Farmers Branch chief promises apology amid departure rumor
By STEPHANIE SANDOVAL / The Dallas Morning News
FARMERS BRANCH, Texas - Farmers Branch Police Chief Jimmy Fawcett is scheduled to make a public apology Tuesday for insensitive comments he made last month about hiring people of Vietnamese heritage, city officials said Monday.
Several current and former Farmers Branch police officers said word had gotten around the Police Department that the chief had cleared out his office on Sunday and left a resignation letter on his desk, but city officials denied rumors the chief had resigned his post on Sunday.
The chief has not announced any plans to quit or retire, city officials said.
“I understand he has removed some personal belongings from his office,” city Communications Director Tom Bryson said. “But city management has not received a resignation letter.”
His apology is scheduled for 10 a.m. in Council Chambers at Farmers Branch City Hall.
Chief Fawcett returns to work Tuesday for the first time since he was suspended without pay for 10 days for the comment, made to members of the department’s Oral Review Board on Dec. 14 when they convened to interview police job applicants. One of those candidates was of Vietnamese heritage.
The chief was on paid vacation leave from Dec. 16 to Jan. 4. His suspension began Jan. 5. He was expected to return to duty on Jan. 19 and make a public apology then, but he took additional vacation days.
The suspension was officially for violating city policy concerning professional conduct with the actions and remarks to the review board “concerning the hiring of Vietnamese,” according to his suspension notice, which was obtained through an open records request.
“Additionally, this action is being taken to fulfill the City’s commitment to a work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity and ensure equal employment opportunity, without discrimination or harassment,” the notice said.
The Police Department’s hiring process is still ongoing and in the “serious background” check stage, said Matthew Boyle, one of the city’s attorneys.
Thinh Nguyen of Irving, the Vietnamese-American applicant who was to be interviewed that day, is one of two remaining candidates, Mr. Boyle said.
The Police Department has four officer positions vacant, Mr. Bryson said.
Chief Fawcett has been with the department for 32 years, the last 15 as chief, and city officials said he had a previously unblemished record.
News from the Lone Star State
Moderator: S2k Moderators
-
TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
-
TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
TRAFFIC ALERT
GARLAND, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/Traffic Pulse Networks) - A disabled 18-wheeler is causing a large backup on westbound LBJ Freeway at Centerville Road.
Live Traffic Reports from Traffic Pulse.
GARLAND, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/Traffic Pulse Networks) - A disabled 18-wheeler is causing a large backup on westbound LBJ Freeway at Centerville Road.
Live Traffic Reports from Traffic Pulse.
0 likes
-
TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Three arrests in stolen dynamite case
WEATHERFORD, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - The Parker County Sheriff's Department said Tuesday more than 100 sticks of dynamite stolen from a quarry south of Weatherford over the weekend have been recovered, and three suspects were in custody.
The explosives were reported missing on Monday after Crushed Stone, Inc. found someone had used a torch to break into a locked steel container at the rock quarry.
Parker County Sheriff Larry Fowler credited solid police work by deputies, the Texas Rangers and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for cracking the case early Tuesday with the arrests of three Parker County residents.
The sheriff's office said two of the suspects—identified as James Hardin and Brett Garrett—had worked at the quarry and were familiar with storage procedures for the explosives.
The third suspect was identified as Brian Newsome.
No motive for the theft was disclosed.
Officials said the amount of dynamite that was taken was not enough to blow up a building, but could certainly destroy a car or damage a bridge.
WFAA ABC 8
Authorites said around 100 sticks of dynamite were stolen.
WEATHERFORD, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - The Parker County Sheriff's Department said Tuesday more than 100 sticks of dynamite stolen from a quarry south of Weatherford over the weekend have been recovered, and three suspects were in custody.
The explosives were reported missing on Monday after Crushed Stone, Inc. found someone had used a torch to break into a locked steel container at the rock quarry.
Parker County Sheriff Larry Fowler credited solid police work by deputies, the Texas Rangers and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for cracking the case early Tuesday with the arrests of three Parker County residents.
The sheriff's office said two of the suspects—identified as James Hardin and Brett Garrett—had worked at the quarry and were familiar with storage procedures for the explosives.
The third suspect was identified as Brian Newsome.
No motive for the theft was disclosed.
Officials said the amount of dynamite that was taken was not enough to blow up a building, but could certainly destroy a car or damage a bridge.
WFAA ABC 8
Authorites said around 100 sticks of dynamite were stolen.
0 likes
-
TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Man killed outside Dallas nightclub
DALLAS, Texas (The Dallas Morning News) - A 23-year-old Dallas man was shot to death early Tuesday outside a nightclub in the 4600 block of Scyene Road.
Deldrick Gamble was taken to Baylor Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, Dallas police Sr. Cpl. Max Geron said.
Gamble was outside the Struggling Lady II Club around 2 a.m. when two groups of people began a confrontation and exchanged gunfire, Geron said.
Police do not have a suspect but were continuing to investigate.
"We have a number of witnesses and hope to know more later," Geron said.
DALLAS, Texas (The Dallas Morning News) - A 23-year-old Dallas man was shot to death early Tuesday outside a nightclub in the 4600 block of Scyene Road.
Deldrick Gamble was taken to Baylor Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, Dallas police Sr. Cpl. Max Geron said.
Gamble was outside the Struggling Lady II Club around 2 a.m. when two groups of people began a confrontation and exchanged gunfire, Geron said.
Police do not have a suspect but were continuing to investigate.
"We have a number of witnesses and hope to know more later," Geron said.
0 likes
-
TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Officers clash with armed men on border
SIERRA BLANCA, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) -- Men dressed as Mexican Army soldiers, apparent drug suspects and Texas law enforcement officers faced off on the U.S. side of the Rio Grande, an FBI spokeswoman said Tuesday.
Andrea Simmons, an agency spokeswoman in El Paso, told The Associated Press that Texas Department of Public Safety troopers chased three SUVs, believing they were carrying drugs, to the banks of the Rio Grande during Monday's incident.
Men dressed in Mexican military uniforms or camouflage were on the U.S. side of the border in Texas, she said.
Simmons said the FBI was not involved and referred requests for further details to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin of Ontario, Calif., reported Tuesday that the incident included an armed standoff involving the Mexican military, suspected drug smugglers and nearly 30 U.S. law enforcement officers. It said Mexican military Humvees were towing what appeared to be thousands of pounds of marijuana across the border into the United States.
The incident follows a story in the Bulletin on Jan. 15 that said the Mexican military had crossed into the United States more than 200 times since 1996.
Chief Deputy Mike Doyal of the Hudspeth County Sheriff's Department told the newspaper that Border Patrol agents called for backup and were joined by Hudspeth County deputies and DPS troopers. Mexican army personnel had several mounted machine guns on the ground more than 200 yards inside the U.S. border, the newspaper said.
Doyal said deputies captured a Cadillac Escalade that had been reported stolen from El Paso, and found 1,477 pounds of marijuana inside. He said Mexican soldiers set fire to one of the Humvees stuck in the river.
The site is near Neely's Crossing, about 50 miles east of El Paso, it said.
