News from the Lone Star State
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TexasStooge
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Family prays for 'miracle' after toddlers shot
By CAROL CAVAZOS / WFAA ABC 8
The family of two toddlers hit by bullets during a drive-by shooting said they are praying for their recovery.
The two children were sleeping when two bullets burst through their bedroom window after an argument that began miles away and led to the street of the Armondo family's home.
After hours of surgery, 2-year-old Daisy Prado remains in critical condition from the bullet that was shot into her head. Her 13-month-old brother, Jesus Armando Junior, was shot in the shoulder and recovering.
Family members said the bullet entered Daisy's ear and exited near the top of her forehead.
She never regained consciousness and remains on life support. Doctors said they will remove it soon, but Daisy's grandmother, Lulu Prado, said she is praying for a miracle.
In the meantime, family members took clothes to Armando Jr. who was already taken out of the hospital.
Three suspects were charged in the shooting, and if Daisy doesn't pull through they face charges of criminal attempted murder. However, doctors said if the toddler does pull through she could face many problems. But Prado said she isn't worried about that now.
"If Jesus gave the baby back to me, I'll keep her," she said. "... I don't care how she will be. I want her to be with me." The family went to church to pray for the children Sunday, and later gathered at Cooke Children's Hospital in Fort Worth.
By CAROL CAVAZOS / WFAA ABC 8
The family of two toddlers hit by bullets during a drive-by shooting said they are praying for their recovery.
The two children were sleeping when two bullets burst through their bedroom window after an argument that began miles away and led to the street of the Armondo family's home.
After hours of surgery, 2-year-old Daisy Prado remains in critical condition from the bullet that was shot into her head. Her 13-month-old brother, Jesus Armando Junior, was shot in the shoulder and recovering.
Family members said the bullet entered Daisy's ear and exited near the top of her forehead.
She never regained consciousness and remains on life support. Doctors said they will remove it soon, but Daisy's grandmother, Lulu Prado, said she is praying for a miracle.
In the meantime, family members took clothes to Armando Jr. who was already taken out of the hospital.
Three suspects were charged in the shooting, and if Daisy doesn't pull through they face charges of criminal attempted murder. However, doctors said if the toddler does pull through she could face many problems. But Prado said she isn't worried about that now.
"If Jesus gave the baby back to me, I'll keep her," she said. "... I don't care how she will be. I want her to be with me." The family went to church to pray for the children Sunday, and later gathered at Cooke Children's Hospital in Fort Worth.
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TexasStooge
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City's books under review
Auditors checking financial reports after $25 million in errors
By TANYA EISERER and KATIE FAIRBANK / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Outside auditors have reopened the city of Dallas' books after about $25 million in mistakes was discovered in city financial reports for the last three fiscal years.
Experts say the errors were a "huge oversight" that makes them question the accuracy of the city's accounting and could potentially hurt the city's efforts to borrow money.
Dallas is already at least a month behind in releasing its audited financial report for fiscal 2005, and this problem is expected to delay it even longer, perhaps for as many as 60 days or more.
"It's in our auditors' hands," said David Cook, the city's chief financial officer.
The report will now probably come just months before the city asks voters in November to approve more than $1 billion in bond money. The interest rate on those bonds will be partially determined by investor confidence in the city's financial reporting.
"Is this just a mistake or is there a fundamental control issue? That's the thing that could hurt their bond rating," said Wayne Shaw, an expert in financial disclosure at Southern Methodist University's Cox School of Business.
The city admits there were errors. Here's how they occurred:
American Airlines Center went on line during the final two months of 2001, and city accountants correctly calculated two months of depreciation.
Depreciation is an accounting process that shows the decline in value of an asset over time.
"But for 2002, 2003 and 2004, we depreciated it for two months instead of 12 months. Whoever was taking care of doing the adjusting entries for depreciation looked back at what was done in 2001 and did it again and again and again," said Maria Alicia Garcia, director of Dallas' office of financial services.
What that means is that the city underreported about $25 million in depreciation on the building. That resulted in an overstatement of nearly 4 percent of the total capital assets of $694 million reported in 2004 for the Convention Center enterprise fund, a stand-alone business entity that includes American Airlines Center, the Dallas Convention Center and Reunion Arena.
On Feb. 20, The Dallas Morning News made an open records request for the fund's accounting ledgers for the three years. The city still has not released the information.
Edward Scott reviewed the ledgers and found the error after he became city controller in December. He notified the outside auditing firm, KPMG. The person responsible was disciplined, according to Ms. Garcia.
Experts say the fact that the mistakes went unnoticed for years also raises questions about the thoroughness of the outside auditor.
"You would think that auditors would catch it," said Suzanne Lowensohn, an accounting professor at Colorado State University and a former KPMG auditor. KPMG declined to comment on Wednesday, citing client confidentiality.
Steve Murray, a bond-rating analyst with Fitch Ratings, said mistakes of this nature would be a concern.
"It's something we'd certainly take note of and pursue with a line of questioning. It would be a part of the analysis going forward," said Mr. Murray, who rates bonds that are issued to fund convention centers. He does not rate the Dallas site.
Mr. Cook played down the significance of the errors.
"Twenty-five million dollars is a lot of money, but it's important to note it's not real money," he said. "Our ability to pay debt on our bonds is not impacted. It's a book entry. We regret it, it shouldn't have happened, but it's not the same as not accounting for $25 million in cash."
The Convention Center enterprise fund has showed losses of a combined total of nearly $15 million over fiscal years 2003 and 2004, although that total would have been greater if the American Airlines Center depreciation had been recorded correctly.
The Convention Center itself has suffered from increased competition, falling revenues and fewer bookings, while Reunion Arena has lost more than $1 million in city money annually for several years, according to news accounts. To help buoy finances for the next fiscal year, city officials have said that the fund may need as much as $12 million from the city's general fund.
The depreciation errors follow other questions about the city's financial reports. The News reported in February that internal and external auditors were re-examining whether there were errors in the accounting for the Dallas Aviation Department, which oversees Love Field, Executive Airport in southern Dallas and the Convention Center heliport.
Experts say depreciation accounting is pretty basic.
"You should never make this mistake. That means nobody is following up, that there is a fundamental flaw in the internal control system," Mr. Shaw said. "What concerns me is that there wasn't someone who was checking on this. It should have passed by a couple of sets of eyes. If it's passing two or three sets of eyes, then you fundamentally have problems with the players in the job."
City officials say they've made changes to their internal procedures to keep it from happening again.
"Mistakes shouldn't happen. We regret that it did," Mr. Cook said.
Ms. Lowensohn agreed that this type of mistake shouldn't occur.
"As taxpayers, you don't like to hear that there is a $25 million mistake," said the professor, who teaches government accounting. "Our introductory accounting students know how to calculate straight-line depreciation.
"This is probably going to end up in the textbooks as an example of a huge oversight."
Auditors checking financial reports after $25 million in errors
By TANYA EISERER and KATIE FAIRBANK / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Outside auditors have reopened the city of Dallas' books after about $25 million in mistakes was discovered in city financial reports for the last three fiscal years.
Experts say the errors were a "huge oversight" that makes them question the accuracy of the city's accounting and could potentially hurt the city's efforts to borrow money.
