Eagle Scout accused of sexual assault
By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA ABC 8
JOHNSON COUNTY, Texas — A Mansfield Eagle Scout has been accused of sexually assaulting a teenage boy in his neighborhood.
Police fear there may be more victims.
Investigators said they uncovered the alleged sexual assault while 19-year-old Stephen Roe was applying for a job with the Mansfield jail as a corrections officer.
Roe was arrested on two counts of sexual assault of a boy under the age of 14.
"How does someone have the mindset to commit something like that?" asked resident Brett Harmon.
Police are talking to parents living in Roe's neighborhood and from his former scout troop about contact Roe may have had with their children.
"He admitted there was another individual, a person also that he did not give a name of," said Mansfield police Detective Barry Moore. "He made comments that would lead us to believe that there are potentially other victims in the Scouts, scouting community, that we would like to talk to that had contact with him."
News 8 was unable to contact Roe. His attorney declined to comment.
Officials with the Longhorn Council of the Boy Scouts told News 8 the 19-year-old was active with scouting until December of last year.
Kelvin Murray lives in Roe's neighborhood, where dozens of children are often outside at play. He watches his three youngsters very closely, but still worries about the safety of other children.
"In this neighborhood, I wouldn't think something like that would happen," Murray said.
Mansfield police said two juveniles from Roe's neighborhood were also arrested for sex-related offenses.
Investigators said they wanted to speak to all three to see if they have any information about the sexual assault of a 4-year-old girl in their neighborhood last month.
News from the Lone Star State
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Man in traffic stop turns knife on himself
By HOLLY YAN / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas County sheriff's deputies are trying to determine why a passenger stabbed himself repeatedly during a traffic stop.
Authorities pulled over a car about 3:20 p.m. Wednesday on southbound Interstate 45 near Mars Road in southern Dallas County, Sheriff's Department Sgt. Don Peritz said. The driver had been following the car in front of him too closely.
When the passenger was asked to get out of the car, he pulled out a knife and started stabbing himself in the chest. Neither the name of the driver nor of the passenger was released.
The passenger, who had an outstanding warrant for insufficient bond, was taken to Baylor University Medical Center. His condition was not released. Three deputies suffered minor injuries.
Authorities found three pounds of marijuana in the car.
_____________________________________________________________
Real-time Dallas/Ft. Worth Traffic Reports from Traffic Pulse
By HOLLY YAN / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas County sheriff's deputies are trying to determine why a passenger stabbed himself repeatedly during a traffic stop.
Authorities pulled over a car about 3:20 p.m. Wednesday on southbound Interstate 45 near Mars Road in southern Dallas County, Sheriff's Department Sgt. Don Peritz said. The driver had been following the car in front of him too closely.
When the passenger was asked to get out of the car, he pulled out a knife and started stabbing himself in the chest. Neither the name of the driver nor of the passenger was released.
The passenger, who had an outstanding warrant for insufficient bond, was taken to Baylor University Medical Center. His condition was not released. Three deputies suffered minor injuries.
Authorities found three pounds of marijuana in the car.
_____________________________________________________________
Real-time Dallas/Ft. Worth Traffic Reports from Traffic Pulse
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Depot demolition irks preservationists
By CHRIS HEINBAUGH / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - A piece of Dallas history is history, and city officials are steaming.
The old Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad freight depot in the Dallas West End Historic District turned to dust last weekend after being demolished without permission.
Most of the century-old warehouses in the West End grew up around the old train depot, which was a trade hub and part of the Katy Railroad.
"It really is one of the main reasons the West End exists," said Greg Schooley of the West End Association.
The depot has been unoccupied for years, but it is protected because of its location in a historic district.
Now, it has been reduced to a pile of rubble, everyone wants to know why.
The city originally granted a demolition permit, but the information on the application was incorrect. The builder listed it as a 500 foot shack; the property actually measures more than 30,000 square feet.
When the city learned about the misrepresentation, the demoliton permit was revoked and the building was "red tagged," a universal sign in the construction industry that all work must stop.
But late Friday night, the back hoes and dump trucks lined up around the doomed building. Demolition began Saturday morning.
By the time the city moved in, it was too late.
"Kind of got a really sick feeling," Schooley said.
Transcontinental Realty Investors of Farmers Branch, the owner of the property, would not comment.
The city may sue to force Transcontinental Realty to completely rebuild the historic structure.
Other West End building owners hope that's what happens. The neighboring Victory project is renewing focus on the West End.
"What if someone sells another building, and we wake up on the weekend and find that something else is gone?" Schooley asked.
Preservationists said the punishment for this unauthorized demolition has to be more than a slap in the hand. "This has got to be a very strong response from the city, and from citizens and from the community, and other property owners who have done the right thing, who look at this and see a builder who did not want to do the right thing," said Dwayne Jones of Preservation Dallas.
The city may also take action on other fronts, including possible violations of worker safety and environmental laws.
One official said it is possible the depot building contained dangerous asbestos. If so, there is no indication that any of it was removed prior to demolition.
By CHRIS HEINBAUGH / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - A piece of Dallas history is history, and city officials are steaming.
The old Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad freight depot in the Dallas West End Historic District turned to dust last weekend after being demolished without permission.
Most of the century-old warehouses in the West End grew up around the old train depot, which was a trade hub and part of the Katy Railroad.
"It really is one of the main reasons the West End exists," said Greg Schooley of the West End Association.
The depot has been unoccupied for years, but it is protected because of its location in a historic district.
Now, it has been reduced to a pile of rubble, everyone wants to know why.
The city originally granted a demolition permit, but the information on the application was incorrect. The builder listed it as a 500 foot shack; the property actually measures more than 30,000 square feet.
When the city learned about the misrepresentation, the demoliton permit was revoked and the building was "red tagged," a universal sign in the construction industry that all work must stop.
But late Friday night, the back hoes and dump trucks lined up around the doomed building. Demolition began Saturday morning.
By the time the city moved in, it was too late.
"Kind of got a really sick feeling," Schooley said.
Transcontinental Realty Investors of Farmers Branch, the owner of the property, would not comment.
The city may sue to force Transcontinental Realty to completely rebuild the historic structure.
Other West End building owners hope that's what happens. The neighboring Victory project is renewing focus on the West End.
"What if someone sells another building, and we wake up on the weekend and find that something else is gone?" Schooley asked.
Preservationists said the punishment for this unauthorized demolition has to be more than a slap in the hand. "This has got to be a very strong response from the city, and from citizens and from the community, and other property owners who have done the right thing, who look at this and see a builder who did not want to do the right thing," said Dwayne Jones of Preservation Dallas.
The city may also take action on other fronts, including possible violations of worker safety and environmental laws.
One official said it is possible the depot building contained dangerous asbestos. If so, there is no indication that any of it was removed prior to demolition.
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Woman, man found dead in Dallas apartment
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Two people were found shot dead in a North Dallas apartment.
The bodies of a man and woman were found in an apartment on Timberglen Road near Frankford Road and the Dallas North Tollway.
Police were on the scene late Thursday night.
Authorities said they found a gun in the man's hand seemingly pointing to a murder-suicide.
However, they are waiting for a ruling by the medical examiner.
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Two people were found shot dead in a North Dallas apartment.
The bodies of a man and woman were found in an apartment on Timberglen Road near Frankford Road and the Dallas North Tollway.
Police were on the scene late Thursday night.
Authorities said they found a gun in the man's hand seemingly pointing to a murder-suicide.
However, they are waiting for a ruling by the medical examiner.
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State investigates notorious nail salon
By BRAD WATSON / WFAA ABC 8
UNIVERSITY PARK, Texas - After customer complaints started in January, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation began investigating Beverly Hills Nails in University Park.
Some of those customers are glad the state stepped in.
"It's very serious and very dangerous and I think the state of Texas needs to take this very seriously," said Frances Cannon, former customer.
The state confirmed through lab tests that harmful bacteria was in four of the 12 whirlpool foot spa chairs.
Bacteria also was discovered on the hand of an employee.
The bacteria can cause painful sores on the skin.
Beverly Hills Nails now admits it violated sanitation laws, so the salon will pay a $4,000 fine. Its license is on probation for two years.
During that time, it faces at least four unannounced inspections a year.
"This is the first instance of enforcing that risk base inspection schedule so that the salon will be inspected on a more frequent basis," said William Kuntz, executive director of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
The salon must send current employees and new hires through health and sanitation classes.
It must also refund customers and pay their medical bills.
Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation just took over nail salon enforcement late last year and says this case sends a message to the industry.
"We will be consistent with this type of enforcement across all of the licensees," said Kuntz.
Beverly Hills Nails owner Jimy Nguyen declined to comment to News 8.
By BRAD WATSON / WFAA ABC 8
UNIVERSITY PARK, Texas - After customer complaints started in January, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation began investigating Beverly Hills Nails in University Park.
Some of those customers are glad the state stepped in.