"It's been so bred into everyone not to start an international incident with Mexico that it's been going on for years," Doyal said. "When you're up against mounted machine guns, what can you do? Who wants to pull the trigger first? Certainly not us."
After the newspaper reported on Mexican military crossings, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the report was overblown and most of the incursions were just mistakes.
In eastern California, Arizona and New Mexico, the U.S.-Mexico border is largely unmarked. But in Texas, the Rio Grande separates the two countries and even when dry, is a riverbed about 200 feet wide.
In November, Doyal said Border Patrol agents in the border town of Fort Hancock called for help after confronting more than six men dressed in Mexican military uniforms. The men allegedly were trying to bring more than three tons of marijuana across the Rio Grande, Doyal told the newspaper.
Doyal said such incidents are common at Neely's Crossing.
SIERRA BLANCA, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) -- Men dressed as Mexican Army soldiers, apparent drug suspects and Texas law enforcement officers faced off on the U.S. side of the Rio Grande, an FBI spokeswoman said Tuesday.
Andrea Simmons, an agency spokeswoman in El Paso, told The Associated Press that Texas Department of Public Safety troopers chased three SUVs, believing they were carrying drugs, to the banks of the Rio Grande during Monday's incident.
Men dressed in Mexican military uniforms or camouflage were on the U.S. side of the border in Texas, she said.
Simmons said the FBI was not involved and referred requests for further details to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin of Ontario, Calif., reported Tuesday that the incident included an armed standoff involving the Mexican military, suspected drug smugglers and nearly 30 U.S. law enforcement officers. It said Mexican military Humvees were towing what appeared to be thousands of pounds of marijuana across the border into the United States.
The incident follows a story in the Bulletin on Jan. 15 that said the Mexican military had crossed into the United States more than 200 times since 1996.
Chief Deputy Mike Doyal of the Hudspeth County Sheriff's Department told the newspaper that Border Patrol agents called for backup and were joined by Hudspeth County deputies and DPS troopers. Mexican army personnel had several mounted machine guns on the ground more than 200 yards inside the U.S. border, the newspaper said.
Doyal said deputies captured a Cadillac Escalade that had been reported stolen from El Paso, and found 1,477 pounds of marijuana inside. He said Mexican soldiers set fire to one of the Humvees stuck in the river.
The site is near Neely's Crossing, about 50 miles east of El Paso, it said.
"It's been so bred into everyone not to start an international incident with Mexico that it's been going on for years," Doyal said. "When you're up against mounted machine guns, what can you do? Who wants to pull the trigger first? Certainly not us."
After the newspaper reported on Mexican military crossings, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the report was overblown and most of the incursions were just mistakes.
In eastern California, Arizona and New Mexico, the U.S.-Mexico border is largely unmarked. But in Texas, the Rio Grande separates the two countries and even when dry, is a riverbed about 200 feet wide.
In November, Doyal said Border Patrol agents in the border town of Fort Hancock called for help after confronting more than six men dressed in Mexican military uniforms. The men allegedly were trying to bring more than three tons of marijuana across the Rio Grande, Doyal told the newspaper.
Doyal said such incidents are common at Neely's Crossing.
0 likes
-
TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
After apology, Farmers Branch chief says he will retire
Fawcett was suspended after complaint over racial slur
FARMERS BRANCH, Texas (The Dallas Morning News) - Following his apology for making a racial slur about a job applicant, Farmers Branch Police Chief Jimmy Fawcett announced Tuesday he will retire effective immediately "to enhance the healing process."
Fawcett, a 32-year department veteran who has been chief for 15 years, was suspended on Jan. 5 after a complaint was filed with the city over remarks he made in front of six officers who had convened to interview job applicants. One of the applicants is Vietnamese-American, but neither he nor any of the other applicants were in the room when the comments were made on Dec. 14, city officials said.
Flanked by Mayor Bob Phelps and City Manager Linda Groomer, the chief mentioned his time spent serving in Vietnam 35 years ago.
"I inappropriately used slang terms from that era that were offensive, and unfortunately led some to believe that I have a bias against Vietnamese," Fawcett said. "Let me assure you right now that I have no bias against Vietnamese or any other ethnic group."
The chief's wife of 36 years is of Japanese descent, and they have four children.
He said accepts and respects the swift action that was taken.
"We have enjoyed a stellar reputation for years, and I will commit to restoring that," he said. "The men and women of the police department are professionals who have great pride in our profession, and none of us would ever tolerate discrimination of any kind."
Fawcett will remain on a professional services contract with the city for six months, but will have no direct police responsibilities. City officials said he will be paid $7,500 per month to complete work and documentation on projects in progress, including budgets and city gang prevention efforts.
"Our hope is that we are not judged by the mistakes we have made, but rather by how we are able to rise above them," he said.
Dallas Morning News staff writer Stephanie Sandoval contributed to this report.
Fawcett was suspended after complaint over racial slur
FARMERS BRANCH, Texas (The Dallas Morning News) - Following his apology for making a racial slur about a job applicant, Farmers Branch Police Chief Jimmy Fawcett announced Tuesday he will retire effective immediately "to enhance the healing process."
Fawcett, a 32-year department veteran who has been chief for 15 years, was suspended on Jan. 5 after a complaint was filed with the city over remarks he made in front of six officers who had convened to interview job applicants. One of the applicants is Vietnamese-American, but neither he nor any of the other applicants were in the room when the comments were made on Dec. 14, city officials said.
Flanked by Mayor Bob Phelps and City Manager Linda Groomer, the chief mentioned his time spent serving in Vietnam 35 years ago.
"I inappropriately used slang terms from that era that were offensive, and unfortunately led some to believe that I have a bias against Vietnamese," Fawcett said. "Let me assure you right now that I have no bias against Vietnamese or any other ethnic group."
The chief's wife of 36 years is of Japanese descent, and they have four children.
He said accepts and respects the swift action that was taken.
"We have enjoyed a stellar reputation for years, and I will commit to restoring that," he said. "The men and women of the police department are professionals who have great pride in our profession, and none of us would ever tolerate discrimination of any kind."
Fawcett will remain on a professional services contract with the city for six months, but will have no direct police responsibilities. City officials said he will be paid $7,500 per month to complete work and documentation on projects in progress, including budgets and city gang prevention efforts.
"Our hope is that we are not judged by the mistakes we have made, but rather by how we are able to rise above them," he said.
Dallas Morning News staff writer Stephanie Sandoval contributed to this report.
0 likes
-
TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Accused killer on trial for Haltom slaying
By YOLANDA WALKER / WFAA ABC 8
HALTOM CITY, Texas - Opening testimony began today in the trial of a man accused of murdering a Haltom City teenager.
DNA evidence led police to 44-year-old LaVerne Pratt.
The defense decided not to render an opening statement, so the prosecution took about 15 minutes, and they said their DNA evidence will prove LaVerne Pratt did kill 14-year-old Lan Bui.
After receiving numerous tips, police gathered evidence from the Haltom City apartment block where Bui's body was found. They discovered items in waste containers and also in areas near the courtyard.
Bui's body was found in the early hours of February 8th in a courtyard just a few feet from her apartment. She had been stabbed to death and her body was bound with rope and electrical tape.
