News from the Lone Star State

[depotoo]

boy- tx stooge! re enforces why i left there! lol
actually it was nice but growing too fast without any scenery!

[TexasStooge]

1 killed, 2 injured in crash near Denton

By KEVIN KRAUSE / The Dallas Morning News

DENTON, Texas - A 55-year-old Kilgore man was killed in a rainy, three-vehicle crash west of Denton on Wednesday morning when his semi-trailer truck that was hauling a front-end loader crashed head-on into another semi-trailer on U.S. Highway 380, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The identity of the driver who was killed is being withheld until his family can be notified. U.S. Highway 380 was shut down in both directions as hazardous materials crews cleaned diesel fuel from the roadway.

The driver of the other truck, Pal W. Stevens Jr., 51, of Bowie, was flown to Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital, along with the driver of a Mercedes that was also involved in the 7:45 a.m. crash, said DPS Trooper Lonny Haschel.

Their conditions were not available.

The truck with the front-end loader was heading west when it crossed the highway's center line and slammed into the other truck, which was heading eastbound and pulling a tanker, Trooper Haschel said.

After the collision, the front-end loader slid off the flat bed trailer and struck an eastbound 1998 black Mercedes driven by Timothy Hester, 45, of Graford.

[TexasStooge]

Southlake city manager suspended

By MARICE RICHTER / The Dallas Morning News

SOUTHLAKE, Texas - Southlake City Manager Billy Campbell and another top city official have been suspended, pending the outcome of two investigations into allegations of theft and official wrongdoing.

The Tarrant County district attorney’s office has been investigating Mr. Campbell and Mike Patterson, a senior manager in the public works department, for nearly two months and has discovered evidence of suspected criminal activity, Mayor Andy Wambsganss said Wednesday.

The two officials were notified of the investigation and suspended with pay Wednesday morning.

Meanwhile, the city plans to launch its own investigation to determine how much public property may have been stolen and whether any other city employees are involved, Mr. Wambsganss said.

Neither Mr. Campbell nor Mr. Patterson could be immediately reached for comment.

City officials said they don’t know how much public property may have been stolen but preliminary indications suggest it could be thousands of dollars worth.

“This is an extremely serious situation,” Mr. Wambsganss said. “The dollar amount involve ultimately doesn’t matter because when you steal from the community, you erode public trust and that is something that cannot be tolerated.”

Mr. Campbell, 59, was hired by the city as police chief in 1988 and has been city manager since 1999. He recently announced his intention to retire in March. He earns an annual salary of $140,000.

Assistant City Manager Shana Yelverton, who was named as successor to Mr. Campbell, has been named acting city manager.

Ms. Yelverton is not believed to be involved in any wrongdoing, Mr. Wambsganss said.

Mr. Patterson, 38, has worked for the city since 1987. He has been operations manager in public works since 1999 and earns a salary of $75,333.

[TexasStooge]

Police shoot man after standoff, fire

GRAND PRARIE, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A 32-year-old man died Tuesday night after setting his parents' house on fire and shooting at a police officer.

Police said Richard Jason Johnson threatened to kill himself at his parents' house in the 1700 block of Ranch Road in Grand Prairie. After officers arrived about 7 p.m., they heard two shots fired within the house, but Mr. Johnson's parents had safely escaped, Grand Prairie police Detective John Brimmer said.

Mr. Johnson went out on the porch pointing a gun to his head before spreading lighter fluid throughout the house and igniting it.

"Firefighters couldn't get in there because he was still armed," Detective Brimmer said.

Mr. Johnson left the house, still armed, and noticed a police officer lying on the ground. He fired a shot at the officer but missed. The officer, whose name was not released, shot Mr. Johnson in the chest.

Mr. Johnson was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, where he was pronounced dead.

[TexasStooge]

Motorists: Cars towed improperly during Cotton Bowl

By BRETT SHIPP / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - A large group of upset motorists is planning to fight back and possibly file a lawsuit against a Dallas-based towing company.

The drivers said they were duped into parking on private property during Saturday's Cotton Bowl game, then towed by trucks from Elite Towing - a violation of city codes.

The scene out in front of the Elite impound lot on Saturday was a familiar one: angry motorists claiming their cars were illegally towed.

"We were almost mad enough that we would have had people storming the fence," said Greg Morgan.

Morgan is one of two dozen motorists who said they were lured into parking on a church parking lot a few blocks from Fair Park, where the bowl game was played.