"It's very serious and very dangerous and I think the state of Texas needs to take this very seriously," said Frances Cannon, former customer.
The state confirmed through lab tests that harmful bacteria was in four of the 12 whirlpool foot spa chairs.
Bacteria also was discovered on the hand of an employee.
The bacteria can cause painful sores on the skin.
Beverly Hills Nails now admits it violated sanitation laws, so the salon will pay a $4,000 fine. Its license is on probation for two years.
During that time, it faces at least four unannounced inspections a year.
"This is the first instance of enforcing that risk base inspection schedule so that the salon will be inspected on a more frequent basis," said William Kuntz, executive director of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
The salon must send current employees and new hires through health and sanitation classes.
It must also refund customers and pay their medical bills.
Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation just took over nail salon enforcement late last year and says this case sends a message to the industry.
"We will be consistent with this type of enforcement across all of the licensees," said Kuntz.
Beverly Hills Nails owner Jimy Nguyen declined to comment to News 8.
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TXU tries to foil parakeet nests
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Frustrated by parakeets that tirelessly build huge nests on electrical equipment, power companies have tried about everything to stop the cute green birds. They've used chemical repellents, lasers and fake predators, and even killed some, to the outrage of bird lovers.
Now a Texas utility is trying a different approach, building a 40-foot platform near electrical towers to lure monk parakeets away from sensitive equipment. TXU Electric Delivery hopes other companies can eventually adopt the idea, but so far the parakeets refuse to leave their original digs.
"They have trees all around them, and now the platform, and yet they prefer the (electrical) switches," spokeswoman Carol Peters said recently as about 40 lime-green birds chatted loudly and ignored the new nesting area.
Workers even placed twigs on the platform, but the birds carried the nesting materials back to their old homes.
In Connecticut, the nests have caused as many as 12 power outages and four fires since 1998, said Al Carbone, a spokesman for the power company United Illuminating. Last year, the utility handed about 190 captured birds over to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to be euthanized.
Experts believe the tenacious monk parakeet, a small parrot from South America, entered the U.S. when some birds escaped from shipping crates, probably in the 1960s. Many states now consider them an invasive species and prohibit people from feeding or caring for the creatures.
No one knows for certain why they like to nest at electrical substations and in utility poles. The nests can grow as big as a small car and include multiple compartments for large flocks, said Mattie Sue Athan, a parrot behavior consultant who has written several books on the birds.
But the birds have achieved a loyal following of fans who admire their cleverness and the splash of tropical color they bring to urban areas. Bird watchers in Edgewater, N.J., market T-shirts, calendars and other parakeet merchandise, and a New York man leads tours of their Brooklyn nesting grounds.
"It is hard to argue with cute, and they are cute and smart and appealing birds," Peters said. "But they are nesting in equipment that provides an essential service."
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Frustrated by parakeets that tirelessly build huge nests on electrical equipment, power companies have tried about everything to stop the cute green birds. They've used chemical repellents, lasers and fake predators, and even killed some, to the outrage of bird lovers.
Now a Texas utility is trying a different approach, building a 40-foot platform near electrical towers to lure monk parakeets away from sensitive equipment. TXU Electric Delivery hopes other companies can eventually adopt the idea, but so far the parakeets refuse to leave their original digs.
"They have trees all around them, and now the platform, and yet they prefer the (electrical) switches," spokeswoman Carol Peters said recently as about 40 lime-green birds chatted loudly and ignored the new nesting area.
Workers even placed twigs on the platform, but the birds carried the nesting materials back to their old homes.
In Connecticut, the nests have caused as many as 12 power outages and four fires since 1998, said Al Carbone, a spokesman for the power company United Illuminating. Last year, the utility handed about 190 captured birds over to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to be euthanized.
Experts believe the tenacious monk parakeet, a small parrot from South America, entered the U.S. when some birds escaped from shipping crates, probably in the 1960s. Many states now consider them an invasive species and prohibit people from feeding or caring for the creatures.
No one knows for certain why they like to nest at electrical substations and in utility poles. The nests can grow as big as a small car and include multiple compartments for large flocks, said Mattie Sue Athan, a parrot behavior consultant who has written several books on the birds.
But the birds have achieved a loyal following of fans who admire their cleverness and the splash of tropical color they bring to urban areas. Bird watchers in Edgewater, N.J., market T-shirts, calendars and other parakeet merchandise, and a New York man leads tours of their Brooklyn nesting grounds.
"It is hard to argue with cute, and they are cute and smart and appealing birds," Peters said. "But they are nesting in equipment that provides an essential service."
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Irving man executed in 5-year-old's rape, murder
HUNTSVILLE, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) - An Irving man went to his death tonight saying he hopes the real person who killed an Arlington girl is found.
Jackie Barron Wilson was executed in Huntsville over the 1988 slaying of a youngster he once baby-sat.
The victim was five-year-old "Maggie" Rhodes of Arlington.
nvestigators say Wilson had been drinking, used cocaine and had a failed sexual assault attempt elsewhere shortly before breaking into the girl's home.
Wilson - who was 39 - was the eighth condemned killer to be put to death this year in Texas.
Here is his last statement:
"Be strong and take care of yourselves," Wilson said to his wife, sister and friends as they watched from a nearby death
chamber window. "Thanks for being there. Thank you for being there for me and all these people here will find the one who did this damn crime...I am going home to be with God."
Wilson kept saying "I love you" to his familyas the lethal drugs took effect.
Jackie Barron Wilson, 39, is the the eighth prisoner put to death this year in Texas and the first of four this month in the nation's busiest capital punishment state.
Wilson was condemned for the slaying of Lottie Margaret Rhodes, known by the nickname "Maggie." After breaking into her bedroom, he kidnapped Maggie from her Arlington apartment in the early morning hours of Nov. 30, 1988, then sexually assaulted the little girl before killing her.
Authorities said Wilson, who lived in nearby Irving, strangled Maggie before running over her with a car.
Maggie's battered body was found about five miles from her home a few hours after she was kidnapped. She was face down in a muddy ditch next to a rural road in Grand Prairie.
Wilson has said he knew Maggie but denied he kidnapped or killed her.
"First, I feel that it's of grave importance to make clear that I'm not guilty of the crime for which the state of Texas sentenced me to death. Second, let me remind you that this could happen to you," Wilson wrote on an anti-death penalty Web site from Canada in 2001.
The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles on Tuesday rejected requests to commute Wilson's sentence to life or halt the execution.
About an hour before his scheduled execution, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Wilson's appeal to delay his death sentence by lethal injection because the combination of drugs constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. A federal judge in Houston and the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had denied the same request earlier in the week. Similar appeals in recent Texas death penalty cases were also unsuccessful.
"It's such a cold-blooded killing," said Dallas County prosecutor Toby Shook. "The evidence showed he was just a sexual predator."
Wilson declined a recent interview request from The Associated Press.
Robin Norris, one of Wilson's attorneys, said his client had an extremely tough childhood, including being abused by family members and witnessing the murder of a caregiver.
Norris asked for a new punishment hearing because evidence of his client's personal history, which might have swayed jurors from handing down a death sentence, wasn't presented at his trials. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals turned down the request on Monday.
Wilson was originally convicted and sentenced to death in September 1989. An appeals court overturned his conviction on a legal technicality. He was retried in June 1994, found guilty and returned to death row.
The vast amount of forensic evidence left no doubt Wilson committed the crime, Shook said.
Several pieces of glass recovered from inside and outside the girl's bedroom had Wilson's fingerprints.
Wilson acknowledged to authorities he drove a red Mercury Cougar on the night of the murder. The two types of tire tracks found on Maggie's body were consistent with the two types of tires on the vehicle. Police also found human hairs both inside the car and underneath it that matched the victim.
Shook said just before Wilson kidnapped Maggie, he had broken into another apartment at the same complex and tried to sexually assault a woman. She chased him out but did not call authorities.
Wilson's long history of criminal violence, including raping a Lubbock woman in 1984 and stabbing an inmate while he was on death row, show the jury made the right decision, Shook said.
"He is just a remorseless killer," he said.
Next on the execution schedule is Derrick O'Brien, one of five gang members condemned for the rape-slayings of two Houston teenage girls in 1993. He is set to be executed May 16.
HUNTSVILLE, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) - An Irving man went to his death tonight saying he hopes the real person who killed an Arlington girl is found.
Jackie Barron Wilson was executed in Huntsville over the 1988 slaying of a youngster he once baby-sat.
The victim was five-year-old "Maggie" Rhodes of Arlington.
nvestigators say Wilson had been drinking, used cocaine and had a failed sexual assault attempt elsewhere shortly before breaking into the girl's home.
Wilson - who was 39 - was the eighth condemned killer to be put to death this year in Texas.
Here is his last statement:
"Be strong and take care of yourselves," Wilson said to his wife, sister and friends as they watched from a nearby death
chamber window. "Thanks for being there. Thank you for being there for me and all these people here will find the one who did this damn crime...I am going home to be with God."