Shortly after, LaVerne Pratt was placed under arrest. He has a clean criminal record. This is not a death penalty case.
Assistant District Attorney Rebecca McIntire says they will prove their case beyond reasonable doubt.
"How many enemies can a 14-year-old girl have?" she asked the court. "Who would want to do something like this to a 14-year-old girl? There is no obvious suspect in this case."
The motive for the killing has not yet been introduced to the jury.
By YOLANDA WALKER / WFAA ABC 8
HALTOM CITY, Texas - Opening testimony began today in the trial of a man accused of murdering a Haltom City teenager.
DNA evidence led police to 44-year-old LaVerne Pratt.
The defense decided not to render an opening statement, so the prosecution took about 15 minutes, and they said their DNA evidence will prove LaVerne Pratt did kill 14-year-old Lan Bui.
After receiving numerous tips, police gathered evidence from the Haltom City apartment block where Bui's body was found. They discovered items in waste containers and also in areas near the courtyard.
Bui's body was found in the early hours of February 8th in a courtyard just a few feet from her apartment. She had been stabbed to death and her body was bound with rope and electrical tape.
Shortly after, LaVerne Pratt was placed under arrest. He has a clean criminal record. This is not a death penalty case.
Assistant District Attorney Rebecca McIntire says they will prove their case beyond reasonable doubt.
"How many enemies can a 14-year-old girl have?" she asked the court. "Who would want to do something like this to a 14-year-old girl? There is no obvious suspect in this case."
The motive for the killing has not yet been introduced to the jury.
0 likes
-
TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Three arrests in stolen dynamite case (Updated)
WEATHERFORD, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) — The Parker County Sheriff's Department said Tuesday more than 100 sticks of dynamite stolen from a quarry south of Weatherford over the weekend were recovered from an abandoned house, and three suspects were in custody.
The explosives were reported missing on Monday after Crushed Stone, Inc. found someone had used a torch to break into a locked steel container at the rock quarry.
Parker County Sheriff Larry Fowler credited solid police work by deputies, the Texas Rangers and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for cracking the case early Tuesday with the arrests of three Parker County residents.
"I feel real good," Fowler said.
The sheriff's office said two of the suspects—identified as James Cecil Hardin of Weatherford and Brett Garrett—had worked at the quarry and were familiar with storage procedures for the explosives.
The third suspect was identified as Bryan Matthew Newsome of Springtown.
All three were being held by federal officials in Fort Worth.
Officials said the amount of dynamite that was taken was not enough to blow up a building, but could certainly destroy a car or damage a bridge.
Fowler said the suspects did not say what plans they had for the stolen explosives.
WFAA ABC 8
Authorites said around 100 sticks of dynamite were stolen.
WEATHERFORD, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) — The Parker County Sheriff's Department said Tuesday more than 100 sticks of dynamite stolen from a quarry south of Weatherford over the weekend were recovered from an abandoned house, and three suspects were in custody.
The explosives were reported missing on Monday after Crushed Stone, Inc. found someone had used a torch to break into a locked steel container at the rock quarry.
Parker County Sheriff Larry Fowler credited solid police work by deputies, the Texas Rangers and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for cracking the case early Tuesday with the arrests of three Parker County residents.
"I feel real good," Fowler said.
The sheriff's office said two of the suspects—identified as James Cecil Hardin of Weatherford and Brett Garrett—had worked at the quarry and were familiar with storage procedures for the explosives.
The third suspect was identified as Bryan Matthew Newsome of Springtown.
All three were being held by federal officials in Fort Worth.
Officials said the amount of dynamite that was taken was not enough to blow up a building, but could certainly destroy a car or damage a bridge.
Fowler said the suspects did not say what plans they had for the stolen explosives.
WFAA ABC 8
Authorites said around 100 sticks of dynamite were stolen.
0 likes
-
TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Autopsy: UT student's alcohol level 6 times limit
From KHOU CBS 11 Staff Reporters in Houston
AUSTIN, Texas - A University of Texas freshman who died of alcohol poisoning last month had a blood alcohol level more than six times the legal limit, according to a state investigator who has seen the autopsy report.
The results of an autopsy on Phanta “Jack” Phoummarath, who was found dead Dec. 10 at an off-campus fraternity house, have not been released because of an ongoing criminal investigation.
But Capt. David Ferrero of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission said Monday that the 18-year-old’s blood alcohol content was 0.50. The legal limit for intoxication is .08.
Rueben Gonzales, a UT pharmacology professor who studies drinking behavior, said that level would be equivalent to “chugging a fifth” of liquor. The only other way to get to such a high blood alcohol content would be to consume several drinks an hour for 24 hours, he said.
“It’s an incredible amount to get to that high a level,” Gonzales said. " It’s really tragic."
The TABC is trying to determine if anyone should be charged with making alcohol available to a minor. Austin police and the Travis County Attorney’s Office also are conducting separate investigations.
Phoummarath, of Houston, was found at the Lambda Phi Epsilon house, one of several predominantly Asian-American fraternities at UT.
The university canceled the fraternity’s status as a registered student organization until 2011 after an investigation showed new members were expected to consume large amounts of liquor and to shave their heads.
From KHOU CBS 11 Staff Reporters in Houston
AUSTIN, Texas - A University of Texas freshman who died of alcohol poisoning last month had a blood alcohol level more than six times the legal limit, according to a state investigator who has seen the autopsy report.
The results of an autopsy on Phanta “Jack” Phoummarath, who was found dead Dec. 10 at an off-campus fraternity house, have not been released because of an ongoing criminal investigation.
But Capt. David Ferrero of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission said Monday that the 18-year-old’s blood alcohol content was 0.50. The legal limit for intoxication is .08.
Rueben Gonzales, a UT pharmacology professor who studies drinking behavior, said that level would be equivalent to “chugging a fifth” of liquor. The only other way to get to such a high blood alcohol content would be to consume several drinks an hour for 24 hours, he said.
“It’s an incredible amount to get to that high a level,” Gonzales said. " It’s really tragic."
The TABC is trying to determine if anyone should be charged with making alcohol available to a minor. Austin police and the Travis County Attorney’s Office also are conducting separate investigations.
Phoummarath, of Houston, was found at the Lambda Phi Epsilon house, one of several predominantly Asian-American fraternities at UT.
The university canceled the fraternity’s status as a registered student organization until 2011 after an investigation showed new members were expected to consume large amounts of liquor and to shave their heads.
0 likes
-
TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Eviction leads to stolen mail
By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA ABC 8
FORT WORTH, Texas - Hundreds of North Texans who mailed their bills a few months ago got a nasty surprise, their checks were stolen and many had their bank accounts drained and their identities stolen as well.
The stolen items were found after a fed-up apartment manager fought to evict people she believed were gang members committing crimes while living free at the taxpayer's expense.
Police pepper sprayed one man during a News 8 visit to the complex while struggling to arrest him for allegedly beating up his girlfriend. Her family said he was a member of the bloods and on probation from Arkansas.
The former manager of the west Fort Worth complex said it is common for gang members to move in with girlfriends or relatives who live in the subsidized housing.
"It makes it very aggravating for anyone who's paying taxes because we're basically paying for drug dealers and gang members," said the woman who did not want to be identified.