Dallas is already at least a month behind in releasing its audited financial report for fiscal 2005, and this problem is expected to delay it even longer, perhaps for as many as 60 days or more.
"It's in our auditors' hands," said David Cook, the city's chief financial officer.
The report will now probably come just months before the city asks voters in November to approve more than $1 billion in bond money. The interest rate on those bonds will be partially determined by investor confidence in the city's financial reporting.
"Is this just a mistake or is there a fundamental control issue? That's the thing that could hurt their bond rating," said Wayne Shaw, an expert in financial disclosure at Southern Methodist University's Cox School of Business.
The city admits there were errors. Here's how they occurred:
American Airlines Center went on line during the final two months of 2001, and city accountants correctly calculated two months of depreciation.
Depreciation is an accounting process that shows the decline in value of an asset over time.
"But for 2002, 2003 and 2004, we depreciated it for two months instead of 12 months. Whoever was taking care of doing the adjusting entries for depreciation looked back at what was done in 2001 and did it again and again and again," said Maria Alicia Garcia, director of Dallas' office of financial services.
What that means is that the city underreported about $25 million in depreciation on the building. That resulted in an overstatement of nearly 4 percent of the total capital assets of $694 million reported in 2004 for the Convention Center enterprise fund, a stand-alone business entity that includes American Airlines Center, the Dallas Convention Center and Reunion Arena.
On Feb. 20, The Dallas Morning News made an open records request for the fund's accounting ledgers for the three years. The city still has not released the information.
Edward Scott reviewed the ledgers and found the error after he became city controller in December. He notified the outside auditing firm, KPMG. The person responsible was disciplined, according to Ms. Garcia.
Experts say the fact that the mistakes went unnoticed for years also raises questions about the thoroughness of the outside auditor.
"You would think that auditors would catch it," said Suzanne Lowensohn, an accounting professor at Colorado State University and a former KPMG auditor. KPMG declined to comment on Wednesday, citing client confidentiality.
Steve Murray, a bond-rating analyst with Fitch Ratings, said mistakes of this nature would be a concern.
"It's something we'd certainly take note of and pursue with a line of questioning. It would be a part of the analysis going forward," said Mr. Murray, who rates bonds that are issued to fund convention centers. He does not rate the Dallas site.
Mr. Cook played down the significance of the errors.
"Twenty-five million dollars is a lot of money, but it's important to note it's not real money," he said. "Our ability to pay debt on our bonds is not impacted. It's a book entry. We regret it, it shouldn't have happened, but it's not the same as not accounting for $25 million in cash."
The Convention Center enterprise fund has showed losses of a combined total of nearly $15 million over fiscal years 2003 and 2004, although that total would have been greater if the American Airlines Center depreciation had been recorded correctly.
The Convention Center itself has suffered from increased competition, falling revenues and fewer bookings, while Reunion Arena has lost more than $1 million in city money annually for several years, according to news accounts. To help buoy finances for the next fiscal year, city officials have said that the fund may need as much as $12 million from the city's general fund.
The depreciation errors follow other questions about the city's financial reports. The News reported in February that internal and external auditors were re-examining whether there were errors in the accounting for the Dallas Aviation Department, which oversees Love Field, Executive Airport in southern Dallas and the Convention Center heliport.
Experts say depreciation accounting is pretty basic.
"You should never make this mistake. That means nobody is following up, that there is a fundamental flaw in the internal control system," Mr. Shaw said. "What concerns me is that there wasn't someone who was checking on this. It should have passed by a couple of sets of eyes. If it's passing two or three sets of eyes, then you fundamentally have problems with the players in the job."
City officials say they've made changes to their internal procedures to keep it from happening again.
"Mistakes shouldn't happen. We regret that it did," Mr. Cook said.
Ms. Lowensohn agreed that this type of mistake shouldn't occur.
"As taxpayers, you don't like to hear that there is a $25 million mistake," said the professor, who teaches government accounting. "Our introductory accounting students know how to calculate straight-line depreciation.
"This is probably going to end up in the textbooks as an example of a huge oversight."
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TexasStooge
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Two dead inside Balch Springs house
By JACK BEAVERS / WFAA ABC 8
BALCH SPRINGS, Texas - Balch Springs Police are investigating the deaths of two people found dead inside a home there on Sunday. Officers were called to the house in the 13000 block of Timothy Lane just before 5:00pm.
Once inside officers found the bodies of a "male and female." Police aren't releasing any information concerning the victims until families are notified and about the cause of their deaths until the Dallas County Medical Examiner completes their autopsies.
The Dallas County Medical Examiner's office reports efforts to notify family members were still underway early Monday Morning.
By JACK BEAVERS / WFAA ABC 8
BALCH SPRINGS, Texas - Balch Springs Police are investigating the deaths of two people found dead inside a home there on Sunday. Officers were called to the house in the 13000 block of Timothy Lane just before 5:00pm.
Once inside officers found the bodies of a "male and female." Police aren't releasing any information concerning the victims until families are notified and about the cause of their deaths until the Dallas County Medical Examiner completes their autopsies.
The Dallas County Medical Examiner's office reports efforts to notify family members were still underway early Monday Morning.
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TexasStooge
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BP refinery in Texas called biggest polluter
HOUSTON, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) - The nation's worst polluting plant is the BP PLC oil refinery where 15 workers died in an explosion last year, raising questions about whether the company has been underreporting toxic emissions.
BP's Texas City refinery released three times as much pollution in 2004 as it did in 2003, according to the most recent data from the Environmental Protection Agency.
The increase at BP was so large that it accounted for the bulk of a 15 percent increase in refinery emissions nationwide in 2004, the highest level since 2000.
The company is investigating whether it has been accurately documenting pollution, the Houston Chronicle reported on Sunday. There could be more federal fines levied against the energy giant if mistakes are found.
BP already faces a record $21.3 million fine from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration for 300 safety and health violations found at the Texas City refinery after the deadly explosion in March 2005 that also injured 170 workers.
The company reported that it released 10.25 million pounds of pollution in 2004, up from 3.3 million pounds the year before, according to EPA's Toxics Release Inventory, which tracks nearly 650 toxic chemicals released into the air, water and land.
BP cautioned that its latest pollution estimates might not be correct because of a recent change in how the plant calculates emissions.
"These were on-paper calculations - not based on real measurements through valves or stacks," spokesman Neil Geary told the newspaper.
According to the EPA, the Texas City plant had more than three times the toxic pollutants as the nation's second most-polluted plant, an Exxon Mobil Corp. refinery in Baton Rouge, La.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said it was too early to speculate about the accuracy of BP's reported figures. A spokesman said the difference might have been in reported emissions, not actual emissions.
But the Environmental Integrity Project, a Washington-D.C. based advocacy group, said the increase shouldn't be dismissed as merely an increase on paper.
"It's real; it just never got reported before," said Eric Shaeffer, a former EPA staffer and the organization's founder. "You can argue that it's not an increase, but the next sentence has to be, 'We've always been bad.'"
Most of the increase in pollution was from formaldehyde and ammonia, which can form smog and soot and irritate the eyes, nose and throat.
BP says that when all pollution is taken into account, emissions from its Texas City plant have dropped 40 percent since 2000.
Before last year's explosion, the refinery processed up to 460,000 barrels of crude oil a day and 3 percent of the nation's gasoline.