Wilson kept saying "I love you" to his familyas the lethal drugs took effect.
Jackie Barron Wilson, 39, is the the eighth prisoner put to death this year in Texas and the first of four this month in the nation's busiest capital punishment state.
Wilson was condemned for the slaying of Lottie Margaret Rhodes, known by the nickname "Maggie." After breaking into her bedroom, he kidnapped Maggie from her Arlington apartment in the early morning hours of Nov. 30, 1988, then sexually assaulted the little girl before killing her.
Authorities said Wilson, who lived in nearby Irving, strangled Maggie before running over her with a car.
Maggie's battered body was found about five miles from her home a few hours after she was kidnapped. She was face down in a muddy ditch next to a rural road in Grand Prairie.
Wilson has said he knew Maggie but denied he kidnapped or killed her.
"First, I feel that it's of grave importance to make clear that I'm not guilty of the crime for which the state of Texas sentenced me to death. Second, let me remind you that this could happen to you," Wilson wrote on an anti-death penalty Web site from Canada in 2001.
The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles on Tuesday rejected requests to commute Wilson's sentence to life or halt the execution.
About an hour before his scheduled execution, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Wilson's appeal to delay his death sentence by lethal injection because the combination of drugs constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. A federal judge in Houston and the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had denied the same request earlier in the week. Similar appeals in recent Texas death penalty cases were also unsuccessful.
"It's such a cold-blooded killing," said Dallas County prosecutor Toby Shook. "The evidence showed he was just a sexual predator."
Wilson declined a recent interview request from The Associated Press.
Robin Norris, one of Wilson's attorneys, said his client had an extremely tough childhood, including being abused by family members and witnessing the murder of a caregiver.
Norris asked for a new punishment hearing because evidence of his client's personal history, which might have swayed jurors from handing down a death sentence, wasn't presented at his trials. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals turned down the request on Monday.
Wilson was originally convicted and sentenced to death in September 1989. An appeals court overturned his conviction on a legal technicality. He was retried in June 1994, found guilty and returned to death row.
The vast amount of forensic evidence left no doubt Wilson committed the crime, Shook said.
Several pieces of glass recovered from inside and outside the girl's bedroom had Wilson's fingerprints.
Wilson acknowledged to authorities he drove a red Mercury Cougar on the night of the murder. The two types of tire tracks found on Maggie's body were consistent with the two types of tires on the vehicle. Police also found human hairs both inside the car and underneath it that matched the victim.
Shook said just before Wilson kidnapped Maggie, he had broken into another apartment at the same complex and tried to sexually assault a woman. She chased him out but did not call authorities.
Wilson's long history of criminal violence, including raping a Lubbock woman in 1984 and stabbing an inmate while he was on death row, show the jury made the right decision, Shook said.
"He is just a remorseless killer," he said.
Next on the execution schedule is Derrick O'Brien, one of five gang members condemned for the rape-slayings of two Houston teenage girls in 1993. He is set to be executed May 16.
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Grand jury to decide fate of Fort Worth officer
By DEBRA DENNIS / The Dallas Morning News
FORT WORTH, Texas - A Tarrant County grand jury will decide the fate of a Fort Worth officer who was involved in a traffic accident that led to an infant's death.
Christopher Fearneyhough was on duty last month when he crashed a police cruiser into a car driven by Aida Navarro, officials said.
Ms. Navarro, 41, of Euless, was injured along with her pregnant 17-year-old daughter, Laura Navarro.
Laura Navarro’s 2-day-old baby, Javan, was delivered early because of the crash. He later died at a hospital.
Two young children were also inside the car.
Ms. Navarro was cited for not having insurance and for failing to properly restrain a child under two.
The citations are misdemeanors and could result in fines, said Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson.
Officer Fearneyhough, 30, has been a police officer for six years. He is assigned to the South East Patrol Bureau.
By DEBRA DENNIS / The Dallas Morning News
FORT WORTH, Texas - A Tarrant County grand jury will decide the fate of a Fort Worth officer who was involved in a traffic accident that led to an infant's death.
Christopher Fearneyhough was on duty last month when he crashed a police cruiser into a car driven by Aida Navarro, officials said.
Ms. Navarro, 41, of Euless, was injured along with her pregnant 17-year-old daughter, Laura Navarro.
Laura Navarro’s 2-day-old baby, Javan, was delivered early because of the crash. He later died at a hospital.
Two young children were also inside the car.
Ms. Navarro was cited for not having insurance and for failing to properly restrain a child under two.
The citations are misdemeanors and could result in fines, said Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson.
Officer Fearneyhough, 30, has been a police officer for six years. He is assigned to the South East Patrol Bureau.
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It's NorthPark's big day
High-end mall becomes Texas' largest with unveiling of $225 million expansion
By MARIA HALKIAS / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - NorthPark Center takes its place among the nation's exclusive malls Friday, unveiling a $225 million expansion that has been in the works for more than a decade.
The 41-year-old Dallas shopping center joins a handful of U.S. malls with anticipated annual sales of at least $1 billion. At 2.35 million square feet, it's now the largest mall in Texas and one of the five largest in the U.S., according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.
It's where new stores such as American Eagle Outfitters' Martin + Osa and J. Crew spinoffs Crewcuts and Madewell will open first. And it's a beachhead for the European invasion of hot specialty stores that include Intermix and Mango – names known by the most clued-in of fashionistas.
"NorthPark's positioned itself nationally to be in the group of the best of the best luxury centers with South Coast Plaza in California and Bal Harbor in Miami," said Laura Pomerantz, principal of New York's prestigious PBS Realty Advisors, which negotiated leases for David Yurman, Ted Baker London and Stuart Weitzman at NorthPark. "It's a very hands-on and knowledgeable management."
Friday, NorthPark officially opens its fourth side, completing a square that forms the perimeter of an interior park. Many of the new stores, several restaurants and a movie theater will also officially open.
The addition of 1.1 million square feet has redefined the mall, which maintained its position as a favorite shopping destination even as the world around it changed.
NorthPark has been criticized over the years for having no theater, a limited number of eateries and a store mix with few choices for young people. More recently, it and other traditional malls have lost appeal as shoppers have veered toward hip lifestyle centers that offer easy access and an alfresco atmosphere.
Husband and wife owners David Haemisegger and Nancy Nasher have answered the criticisms – down to street-side shopping. NorthPark is the nation's only mall with a sizable park – 1.4 acres – in its belly.
"We've got seating inside and out so people can eat in a grove of trees or let their children run and sit and snack before or after a movie," Ms. Nasher said. "We've known what categories we needed, and we've tried to select the best of the best in each case."
Mr. Haemisegger said that until now, the center wasn't large enough to accommodate the number of stores or the depth of store selection.
"Everyone in Dallas has a piece of the pie, and no one was making the quintessential retail statement," he said. "We always thought we could do it if we had the space."
From November – when the initial Nordstrom wing opened – through the end of this year – when Barneys opens – NorthPark will add 90 stores for a total of 235. Also new is the 15-screen AMC Theater.
Stores are clustered by interest and incomes so that shoppers with a purpose can get in and out fast. Designer brands, for example, will share a corridor with fashion leaders Neiman Marcus, Barneys New York and Nordstrom.
Entrances have been added for more direct access – considered a lifestyle center advantage. This fall, with the completion of Barneys and Robb & Stucky, eight new entrances will be added to the mall's west side.
Youthful appearances
Making it a younger mall was a major goal. NorthPark now has the chains – from Hollister and Delia's to Club Libby Lu and Build-A-Bear – that have sent young people and families to suburban shopping centers.
"They run one of the most productive malls in the U.S. They wanted us, but there was no appropriate space," said Maxine Clark, chairman and chief executive of Build-A-Bear Workshop.
Now with "the broadened kids' mix and the food court, they're able to really expand its reach to more retail beyond high fashion," Ms. Clark said. "The Nashers put a huge amount of planning time, effort and money into making it an even more superior shopping venue. We like to say, 'It's pawsome.' "
The mall's marketing director, Christine Szalay, also scored a coup by snatching away the Kim Dawson Model Search competition from the Galleria.
The new NorthPark is also a date place, according to its owners.
The theaterand many of the mall's new food court tenants and other restaurants will stay open for late-night moviegoers.
Stores will have after-hours lighting for strolling window shoppers, and the valet parking doesn't close until one hour after the last movie is finished or the final call at a restaurant, "whichever is later," Ms. Nasher said.
"We'll almost be a 24/7 operation on the weekends, staying open until 2 a.m. and opening back up at 6 a.m. for the mall walkers," Mr. Haemisegger said.
Shoppers who got a sneak peek this week were enthusiastic about the changes.
"It's now the perfect mall," said Toni Brown, who drives up from Corsicana at least twice a month to shop at NorthPark and the Galleria. "I've traveled and seen many malls, but Dallas has the best options now with NorthPark, and the Galleria keeps getting better."