"The lady had a sign out (that said) parking for $5," motorist Jim Hilbert said. "She told us she was with the church, so again we assumed by parking there we'd be safe."

None of those towed said they saw tow company signs posted - as required by law - until after they noticed their cars were gone.

What's more, city codes stipulate that a tow truck sign must be posted near the entrance of a parking lot; these signs were not. Also, the bottom of the sign must be no lower than five feet off the ground; these signs were not. The signs at the church measure only about two feet, nine inches.

According to James Mosser, the attorney for Elite Towing, the city's signage requirements have been declared illegal by an appellate court. He also showed News 8 a contract between the church and Elite Towing indicating the signs were posted two days earlier.

"I think if you look at the signs and you look at the location, there's nobody who didn't know that the signs were there," Mosser said.

Still, a complaint has been filed with the City of Dallas, and officials said they will enforce the codes to the fullest.

"Their permits can be revoked if they are consistently in violation of the law, so they can be put out of business," said John Brunk, Dallas assistant director of transportation planning.

That's exactly what these upset motorists want to see.

"I'd like to see this place shut down," Hilbert said.

[TexasStooge]

Convicted killer executed in fellow prisoner's death

HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP/The Dallas Morning News) – Condemned inmate James Porter was executed Tuesday night for fatally beating a convicted child molester nearly five years ago while in prison.

Porter, who dropped his appeals and ordered nothing be done to stop the first execution of the year in the nation's most active capital punishment state, apologized to the relatives of his victims and expressed love to his family.

"I am sorry for the pain I have caused you," he said in a brief final statement. "I know it is a great loss and I want to apologize. I am sorry.

"And to my family I love you and I will see you all in heaven."

He closed his eyes and quickly stopped breathing as the lethal drugs took effect and his mother sobbed while watching through a window nearby. Six minutes later, at 6:12 p.m. CST, Porter was pronounced dead.

Porter, 33, from Lake Dallas, was sentenced to die for using a smuggled rock wrapped in a pillowcase to fatally pummel fellow prisoner Rudy Delgado, 40.

[TexasStooge]

Love Field wants to add TollTags

By CHRIS HEINBAUGH / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - Next week, the Dallas City Council will vote on a plan to allow drivers to use their North Texas Tollway Authority TollTag to park at Love Field.

The plan would cost more than $1 million, but officials insist the investment is worth it.

The high-tech tags electronically charge drivers so they don't have to stop and pay an attendant.

"We believe it's going to get patrons in and out of the garage fairly quickly," said Love Field's Kim Tolbert.

Airport officials want to install detectors at each garage entrance so TollTag users won't have to stop for tickets. Five of the 15 toll booths would be for TollTag users only, so drivers who have them wouldn't have to wait in lines or stop to pay.

"Anything where you don't have to pull out your money or get to your wallet, that's good," said Love Field visitor Mark Bankston.

"If you come in at 5:00, 6:00 in the afternoon when a lot of planes are unloading, that would really speed up the lines pretty quick," airport visitor Carter Montgomery said.

The hefty price tag to implement the system includes $850,000 to purchase and install the equipment, and $288,000 up front for a three-year agreement with the NTTA.

Airport representatives cite the success D/FW International Airport has had with the system. Since switching to the popular TollTag, D/FW has seen tag use numbers soar.

Love Field hopes the added convenience will do the same here, luring drivers away from nearby competitors.

"We're optimistic," Tolbert said. "We think it will be a very good project for us here at the airport. It's going to be productive, and it's going to be successful."

If the City Council green-lights the plan, toll tag users could start zipping through pay lines as soon as April 1.

[TexasStooge]

Opponents: Fort Worth Trinity plan will cause job, property losses

By KARIN KELLY / WFAA ABC 8

FORT WORTH, Texas - Last month, a new model was unveiled for the Trinity River Vision in Fort Worth, the Uptown project where thousands are expected to live, work and play along the riverbank.

Some in the area, however, said there's another side to the story: what will be lost as the project moves forward.

For 19 years, Ken and Serena Snipes have put all their energy into building a business called L'Air. Their product is durable flooring that's easy to the touch.

"It's gentle on the bodies of dancers, gymnasts and fitness enthusiasts," Ken Snipes said. "It's used worldwide."

L'Air's new home is in a renovated old building on North Main - a building that's now in jeopardy. The Trinity River Vision's Uptown project could condemn the Snipes' property, and redevelop it.

"I think it's purely a land grab," Snipes said.

The new vision for the Trinity could force 100 businesses to close north of downtown Fort Worth, and affect the jobs of thousands.