BP still faces criticism for management lapses that may have contributed to last year's explosion. The company faces a possible Justice Department investigation and is dealing with victims' lawsuits.
HOUSTON, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) - The nation's worst polluting plant is the BP PLC oil refinery where 15 workers died in an explosion last year, raising questions about whether the company has been underreporting toxic emissions.
BP's Texas City refinery released three times as much pollution in 2004 as it did in 2003, according to the most recent data from the Environmental Protection Agency.
The increase at BP was so large that it accounted for the bulk of a 15 percent increase in refinery emissions nationwide in 2004, the highest level since 2000.
The company is investigating whether it has been accurately documenting pollution, the Houston Chronicle reported on Sunday. There could be more federal fines levied against the energy giant if mistakes are found.
BP already faces a record $21.3 million fine from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration for 300 safety and health violations found at the Texas City refinery after the deadly explosion in March 2005 that also injured 170 workers.
The company reported that it released 10.25 million pounds of pollution in 2004, up from 3.3 million pounds the year before, according to EPA's Toxics Release Inventory, which tracks nearly 650 toxic chemicals released into the air, water and land.
BP cautioned that its latest pollution estimates might not be correct because of a recent change in how the plant calculates emissions.
"These were on-paper calculations - not based on real measurements through valves or stacks," spokesman Neil Geary told the newspaper.
According to the EPA, the Texas City plant had more than three times the toxic pollutants as the nation's second most-polluted plant, an Exxon Mobil Corp. refinery in Baton Rouge, La.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said it was too early to speculate about the accuracy of BP's reported figures. A spokesman said the difference might have been in reported emissions, not actual emissions.
But the Environmental Integrity Project, a Washington-D.C. based advocacy group, said the increase shouldn't be dismissed as merely an increase on paper.
"It's real; it just never got reported before," said Eric Shaeffer, a former EPA staffer and the organization's founder. "You can argue that it's not an increase, but the next sentence has to be, 'We've always been bad.'"
Most of the increase in pollution was from formaldehyde and ammonia, which can form smog and soot and irritate the eyes, nose and throat.
BP says that when all pollution is taken into account, emissions from its Texas City plant have dropped 40 percent since 2000.
Before last year's explosion, the refinery processed up to 460,000 barrels of crude oil a day and 3 percent of the nation's gasoline.
BP still faces criticism for management lapses that may have contributed to last year's explosion. The company faces a possible Justice Department investigation and is dealing with victims' lawsuits.
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TexasStooge
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Firefighters evacuate Dallas high-rise
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Firefighters evacuated 250 residents of a high-rise apartment building in downtown Dallas early this morning. The fire at the Davis Building on Main Street apparently started in an electical box in a utility room on the third floor, according to the fire department.
Approximately 75 firefighters responded to the call, but the large number of personnel was called primarily as a precaution Dallas Fire and Rescue said. The number of firefighters also proved useful in helping evacuate residents of the building.
Some of the residents worried about pets left inside the building as they waited on the sidewalk outside while firefighters put out the fire and made sure it was safe for the residents to return.
"The firemen told me it wouldn't get as high as the 18th floor when I told them about my cat," resident Andrea Jenkins said.
Some people said that smoke reached the upper floors of the 21-story building. Firefighters said they would have to check carbon monoxide levels before allowing residents to return.
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Firefighters evacuated 250 residents of a high-rise apartment building in downtown Dallas early this morning. The fire at the Davis Building on Main Street apparently started in an electical box in a utility room on the third floor, according to the fire department.
Approximately 75 firefighters responded to the call, but the large number of personnel was called primarily as a precaution Dallas Fire and Rescue said. The number of firefighters also proved useful in helping evacuate residents of the building.
Some of the residents worried about pets left inside the building as they waited on the sidewalk outside while firefighters put out the fire and made sure it was safe for the residents to return.
"The firemen told me it wouldn't get as high as the 18th floor when I told them about my cat," resident Andrea Jenkins said.
Some people said that smoke reached the upper floors of the 21-story building. Firefighters said they would have to check carbon monoxide levels before allowing residents to return.
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rainstorm
TexasStooge wrote:Two dead inside Balch Springs house
By JACK BEAVERS / WFAA ABC 8
BALCH SPRINGS, Texas - Balch Springs Police are investigating the deaths of two people found dead inside a home there on Sunday. Officers were called to the house in the 13000 block of Timothy Lane just before 5:00pm.
Once inside officers found the bodies of a "male and female." Police aren't releasing any information concerning the victims until families are notified and about the cause of their deaths until the Dallas County Medical Examiner completes their autopsies.
The Dallas County Medical Examiner's office reports efforts to notify family members were still underway early Monday Morning.
very sad
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TexasStooge
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61-year-old vigilante speaks out
By DEBBIE DENMON / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Police released the mug shots of four suspects after authorities said they attempted an armed robbery on a 61-year-old man who turned vigilante.
Three of the suspects were put in jail and the fourth was hospitalized with a gunshot wound he received after Ken said he fought back.
Ken, who didn't want to disclose his full name, said he thought one of the robbers knew his teenaged son and may have witnessed him give his son cash for a graduation present.
The day of the incident, two men pounded on his door while he said he was inside his Mission Spring Creek apartment.
"They were knocking pretty hard and I thought, 'Well, who is that?'" he said. "Whoever it is, I'll tell them 'Don't come beating on my door like that.'"
Ken said he opened the door, but not before grabbing his pistol. However, he said he wasn't the only one with a gun. The suspects allegedly were armed with a 20-gauge shotgun.
"And I hit it and knocked the barrel up and it went off," Ken said.
A chunk out of his ceiling and a hole was ripped in his door.
Ken fired his gun three times. The first shot hit a wall and the second hit the robber.
"I'm not going to give up," he said he thought through the incident. "I'm not going to let them take what I work for. I work hard for what little I have, and it's mine."
After the exchange of gunfire, Ken said the suspects ran to their car. However, they didn't get far. Police caught the suspects at the crime scene in a matter of minutes at Beltline and Shiloh Roads.
While Ken said he didn't take shooting his gun lightly, he said he would do it again if he had to.
"...They don't want to come back," he said. "I got a bigger gun. [I] bought me a 45. They come back, they're not going to walk."
By DEBBIE DENMON / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Police released the mug shots of four suspects after authorities said they attempted an armed robbery on a 61-year-old man who turned vigilante.
Three of the suspects were put in jail and the fourth was hospitalized with a gunshot wound he received after Ken said he fought back.
Ken, who didn't want to disclose his full name, said he thought one of the robbers knew his teenaged son and may have witnessed him give his son cash for a graduation present.
The day of the incident, two men pounded on his door while he said he was inside his Mission Spring Creek apartment.
"They were knocking pretty hard and I thought, 'Well, who is that?'" he said. "Whoever it is, I'll tell them 'Don't come beating on my door like that.'"
Ken said he opened the door, but not before grabbing his pistol. However, he said he wasn't the only one with a gun. The suspects allegedly were armed with a 20-gauge shotgun.
"And I hit it and knocked the barrel up and it went off," Ken said.
A chunk out of his ceiling and a hole was ripped in his door.
Ken fired his gun three times. The first shot hit a wall and the second hit the robber.