In the last two years, the Galleria's interior was remodeled, and it added the Grand Lux Café and a Pottery Barn. Two other additions – Grill on the Alley restaurant and a yet-to-be-named store – are also under construction.
Jeffrey C. Paisner, executive managing director of New York-based commercial real estate firm Lansco Corp., which leases many of Manhattan's robust shopping haunts, said he believes the market remains fragmented but points to NorthPark and the Galleria as the two dominant malls the Dallas area.
Luxury 'bell cow'
NorthPark gains an advantage with luxury retailer Barneys, which Mr. Paisner calls "a bell cow because a lot of retailers want to be around Barneys."
"Right now, in other places you can be around Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks and Bloomingdale's, but Barney's is a lot rarer."
Big and small retailers consider the mall important enough to launch new businesses.
Martin + Osa, targeting men and women ages 25 to 40, will open first at NorthPark and three other U.S. malls.
Dallas was chosen because it's one of the top retail markets, and NorthPark was chosen because of its expansion, said chief operating officer Chuck Chupein.
"We chose to be very selective about our initial store locations," he said.
J. Crew chief executive Millard Drexler, who headed Gap Inc. when it expanded with new concepts, said this week that NorthPark is getting the first Madewell. The store will be more casual than J. Crew, with items priced 20 percent to 30 percent lower.
Men's apparel designer Billy Reid is across from Barney's and next to the Apple store and Boss Hugo Boss. That kind of elbow rubbing is going to make a difference for his upscale men's apparel, he said.
"We wanted to be in special places," Mr. Reid said. "Executives from almost every major fashion company in luxury are walking this center right now."
Dallas residents Kelly Pruitt and Sheryl Duncan said they couldn't open their Sheke Boutique in any other mall in the market.
"It's a West Coast concept with contemporary jeans and swimwear – it wouldn't work in the suburbs," Ms. Duncan said. "We like where we are, categorized with other contemporary stores."
NorthPark's expansion is an example for how enclosed malls don't have to be dinosaurs, or second rate to street-level lifestyle centers. In great locations, they don't have to die, analysts said.
"We don't think the mall is dead," said Ms. Pomerantz of PBS Realty Advisors. "There's a place for both the street locations and the shopping centers. Neither can rest on their laurels and have to re-tenant their mix and figure out what's the next hot concept."
Galleria general manager Peggy Weaver said new retail centers from the Shops at Legacy in Plano to the Victory project downtown, together with "what we've done and now NorthPark's expansion, this all reinforces that Dallas is a shopping mecca of the Southwest.
"The competition is making us all better for the shopper, and it allows us to keep pulling in the best new retailers to this market," she said.
High-end mall becomes Texas' largest with unveiling of $225 million expansion
By MARIA HALKIAS / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - NorthPark Center takes its place among the nation's exclusive malls Friday, unveiling a $225 million expansion that has been in the works for more than a decade.
The 41-year-old Dallas shopping center joins a handful of U.S. malls with anticipated annual sales of at least $1 billion. At 2.35 million square feet, it's now the largest mall in Texas and one of the five largest in the U.S., according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.
It's where new stores such as American Eagle Outfitters' Martin + Osa and J. Crew spinoffs Crewcuts and Madewell will open first. And it's a beachhead for the European invasion of hot specialty stores that include Intermix and Mango – names known by the most clued-in of fashionistas.
"NorthPark's positioned itself nationally to be in the group of the best of the best luxury centers with South Coast Plaza in California and Bal Harbor in Miami," said Laura Pomerantz, principal of New York's prestigious PBS Realty Advisors, which negotiated leases for David Yurman, Ted Baker London and Stuart Weitzman at NorthPark. "It's a very hands-on and knowledgeable management."
Friday, NorthPark officially opens its fourth side, completing a square that forms the perimeter of an interior park. Many of the new stores, several restaurants and a movie theater will also officially open.
The addition of 1.1 million square feet has redefined the mall, which maintained its position as a favorite shopping destination even as the world around it changed.
NorthPark has been criticized over the years for having no theater, a limited number of eateries and a store mix with few choices for young people. More recently, it and other traditional malls have lost appeal as shoppers have veered toward hip lifestyle centers that offer easy access and an alfresco atmosphere.
Husband and wife owners David Haemisegger and Nancy Nasher have answered the criticisms – down to street-side shopping. NorthPark is the nation's only mall with a sizable park – 1.4 acres – in its belly.
"We've got seating inside and out so people can eat in a grove of trees or let their children run and sit and snack before or after a movie," Ms. Nasher said. "We've known what categories we needed, and we've tried to select the best of the best in each case."
Mr. Haemisegger said that until now, the center wasn't large enough to accommodate the number of stores or the depth of store selection.
"Everyone in Dallas has a piece of the pie, and no one was making the quintessential retail statement," he said. "We always thought we could do it if we had the space."
From November – when the initial Nordstrom wing opened – through the end of this year – when Barneys opens – NorthPark will add 90 stores for a total of 235. Also new is the 15-screen AMC Theater.
Stores are clustered by interest and incomes so that shoppers with a purpose can get in and out fast. Designer brands, for example, will share a corridor with fashion leaders Neiman Marcus, Barneys New York and Nordstrom.
Entrances have been added for more direct access – considered a lifestyle center advantage. This fall, with the completion of Barneys and Robb & Stucky, eight new entrances will be added to the mall's west side.
Youthful appearances
Making it a younger mall was a major goal. NorthPark now has the chains – from Hollister and Delia's to Club Libby Lu and Build-A-Bear – that have sent young people and families to suburban shopping centers.
"They run one of the most productive malls in the U.S. They wanted us, but there was no appropriate space," said Maxine Clark, chairman and chief executive of Build-A-Bear Workshop.
Now with "the broadened kids' mix and the food court, they're able to really expand its reach to more retail beyond high fashion," Ms. Clark said. "The Nashers put a huge amount of planning time, effort and money into making it an even more superior shopping venue. We like to say, 'It's pawsome.' "
The mall's marketing director, Christine Szalay, also scored a coup by snatching away the Kim Dawson Model Search competition from the Galleria.
The new NorthPark is also a date place, according to its owners.
The theaterand many of the mall's new food court tenants and other restaurants will stay open for late-night moviegoers.
Stores will have after-hours lighting for strolling window shoppers, and the valet parking doesn't close until one hour after the last movie is finished or the final call at a restaurant, "whichever is later," Ms. Nasher said.
"We'll almost be a 24/7 operation on the weekends, staying open until 2 a.m. and opening back up at 6 a.m. for the mall walkers," Mr. Haemisegger said.
Shoppers who got a sneak peek this week were enthusiastic about the changes.
"It's now the perfect mall," said Toni Brown, who drives up from Corsicana at least twice a month to shop at NorthPark and the Galleria. "I've traveled and seen many malls, but Dallas has the best options now with NorthPark, and the Galleria keeps getting better."
In the last two years, the Galleria's interior was remodeled, and it added the Grand Lux Café and a Pottery Barn. Two other additions – Grill on the Alley restaurant and a yet-to-be-named store – are also under construction.
Jeffrey C. Paisner, executive managing director of New York-based commercial real estate firm Lansco Corp., which leases many of Manhattan's robust shopping haunts, said he believes the market remains fragmented but points to NorthPark and the Galleria as the two dominant malls the Dallas area.
Luxury 'bell cow'
NorthPark gains an advantage with luxury retailer Barneys, which Mr. Paisner calls "a bell cow because a lot of retailers want to be around Barneys."
"Right now, in other places you can be around Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks and Bloomingdale's, but Barney's is a lot rarer."
Big and small retailers consider the mall important enough to launch new businesses.
Martin + Osa, targeting men and women ages 25 to 40, will open first at NorthPark and three other U.S. malls.
Dallas was chosen because it's one of the top retail markets, and NorthPark was chosen because of its expansion, said chief operating officer Chuck Chupein.
"We chose to be very selective about our initial store locations," he said.
J. Crew chief executive Millard Drexler, who headed Gap Inc. when it expanded with new concepts, said this week that NorthPark is getting the first Madewell. The store will be more casual than J. Crew, with items priced 20 percent to 30 percent lower.
Men's apparel designer Billy Reid is across from Barney's and next to the Apple store and Boss Hugo Boss. That kind of elbow rubbing is going to make a difference for his upscale men's apparel, he said.
"We wanted to be in special places," Mr. Reid said. "Executives from almost every major fashion company in luxury are walking this center right now."
Dallas residents Kelly Pruitt and Sheryl Duncan said they couldn't open their Sheke Boutique in any other mall in the market.
"It's a West Coast concept with contemporary jeans and swimwear – it wouldn't work in the suburbs," Ms. Duncan said. "We like where we are, categorized with other contemporary stores."
NorthPark's expansion is an example for how enclosed malls don't have to be dinosaurs, or second rate to street-level lifestyle centers. In great locations, they don't have to die, analysts said.