"If a lot of us have to move, we're not going to be able to re-establish ourselves," said project opponent Rick Bradford. "That's what's sad about it."

The Uptown model, unveiled by government leaders in December, calls for cutting a bypass channel to create an island out of 800 acres. New residences, restaurants and shops would replace many of these existing businesses - and opponents believe the "fantasy island" concept is just not fair.

"I don't want to leave here if I don't have to," Bradford said.

"It is making work almost impossible," said Serena Snipes.

"We do not feel this is a correct use of eminent domain," Ken Snipes said.

[TexasStooge]

SANGER: WOMAN MISSING FOR A WEEK

SANGER, Texas (KDFW Fox 4) -- Denton Country sheriff's deputies and the Texas Rangers are looking for a missing Denton County woman. She was last seen a week ago at the home of her estranged husband in Sanger, just north of Denton. Denton County sheriff's deputies and the Texas Rangers say her husband Charles Stobaugh is now a person of interest in the case. Law officers fear she's been a victim of foul play. Mr. Stobaugh says he and his wife talked December 28 about splitting up their property then she left his house.

Katherine Stobaugh is about 5'8" Tall, weighs approximately 180 pounds with sandy hair and green eyes. She wears glasses and was wearing a gold necklace and earrings.

[TexasStooge]

DALLAS: MAN ROBBED, BEATEN OUTSIDE APARTMENT

DALLAS, Texas (KDFW Fox 4) -- Police are looking for the people who beat, robbed and kidnapped a man outside his northeast Dallas apartment. Police say the suspects jumped Ariel Barrios on Sunday and took about $100.

They finally let him go the next day in Garland. Barrios now has a injured neck. Doctors say he was beaten so badly he will never walk again without the use of a cane. Barrios told police his attackers were driving a red Chevy Tahoe.

[TexasStooge]

CARROLLTON: IRAQ WAR VETERAN CARJACKED

CARROLLTON, Texas (KDFW Fox 4) -- Two people carjacked a veteran of the war in Iraq last week and Carrollton police are searching for them. Police released the surveillence video of the suspects using the victim's credit card to buy a new TV. Police say the two carjacked and then shot the 24-year-old man. Police believe the robbers may have been involved in two other holdups in the last two months.

The SUV is a 1996 white 4-door Tahoe with a U.S. flag sticker on the passenger side rear window. Schepps Dairy is offering a 10-thousand dollar reward for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the man and woman in the video. If you know them, or know anything about the missing SUV, call Carrollton police at 972.466.5743

[TexasStooge]

Couple wants to bring a bed-and-breakfast to downtown

By ERIC AASEN / The Dallas Morning News

IRVING, Texas - By the end of the year, visitors may be able to stay in a bed-and-breakfast in downtown Irving.

Lee and Tom Lowrie plan to start building the home this month on a patch of land on South Jefferson Street. Once it opens, it will probably be the only bed-and-breakfast in the city, observers say.

The Lowries are bed-and-breakfast fans. They've traveled to B-and-Bs throughout the United States, Canada and Japan.

They believe a bed-and-breakfast would be a good addition to downtown, which has a small-town feel with its quaint shops and eateries.

"We just thought it was a perfect place for a bed-and-breakfast," Mrs. Lowrie said. "Downtown Irving is just a special place."

The Lowries will operate the bed-and-breakfast, which will be in a house that will resemble a 1920s Texana farm-and-country-style home. They hope to eventually open eight rooms for guests.

The City Council approved the project last month, even though some residents expressed concerns that the bed-and-breakfast, if it were to shut down, could be transformed into low-income apartments.

But there are restrictions on what can be located on the property, said Mrs. Lowrie, who plans on living in the house with her husband.

The bed-and-breakfast will be a welcome addition to Irving, said Maura Allen Gast, executive director of the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"Anything that adds to our product diversity is a good thing," she said.

About 20,000 bed-and-breakfasts are located in the United States, according to the Professional Association of Innkeepers, based in New Jersey.

And they're not always located in small towns. It's not unusual for a bed-and-breakfast to be found in a metropolitan area, said Michael Pinkston, the association's membership and member services manager.

Regardless of the location, a bed-and-breakfast offers a more intimate environment for guests, he said.

"It's less sterile, it's less commercial and all of that translates into a more personal experience," he said.

[TexasStooge]

Official lending an ear to neighborhood issues

By ERIC AASEN / The Dallas Morning News

IRVING, Texas - Tara Kersh wants you to get to know your neighbors. She also wants you to get to know her.