"I'm not going to give up," he said he thought through the incident. "I'm not going to let them take what I work for. I work hard for what little I have, and it's mine."
After the exchange of gunfire, Ken said the suspects ran to their car. However, they didn't get far. Police caught the suspects at the crime scene in a matter of minutes at Beltline and Shiloh Roads.
While Ken said he didn't take shooting his gun lightly, he said he would do it again if he had to.
"...They don't want to come back," he said. "I got a bigger gun. [I] bought me a 45. They come back, they're not going to walk."
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TexasStooge
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Saginaw officer, wife found dead
By CYNTHIA VEGA / WFAA ABC 8
SAGINAW, Texas — A Saginaw police officer and his wife were found shot to death Monday night at their home. The Tarrant County sheriff's office was investigating the deaths as a possible murder-suicide.
A neighbor said the couple had been arguing in the front yard of their home. The couple then went inside where the argument continued.
The neighbor said shots were heard coming from inside the house around 7:30 p.m. It was unclear who fired the shots.
The names of the man and woman were not released. Police said the couple had separated just a week ago.
Saginaw is northwest of Fort Worth.
By CYNTHIA VEGA / WFAA ABC 8
SAGINAW, Texas — A Saginaw police officer and his wife were found shot to death Monday night at their home. The Tarrant County sheriff's office was investigating the deaths as a possible murder-suicide.
A neighbor said the couple had been arguing in the front yard of their home. The couple then went inside where the argument continued.
The neighbor said shots were heard coming from inside the house around 7:30 p.m. It was unclear who fired the shots.
The names of the man and woman were not released. Police said the couple had separated just a week ago.
Saginaw is northwest of Fort Worth.
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TexasStooge
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Body found in West Dallas
By CAROL CAVAZOS / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - A passerby spotted the nude body of a man along Mountain Creek Parkway in west Dallas early this morning. Police said no clothing or identification was found nearby.
The man had been shot in the head.
Detectives asked the public for help in learning the man's identity.
According to investigators, it appeared that somebody dumped the man's body on the side of the little-used road near a creek in back of a power plant.
Dallas police officers, homicide detectives and representatives from the Dallas County Medical Examiner were at the scene Monday morning in the 3000 block of Mountain Creek Parkway.
The woman who found the body provided a clue as to when the body was found. "She's an animal activist and was out here last night at 7 o'clock and didn't see it here," said Dallas police Sgt. Eugene Reyes.
He added that the woman spotted the body at 7 a.m., so the victim was likely left sometime after midnight.
Police offered this description of the dead man:
• Latino
• clean shaven
• short hair
• late teens to early 20s
• tattoos on upper body
Detectives said they had little else to go on. Members of the public were invited to call 214-671-3667 with any information about the dead man.
The department's Gang Unit was also summoned to see whether the man's tattoos could help identify him.
By CAROL CAVAZOS / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - A passerby spotted the nude body of a man along Mountain Creek Parkway in west Dallas early this morning. Police said no clothing or identification was found nearby.
The man had been shot in the head.
Detectives asked the public for help in learning the man's identity.
According to investigators, it appeared that somebody dumped the man's body on the side of the little-used road near a creek in back of a power plant.
Dallas police officers, homicide detectives and representatives from the Dallas County Medical Examiner were at the scene Monday morning in the 3000 block of Mountain Creek Parkway.
The woman who found the body provided a clue as to when the body was found. "She's an animal activist and was out here last night at 7 o'clock and didn't see it here," said Dallas police Sgt. Eugene Reyes.
He added that the woman spotted the body at 7 a.m., so the victim was likely left sometime after midnight.
Police offered this description of the dead man:
• Latino
• clean shaven
• short hair
• late teens to early 20s
• tattoos on upper body
Detectives said they had little else to go on. Members of the public were invited to call 214-671-3667 with any information about the dead man.
The department's Gang Unit was also summoned to see whether the man's tattoos could help identify him.
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TexasStooge
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Students evacuated after bomb threat
By GARY REAVES / WFAA ABC 8
CORINTH, Texas - Students at Lake Dallas High School in Corinth returned to classes Monday afternoon after spending the morning in the bleachers at the football stadium when a bomb threat was found written in chalk on a campus building.
Corinth police said they were notified about the mysterious message at 9:30 a.m. The stadium and the school building were swept by police and no suspicious devices were uncovered.
No injuries were reported.
The Denton County high school remained empty for about two-and-a-half hours during the investigation. Students were permitted to return to the building shortly after noon.
Police, fire, and other emergency workers surrounded the building and blocked all entrances during the evacuation. Representatives from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were also at the scene.
It was not immediately clear when the message may have been written, but it appeared to be a hoax.
Lake Dallas High School is in the Lake Dallas Independent School District and has an enrollment of about 1,000 students.
By GARY REAVES / WFAA ABC 8
CORINTH, Texas - Students at Lake Dallas High School in Corinth returned to classes Monday afternoon after spending the morning in the bleachers at the football stadium when a bomb threat was found written in chalk on a campus building.
Corinth police said they were notified about the mysterious message at 9:30 a.m. The stadium and the school building were swept by police and no suspicious devices were uncovered.
No injuries were reported.
The Denton County high school remained empty for about two-and-a-half hours during the investigation. Students were permitted to return to the building shortly after noon.
Police, fire, and other emergency workers surrounded the building and blocked all entrances during the evacuation. Representatives from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were also at the scene.
It was not immediately clear when the message may have been written, but it appeared to be a hoax.
Lake Dallas High School is in the Lake Dallas Independent School District and has an enrollment of about 1,000 students.
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TexasStooge
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Car crashes into teen's bedroom
By CAROL CAVAZOS / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - A North Dallas family had a real scare early Monday when a car crashed into their apartment near Valley View Mall.
The 3 a.m. incident trapped 13-year-old Chris Baylor underneath a dresser. "I heard the truck hit the wall, and I fell to the ground," he said.
The teen's litle sister, Jasmine, came to his aid.
"I heard my mom crying, so I got up out of my bed," she said. "I went in his room and I saw him under there, and so I pulled the dresser up and I said, 'Chris, come on! Come on!'"
Chris was bruised and shaken up but was not seriously hurt.
Police were searching for the driver of the vehicle, who fled the scene.
The boy's mother had recently moved his bed away from the window, sensing the potential danger.
The apartment management said it would move the family to another unit in the complex.
By CAROL CAVAZOS / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - A North Dallas family had a real scare early Monday when a car crashed into their apartment near Valley View Mall.
The 3 a.m. incident trapped 13-year-old Chris Baylor underneath a dresser. "I heard the truck hit the wall, and I fell to the ground," he said.
The teen's litle sister, Jasmine, came to his aid.
"I heard my mom crying, so I got up out of my bed," she said. "I went in his room and I saw him under there, and so I pulled the dresser up and I said, 'Chris, come on! Come on!'"
Chris was bruised and shaken up but was not seriously hurt.
Police were searching for the driver of the vehicle, who fled the scene.
The boy's mother had recently moved his bed away from the window, sensing the potential danger.
The apartment management said it would move the family to another unit in the complex.
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TexasStooge
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Firefighters evacuate Dallas high-rise
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Firefighters evacuated 250 residents of a high-rise apartment building in downtown Dallas early this morning. The fire at the Davis Building on Main Street apparently started in an electical box in a utility room on the third floor, according to the fire department.