"We don't think the mall is dead," said Ms. Pomerantz of PBS Realty Advisors. "There's a place for both the street locations and the shopping centers. Neither can rest on their laurels and have to re-tenant their mix and figure out what's the next hot concept."
Galleria general manager Peggy Weaver said new retail centers from the Shops at Legacy in Plano to the Victory project downtown, together with "what we've done and now NorthPark's expansion, this all reinforces that Dallas is a shopping mecca of the Southwest.
"The competition is making us all better for the shopper, and it allows us to keep pulling in the best new retailers to this market," she said.
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2 dead in apparent murder-suicide
By HOLLY YAN / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas police were called to the scene of an apparent murder-suicide in Far North Dallas on Thursday night.
About 6 p.m., officers received a call about a foul odor coming from a unit at the Keystone Ranch Apartments at 3654 Timberglen Road.
"While the officers were en route, they received another call after a maintenance man made entry and found two bodies in the apartment," Dallas police Sgt. Raymond Beaudreault said.
The man and woman, who were believed to be married and in their 50s, were found with gunshot wounds in the head. The man had a gun in his hand, Sgt. Beaudreault said.
Police said there was no indication of a struggle. The couple's names were not released pending notification of relatives.
Sgt. Beaudreault said the couple may have been dead for days. Neighbors reported hearing the couple arguing last Friday, but several said they heard no gunshots.
By HOLLY YAN / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas police were called to the scene of an apparent murder-suicide in Far North Dallas on Thursday night.
About 6 p.m., officers received a call about a foul odor coming from a unit at the Keystone Ranch Apartments at 3654 Timberglen Road.
"While the officers were en route, they received another call after a maintenance man made entry and found two bodies in the apartment," Dallas police Sgt. Raymond Beaudreault said.
The man and woman, who were believed to be married and in their 50s, were found with gunshot wounds in the head. The man had a gun in his hand, Sgt. Beaudreault said.
Police said there was no indication of a struggle. The couple's names were not released pending notification of relatives.
Sgt. Beaudreault said the couple may have been dead for days. Neighbors reported hearing the couple arguing last Friday, but several said they heard no gunshots.
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State owes, but it won't pay up
$13.2 million in unpaid bills frustrates creditors, lawmakers
By CHRISTY HOPPE / The Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN, Texas – The state has knowingly stiffed creditors and those owed large court judgments for the past four years, refusing to pay bills that legislators fully acknowledge are legitimate.
As of last month, the creditors list had reached 925 claims worth $13.2 million. And the amount is growing, as more claims come in and court judgments gather interest.
"We have chosen not to pay," Rep. Jim Pitts, who leads the House's budget-writing committee, said Thursday.
One of the creditors is the city of Bryan, owed $273,000 for utility work it provided for the state in 1999.
"We could always utilize that kind of money," said city finance director Kathy Davidson. "Anybody else, we would have cut off. They would be in the dark, literally."
But to a large extent, the state is immune.
Up until 2001, the Legislature routinely created a catchall spending measure, called the miscellaneous claims bill. Claims deemed legitimate that were more than $25,000 or more than four years old – sometimes the amounts owed were lost receipts or discovered belatedly through audits – were listed in the bill.
In addition, any final court judgments against the state that exceeded $250,000, usually involving discrimination or harassment suits filed by state employees, had to be approved specifically by the Legislature through the claims bill.
"We haven't had the miscellaneous claims bill go anywhere in the past two sessions," said Mr. Pitts, a Waxahachie Republican. "It was one of those things. The priority has been to balance our budget. Then it was education. So it hasn't been one of our high priorities."
Even now, with a budget surplus of more than $8 billion, the bills will probably remain unpaid.
Mr. Pitts said the Legislature is merely exercising its discretion. But he intends to create a special Appropriations Committee subcommittee during next year's regular session to examine the miscellaneous claims – likely by then to exceed 1,000 – and recommend action.
Other members of his panel expressed aggravation that so many claims have been left outstanding for so long.
"This is a terrible example," said Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon, D-San Antonio.
Rep. Glenn Hegar, R-Katy, agreed.
"I'm amazed we have [so many claims] and we don't pay people. I just can't believe that," he said. "If we lost, we lost. We owe somebody money."
The two pending court judgments that the state has refused to pay are costing more all the time, because interest accumulates on any judgment that goes unpaid from the time the court first awarded the payment.
In the case of Patricia King, a state prison employee, her 2000 judgment has gone from the $340,000 for damages and attorneys fees to $640,000.
Ms. King reported to authorities in 1999 that for 10 months, she withstood blatant sexual harassment by her boss.
An internal investigation substantiated her claims, and the warden punished the offending employee with a two-day suspension, said Melinda Bozarth, general counsel for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Ms. King was dissatisfied with the disciplinary action and sued the state. In November 2000, a jury awarded her $250,000, Ms. Bozarth said.
The state appealed and lost. It has refused to pay the claim, although interest on the judgment has been accruing at a rate of 10 percent annually, compounded daily.
Because of those interest costs, Mr. Pitts is sponsoring a separate bill during the current special session to satisfy the claim, but it has yet to be considered by the full House and Senate.
"This is a difficult pill to swallow," said R. John Cullar, a Waco lawyer who has represented Ms. King.
He said that even though his client was vindicated, she is still being punished by the state. "It makes you question the process," he said.
He noted the state's $8.2 billion surplus and said that it is not just his client who is being frustrated, but many cities, counties and other public entities.
"It might be part of the process where the Legislature says we don't raise taxes, but the local entities might have to," Mr. Cullar said. "When I have a bill, I have to pay it."
Austin attorney Paul Matula also has a client who has won a final judgment amounting to $400,000 against the state. It has earned $22,000 in interest, which continues to accrue at $55 a day.
"It's difficult to negotiate with a party who never has to pay. It unfairly tilts the system against an employee who has been discriminated against," Mr. Matula said.
In his case, a woman was fired from the Texas Rehabilitation Commission after reporting sexual harassment by her boss.
"It's extremely frustrating for the state to say they don't have to pay," Mr. Matula said. "There is no accountability when a jury determines they've broken the law."
$13.2 million in unpaid bills frustrates creditors, lawmakers
By CHRISTY HOPPE / The Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN, Texas – The state has knowingly stiffed creditors and those owed large court judgments for the past four years, refusing to pay bills that legislators fully acknowledge are legitimate.
As of last month, the creditors list had reached 925 claims worth $13.2 million. And the amount is growing, as more claims come in and court judgments gather interest.
"We have chosen not to pay," Rep. Jim Pitts, who leads the House's budget-writing committee, said Thursday.
One of the creditors is the city of Bryan, owed $273,000 for utility work it provided for the state in 1999.
"We could always utilize that kind of money," said city finance director Kathy Davidson. "Anybody else, we would have cut off. They would be in the dark, literally."
But to a large extent, the state is immune.
Up until 2001, the Legislature routinely created a catchall spending measure, called the miscellaneous claims bill. Claims deemed legitimate that were more than $25,000 or more than four years old – sometimes the amounts owed were lost receipts or discovered belatedly through audits – were listed in the bill.
In addition, any final court judgments against the state that exceeded $250,000, usually involving discrimination or harassment suits filed by state employees, had to be approved specifically by the Legislature through the claims bill.
"We haven't had the miscellaneous claims bill go anywhere in the past two sessions," said Mr. Pitts, a Waxahachie Republican. "It was one of those things. The priority has been to balance our budget. Then it was education. So it hasn't been one of our high priorities."
Even now, with a budget surplus of more than $8 billion, the bills will probably remain unpaid.
Mr. Pitts said the Legislature is merely exercising its discretion. But he intends to create a special Appropriations Committee subcommittee during next year's regular session to examine the miscellaneous claims – likely by then to exceed 1,000 – and recommend action.
Other members of his panel expressed aggravation that so many claims have been left outstanding for so long.
"This is a terrible example," said Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon, D-San Antonio.
Rep. Glenn Hegar, R-Katy, agreed.
"I'm amazed we have [so many claims] and we don't pay people. I just can't believe that," he said. "If we lost, we lost. We owe somebody money."
The two pending court judgments that the state has refused to pay are costing more all the time, because interest accumulates on any judgment that goes unpaid from the time the court first awarded the payment.
In the case of Patricia King, a state prison employee, her 2000 judgment has gone from the $340,000 for damages and attorneys fees to $640,000.
Ms. King reported to authorities in 1999 that for 10 months, she withstood blatant sexual harassment by her boss.
An internal investigation substantiated her claims, and the warden punished the offending employee with a two-day suspension, said Melinda Bozarth, general counsel for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Ms. King was dissatisfied with the disciplinary action and sued the state. In November 2000, a jury awarded her $250,000, Ms. Bozarth said.
The state appealed and lost. It has refused to pay the claim, although interest on the judgment has been accruing at a rate of 10 percent annually, compounded daily.