She said she believed about 40 percent of the occupants at the complex were gang members tax payers are supporting.
There is no way to prove that number. However, while she evicted tenants from one unit for failing to pay rent, News 8 found mountains of stolen mail and loot from burglaries.
Checks, bills, apartment applications, vehicle registrations, W-2's, copies of social security cards and drivers licenses were found inside the apartment.
Index cards cataloged victims' personal information.
Gang Sgt. Bill Beall bagged up the evidence, and a few days later police were back at the same complex.
Police started piecing the case together.
News 8 contacted victims whose items were found at the apartment.
Lisa and Larry Minor said they are mad, and worried about what's coming next after they were two among those contacted.
"The day after I spoke with you I checked my account online and $500 had been transferred out of my account to pay a credit card that didn't belong to us," Larry Minor told News 8.
A week later someone tried twice again to raid their checking account.
By the time News 8 found Luella Lomax, her husband's checking account had been drained.
"It's not very nice," she said while viewing footage of her personal check on the floor of the raided home. "I want to kick them in the rear end."
Lomax managed to laugh about the incident despite her many harships that include recovering from a stroke, working two jobs and her husband's cancer.
Detective Jeremy Roden estimates the stolen mail in the two apartments came from hundreds of victims and dozens of thefts in at least a half dozen cities.
Police have not estimated how much damage the suspected crooks did with the information or how much they could still do.
The case has turned into a federal investigation involving stolen mail and possible identification theft and police said they have identified four suspects.
Detectives are working with postal inspectors to develop federal charges.
Meanwhile, many victims are still unaware of the theft.
By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA ABC 8
FORT WORTH, Texas - Hundreds of North Texans who mailed their bills a few months ago got a nasty surprise, their checks were stolen and many had their bank accounts drained and their identities stolen as well.
The stolen items were found after a fed-up apartment manager fought to evict people she believed were gang members committing crimes while living free at the taxpayer's expense.
Police pepper sprayed one man during a News 8 visit to the complex while struggling to arrest him for allegedly beating up his girlfriend. Her family said he was a member of the bloods and on probation from Arkansas.
The former manager of the west Fort Worth complex said it is common for gang members to move in with girlfriends or relatives who live in the subsidized housing.
"It makes it very aggravating for anyone who's paying taxes because we're basically paying for drug dealers and gang members," said the woman who did not want to be identified.
She said she believed about 40 percent of the occupants at the complex were gang members tax payers are supporting.
There is no way to prove that number. However, while she evicted tenants from one unit for failing to pay rent, News 8 found mountains of stolen mail and loot from burglaries.
Checks, bills, apartment applications, vehicle registrations, W-2's, copies of social security cards and drivers licenses were found inside the apartment.
Index cards cataloged victims' personal information.
Gang Sgt. Bill Beall bagged up the evidence, and a few days later police were back at the same complex.
Police started piecing the case together.
News 8 contacted victims whose items were found at the apartment.
Lisa and Larry Minor said they are mad, and worried about what's coming next after they were two among those contacted.
"The day after I spoke with you I checked my account online and $500 had been transferred out of my account to pay a credit card that didn't belong to us," Larry Minor told News 8.
A week later someone tried twice again to raid their checking account.
By the time News 8 found Luella Lomax, her husband's checking account had been drained.
"It's not very nice," she said while viewing footage of her personal check on the floor of the raided home. "I want to kick them in the rear end."
Lomax managed to laugh about the incident despite her many harships that include recovering from a stroke, working two jobs and her husband's cancer.
Detective Jeremy Roden estimates the stolen mail in the two apartments came from hundreds of victims and dozens of thefts in at least a half dozen cities.
Police have not estimated how much damage the suspected crooks did with the information or how much they could still do.
The case has turned into a federal investigation involving stolen mail and possible identification theft and police said they have identified four suspects.
Detectives are working with postal inspectors to develop federal charges.
Meanwhile, many victims are still unaware of the theft.
0 likes
-
TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Nail salon inspected after infection complaints
By BRAD WATSON / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Frances Cannon thought pain and swelling on her leg in mid-January came from a spider bite, but instead her doctor told her it was likely a bacterial infection and put her on strong antibiotics.
Just days before, Cannon had received a pedicure in a whirlpool foot spa at Beverly Hills Nails in the 4300 block of Lovers Lane in University Park.
"I realized it was from a pedicure and I was just in shock," she said.
Cannon was among several women who told News 8 that infections broke out on their legs over the past month after pedicures.
The bacteria is known to grow in whirlpool foot spas if they are not cleaned properly and frequently and can enter the skin through shaving cuts often causing painful lesions that leave scars.
Dallas County Health and Human Services received the complaints and turned them over to the state department that oversees nail salons.
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation confirmed to News 8 it sent inspectors into the Beverly Hills Nails Tuesday for a surprise visit.
The visit was the second time inspectors went to the store. Department workers took water samples in December to check for the bacteria.
"He took swabs from the facility and then before he left, went through the procedures so they knew that the chairs at the foot spa were properly sanitized," said William Kuntz, TDLR's executive director.
Test results won't be known for weeks, but the owner of Beverly Hills Nails confirmed the visit and said he doesn't understand how a customer could become infected since his employees follow state regulations to clean the whirlpool foot spas.
He declined further comment.
Cannon said she won't use the spas again hopes the state continues checking up on local salons.
"...I think the state of Texas needs to take this very seriously," she said.
For those who have a complaint against a nail salon contact the TDLR at (512) 463-2906 or call the customer service line at (800) 803-92002.
By BRAD WATSON / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Frances Cannon thought pain and swelling on her leg in mid-January came from a spider bite, but instead her doctor told her it was likely a bacterial infection and put her on strong antibiotics.
Just days before, Cannon had received a pedicure in a whirlpool foot spa at Beverly Hills Nails in the 4300 block of Lovers Lane in University Park.
"I realized it was from a pedicure and I was just in shock," she said.
Cannon was among several women who told News 8 that infections broke out on their legs over the past month after pedicures.
The bacteria is known to grow in whirlpool foot spas if they are not cleaned properly and frequently and can enter the skin through shaving cuts often causing painful lesions that leave scars.
Dallas County Health and Human Services received the complaints and turned them over to the state department that oversees nail salons.
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation confirmed to News 8 it sent inspectors into the Beverly Hills Nails Tuesday for a surprise visit.
The visit was the second time inspectors went to the store. Department workers took water samples in December to check for the bacteria.
"He took swabs from the facility and then before he left, went through the procedures so they knew that the chairs at the foot spa were properly sanitized," said William Kuntz, TDLR's executive director.
Test results won't be known for weeks, but the owner of Beverly Hills Nails confirmed the visit and said he doesn't understand how a customer could become infected since his employees follow state regulations to clean the whirlpool foot spas.
He declined further comment.
Cannon said she won't use the spas again hopes the state continues checking up on local salons.
"...I think the state of Texas needs to take this very seriously," she said.
For those who have a complaint against a nail salon contact the TDLR at (512) 463-2906 or call the customer service line at (800) 803-92002.