Approximately 75 firefighters responded to the call, but the large number of personnel was called primarily as a precaution Dallas Fire and Rescue said. The number of firefighters also proved useful in helping evacuate residents of the building.
Some of the residents worried about pets left inside the building as they waited on the sidewalk outside while firefighters put out the fire and made sure it was safe for the residents to return.
"The firemen told me it wouldn't get as high as the 18th floor when I told them about my cat," resident Andrea Jenkins said.
Some people said that smoke reached the upper floors of the 21-story building. Firefighters said they would have to check carbon monoxide levels before allowing residents to return.
WFAA-TV photojournalist Bryan Titsworth contributed to this report.
Bryan Titsworth / WFAA ABC 8
Hundreds of residents were evacuated from the Davis Building.
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Firefighters evacuated 250 residents of a high-rise apartment building in downtown Dallas early this morning. The fire at the Davis Building on Main Street apparently started in an electical box in a utility room on the third floor, according to the fire department.
Approximately 75 firefighters responded to the call, but the large number of personnel was called primarily as a precaution Dallas Fire and Rescue said. The number of firefighters also proved useful in helping evacuate residents of the building.
Some of the residents worried about pets left inside the building as they waited on the sidewalk outside while firefighters put out the fire and made sure it was safe for the residents to return.
"The firemen told me it wouldn't get as high as the 18th floor when I told them about my cat," resident Andrea Jenkins said.
Some people said that smoke reached the upper floors of the 21-story building. Firefighters said they would have to check carbon monoxide levels before allowing residents to return.
WFAA-TV photojournalist Bryan Titsworth contributed to this report.
Bryan Titsworth / WFAA ABC 8
Hundreds of residents were evacuated from the Davis Building.
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TexasStooge
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Commuting thieves crash Collin
By PAULA LAVIGNE / The Dallas Morning News
PLANO, Texas - As the rush of morning workers clogs the highways leading out of Collin County, another pool of commuters heads in the opposite direction.
They prowl the newer subdivisions, creep along alleys and lurk in back yards, sizing up their next hit.
Commuter bandits on the job.
They turn up in suburbs like Plano, Frisco and Allen looking for an easy swipe among households crammed with digital cameras, DVD players, diamond rings and other pricey merchandise.
The crime pattern revealed by a Dallas Morning News analysis of court records spanning more than 10 years breaks with national trends that show burglars usually steal closer to home.
Collin County is apparently worth the trip.
"Collin County is the richest county in Texas. ... You know where the money is," said Christopher Devoe, a convicted burglar and prison inmate, who traveled from Dallas to break into Collin County homes.
Criminal and prosecutors agree.
"This is a target-rich environment," Collin County District Attorney John Roach said. "We have a lot of wealth in this county. We have big houses, nice cars and lots and lots of construction projects."
Collin County's major highway network and expanding public transportation, along with the predictable schedules of two-income suburban families also make it a mark.
Police departments in other high-income areas, such as those in northeast Tarrant County and sections of Dallas, suspect those communities hold a similar allure, but authorities don't track the commuting patterns of their crooks.
More than half of the property-crime offenders convicted in Collin County from 1994 to 2005 came from outside the area, according to the study of court records for convicted burglars and thieves. That includes 44 percent of burglars – who enter and steal from a home, garage or business – and 59 percent of thieves, including purse snatchers or shoplifters.
The overall rate of property crime per person in Collin County has actually fallen in recent years.
Reports of theft, burglary and motor-vehicle theft rose 57 percent in Collin County from 1990 to 2004, but that reflects a skyrocketing population.
During the same time period, the rate of property crime fell from 38 out of every 1,000 people to 25, according to crime statistics reported to the FBI.
By comparison, 65 of every 1,000 Dallas County residents were property crime victims in 2004.
Collin case unusual
It's the stream of out-of-town criminals that makes Collin County unusual, said Arthur Jipson, director of criminal justice studies at the University of Dayton in Ohio.
"Most property crime is done by people you know and by people who live in the area," Mr. Jipson said.
A 2003 study of about 1,300 burglaries in Glendale, Ariz., showed that, on average, criminals traveled no farther than 2.3 miles.
And a 1991 survey of more than 700,000 state prison inmates by the Bureau of Justice Statistics showed that almost one-third of property crime offenders victimized their own neighborhood.
However, other wealthy suburbs around the country have seen patterns similar to Collin County.
George F. Rengert, criminal justice professor at Philadelphia's Temple University, studied criminals who commuted from Manhattan to prey on the middle- and upper-class suburb of Greenwich, Conn.
He noted that highly victimized properties were larger, secluded houses, often close to interchanges and highways.
In fall 2004, several suburbs of northeast Tarrant County were hit in a series of home invasion robberies, said Colleyville police Officer Bill Hudgins.
The crooks followed expensive cars into neighborhoods, Officer Hudgins said. When the drivers got home and headed toward the door, they would sneak up and force them at gunpoint to enter the house, stealing their wallets, purses and other belongings, he said.
There were at least nine similar incidents among five cities, including Colleyville and Southlake, he said. Officers caught five suspects; all were from Fort Worth, Officer Hudgins said.
Officer Hudgins doesn't know the breakdown of out-of-town offenders, but he said the burglaries in the area are not tied to local kids, gangs or "dopeheads needing a quick fix."
"If you're going to steal, you're not going to go to a poverty-stricken section or even a middle-income section," he said. "You're going to go to the affluent section of town."
Dallas police Detective Tommy Weesner, who has been investigating property crimes for a quarter century, said a handful of the more professional burglars also stray from their own neighborhoods to hit the wealthier homes in and around North Dallas. That type of hit makes up maybe 10 to 20 percent of burglaries he encounters, he said.
Police say people living in such areas are often careless with their belongings.
In Colleyville, "someone might leave an $1,800 laptop lying in their car with the windows rolled down and the door unlocked," Officer Hudgins said. "In certain parts of Dallas or Fort Worth, those people dream about having an $1,800 laptop and wouldn't leave it anywhere but in the house."
Brandon Douthitt and his friends would often scout wealthy neighborhoods and find valuables left in obvious places.
"Some of the people in Plano would have more stuff," said the 25-year-old, serving time for 11 burglary convictions, five from Collin County.
"We wouldn't be in there more than two or three minutes and find $1,000," he said from the visitor's room at a state prison in Bridgeport. He recalled one house with a cash box holding $1,200.
"I just pulled in the driveway. I went up and knocked on the door. No one was there. The door was unlocked," he said. "I just went in there and there it was."
Power tools, golf clubs, bicycles, purses, stereos and other valuable items are left in open garages and unlocked cars.
It's the bane of suburban living, said 41-year-old Allen mom Kathy Blahitka, who lost both her purse and $500 worth of power tools – in two burglaries – after leaving the garage door open.
"We had three kids. We were getting in and out of the car, and we had groceries," she said. Shutting the garage door, "was just one more thing to remember," she said.
For Liz Russel of Plano, it took a burglary just before Christmas and the loss of $25,000 worth of belongings, including her mother's platinum wedding ring, to focus her family's attention on home security.
She said the burglars could have jumped the fence and entered a rear sliding glass door – which she's not sure she locked. She and her husband had talked about installing a monitored security system before the break-in, but they had put it off.