Because of those interest costs, Mr. Pitts is sponsoring a separate bill during the current special session to satisfy the claim, but it has yet to be considered by the full House and Senate.
"This is a difficult pill to swallow," said R. John Cullar, a Waco lawyer who has represented Ms. King.
He said that even though his client was vindicated, she is still being punished by the state. "It makes you question the process," he said.
He noted the state's $8.2 billion surplus and said that it is not just his client who is being frustrated, but many cities, counties and other public entities.
"It might be part of the process where the Legislature says we don't raise taxes, but the local entities might have to," Mr. Cullar said. "When I have a bill, I have to pay it."
Austin attorney Paul Matula also has a client who has won a final judgment amounting to $400,000 against the state. It has earned $22,000 in interest, which continues to accrue at $55 a day.
"It's difficult to negotiate with a party who never has to pay. It unfairly tilts the system against an employee who has been discriminated against," Mr. Matula said.
In his case, a woman was fired from the Texas Rehabilitation Commission after reporting sexual harassment by her boss.
"It's extremely frustrating for the state to say they don't have to pay," Mr. Matula said. "There is no accountability when a jury determines they've broken the law."
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TexasStooge
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Toddlers wounded in drive-by shooting
By CAROL CAVAZOS / WFAA ABC 8
ARLINGTON, Texas — Two toddlers were clinging to life Friday morning after being wounded in a drive-by shooting.
Police said shots were fired into a front bedroom of a house in the 2000 block of East Mitchell Street around 4 a.m. The bullets struck two-year-old Daisy Prado and her six-month-old brother Jesse, who were sleeping in the room.
"Numerous shots were fired, certainly more than the two that hit the children," said Arlington police spokesman Lt. Blake Miller.
Julian Garza, who lives next door, said he heard the cries for help from Christina Arredondo, the 20-year-old mother of the wounded children.
"The neighbor came around yelling and crying that her babies had been shot," Garza said. "We comforted her, took the bebies in, called the ambulance and everything and took care of the babies until the ambulance got here."
Daisy was taken to Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth. Jesse was rushed to Children's Medical Center Dallas. Both were reported in critical condition.
Relative Janice Cervantes, who lives nearby, said the childrens' father—Jesus "Jesse" Prado, 24—was at a nightclub in Dallas and apparently got into a confrontation with some acquaintances who threatened to shoot up his house.
Cervantes said her husband, Victor Mendoza, woke up during a thunderstorm and then heard the shots outside the victims' home.
"He called his brother Jesse ... and he was at the nightclub," she said. "He told him somebody shot at his family."
Two men and a woman were in custody in connection with the shooting. Lt. Miller said they were being questioned and that a weapon had been recovered. Charges were pending.
"Daisy is really messed up," said Obdulia Prado, the victims' grandmother. "We didn't hurt nobody. I don't know why they came and shot. I hope this stops; I don't want to lose my baby girl."
Dallas Morning News staff writer Debra Dennis contributed to this report.
By CAROL CAVAZOS / WFAA ABC 8
ARLINGTON, Texas — Two toddlers were clinging to life Friday morning after being wounded in a drive-by shooting.
Police said shots were fired into a front bedroom of a house in the 2000 block of East Mitchell Street around 4 a.m. The bullets struck two-year-old Daisy Prado and her six-month-old brother Jesse, who were sleeping in the room.
"Numerous shots were fired, certainly more than the two that hit the children," said Arlington police spokesman Lt. Blake Miller.
Julian Garza, who lives next door, said he heard the cries for help from Christina Arredondo, the 20-year-old mother of the wounded children.
"The neighbor came around yelling and crying that her babies had been shot," Garza said. "We comforted her, took the bebies in, called the ambulance and everything and took care of the babies until the ambulance got here."
Daisy was taken to Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth. Jesse was rushed to Children's Medical Center Dallas. Both were reported in critical condition.
Relative Janice Cervantes, who lives nearby, said the childrens' father—Jesus "Jesse" Prado, 24—was at a nightclub in Dallas and apparently got into a confrontation with some acquaintances who threatened to shoot up his house.
Cervantes said her husband, Victor Mendoza, woke up during a thunderstorm and then heard the shots outside the victims' home.
"He called his brother Jesse ... and he was at the nightclub," she said. "He told him somebody shot at his family."
Two men and a woman were in custody in connection with the shooting. Lt. Miller said they were being questioned and that a weapon had been recovered. Charges were pending.
"Daisy is really messed up," said Obdulia Prado, the victims' grandmother. "We didn't hurt nobody. I don't know why they came and shot. I hope this stops; I don't want to lose my baby girl."
Dallas Morning News staff writer Debra Dennis contributed to this report.
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BREAKING NEWS: Traffic Alert
HURST, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A semi-trailer and at least three other vehicles have been involved in a crash in the northbound lanes of Loop 820 just south of Northeast Mall.
Real-time Dallas/Ft. Worth Traffic Reports from Traffic Pulse
HURST, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A semi-trailer and at least three other vehicles have been involved in a crash in the northbound lanes of Loop 820 just south of Northeast Mall.
Real-time Dallas/Ft. Worth Traffic Reports from Traffic Pulse
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17-year-old arrested for indecency with child
By TIARA ELLIS / The Dallas Morning News
FRISCO, Texas - Frisco police arrested a Carrollton high school junior Friday morning for allegedly fondling a 12-year-old boy Sunday while at a Frisco church, officials said.
Kenneth Alexander Mills, 17, who sometimes goes by “Alex,” is accused of grabbing the boy’s private area during a choir party at Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, according to Frisco police reports.
Neither Mr. Mills nor his parents could be reached for comment.
The 12-year-old boy, who is not being identified because of his age and The Dallas Morning News’ policy to not name potential sexual assault victims, ran up to his mother at church Sunday and asked her “if Alex was gay,” according to the probable cause affidavit filed for Mr. Mills’ arrest.
The boy’s mother asked why he would think that. The child said that Mr. Mills had rubbed his legs and grabbed his private area, the report said.
The boy’s mother told police that when she called the church to report the incident Monday, she was told that this was the third such incident with Mr. Mills, according to a police report.
Stonebriar church officials said they were notified that “one of the youth in the choir had been inappropriate with two other members of the youth choir,” and called a meeting Monday to address the issue with the parents of the boys, according to a written statement read by the church’s senior executive director of ministry resources, Carol Spencer, Friday afternoon.
They also called Child Protective Services, she said.
“We are all praying for those families and praying about this situation,” Ms. Spencer said.
Mr. Mills, a junior at R.L. Turner High School in Carrollton, turned himself into police Friday morning. He was charged with indecency with a child, a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison, if convicted.
Mr. Mills reported to the Collin County Jail at 11:50 a.m., paid a $5,000 bail, and was released at 2 p.m., said Collin County Sheriff spokesman Lt. John Norton.
The boy told officials at the Collin County Children’s Advocacy Center that Mr. Mills started touching him in January or February. At first he thought Mr. Mills was accidentally touching his private area. But he said the teenager continued to touch him even when he told him to stop, according to the police affidavit.
The boy told police that there could be other victims, but he could not name anyone else.
Frisco police are investigating the incident and ask that anyone with information call 972 335-5505.
By TIARA ELLIS / The Dallas Morning News
FRISCO, Texas - Frisco police arrested a Carrollton high school junior Friday morning for allegedly fondling a 12-year-old boy Sunday while at a Frisco church, officials said.
Kenneth Alexander Mills, 17, who sometimes goes by “Alex,” is accused of grabbing the boy’s private area during a choir party at Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, according to Frisco police reports.
Neither Mr. Mills nor his parents could be reached for comment.
The 12-year-old boy, who is not being identified because of his age and The Dallas Morning News’ policy to not name potential sexual assault victims, ran up to his mother at church Sunday and asked her “if Alex was gay,” according to the probable cause affidavit filed for Mr. Mills’ arrest.
The boy’s mother asked why he would think that. The child said that Mr. Mills had rubbed his legs and grabbed his private area, the report said.
The boy’s mother told police that when she called the church to report the incident Monday, she was told that this was the third such incident with Mr. Mills, according to a police report.
Stonebriar church officials said they were notified that “one of the youth in the choir had been inappropriate with two other members of the youth choir,” and called a meeting Monday to address the issue with the parents of the boys, according to a written statement read by the church’s senior executive director of ministry resources, Carol Spencer, Friday afternoon.
They also called Child Protective Services, she said.
“We are all praying for those families and praying about this situation,” Ms. Spencer said.
Mr. Mills, a junior at R.L. Turner High School in Carrollton, turned himself into police Friday morning. He was charged with indecency with a child, a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison, if convicted.
Mr. Mills reported to the Collin County Jail at 11:50 a.m., paid a $5,000 bail, and was released at 2 p.m., said Collin County Sheriff spokesman Lt. John Norton.