0 likes
-
TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Three in dynamite case appear in court
By KARIN KELLY / WFAA ABC 8
WEATHERFORD, Texas — Three men aged have appeared in court charged over the theft of more than 100 sticks of dynamite stolen from a quarry south of Weatherford over the weekend.
The three, Bryan Newsom, 22, James Hardin, 19, and Brett Garrett, 18, face ten year jail sentences if convicted.
Parker County Sheriff's Department said Tuesday that the explosives were recovered from an abandoned house.
The explosives were reported missing on Monday after Crushed Stone, Inc. found someone had used a torch to break into a locked steel container at the rock quarry.
Parker County Sheriff Larry Fowler credited solid police work by deputies, the Texas Rangers and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for cracking the case early Tuesday with the arrests of three Parker County residents.
"I feel real good," Fowler said.
The sheriff's office said two of the suspects—identified as James Cecil Hardin of Weatherford and Brett Garrett—had worked at the quarry and were familiar with storage procedures for the explosives.
Investigators say Garrett confessed after they zeroed in on him and Hardin. They say Newsom drove the two younger suspects to the quarry and they cut the locks to explosives and filled a trash bag.
All three are being held by federal officials in Fort Worth.
Officials said the amount of dynamite that was taken was not enough to blow up a building, but could certainly destroy a car or damage a bridge.
Fowler said the suspects did not say what plans they had for the stolen explosives.
By KARIN KELLY / WFAA ABC 8
WEATHERFORD, Texas — Three men aged have appeared in court charged over the theft of more than 100 sticks of dynamite stolen from a quarry south of Weatherford over the weekend.
The three, Bryan Newsom, 22, James Hardin, 19, and Brett Garrett, 18, face ten year jail sentences if convicted.
Parker County Sheriff's Department said Tuesday that the explosives were recovered from an abandoned house.
The explosives were reported missing on Monday after Crushed Stone, Inc. found someone had used a torch to break into a locked steel container at the rock quarry.
Parker County Sheriff Larry Fowler credited solid police work by deputies, the Texas Rangers and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for cracking the case early Tuesday with the arrests of three Parker County residents.
"I feel real good," Fowler said.
The sheriff's office said two of the suspects—identified as James Cecil Hardin of Weatherford and Brett Garrett—had worked at the quarry and were familiar with storage procedures for the explosives.
Investigators say Garrett confessed after they zeroed in on him and Hardin. They say Newsom drove the two younger suspects to the quarry and they cut the locks to explosives and filled a trash bag.
All three are being held by federal officials in Fort Worth.
Officials said the amount of dynamite that was taken was not enough to blow up a building, but could certainly destroy a car or damage a bridge.
Fowler said the suspects did not say what plans they had for the stolen explosives.
0 likes
-
TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Fork in road on toll plans?
Some discuss pullout if agency uses local funds for Fort Worth highway
By TONY HARTZEL / The Dallas Morning News
For years, North Texas leaders have prided themselves on working closely on massive road-building projects.
But a simmering debate over the Southwest Parkway toll road has become the latest and perhaps most serious threat to that long-standing cooperation.
The dispute stems from a decision by the tollway authority board to use tolls collected on Dallas- and Collin-area roads to pay for more than half of the $825 million Southwest Parkway, a proposed Tarrant County tollway.
Upset with that decision, Dallas County commissioners raised the possibility of pulling out of the tollway authority.
At stake could be the future of other regional projects such as the Bush Turnpike and even the North Texas Tollway Authority itself.
Complicating the matter are efforts by officials in Denton and Collin counties to collect tolls on State Highway 121 and to keep excess toll revenue primarily in their own counties. That all adds up to a divided region, said Dallas County Judge Margaret Keliher.
"If that's going to happen, then this whole idea of regionalism is going to fall apart," Ms. Keliher said of the county-based toll roads. "My concern is that counties are going to cherry-pick the good projects. Dallas County toll payers would end up paying for other projects that the business community wouldn't do."
Last month, the tollway authority board voted 4-3 to adopt its toll policy for Southwest Parkway and other projects. Representatives of Denton, Tarrant and Johnson counties supported the vote.
Representatives of Dallas and Collin counties unsuccessfully pushed for a policy that could set higher tolls for projects, such as Southwest Parkway, that don't initially generate as much revenue.
"The fuse has been lit," Paul Wageman, the Collin County representative of the tollway authority board, said at an agency retreat this week where board members spent an hour discussing last month's vote. "Our own actions have helped to create dissension."
Toll shortfall
The tollway authority's most recent estimates show that the approved policy would collect only enough tolls to initially pay about 45 percent of Southwest Parkway's construction, operating and debt costs. Although the policy calls for higher tolls on Southwest Parkway than on most other roads, the Fort Worth toll road is not expected to raise enough money to pay its costs, even after 30 years.
"I think the NTTA ought to be responsible for developing a business plan that makes sense," Ms. Keliher said.
Many questions surround the notion of a county withdrawing from the tollway authority, which is a separate government entity that owns and operates all existing toll roads.
"I'm not advocating anything at this point," Ms. Keliher said. "But I am concerned that other counties will do other projects and not participate on a regional basis any longer."
Dissension is not new to the tollway board. Last year, some officials in Tarrant County raised the possibility of leaving the tollway authority board. Their effort, seen by others on the board as an attempt to define the agency's role in future toll projects, was dropped quickly.
"In every instance, it's anti-regional and ill-advised," said the tollway authority's Tarrant County representative, Bill Meadows, who did not take part in the withdrawal discussions.
Who foots the bill?
As Texas shifts to a heavier reliance on toll revenues over gas taxes to fund road construction, the number of clashes over how projects are paid for seems to have risen.
The Texas Department of Transportation is encouraging private groups to submit bids for projects such as Highway 121 toll roads in Denton and Collin counties, as well as a State Highway 161 toll road in southwest Dallas County.
To gain approval for those projects, state leaders have pledged some of the toll revenue to help build neighboring road projects.
The focus on local benefits "has been fostered by the whole concept of near-neighbor" toll revenue sharing, said Collin County Judge Ron Harris. "Those citizens along Highway 161 are going to feel that the money should stay right there."
Meanwhile, the state Transportation Department and the tollway authority have been talking for months about how to pay for construction of an interchange at Interstate 30 and the Bush Turnpike in Garland. Breaking from past agreements, the state is seeking a fixed share of toll revenues from tollway authority projects it will help build.
That differs greatly from 10 years ago, when the state paid to help build some of the major highway interchanges along the Bush Turnpike. The tollway agency pledged to repay some of that money over time. That widely lauded model has become outdated as the state looks to toll roads as its own revenue source.
Using toll roads to pay for nearby projects has a larger benefit than to just that immediate area, said Bob Brown, the deputy district engineer for the state Transportation Department's Dallas office.
"This helps the entire economy of the D-FW area," he said. "A lot of folks are looking at this very short-sighted."
Some discuss pullout if agency uses local funds for Fort Worth highway
By TONY HARTZEL / The Dallas Morning News
For years, North Texas leaders have prided themselves on working closely on massive road-building projects.
But a simmering debate over the Southwest Parkway toll road has become the latest and perhaps most serious threat to that long-standing cooperation.