Rapid growth
Collin County's growth and expanding transportation system also make it a target.
New homes and growing incomes demand a parade of movers, house cleaners, lawn mowers, pool sweepers and all types of repair workers, installers and remodelers.
Thieves posing as workers scope out a household's belongings, layout and security, as well as the habits of the owners.
"You could clip a tape measure on your belt, go in the back gate and look like you're measuring stuff," said Mr. Devoe, who said he cased houses when he worked with a crew installing home theaters. "If you look like you belong there, people don't take much notice."
It's also common to see work crews in pickups loading doors, plywood, bricks and appliances.
Someone recently stole $15,000 worth of copper wire from the building site of McKinney's new public safety building. Officers there assume the thief swapped the metal for cash at a Dallas scrap yard.
Plano police say the arrival of public transportation to Collin County created a new route for thieves.
"Crime went up when they opened the train and bus routes," said Plano police Detective Mike Phillips. A burglar could break into a home, take a piece of luggage and fill it up with jewelry and hop back on the bus or train. "Nobody's going to look at you twice," he said.
DART spokesman Morgan Lyons said officials there haven't heard those complaints from police departments and haven't seen evidence of increased crime.
Personal connections
Some property crime is random, but more often something ties thieves and burglars to a community. If it's not work, it could be relatives or friends who live in the area, said Detective Weesner in Dallas.
"They usually don't go anywhere they don't feel comfortable in," he said.
Mr. Devoe burglarized the eight-bedroom house belonging to his former employer, who owned racehorses near Melissa. He knew the house had guns, jewelry and a safe holding a "lot of money," and that the owner left his doors unlocked, he said.
The 37-year-old prisoner is serving part of a 13-year sentence in a state prison for committing multiple burglaries, including a Collin County break-in in 2003, when he was living in Dallas.
When he worked in Collin County installing media rooms and landscape lighting, he often overheard owners chatting about their schedules, including vacation plans.
"Be careful what you say," Mr. Devoe said. "A lot of people ... don't realize who is listening."
By PAULA LAVIGNE / The Dallas Morning News
PLANO, Texas - As the rush of morning workers clogs the highways leading out of Collin County, another pool of commuters heads in the opposite direction.
They prowl the newer subdivisions, creep along alleys and lurk in back yards, sizing up their next hit.
Commuter bandits on the job.
They turn up in suburbs like Plano, Frisco and Allen looking for an easy swipe among households crammed with digital cameras, DVD players, diamond rings and other pricey merchandise.
The crime pattern revealed by a Dallas Morning News analysis of court records spanning more than 10 years breaks with national trends that show burglars usually steal closer to home.
Collin County is apparently worth the trip.
"Collin County is the richest county in Texas. ... You know where the money is," said Christopher Devoe, a convicted burglar and prison inmate, who traveled from Dallas to break into Collin County homes.
Criminal and prosecutors agree.
"This is a target-rich environment," Collin County District Attorney John Roach said. "We have a lot of wealth in this county. We have big houses, nice cars and lots and lots of construction projects."
Collin County's major highway network and expanding public transportation, along with the predictable schedules of two-income suburban families also make it a mark.
Police departments in other high-income areas, such as those in northeast Tarrant County and sections of Dallas, suspect those communities hold a similar allure, but authorities don't track the commuting patterns of their crooks.
More than half of the property-crime offenders convicted in Collin County from 1994 to 2005 came from outside the area, according to the study of court records for convicted burglars and thieves. That includes 44 percent of burglars – who enter and steal from a home, garage or business – and 59 percent of thieves, including purse snatchers or shoplifters.
The overall rate of property crime per person in Collin County has actually fallen in recent years.
Reports of theft, burglary and motor-vehicle theft rose 57 percent in Collin County from 1990 to 2004, but that reflects a skyrocketing population.
During the same time period, the rate of property crime fell from 38 out of every 1,000 people to 25, according to crime statistics reported to the FBI.
By comparison, 65 of every 1,000 Dallas County residents were property crime victims in 2004.
Collin case unusual
It's the stream of out-of-town criminals that makes Collin County unusual, said Arthur Jipson, director of criminal justice studies at the University of Dayton in Ohio.
"Most property crime is done by people you know and by people who live in the area," Mr. Jipson said.
A 2003 study of about 1,300 burglaries in Glendale, Ariz., showed that, on average, criminals traveled no farther than 2.3 miles.
And a 1991 survey of more than 700,000 state prison inmates by the Bureau of Justice Statistics showed that almost one-third of property crime offenders victimized their own neighborhood.
However, other wealthy suburbs around the country have seen patterns similar to Collin County.
George F. Rengert, criminal justice professor at Philadelphia's Temple University, studied criminals who commuted from Manhattan to prey on the middle- and upper-class suburb of Greenwich, Conn.
He noted that highly victimized properties were larger, secluded houses, often close to interchanges and highways.
In fall 2004, several suburbs of northeast Tarrant County were hit in a series of home invasion robberies, said Colleyville police Officer Bill Hudgins.
The crooks followed expensive cars into neighborhoods, Officer Hudgins said. When the drivers got home and headed toward the door, they would sneak up and force them at gunpoint to enter the house, stealing their wallets, purses and other belongings, he said.
There were at least nine similar incidents among five cities, including Colleyville and Southlake, he said. Officers caught five suspects; all were from Fort Worth, Officer Hudgins said.
Officer Hudgins doesn't know the breakdown of out-of-town offenders, but he said the burglaries in the area are not tied to local kids, gangs or "dopeheads needing a quick fix."
"If you're going to steal, you're not going to go to a poverty-stricken section or even a middle-income section," he said. "You're going to go to the affluent section of town."
Dallas police Detective Tommy Weesner, who has been investigating property crimes for a quarter century, said a handful of the more professional burglars also stray from their own neighborhoods to hit the wealthier homes in and around North Dallas. That type of hit makes up maybe 10 to 20 percent of burglaries he encounters, he said.
Police say people living in such areas are often careless with their belongings.
In Colleyville, "someone might leave an $1,800 laptop lying in their car with the windows rolled down and the door unlocked," Officer Hudgins said. "In certain parts of Dallas or Fort Worth, those people dream about having an $1,800 laptop and wouldn't leave it anywhere but in the house."
Brandon Douthitt and his friends would often scout wealthy neighborhoods and find valuables left in obvious places.
"Some of the people in Plano would have more stuff," said the 25-year-old, serving time for 11 burglary convictions, five from Collin County.
"We wouldn't be in there more than two or three minutes and find $1,000," he said from the visitor's room at a state prison in Bridgeport. He recalled one house with a cash box holding $1,200.
"I just pulled in the driveway. I went up and knocked on the door. No one was there. The door was unlocked," he said. "I just went in there and there it was."
Power tools, golf clubs, bicycles, purses, stereos and other valuable items are left in open garages and unlocked cars.
It's the bane of suburban living, said 41-year-old Allen mom Kathy Blahitka, who lost both her purse and $500 worth of power tools – in two burglaries – after leaving the garage door open.
"We had three kids. We were getting in and out of the car, and we had groceries," she said. Shutting the garage door, "was just one more thing to remember," she said.