The boy told officials at the Collin County Children’s Advocacy Center that Mr. Mills started touching him in January or February. At first he thought Mr. Mills was accidentally touching his private area. But he said the teenager continued to touch him even when he told him to stop, according to the police affidavit.
The boy told police that there could be other victims, but he could not name anyone else.
Frisco police are investigating the incident and ask that anyone with information call 972 335-5505.
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New 'safe' gorilla exhibit opens at Dallas Zoo
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) -- Two years after a 340-pound gorilla leaped out of his enclosure and attacked three people before being shot dead, the Dallas Zoo is reopening part of the exhibit with new safeguards, including higher walls topped with electrified wire.
A western lowland gorilla named Jabari jumped over 12-foot walls in a 2004 escape that resulted in a nationwide rethinking of gorilla exhibits. During about 40 minutes on the loose, the 13-year-old animal bit a toddler and two others before police killed the animal.
"The whole industry was taken aback, and everyone re-evaluated what they had," said zoo director Rick Buickerood. "You don't ever get past anything like that -- it's such a vivid memory -- but we have certainly used it as a springboard to make a lot of changes."
A cooperative that manages gorilla populations at more than 200 U.S. zoos rewrote gorilla care and housing guidelines. They are still under discussion and due out later this year, said the plan's secretary and treasurer Kimberly Davidson.
The Dallas exhibit closed briefly and the zoo spent $2.2 million to renovate its exhibit, half of which opens Saturday. The full exhibit opens in June.
Workers have raised the enclosure's walls to 15 feet, Buickerood said. Boulders and shrubs serve as speed bumps to prevent gorillas from executing a running jump. Electrified wire, disguised as foliage, lines the tops of the walls as an added deterrent.
After Jabari's escape, zoo officials conducted a three-month investigation and found that Jabari got a running start and sailed over a 12-foot-wide trench, clearing the wall and an electrical wire atop it that is supposed to give a mild shock.
Some experts speculate Jabari may have been doing a "display run," a showy charge that younger males perform for females or other audiences. Others say he could have been motivated by fear, anger or desire to breed.
Dallas Zoo officials could not find evidence of human error, such as open doors, or any objects that could have aided his escape.
Davidson, also assistant director of the Utah Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City, said the Dallas Zoo's walls are now taller than any other open-air gorilla exhibit in the country.
The renovation also added higher vantage points and glassed-in viewing areas where visitors can interact with the zoo's four remaining gorillas. Zoo workers believe more contact between humans and gorillas will help people to understand that they are actually gentle creatures.
During the renovation, the other gorillas have lived indoors for nearly a year.
Jenny, Hercules, Timbo and Patrick spent Thursday meandering around their quarters.
Jenny, the oldest at age 52, rolled on her back and picked her nose. Gorillas do that when they are relaxed, said senior keeper Keith Zdrojewski. Timbo threw hay through the fence, Patrick puffed up and slammed the bars, and Hercules just stared.
The gorillas should enjoy the new viewing areas because they entertain themselves by people-watching, caretakers said.
Zdrojewski, who trained Jabari for four years, said the fallen gorilla's legacy is the new facility, which he hopes fosters a better understanding of the animals' behavior. Zoo officials will plant a tree in the exhibit this weekend to commemorate Jabari.
Jabari probably wanted to see the outside world but panicked after his escape, Zdrojewski said. Jabari could have easily killed onlookers, but instead bit and snatched at them to assert his dominance, typical behavior for a gorilla.
Even with all the improvements, Davidson and Buickerood say they cannot promise a gorilla will not escape again.
"We all think it was a fluke thing, but in this business, you expect the unexpected," Buickerood said. "You never get complacent."
Last year three families sued the city of Dallas, saying Jabari's escape has cost them tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills and caused long-lasting emotional trauma.
The lawsuits say the city was negligent because it did not have a tranquilizer gun ready and did not try to recapture or sedate the gorilla quickly. The lawsuits also claim the city created an unreasonable risk of escape by providing an inadequate enclosure.
In addition, 18 people have filed liability claims against the city.
The city, which has denied the suits' allegations, paid a $10,000 fine to the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a penalty for the escape.
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) -- Two years after a 340-pound gorilla leaped out of his enclosure and attacked three people before being shot dead, the Dallas Zoo is reopening part of the exhibit with new safeguards, including higher walls topped with electrified wire.
A western lowland gorilla named Jabari jumped over 12-foot walls in a 2004 escape that resulted in a nationwide rethinking of gorilla exhibits. During about 40 minutes on the loose, the 13-year-old animal bit a toddler and two others before police killed the animal.
"The whole industry was taken aback, and everyone re-evaluated what they had," said zoo director Rick Buickerood. "You don't ever get past anything like that -- it's such a vivid memory -- but we have certainly used it as a springboard to make a lot of changes."
A cooperative that manages gorilla populations at more than 200 U.S. zoos rewrote gorilla care and housing guidelines. They are still under discussion and due out later this year, said the plan's secretary and treasurer Kimberly Davidson.
The Dallas exhibit closed briefly and the zoo spent $2.2 million to renovate its exhibit, half of which opens Saturday. The full exhibit opens in June.
Workers have raised the enclosure's walls to 15 feet, Buickerood said. Boulders and shrubs serve as speed bumps to prevent gorillas from executing a running jump. Electrified wire, disguised as foliage, lines the tops of the walls as an added deterrent.
After Jabari's escape, zoo officials conducted a three-month investigation and found that Jabari got a running start and sailed over a 12-foot-wide trench, clearing the wall and an electrical wire atop it that is supposed to give a mild shock.
Some experts speculate Jabari may have been doing a "display run," a showy charge that younger males perform for females or other audiences. Others say he could have been motivated by fear, anger or desire to breed.
Dallas Zoo officials could not find evidence of human error, such as open doors, or any objects that could have aided his escape.
Davidson, also assistant director of the Utah Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City, said the Dallas Zoo's walls are now taller than any other open-air gorilla exhibit in the country.
The renovation also added higher vantage points and glassed-in viewing areas where visitors can interact with the zoo's four remaining gorillas. Zoo workers believe more contact between humans and gorillas will help people to understand that they are actually gentle creatures.
During the renovation, the other gorillas have lived indoors for nearly a year.
Jenny, Hercules, Timbo and Patrick spent Thursday meandering around their quarters.
Jenny, the oldest at age 52, rolled on her back and picked her nose. Gorillas do that when they are relaxed, said senior keeper Keith Zdrojewski. Timbo threw hay through the fence, Patrick puffed up and slammed the bars, and Hercules just stared.
The gorillas should enjoy the new viewing areas because they entertain themselves by people-watching, caretakers said.
Zdrojewski, who trained Jabari for four years, said the fallen gorilla's legacy is the new facility, which he hopes fosters a better understanding of the animals' behavior. Zoo officials will plant a tree in the exhibit this weekend to commemorate Jabari.
Jabari probably wanted to see the outside world but panicked after his escape, Zdrojewski said. Jabari could have easily killed onlookers, but instead bit and snatched at them to assert his dominance, typical behavior for a gorilla.
Even with all the improvements, Davidson and Buickerood say they cannot promise a gorilla will not escape again.
"We all think it was a fluke thing, but in this business, you expect the unexpected," Buickerood said. "You never get complacent."
Last year three families sued the city of Dallas, saying Jabari's escape has cost them tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills and caused long-lasting emotional trauma.
The lawsuits say the city was negligent because it did not have a tranquilizer gun ready and did not try to recapture or sedate the gorilla quickly. The lawsuits also claim the city created an unreasonable risk of escape by providing an inadequate enclosure.
In addition, 18 people have filed liability claims against the city.
The city, which has denied the suits' allegations, paid a $10,000 fine to the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a penalty for the escape.
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TexasStooge
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Three arrested in drive-by shooting case
By CAROL CAVAZOS / WFAA ABC 8
ARLINGTON, Texas — Three suspects were charged with attempted murder after a drive-by shooting that wounded two toddlers early Friday.
Police said shots were fired into a front bedroom of a house in the 2000 block of East Mitchell Street around 4 a.m. The bullets struck two-year-old Daisy Prado and her 13-month-old brother Jesse, who were sleeping in the room.
"Numerous shots were fired, certainly more than the two that hit the children," said Arlington police spokesman Lt. Blake Miller.
Julian Garza, who lives next door, said he heard the cries for help from Christina Arredondo, the 20-year-old mother of the wounded children.
"The neighbor came around yelling and crying that her babies had been shot," Garza said. "We comforted her, took the bebies in, called the ambulance and everything and took care of the babies until the ambulance got here."
Daisy was taken to Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, where she underwent surgery for a gunshot wound to the head. She was reported in critical condition.
Jesse, who was shot in the arm, was rushed to Children's Medical Center Dallas. He was listed in good condition.
Relative Janice Cervantes, who lives nearby, said the childrens' father—Jesus "Jesse" Prado, 24—was at the DMX nightclub in Dallas and apparently got into a confrontation with some acquaintances who threatened to shoot up his house.
