorialization of the highway would serve as a reminder of the deputies’ sacrifice.
“They died in the line of duty protecting us,” Bell said. “They went to do their duty … and I think we as citizens owe a debt to these families. We need to show our community that it mattered, what they do for us.”
Randall Mays was convicted of capital murder in connection with the deputies’ deaths in May 2008. He used a rifle with a scope to shoot and kill Ogburn and Habelt after they responded to a disturbance in Payne Springs. Mays also wounded Deputy Kevin Harris before he was shot by law enforcement.
