Panola County Dispatch received a call at about 10:45 a.m. on Thursday, October 29, from a woman who said she was riding a horse on County Road 176 when a driver swerved as if to hit her. The caller and the driver were yelling at each other during the call, according to dispatch. The driver said he was going to the school in Gary to eat lunch with his children.
Deputies spoke with the driver, Jacob Spurlock of Gladewater, at Gary Elementary School. A records check showed he was wanted out of Panola County on a grand jury indictment for assault on a family member/impeding breath, a third-degree felony. Deputies said that while he was being walked outside to be taken into custody, he became combative. He was transported after a brief struggle.
Gary ISD went into its soft lockdown protocol after the arrest. The Panola County agency thanked Gary ISD for its action, communication and partnership.