As the city's new neighborhood coordinator, Ms. Kersh will provide support for neighborhood associations and help residents who want to form new groups. She'll also serve as a liaison between neighborhoods and City Hall.

City officials are happy to have her. Irving has been without a coordinator since August 2003, although a few city employees have shared the job's responsibilities.

Ms. Kersh was chosen from about 150 applicants. She has served as Arlington's neighborhood specialist and Plano's neighborhood services planner.

The Irving resident talked recently about her new job – and neighborhoods. Here are excerpts:

Question: What's so appealing about neighborhood work?

Answer: Interacting with citizens. You're there as a liaison to them. I love the neighborhood issues. I feel neighborhood issues are centrally important to people. It's their home, it's their own world, it's what affects their life every day.

Question: Some people might say "What's the big deal about this position." ... What would you tell the skeptics about this job?

Answer: Sometimes citizens feel there's a barrier between them and getting their information to City Hall. I think this office can really be a bridge for that. We can ... foster relationships where they have a point of contact, where they can call and say: "We have this issue in our neighborhood and we're getting concerned with it. How can we approach it, who can we contact?" Rather than trying to navigate the organization on their own ... I can sit down with them.

Question: What are the characteristics or traits that you need to have to do this job well?

Answer: First and foremost, you have to be interested in people. ... Whether it's one-on-one or with the neighborhood group or with the neighborhood leaders, you have to be able to commit the time and energy and get to know them and get to understand their issues. You have to be able to think outside the box. If they have a problem ... you help them find alternatives that will work. ... [You have to] be able to be a motivator and to encourage them.

Question: What makes a good neighborhood association?

Answer: A long-term commitment. You have a lot of neighborhood associations that form around a central issue, whether it be rezoning or a new development coming in. ... Once the issue is gone, the association is gone. I think it's the long-term commitment of leaders to know there are going to be times when there's not a hot-button issue to not get people to the meeting, but that's when it's most important to keep everyone energized and to still meet.

Question: I assume strong leadership is important.

Answer: Right. Part of it is that you don't have just two or three leaders that they are able to reach really deep within their neighborhood to pull in many people. ... They're more willing to participate in activities if [the neighborhood group] reflects their interests.

E-mail eaasen@dallasnews.com

or call 214-977-8354


Job: neighborhood coordinator

Residence: Irving since 2001

Family: husband, Gary; married for 10 years

Hobbies: garden, church, reading – "I'm a book junkie," she said.

Hometown: Silverton, Texas

Education: master's degree in urban planning and a bachelor's degree in geography with environmental emphasis, both from Texas A&M UniversityThe next neighborhood roundtable will be at 7 p.m. Jan. 25 at City Hall, 825 W. Irving Blvd. Police Chief Larry Boyd will be the featured speaker.

[TexasStooge]

Former trustee joins mayoral race

By ERIC AASEN / The Dallas Morning News

IRVING, Texas - A former Irving school board trustee plans to run for mayor.

Owen DeWitt would face at least four other declared candidates – Mayor Joe Putnam, former Mayor Marvin Randle and former City Council members Herbert Gears and Terry Waldrum. Filing for the May 7 election begins in February.

Mr. DeWitt said he would offer a new perspective that would help improve the city. He hopes to use his status as a City Hall outsider to his advantage.

"The citizens and even the candidates say it's time for a change," he said. "And out of the group, I'm the only new blood, the only change."

Mr. DeWitt, 50, served on the Irving school board from 1999 to 2003. He's proud of his efforts in helping boost the district's technology program.

He currently serves as a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone Board member. He runs a small software business and has lived in Irving for 20 years.

Mr. DeWitt said he opposes tax and fee increases. His priorities include beefing up the city's police force to help residents feel safer. The city should also invest in better technology to track and capture criminals faster, he said.

"Safety's becoming one of the hot buttons," he said. "But nobody on the mayor's list so far has talked about that issue."

[TexasStooge]

Doctor knew testimony was flawed

Dietz's erroneous testimony led to verdict being overturned

By LEE HANCOCK / The Dallas Morning News

For more than a quarter-century, psychiatrist Park Dietz has testified at the trials of notorious criminals.

The list includes Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski, serial murderer Jeffrey Dahmer and would-be presidential assassin John Hinckley Jr.

Dr. Dietz, often the go-to guy for prosecutors, has himself been under the microscope for testimony he gave in the Andrea Yates trial.

