5:30 pm. Update: KTAB News is reporting and Department of Public Safety officials confirm that Eastland County Sheriff Wayne Bradford said that William Travis Butler was arrested just before 5 p.m. near Elm Cemetery in Eastland County. This is the same area where Butler is alleged to have dumped Deborah Partin this morning after stabbing her several times.
Afternoon Update: At around 9:30 Thursday morning, Deborah Krieger Partin, 58, waved down a motorist on County Road 375 in southern Eastland County after being left for dead. Partin, a resident of New Caney, Texas had been traveling with William Travis Butler after leaving his grandmother’s house which was nearby. An apparent argument occurred and Butler slashed Partin’s throat, stabbed her repeatedly and left her in a bar ditch on the side of the road. Butler came back, but Partin was able to hide herself by covering herself with leaves. Butler was last seen on CR 375 by Partin at approximately 7 a.m. A warrant was issued for Aggravated Assault with a deadly weapon with a suggested bond of $100,000. Butler is also on parole out of Montgomery County.
Partin is currently listed in good condition.
Original Story: Brown County law enforcement joined efforts with area agencies on Thursday to locate a suspect in an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon which occurred in Eastland County north of Rising Star.
According to Brown County Sheriff’s Captain Tony Aaron, after the crime was reported by the victim early Thursday morning, law enforcement began looking for the suspect. May and Rising Star schools were on lockdown part of Thursday as a precautionary measure.
“May and Rising Star did lockdown their schools; but there was no connection to what happened, they did this as a precautionary measure only,” said Aaron.
BCSO considers the suspect armed and dangerous, because they do not have a lot of details of the crime according to Aaron. He stated that they are looking for a male suspect in a 2004 silver PT Cruiser.
Texas Rangers and Eastland County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the case and the only details released to the media on Thursday afternoon were that the suspect weapon was a knife and that this was not a random attack or assault, that the victim and suspect knew each other.
Aaron reported that the woman did survive her injuries; however, details of the woman’s injuries were unknown as was her condition on Thursday.
A BCSO officer was placed on patrol in the area of the May schools as a precaution because the suspect was not in custody Thursday morning when the crime was reported and remains at large as of mid-afternoon Thursday according to Aaron.
Big Country Home Page identified the suspect as 35-year-old William Travis Butler, pictured top left.