The dispute stems from a decision by the tollway authority board to use tolls collected on Dallas- and Collin-area roads to pay for more than half of the $825 million Southwest Parkway, a proposed Tarrant County tollway.
Upset with that decision, Dallas County commissioners raised the possibility of pulling out of the tollway authority.
At stake could be the future of other regional projects such as the Bush Turnpike and even the North Texas Tollway Authority itself.
Complicating the matter are efforts by officials in Denton and Collin counties to collect tolls on State Highway 121 and to keep excess toll revenue primarily in their own counties. That all adds up to a divided region, said Dallas County Judge Margaret Keliher.
"If that's going to happen, then this whole idea of regionalism is going to fall apart," Ms. Keliher said of the county-based toll roads. "My concern is that counties are going to cherry-pick the good projects. Dallas County toll payers would end up paying for other projects that the business community wouldn't do."
Last month, the tollway authority board voted 4-3 to adopt its toll policy for Southwest Parkway and other projects. Representatives of Denton, Tarrant and Johnson counties supported the vote.
Representatives of Dallas and Collin counties unsuccessfully pushed for a policy that could set higher tolls for projects, such as Southwest Parkway, that don't initially generate as much revenue.
"The fuse has been lit," Paul Wageman, the Collin County representative of the tollway authority board, said at an agency retreat this week where board members spent an hour discussing last month's vote. "Our own actions have helped to create dissension."
Toll shortfall
The tollway authority's most recent estimates show that the approved policy would collect only enough tolls to initially pay about 45 percent of Southwest Parkway's construction, operating and debt costs. Although the policy calls for higher tolls on Southwest Parkway than on most other roads, the Fort Worth toll road is not expected to raise enough money to pay its costs, even after 30 years.
"I think the NTTA ought to be responsible for developing a business plan that makes sense," Ms. Keliher said.
Many questions surround the notion of a county withdrawing from the tollway authority, which is a separate government entity that owns and operates all existing toll roads.
"I'm not advocating anything at this point," Ms. Keliher said. "But I am concerned that other counties will do other projects and not participate on a regional basis any longer."
Dissension is not new to the tollway board. Last year, some officials in Tarrant County raised the possibility of leaving the tollway authority board. Their effort, seen by others on the board as an attempt to define the agency's role in future toll projects, was dropped quickly.
"In every instance, it's anti-regional and ill-advised," said the tollway authority's Tarrant County representative, Bill Meadows, who did not take part in the withdrawal discussions.
Who foots the bill?
As Texas shifts to a heavier reliance on toll revenues over gas taxes to fund road construction, the number of clashes over how projects are paid for seems to have risen.
The Texas Department of Transportation is encouraging private groups to submit bids for projects such as Highway 121 toll roads in Denton and Collin counties, as well as a State Highway 161 toll road in southwest Dallas County.
To gain approval for those projects, state leaders have pledged some of the toll revenue to help build neighboring road projects.
The focus on local benefits "has been fostered by the whole concept of near-neighbor" toll revenue sharing, said Collin County Judge Ron Harris. "Those citizens along Highway 161 are going to feel that the money should stay right there."
Meanwhile, the state Transportation Department and the tollway authority have been talking for months about how to pay for construction of an interchange at Interstate 30 and the Bush Turnpike in Garland. Breaking from past agreements, the state is seeking a fixed share of toll revenues from tollway authority projects it will help build.
That differs greatly from 10 years ago, when the state paid to help build some of the major highway interchanges along the Bush Turnpike. The tollway agency pledged to repay some of that money over time. That widely lauded model has become outdated as the state looks to toll roads as its own revenue source.
Using toll roads to pay for nearby projects has a larger benefit than to just that immediate area, said Bob Brown, the deputy district engineer for the state Transportation Department's Dallas office.
"This helps the entire economy of the D-FW area," he said. "A lot of folks are looking at this very short-sighted."
0 likes
-
TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Border incident sparks outrage
Lawmakers urge troops after police encounter well-armed smugglers
By DAVID McLEMORE / The Dallas Morning News
A West Texas standoff along the Rio Grande between U.S. law enforcement officers and heavily armed Mexican drug smugglers in military-style clothing prompted congressional demands Tuesday for an international investigation and a call for deployment of U.S. troops to the border.
The incident, which occurred Monday on U.S. soil at an isolated river crossing about 50 miles east of El Paso, is the latest involving armed incursions along the U.S. border with Mexico.
And it comes less than a week after Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff called a California newspaper's account of such border incursions "overblown."
The incident Monday involved an encounter between two Hudspeth County Sheriff's Department deputies and three Department of Public Safety troopers and 10 heavily armed drug smugglers at an area about 50 miles down the river from El Paso.
A spokesman for Mexico's Foreign Ministry said Mexican military personnel had nothing to do with the incident and suggested the trespassers may have been drug traffickers wearing military-style gear.
The incident began on Interstate 10 near the Sierra Blanca checkpoint when DPS troopers began chasing three westbound SUVs believed to be carrying marijuana.
When the SUV drivers saw that they were being followed, they made a U-turn and headed south toward the river to an area known as Neely's Crossing, said Rick Glancey, executive director of the Texas Border Sheriffs Coalition.
At the crossing, one of the SUVs drove across the shallow river into Mexico. A second one got stuck in the muddy banks. And as the Texas deputies watched, a military-style Humvee attempted to pull it from the mud, while several armed men in green uniforms fanned out around it, Mr. Glancey said.
When the Humvee failed to extricate the truck, a group of men in civilian clothes walked into the ankle-deep river, removed what appeared to be bales of marijuana and hauled them to the Mexican side. They then set the truck, a Ford Expedition, ablaze.
The third vehicle, a Cadillac Escalade, was abandoned on the U.S. side with a flat tire as the driver escaped on foot. Deputies found 1,447 pounds of marijuana inside.
"What this latest incidence underscores is the necessity of increased support for local law enforcement to aid improving our border security," said Mr. Glancey. "If this doesn't open D.C.'s eyes, I don't know what will."
Inquiry launched
Monday's incident was not the first face-to-face confrontation for Hudspeth County deputies. In November, deputies responded to assist Border Patrol agents at the border town of Fort Hancock where they encountered six men in military uniforms attempting to carry a load of marijuana over the river.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said Tuesday they have launched an inquiry into the Monday incident and asked Mexican authorities for a thorough investigation and full answer on what happened.
Customs "is coordinating closely with the appropriate federal, state and local authorities," said Kristi Clemens, Customs' assistant commissioner for public affairs. "The U.S. government is also discussing the matter with the government of Mexico and is asking for a thorough investigation and response. We take very seriously and investigate fully any alleged incident of criminal activity, threats against our agents or possible incursions."
Gov. Rick Perry also has ordered an investigation, spokeswoman Kathy Walt said.
U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., a frequent critic of the administration's border security efforts, called Tuesday for the federal government and the governments of southern border states to immediately deploy troops to the U.S.-Mexico border in light of what he termed "recent armed assistance Mexico's military has given to drug smugglers."
"Our border has literally turned into a war zone with foreign military personnel challenging our laws and our sovereignty," Mr. Tancredo said.