His testimony described a similar crime in what turned out to be a non-existent episode of the television series Law & Order. That erroneous testimony led a Houston appeals court on Thursday to overturn the murder conviction of Mrs. Yates for drowning her children.

A receptionist at Dr. Dietz's office in Newport Beach, Calif., said Thursday that neither Dr. Dietz nor his firm had an immediate comment on the court's decision. And the judges noted in their opinion that Dr. Dietz "acknowledged that he had made an error in his testimony."

In a rare interview on the subject with The Dallas Morning News in April, Dr. Dietz discussed his testimony. He called it a mistake, adding that he offered to return to Houston at his own expense to correct it while the Yates trial was under way.

But prosecutors opted to enter a letter in the court record in which Dr. Dietz explains his mistake. The letter was submitted after the conviction but before sentencing.

"My report [on Yates] does not say anything about the existence of that episode," Dr. Dietz told The News. "My slides say nothing about it. My testimony said nothing about it, in direct because that had nothing to do with my evaluation of the case."

Dr. Dietz said Mrs. Yates' lawyer, George Parnham, asked him a question during cross-examination "to try to show that I wasn't an expert in women's mental health."

"In answering, I made the mistake of bringing up the show rather than saying the television series was not about mental health."

"... I had a recollection about a show about a woman who drowned her kids and was found insane. I had no knowledge that anyone had testified that Mrs. Yates watched the Law & Order series. Nor did I realize that the prosecutor was going to argue that the series had something to do with this crime, which I certainly did not believe.

"A week after I left the witness stand, I got a call from Law & Order and they said they'd got an inquiry about the episode," he said. "... I told them about an episode named 'Angel.' ... They kept checking through their archives, and they found a few things ... but not the show that I'd said."

A grand jury investigated Dr. Dietz's testimony for perjury but took no action. Dr. Dietz, after all, corrected himself and apologized.

"We can't get into his head, but I find it very difficult to believe that he could have not known that it was false," said Daucie Shefman, who assisted with Mrs. Yates' appeal. "He's a really bright man."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[TexasStooge]

Parents join daughter in detention

PEARLAND, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) - Susan and Steven Manis say it was their fault their daughter was late for school so they shared her punishment, spending an hour with her in detention.

The couple says their 13-year-old daughter, Jessica Dunkley, was being unfairly punished for being late six times in October and November when the family's van wouldn't start.

So when administrators insisted the Pearland Junior High School East seventh-grader would have to spend an hour in detention, they decided to go with her.

"We're more at fault than she is," said Susan Manis, who had appealed the administration's decision.

After the punishment was over, Jessica said it was "a little embarrassing" to have her mom and stepfather in detention with her. But, she said, "I'm proud of them for sticking up for what they believe in."

During the hour, the trio copied two pages from a school handbook about pillars of good citizenship.

The first one, Susan Manis pointed out, is "stand up for your convictions."

[TexasStooge]

Airline changes mean cheaper fares

Delta's price restructuring spurs American to follow suit

By REBECCA RODRIGUEZ / WFAA-TV

DALLAS/FT. WORTH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Texas - Flying just about anywhere across the nation has just gotten a lot cheaper - but it's not merely a fare war.

Over the past 48 hours two of the biggest airlines have fundamentally changed how they do business, and in the process implemented the first major fare cuts in a decade.

Delta Airlines led the way on Wednesday, cutting its fares by as much as 50 percent nationwide. Other airlines, including Fort Worth-based American, quickly followed suit.

"We're giving more people more access to more low fares; that's the bottom line," said American's Al Becker.

The cuts are drastic. An American flight from D/FW International Airport to Washington, D.C., which was $880, is now $499. A D/FW to Nashville flight dropped from $636 to $499. Even a longer flight like D/FW in Seattle went from $1109 to $499.

The reductions are part of a restructuring of the fare system, making it a lot cheaper to buy tickets at the last minute and eliminating the requirement of a Saturday night stay for lower fares.

"I always changed my plans for the Saturday before, but you don't have to now so I like that," said passenger Frances Safi.

Analysts said the move will cost the airlines hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue this year alone. Those losses come at a time when it seems the industry can't weather much more, but American officials said they believe the new strategy will eventually pay off with more passengers.

D/FW is also taking a bold move, offering free rent and up to $22 million in financial aid to the airline that takes over Delta's gates in Terminal E.

"That is basically unheard of in our industry, but we believe it is a wonderful opportunity for an airline to get a foothold and begin to grow and expand," said D/FW's Kevin Cox.

The airport's offer comes with only one catch: it expires in two weeks.