Cervantes said her husband, Victor Mendoza, woke up during a thunderstorm and then heard the shots outside the victims' home.
"He called his brother Jesse ... and he was at the nightclub," she said. "He told him somebody shot at his family."
Two men and a woman were in custody in connection with the shooting, each charged with criminal attempted murder:
• Ely Adrianna Almendariz, 20, , of Arlington
• Henry Noel Gabrillo, 24, of Arlington
• Pedro Ariel Lucio, 24, of Arlington
Lt. Miller said the suspects were apprehended in a brown Chevrolet Suburban less than a mile from the crime scene.
"Something the detectives are looking into right now ... is this something that was festering for a long time, or is it all because of what happened at the club last night?" Lt. Miller said.
"Daisy is really messed up," said Obdulia Prado, the victims' grandmother. She said a bullet hit her in the skull.
"We didn't hurt nobody. I don't know why they came and shot," Prado said. I hope this stops; I don't want to lose my baby girl."
Dallas Morning News staff writer Debra Dennis contributed to this report.
By CAROL CAVAZOS / WFAA ABC 8
ARLINGTON, Texas — Three suspects were charged with attempted murder after a drive-by shooting that wounded two toddlers early Friday.
Police said shots were fired into a front bedroom of a house in the 2000 block of East Mitchell Street around 4 a.m. The bullets struck two-year-old Daisy Prado and her 13-month-old brother Jesse, who were sleeping in the room.
"Numerous shots were fired, certainly more than the two that hit the children," said Arlington police spokesman Lt. Blake Miller.
Julian Garza, who lives next door, said he heard the cries for help from Christina Arredondo, the 20-year-old mother of the wounded children.
"The neighbor came around yelling and crying that her babies had been shot," Garza said. "We comforted her, took the bebies in, called the ambulance and everything and took care of the babies until the ambulance got here."
Daisy was taken to Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, where she underwent surgery for a gunshot wound to the head. She was reported in critical condition.
Jesse, who was shot in the arm, was rushed to Children's Medical Center Dallas. He was listed in good condition.
Relative Janice Cervantes, who lives nearby, said the childrens' father—Jesus "Jesse" Prado, 24—was at the DMX nightclub in Dallas and apparently got into a confrontation with some acquaintances who threatened to shoot up his house.
Cervantes said her husband, Victor Mendoza, woke up during a thunderstorm and then heard the shots outside the victims' home.
"He called his brother Jesse ... and he was at the nightclub," she said. "He told him somebody shot at his family."
Two men and a woman were in custody in connection with the shooting, each charged with criminal attempted murder:
• Ely Adrianna Almendariz, 20, , of Arlington
• Henry Noel Gabrillo, 24, of Arlington
• Pedro Ariel Lucio, 24, of Arlington
Lt. Miller said the suspects were apprehended in a brown Chevrolet Suburban less than a mile from the crime scene.
"Something the detectives are looking into right now ... is this something that was festering for a long time, or is it all because of what happened at the club last night?" Lt. Miller said.
"Daisy is really messed up," said Obdulia Prado, the victims' grandmother. She said a bullet hit her in the skull.
"We didn't hurt nobody. I don't know why they came and shot," Prado said. I hope this stops; I don't want to lose my baby girl."
Dallas Morning News staff writer Debra Dennis contributed to this report.
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TexasStooge
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Police probe alleged crucifix attack
By DAN RONAN / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - A dispute between two neighbors just north of Fair Park has others in the East Dallas community shaking their heads.
Residents say a man in the 5300 block of Lindsley Ave. regularly "preaches" to those who live along the street; he's been sharing his strong religious beliefs like this for years.
Now Hailu Mesfun's message has allgedly turned violent.
Dallas police are investigating an assault charge. The weapon used was a large metal cross.
Annette Chavez showed News 8 the cut above her eye, where she says she was struck by the cross.
"It's right here, and it's deep," she said. "I actually had the ambulance come out and check."
Chavez and several witnesses said Mesfun began yelling at his neighbors, telling them they were "sinners." He said if they did not repent, they would go to hell.
"He just talks about God and how God is going to save us," said neighbor Perla Abelino.
Chavez said she politely told Mesfun to mind his own business. She said she had listened to his speeches for seven years and had had enough.
The next thing she said she remembers was a five-inch cross coming at her head. Carmen Rodriguez saw what happened. "He threw a kind of steel thing," she said. "It was a crucifix that hit her."
"He aimed to hurt somebody, and it was me," Chavez said.
News 8 attempted to speak with Mesfun. Neighbors said he's always home, but if he was inside, he wasn't opening the door.
Police said the alleged attack on Chavez is an aggravated assault.
Neighbors—including the owner of a nearby convenience store—said tensions on Lindsley Ave. are increasing over Mesfun's alleged behavior.
Annette Chavez is now avoiding her neighbor, and planning to seek a restraining order. "I just want to stop this before it gets any further," she said.
Hailu Mesfun does not appear to have a criminal record. The cross involved in the attack was being held by police for evidence.
By DAN RONAN / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - A dispute between two neighbors just north of Fair Park has others in the East Dallas community shaking their heads.
Residents say a man in the 5300 block of Lindsley Ave. regularly "preaches" to those who live along the street; he's been sharing his strong religious beliefs like this for years.
Now Hailu Mesfun's message has allgedly turned violent.
Dallas police are investigating an assault charge. The weapon used was a large metal cross.
Annette Chavez showed News 8 the cut above her eye, where she says she was struck by the cross.
"It's right here, and it's deep," she said. "I actually had the ambulance come out and check."
Chavez and several witnesses said Mesfun began yelling at his neighbors, telling them they were "sinners." He said if they did not repent, they would go to hell.
"He just talks about God and how God is going to save us," said neighbor Perla Abelino.
Chavez said she politely told Mesfun to mind his own business. She said she had listened to his speeches for seven years and had had enough.
The next thing she said she remembers was a five-inch cross coming at her head. Carmen Rodriguez saw what happened. "He threw a kind of steel thing," she said. "It was a crucifix that hit her."
"He aimed to hurt somebody, and it was me," Chavez said.
News 8 attempted to speak with Mesfun. Neighbors said he's always home, but if he was inside, he wasn't opening the door.
Police said the alleged attack on Chavez is an aggravated assault.
Neighbors—including the owner of a nearby convenience store—said tensions on Lindsley Ave. are increasing over Mesfun's alleged behavior.
Annette Chavez is now avoiding her neighbor, and planning to seek a restraining order. "I just want to stop this before it gets any further," she said.
Hailu Mesfun does not appear to have a criminal record. The cross involved in the attack was being held by police for evidence.
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TexasStooge
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TexasStooge
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Dallas man, 82, kidnapped for car
Carol Cavazos, WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - An 82-year-old man, carjacked from a grocery store parking lot in Dallas on Saturday, is recovering after his long ordeal.
Robert Benat was taken to Baylor Medical center after he was found walking along south Kaufman Street in Seagoville.
Police say the confrontation began on the 100 block of St. Augustine Road in Pleasant Grove.
"I got my letter mailed. I went to get back in the car, he tried to get in," said Benat. "I put up a fight with him. It didn't do me no good."
The elderly man was cut on the side of the face when he wrestled with is captor but wasn't seriously injured.
Benat says he talked his abductor into dropping him off.
"I ask him if he went to church and he said, yes. I said, you sure you do? He didn't get excited and I didn't get excited. We just drove down the street."
He was dropped off and a woman picked him up.
While doctors worked Benat, his step-son worked on the locks at home.
The suspect may still be driving his car which is a 4-door Chevy Malibu. He took $10 from Benat but let him keep his wallet. Benat also lost his glasses.
"Didn't take my driver's license. I had a couple of checks. Didn't take my lottery ticket," the 82-year-old added.
Carol Cavazos, WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - An 82-year-old man, carjacked from a grocery store parking lot in Dallas on Saturday, is recovering after his long ordeal.
Robert Benat was taken to Baylor Medical center after he was found walking along south Kaufman Street in Seagoville.
Police say the confrontation began on the 100 block of St. Augustine Road in Pleasant Grove.
"I got my letter mailed. I went to get back in the car, he tried to get in," said Benat. "I put up a fight with him. It didn't do me no good."
The elderly man was cut on the side of the face when he wrestled with is captor but wasn't seriously injured.
Benat says he talked his abductor into dropping him off.
"I ask him if he went to church and he said, yes. I said, you sure you do? He didn't get excited and I didn't get excited. We just drove down the street."
He was dropped off and a woman picked him up.
While doctors worked Benat, his step-son worked on the locks at home.
The suspect may still be driving his car which is a 4-door Chevy Malibu. He took $10 from Benat but let him keep his wallet. Benat also lost his glasses.
"Didn't take my driver's license. I had a couple of checks. Didn't take my lottery ticket," the 82-year-old added.
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