"The only way to deal with this dangerous situation is to tap the resources of our own military," Mr. Tancredo said. "I call on President Bush and the governors of border states to immediately deploy military personnel to defend our borders against the Mexican military."
U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security, called on Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to initiate a formal investigation on the reported border crossings and to begin a dialogue with Mexican officials to prevent further occurrences.
"These illegal incursions are a violation of our sovereignty and pose a significant danger to U.S. law enforcement officials and citizens near the border – especially if all parties involved are armed. The potential for violence is significant.
Mr. Kyl noted that the Department of Homeland Security released figures that indicate that there have been 231 documented incursions along the 2,000-mile border with Mexico since 1996.
Of those, 63 in that nine-year period occurred in Arizona and 28 occurred along the Texas border, according to Homeland Security.
In each instance, U.S. agents at the local level asked Mexican federal police and army officials to clarify what happened.
Border forays
Many included accidental forays by legitimate Mexican authorities across a poorly defined border in rough and isolated country while in pursuit of drug dealers. The Texas-Mexico border, however, is delineated by the Rio Grande River.
Investigators have long documented that Mexican drug gangs often wear camouflage clothing and carry military-style automatic weapons.
But Tuesday's request for a Mexican government response significantly ups the ante, federal officials said.
In Mexico, officials said the National Defense Ministry has begun an investigation of the incident and launched a search for the vehicles identified by photographs taken by Hudspeth County deputies.
Hudspeth County Chief Deputy Mike Doyal said that men dressed as Mexican soldiers manned what looked like .50-caliber machine guns mounted on vehicles about 200 yards inside the U.S. border during the incident.
In Mexico, a ministry spokesman said that the Army's Ciudad Juarez garrison does not maintain Humvees with mounted .50-caliber machine guns.
"It cannot be ruled out that said actions are designed as much to harm the image of our armed forces as the bilateral cooperation between Mexico and the United States in the fight against organized crime and, in particular, narcotrafficking," a foreign ministry spokesman said.
Staff writer Lennox Samuels contributed to this report from Mexico City. David McLemore reported from San Antonio.
Lawmakers urge troops after police encounter well-armed smugglers
By DAVID McLEMORE / The Dallas Morning News
A West Texas standoff along the Rio Grande between U.S. law enforcement officers and heavily armed Mexican drug smugglers in military-style clothing prompted congressional demands Tuesday for an international investigation and a call for deployment of U.S. troops to the border.
The incident, which occurred Monday on U.S. soil at an isolated river crossing about 50 miles east of El Paso, is the latest involving armed incursions along the U.S. border with Mexico.
And it comes less than a week after Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff called a California newspaper's account of such border incursions "overblown."
The incident Monday involved an encounter between two Hudspeth County Sheriff's Department deputies and three Department of Public Safety troopers and 10 heavily armed drug smugglers at an area about 50 miles down the river from El Paso.
A spokesman for Mexico's Foreign Ministry said Mexican military personnel had nothing to do with the incident and suggested the trespassers may have been drug traffickers wearing military-style gear.
The incident began on Interstate 10 near the Sierra Blanca checkpoint when DPS troopers began chasing three westbound SUVs believed to be carrying marijuana.
When the SUV drivers saw that they were being followed, they made a U-turn and headed south toward the river to an area known as Neely's Crossing, said Rick Glancey, executive director of the Texas Border Sheriffs Coalition.
At the crossing, one of the SUVs drove across the shallow river into Mexico. A second one got stuck in the muddy banks. And as the Texas deputies watched, a military-style Humvee attempted to pull it from the mud, while several armed men in green uniforms fanned out around it, Mr. Glancey said.
When the Humvee failed to extricate the truck, a group of men in civilian clothes walked into the ankle-deep river, removed what appeared to be bales of marijuana and hauled them to the Mexican side. They then set the truck, a Ford Expedition, ablaze.
The third vehicle, a Cadillac Escalade, was abandoned on the U.S. side with a flat tire as the driver escaped on foot. Deputies found 1,447 pounds of marijuana inside.
"What this latest incidence underscores is the necessity of increased support for local law enforcement to aid improving our border security," said Mr. Glancey. "If this doesn't open D.C.'s eyes, I don't know what will."
Inquiry launched
Monday's incident was not the first face-to-face confrontation for Hudspeth County deputies. In November, deputies responded to assist Border Patrol agents at the border town of Fort Hancock where they encountered six men in military uniforms attempting to carry a load of marijuana over the river.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said Tuesday they have launched an inquiry into the Monday incident and asked Mexican authorities for a thorough investigation and full answer on what happened.
Customs "is coordinating closely with the appropriate federal, state and local authorities," said Kristi Clemens, Customs' assistant commissioner for public affairs. "The U.S. government is also discussing the matter with the government of Mexico and is asking for a thorough investigation and response. We take very seriously and investigate fully any alleged incident of criminal activity, threats against our agents or possible incursions."
Gov. Rick Perry also has ordered an investigation, spokeswoman Kathy Walt said.
U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., a frequent critic of the administration's border security efforts, called Tuesday for the federal government and the governments of southern border states to immediately deploy troops to the U.S.-Mexico border in light of what he termed "recent armed assistance Mexico's military has given to drug smugglers."
"Our border has literally turned into a war zone with foreign military personnel challenging our laws and our sovereignty," Mr. Tancredo said.
"The only way to deal with this dangerous situation is to tap the resources of our own military," Mr. Tancredo said. "I call on President Bush and the governors of border states to immediately deploy military personnel to defend our borders against the Mexican military."
U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security, called on Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to initiate a formal investigation on the reported border crossings and to begin a dialogue with Mexican officials to prevent further occurrences.
"These illegal incursions are a violation of our sovereignty and pose a significant danger to U.S. law enforcement officials and citizens near the border – especially if all parties involved are armed. The potential for violence is significant.
Mr. Kyl noted that the Department of Homeland Security released figures that indicate that there have been 231 documented incursions along the 2,000-mile border with Mexico since 1996.
Of those, 63 in that nine-year period occurred in Arizona and 28 occurred along the Texas border, according to Homeland Security.
In each instance, U.S. agents at the local level asked Mexican federal police and army officials to clarify what happened.
Border forays
Many included accidental forays by legitimate Mexican authorities across a poorly defined border in rough and isolated country while in pursuit of drug dealers. The Texas-Mexico border, however, is delineated by the Rio Grande River.
Investigators have long documented that Mexican drug gangs often wear camouflage clothing and carry military-style automatic weapons.
But Tuesday's request for a Mexican government response significantly ups the ante, federal officials said.
In Mexico, officials said the National Defense Ministry has begun an investigation of the incident and launched a search for the vehicles identified by photographs taken by Hudspeth County deputies.
Hudspeth County Chief Deputy Mike Doyal said that men dressed as Mexican soldiers manned what looked like .50-caliber machine guns mounted on vehicles about 200 yards inside the U.S. border during the incident.
In Mexico, a ministry spokesman said that the Army's Ciudad Juarez garrison does not maintain Humvees with mounted .50-caliber machine guns.
"It cannot be ruled out that said actions are designed as much to harm the image of our armed forces as the bilateral cooperation between Mexico and the United States in the fight against organized crime and, in particular, narcotrafficking," a foreign ministry spokesman said.