For Liz Russel of Plano, it took a burglary just before Christmas and the loss of $25,000 worth of belongings, including her mother's platinum wedding ring, to focus her family's attention on home security.
She said the burglars could have jumped the fence and entered a rear sliding glass door – which she's not sure she locked. She and her husband had talked about installing a monitored security system before the break-in, but they had put it off.
Rapid growth
Collin County's growth and expanding transportation system also make it a target.
New homes and growing incomes demand a parade of movers, house cleaners, lawn mowers, pool sweepers and all types of repair workers, installers and remodelers.
Thieves posing as workers scope out a household's belongings, layout and security, as well as the habits of the owners.
"You could clip a tape measure on your belt, go in the back gate and look like you're measuring stuff," said Mr. Devoe, who said he cased houses when he worked with a crew installing home theaters. "If you look like you belong there, people don't take much notice."
It's also common to see work crews in pickups loading doors, plywood, bricks and appliances.
Someone recently stole $15,000 worth of copper wire from the building site of McKinney's new public safety building. Officers there assume the thief swapped the metal for cash at a Dallas scrap yard.
Plano police say the arrival of public transportation to Collin County created a new route for thieves.
"Crime went up when they opened the train and bus routes," said Plano police Detective Mike Phillips. A burglar could break into a home, take a piece of luggage and fill it up with jewelry and hop back on the bus or train. "Nobody's going to look at you twice," he said.
DART spokesman Morgan Lyons said officials there haven't heard those complaints from police departments and haven't seen evidence of increased crime.
Personal connections
Some property crime is random, but more often something ties thieves and burglars to a community. If it's not work, it could be relatives or friends who live in the area, said Detective Weesner in Dallas.
"They usually don't go anywhere they don't feel comfortable in," he said.
Mr. Devoe burglarized the eight-bedroom house belonging to his former employer, who owned racehorses near Melissa. He knew the house had guns, jewelry and a safe holding a "lot of money," and that the owner left his doors unlocked, he said.
The 37-year-old prisoner is serving part of a 13-year sentence in a state prison for committing multiple burglaries, including a Collin County break-in in 2003, when he was living in Dallas.
When he worked in Collin County installing media rooms and landscape lighting, he often overheard owners chatting about their schedules, including vacation plans.
"Be careful what you say," Mr. Devoe said. "A lot of people ... don't realize who is listening."
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TexasStooge
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Saginaw officer, wife found dead (Updated)
By CYNTHIA VEGA / WFAA ABC 8
SAGINAW, Texas — A veteran Saginaw police officer and his wife were found shot to death Monday night at their home. The Tarrant County sheriff's office was investigating the deaths as a possible murder-suicide.
A neighbor said the couple had been arguing in the front yard of their house in the 1100 block of Parkhill Ave. The couple then went inside where the argument continued.
The neighbor said shots were heard coming from inside the house around 7:30 p.m. It was unclear who fired the shots.
The names of the man and woman were not released. Police said the couple had separated just a week ago.
The officer had been on the Saginaw force for 17 years.
Saginaw is northwest of Fort Worth.
By CYNTHIA VEGA / WFAA ABC 8
SAGINAW, Texas — A veteran Saginaw police officer and his wife were found shot to death Monday night at their home. The Tarrant County sheriff's office was investigating the deaths as a possible murder-suicide.
A neighbor said the couple had been arguing in the front yard of their house in the 1100 block of Parkhill Ave. The couple then went inside where the argument continued.
The neighbor said shots were heard coming from inside the house around 7:30 p.m. It was unclear who fired the shots.
The names of the man and woman were not released. Police said the couple had separated just a week ago.
The officer had been on the Saginaw force for 17 years.
Saginaw is northwest of Fort Worth.
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TexasStooge
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Elderly woman missing in Fort Worth
FORT WORTH, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Fort Worth police have asked for the public's help in finding a missing elderly woman.
Lillian Truitt, 71, was last seen four days ago as she was leaving Harris Methodist Hospital in downtown Fort Worth.
Doctors said the petite woman has Alzheimer's, so she is likely to be disoriented.
Call Fort Worth police or your local police agency if you know where Truitt can be located.
FORT WORTH, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Fort Worth police have asked for the public's help in finding a missing elderly woman.
Lillian Truitt, 71, was last seen four days ago as she was leaving Harris Methodist Hospital in downtown Fort Worth.
Doctors said the petite woman has Alzheimer's, so she is likely to be disoriented.
Call Fort Worth police or your local police agency if you know where Truitt can be located.
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TexasStooge
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TexasStooge
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BREAKING NEWS: Lewisville police in standoff
By BRANDON FORMBY / The Dallas Morning News
LEWISVILLE, Texas - Lewisville police on Tuesday afternoon were attempting to talk a barricaded man out of a home in the 800 block of Salem Trail.
Police said the man, who told them he wanted to hurt himself, has a criminal trespass warrant out of Denton County.
The sheriff's office contacted the man Tuesday and asked him to come in to take care of the warrant, but he told them he was going to harm himself. Police said Lewisville officers then went to the home and he refused to come to the door.
It is not believed that anyone else is inside the home, police said.
By BRANDON FORMBY / The Dallas Morning News
LEWISVILLE, Texas - Lewisville police on Tuesday afternoon were attempting to talk a barricaded man out of a home in the 800 block of Salem Trail.
Police said the man, who told them he wanted to hurt himself, has a criminal trespass warrant out of Denton County.
The sheriff's office contacted the man Tuesday and asked him to come in to take care of the warrant, but he told them he was going to harm himself. Police said Lewisville officers then went to the home and he refused to come to the door.
It is not believed that anyone else is inside the home, police said.
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Prosecutors detail girl's abuse
By ROBERT THARP / The Dallas Morning News
Editor's note: This story contains graphic details.
By the time she was rushed to the hospital in August 2004, 5-year-old Amber Hope Pacheco was bruised from head to toe, beaten by her parents with a virtual grocery list of household items, prosecutors said on the opening day of Jason Pumphrey’s capital murder trial Tuesday.
"They struck her with belts. They struck her with a broom. They poked her with a screwdriver and whipped her,’’ prosecutor Patricia Hogue said in opening statements to the jury. "They kicked her and stepped on her body and slammed her head into the wall.’’
Mr. Pumphrey initially told authorities that the child had stopped breathing after she slipped in the bathtub and hit her head. But Investigators testified that Mr. Pumphrey had a troubling explanation for the child’s behavior problems and bruises to her genitals and pelvic areas. An emergency room doctor and a Dallas police officer each testified Monday that Mr. Pumphrey said he had thought the child was "possessed by demons."
Besides bruises that covered her body, she had black eyes, swollen lips, fluid in her lungs, a broken arm and damage to internal organs. She was also underweight and had been losing a large amount of hair in the weeks that preceded her death, according to court testimony.
Hope Pumphrey pleaded guilty to murder charges in January and is expected to testify against Mr. Pumphrey. Mr. Pumphrey faces an automatic life sentence in prison if convicted.
While Ms. Pumphrey was responsible for the bulk of the physical abuse that killed the child, Ms. Hogue told jurors that Jason Pumphey is still guilty of capital murder because he did not stop or prevent the abuse from happening.
"Jason Pumphrey is just as responsible because he watched it happen," she said. "He had every opportunity to stop it and call for help. He knowingly stood by."