[TexasStooge]

Portrayal of Eve prompts lawsuit

By DAN RONAN / WFAA ABC 8

PILOT POINT, Texas - In the small Denton County community of Pilot Point, a mural called "The Creation of Eve" has sparked controversy, and now, a federal lawsuit.

Eve, inspired by Michelangelo's painting in the Sistine Chapel, looks down on downtown Pilot Point. After police objected to her topless appearance, art gallery owner Wes Miller added a bikini, under protest. "Just because we are a small town doesn't mean we will be intimidated by the local government and lose our rights," he said. "I saw nothing wrong with it. There are a lot worse things on billboards, the magazines and the checkout counter at the grocery store."

Miller is fighting to repaint the mural and remove the bikini top. He has filed a federal lawsuit charging the city overstepped its authority. The City won't comment on the lawsuit, but city officials have said they have no objection to the mural now, with the top in place. It's become a tourist attraction.

City manager Mike Sluggert said, "When it first occurred, quite a few citizens called and complained about the mural. But since then, it's not that big."

About half the merchants in town side with Miller, with the others in agreement with the council and the mayor, resident Bud Heacker observed.

Miller said he and the artist are trying to portray Eve at she's described in the Bible, before biting the forbidden fruit. "I think the people who read the Bible and make up their own meaning on it are stretching it a lot," he said. "If they can't see what this is, it's Eve, the hand of God, and the apple has no bite out of it yet. She doesn't have one any clothes yet.

Now a federal court will decide if the mural is art or simply obscene.

[TexasStooge]

Arson claims woman's life-long home

By STEVE STOLER / WFAA ABC 8

MCKINNEY, Texas - McKinney police are investigating three arsons in the same neighborhood. One of those fires destroyed the life-long home of a senior citizen.

Police believe burglars broke into the home of 72-year-old Jeanette Bailey to steal her few electronic items. Before they left, they set her house on fire.

Bailey said she's heartbroken. Her old, wooden house on McKinney's east side is gutted. "I spent a lot of time in that living room after I got old," she said. "Whoever did this, I hope they pay for it."

Bailey was spending the night with a friend, when someone broke into her house, stole her television, VCR and satellite receiver.

"We can replace a TV, but we can't replace a home, and all my memories," Bailey said. "I've got pictures of me and my brother at this house when I was nine years old and he was six years old."

Bailey did not have insurance. Her family home and all her personal po sessions are gone.

Bailey's daughter is grateful for what was not lost. "I'm just thankful she wasn't home. I thank gold she was with a friend," Debbie Balogh said.

The long-time McKinney resident grew up in the house on Colorado street. She raised her three children there. "We can't come here any more and share Christmas with mom and remember grandma and grandpa. So it's really sad to see it all gone," Balogh said.

McKinney police said they have several good leads on who burnt down Bailey's house and plan to make an arrest soon. Investigators believe two of the three arsons in the neighborhood were committed by the same people.

[TexasStooge]

Wife fights for release of jailed man

By YOLANDA WALKER / WFAA ABC 8

FORT WORTH, Texas - Most people see 29-year-old Jeremy Hays as a loving father to his two girls and a dedicated husband to wife, Bradi. But the judicial system still sees him as a 19-year-old kid who committed aggravated robbery in Hurst.

"We broke in with a gun and handcuffed the woman and robbed the house," Hays admitted.

That was 10 years ago. Hays tuned himself in and was sentenced to 10 years probation.

Since then, he married, started a remodeling business and a family. "I knew he was the kind of person that was changing his life," his wife said.
But in May 2003, seven years into his probation, Hays was pulled over on a Fort Worth highway after a DPS officer saw his truck swerve. Hays admitted having a couple of drinks. He insists he was not drunk, but lost control of his truck while reaching down for something. He passed the field sobriety tests but not the breathalyzer and was arrested for DWI, a parole violation.

Facing up to 10 years in prison, Hays plea bargained for five years and then went to trial for the drunk driving.

He was found not guilty. The DWI arrest was taken off his record.

But when his attorney went back to court to ask that his 5-year sentence be commuted, Judge Sharen Wilson said no. The judge found his plea agreement to be final and that he had missed a probation meeting.

So Hays sits in prison near San Antonio, while his wife leads the charge to free him early. She has appeared on national TV and written letters to various lawmakers for support.

"I've continued to have hope these 18 months that somebody will help us and somebody will listen and somebody will help me bring Jeremy home," she said.

Jeremy Hays won't be eligible for parole until December.