Amber never regained consciousness and was on life support for more than two weeks.
Dr. Todd Maxson, head of the pediatric trauma program at Children's Medical Center, testified in September 2004 that Amber was essentially dead when the Pumphreys brought her to the hospital.
After Child Protective Services took custody of Amber, a judge approved a request to terminate the girl's life support. She died Sept. 3, 2004.
By ROBERT THARP / The Dallas Morning News
Editor's note: This story contains graphic details.
By the time she was rushed to the hospital in August 2004, 5-year-old Amber Hope Pacheco was bruised from head to toe, beaten by her parents with a virtual grocery list of household items, prosecutors said on the opening day of Jason Pumphrey’s capital murder trial Tuesday.
"They struck her with belts. They struck her with a broom. They poked her with a screwdriver and whipped her,’’ prosecutor Patricia Hogue said in opening statements to the jury. "They kicked her and stepped on her body and slammed her head into the wall.’’
Mr. Pumphrey initially told authorities that the child had stopped breathing after she slipped in the bathtub and hit her head. But Investigators testified that Mr. Pumphrey had a troubling explanation for the child’s behavior problems and bruises to her genitals and pelvic areas. An emergency room doctor and a Dallas police officer each testified Monday that Mr. Pumphrey said he had thought the child was "possessed by demons."
Besides bruises that covered her body, she had black eyes, swollen lips, fluid in her lungs, a broken arm and damage to internal organs. She was also underweight and had been losing a large amount of hair in the weeks that preceded her death, according to court testimony.
Hope Pumphrey pleaded guilty to murder charges in January and is expected to testify against Mr. Pumphrey. Mr. Pumphrey faces an automatic life sentence in prison if convicted.
While Ms. Pumphrey was responsible for the bulk of the physical abuse that killed the child, Ms. Hogue told jurors that Jason Pumphey is still guilty of capital murder because he did not stop or prevent the abuse from happening.
"Jason Pumphrey is just as responsible because he watched it happen," she said. "He had every opportunity to stop it and call for help. He knowingly stood by."
Amber never regained consciousness and was on life support for more than two weeks.
Dr. Todd Maxson, head of the pediatric trauma program at Children's Medical Center, testified in September 2004 that Amber was essentially dead when the Pumphreys brought her to the hospital.
After Child Protective Services took custody of Amber, a judge approved a request to terminate the girl's life support. She died Sept. 3, 2004.
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TexasStooge
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Bill would delay new textbooks
AUSTIN, Texas (DallasNews.com/AP) -- Texas teachers are fuming over a provision in the Senate’s education reform bill that would delay the ordering of new math textbooks for elementary school students.
The provision is tucked in a bill that would use part of the state’s budget surplus to reduce school property taxes. It was one of several school reform measures a Senate committee added to the bill Friday, including a $2,000 teacher pay raise and bonuses for teachers who raise students’ scores on standardized tests.
The full Senate could begin debating the bill Tuesday, but its future is uncertain as senators argue over how much property-tax money wealthy districts should be required to share with poorer districts. The bill’s sponsor, Republican Sen. Florence Shapiro of Plano, has vowed to use legislative rules to block it from being considered.
If it passes, the State Board of Education will have to stop taking bids from publishers for math textbooks that schools are scheduled to receive in 2008.
That’s a huge problem for students and teachers because the books they’re currently using were adopted in 1998 and don’t cover all the topics included in the standardized test the state began using in 2003, said Colleen Clower, the elementary math coordinator for the Denton school district.
For example, a section on charts and graphs in the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills stumped one third-grade class in her district because it wasn’t in their textbooks and their teacher wasn’t expecting to see so many questions like that on the test, Clower said.
It’s even more troublesome for fifth-graders, who have to pass the math section of the TAKS to be promoted to sixth grade.
“If the state has not provided materials like that to every student and teacher, then how can they legitimately test them over it, much less hold them back a grade,” said Penny McAdoo, director of elementary mathematics for the Lewisville school district.
Lawmakers want to restructure the decades-old textbook adoption process, replacing it with an effort to stimulate the use of technology in Texas classrooms. But they couldn’t reach an agreement last year, and they told the state board to stop the adoption process because they say they don’t want publishers working on books that might not be used.
The board ignored those instructions and voted in November to begin taking bids for the new math books.
Vice Chairman Don McLeroy, a Republican dentist from Bryan, said the board didn’t feel comfortable delaying the process when lawmakers had no solid alternative in place. It already takes years to approve new books and get them in classrooms.
“If we had delayed the process, that’s just another year down the road and it’d be even longer before children would get new books,” he said.
The bill also would prevent the board from starting the bidding process for elementary and secondary English, reading and literature textbooks. That was scheduled to happen later this year.
Clower said she hopes the provision gets cut when the full Senate debates the bill.
“We need to do things that are good for kids, and what we have right now is not the best thing for kids,” she said.
AUSTIN, Texas (DallasNews.com/AP) -- Texas teachers are fuming over a provision in the Senate’s education reform bill that would delay the ordering of new math textbooks for elementary school students.
The provision is tucked in a bill that would use part of the state’s budget surplus to reduce school property taxes. It was one of several school reform measures a Senate committee added to the bill Friday, including a $2,000 teacher pay raise and bonuses for teachers who raise students’ scores on standardized tests.
The full Senate could begin debating the bill Tuesday, but its future is uncertain as senators argue over how much property-tax money wealthy districts should be required to share with poorer districts. The bill’s sponsor, Republican Sen. Florence Shapiro of Plano, has vowed to use legislative rules to block it from being considered.
If it passes, the State Board of Education will have to stop taking bids from publishers for math textbooks that schools are scheduled to receive in 2008.
That’s a huge problem for students and teachers because the books they’re currently using were adopted in 1998 and don’t cover all the topics included in the standardized test the state began using in 2003, said Colleen Clower, the elementary math coordinator for the Denton school district.
For example, a section on charts and graphs in the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills stumped one third-grade class in her district because it wasn’t in their textbooks and their teacher wasn’t expecting to see so many questions like that on the test, Clower said.
It’s even more troublesome for fifth-graders, who have to pass the math section of the TAKS to be promoted to sixth grade.
“If the state has not provided materials like that to every student and teacher, then how can they legitimately test them over it, much less hold them back a grade,” said Penny McAdoo, director of elementary mathematics for the Lewisville school district.
Lawmakers want to restructure the decades-old textbook adoption process, replacing it with an effort to stimulate the use of technology in Texas classrooms. But they couldn’t reach an agreement last year, and they told the state board to stop the adoption process because they say they don’t want publishers working on books that might not be used.
The board ignored those instructions and voted in November to begin taking bids for the new math books.
Vice Chairman Don McLeroy, a Republican dentist from Bryan, said the board didn’t feel comfortable delaying the process when lawmakers had no solid alternative in place. It already takes years to approve new books and get them in classrooms.
“If we had delayed the process, that’s just another year down the road and it’d be even longer before children would get new books,” he said.
The bill also would prevent the board from starting the bidding process for elementary and secondary English, reading and literature textbooks. That was scheduled to happen later this year.
Clower said she hopes the provision gets cut when the full Senate debates the bill.
“We need to do things that are good for kids, and what we have right now is not the best thing for kids,” she said.
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