Staff writer Lennox Samuels contributed to this report from Mexico City. David McLemore reported from San Antonio.
0 likes
-
TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Texas oilfield service firms expanding slowly
By ELIZABETH SOUDER / The Dallas Morning News
Need an oil rig? Get in line and bring cash.
High oil and gas prices have boosted drilling activity, and the supply of rigs can't keep up with demand. So rig rental rates are up, and profit among oilfield service companies is booming.
Still, most oilfield service companies aren't rushing to make more rigs and expand operations, out of concern that this boom – like booms in the past – could go bust, leaving them with idle equipment that's valuable only for scrap metal.
"We're cautious. We've been through these cycles," said Jeff Jordan, a sales manager for BJ Services, a Houston oilfield service company. "It doesn't help to overbuild and then have to lay off a bunch of people."
By keeping the expansion slow, service companies say they hope to flatten out the boom-bust cycle into a more steady business.
Such decisions could have an important effect on the Texas economy, which hosts a chunk of the oil services industry
But the conservatism is a bottleneck for oil and natural gas production at a time when prices are high and supply is tight. And some experts say smarter investing won't prevent a decline in business if oil and natural gas prices fall.
"Anytime I hear, 'This time is going to be different,' I cringe," said Fitch Ratings oil and gas analyst Sean Sexton. But he agreed that conservative investment could allow companies to experience a gentle decline if oil prices drop.
Drillers are just beginning to see the good times that producers have been experiencing since the rise in oil and natural gas prices.
The number of U.S. rigs in operation grew 18 percent in 2005 to end the year at 1,470. Company executives and analysts expect the drilling and service boom to last another year or two at least.
"Earnings growth for the oil service and drilling companies will be dramatic," Lehman Brothers said in a research note in December.
Texas presence
That's good news for an industry largely based in Texas. Of the 41 companies in the Dow Jones Oil Equipment and Services index, 30 have headquarters in Texas, and 25 of those are in Houston.
Still, data from the Texas Workforce Commission show employment in the oil and gas extraction industry hasn't wavered much in the last couple of years. In November, the latest month for which data are available, 63,500 Texans were employed in the industry, up just 100 from the prior year.
Such restraint may help avoid the situation of the early 1980s, when the U.S. operating rig count grew 38 percent in 1981, then shrank 40 percent the following year, according to Baker Hughes Inc.
Lehman said it surveyed production companies and found most wouldn't cut their spending budgets unless oil prices drop below $50 a barrel and natural gas below around $6 per million British thermal units.
On Tuesday, light sweet crude for March delivery fell $1.04 to settle at $67.06 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas futures rose 32.6 cents to $8.90 per 1,000 cubic feet.
The service companies' restraint puts producers in the position of begging to spend money. With the dearth of rigs and equipment, the game is money and relationships – or luck and ingenuity.
Lehman said it expects exploration and product spending growth in the U.S. this year to be around 15 percent, due mostly to higher prices for oilfield services rather than more drilling activity.
A producer that used to rent a rig for a day or two to drill one well now must commit to renting the rig for a year or longer – and at higher daily rates. That means producers must line up dozens of potential wells to drill.
Planning ahead
XTO Energy Inc. of Fort Worth is among the largest drillers in the U.S., and it plans its drilling at least a year in advance.
In the Barnett Shale in North Texas, "we've got at least three to four years of drilling that we're highly confident in. We know the rigs we'll need. We've worked to secure those," said Gary Simpson, head of investor relations for the company, the second-largest producer of the Barnett field.
XTO's problem isn't finding rigs to rent but keeping service costs down. One of XTO's strategies is to hire small, private service companies that value long-term commitments, Mr. Simpson said.
The challenge for smaller producers is finding enough equipment and services.
"I've been in this business for 24 years, and the service side of the business has never been more difficult to obtain than now," said Larry Dale, president and part owner of Dale Resources.
He said many small producers, unable to line up enough wells to drill to justify expensive, long-term service contracts, are selling out to bigger companies.
For the smallest producers, the challenge is finding a rig at all.
Charles Bitters, founder of tiny producer American Energy Production Inc., was looking at a one- or two-year wait for a rig. He'd already leased land near Mineral Wells to produce in the Barnett Shale, and his partner had found investors for a few prospective wells. "We're literally just out of business because you can't get a rig," he said.
But Mr. Bitters, who has owned oil wells for decades, heard through some buddies in South Texas about a 20-year-old rig sitting in the basement of a building in Mexico City. The rig had been idle for years, spared from the scrap heap because a Mexican company used it to drill water wells.
Mr. Bitters flew to Mexico City and struck a deal he calls "the steal of the century," though he won't name his price.
Meanwhile, Mr. Bitters' brother managed to hire a seismic equipment crew that was delayed by the hurricanes on its way to East Texas. Seismic studies map the natural gas resources in the Earth and help producers decide where to drill.
"I just pieced everything together," Mr. Bitters said last week, watching his crew put the rig together on the well site. "That's what everybody has to do."
Growing demand
As service companies work to lengthen the good times, some experts say those efforts are nothing compared with the growing demand for oil and natural gas. As long as demand outpaces supply, oil and gas prices will remain high.
"There are a lot of rigs drilling for oil and gas right now," said Pickering Energy analyst Jeff Tillery. "The incremental rig going to work isn't going to add enough to supply" to change the economics.
For the boom to fizzle, large amounts of supply must hit the market, through, for example, more liquefied natural gas imports, he said. Other analysts say new production technology or the unlikely discovery of a giant oil or gas field could also break the boom.
By ELIZABETH SOUDER / The Dallas Morning News
Need an oil rig? Get in line and bring cash.
High oil and gas prices have boosted drilling activity, and the supply of rigs can't keep up with demand. So rig rental rates are up, and profit among oilfield service companies is booming.
Still, most oilfield service companies aren't rushing to make more rigs and expand operations, out of concern that this boom – like booms in the past – could go bust, leaving them with idle equipment that's valuable only for scrap metal.
"We're cautious. We've been through these cycles," said Jeff Jordan, a sales manager for BJ Services, a Houston oilfield service company. "It doesn't help to overbuild and then have to lay off a bunch of people."
By keeping the expansion slow, service companies say they hope to flatten out the boom-bust cycle into a more steady business.
Such decisions could have an important effect on the Texas economy, which hosts a chunk of the oil services industry
But the conservatism is a bottleneck for oil and natural gas production at a time when prices are high and supply is tight. And some experts say smarter investing won't prevent a decline in business if oil and natural gas prices fall.
"Anytime I hear, 'This time is going to be different,' I cringe," said Fitch Ratings oil and gas analyst Sean Sexton. But he agreed that conservative investment could allow companies to experience a gentle decline if oil prices drop.
Drillers are just beginning to see the good times that producers have been experiencing since the rise in oil and natural gas prices.
The number of U.S. rigs in operation grew 18 percent in 2005 to end the year at 1,470. Company executives and analysts expect the drilling and service boom to last another year or two at least.
"Earnings growth for the oil service and drilling companies will be dramatic," Lehman Brothers said in a research note in December.
Texas presence
That's good news for an industry largely based in Texas. Of the 41 companies in the Dow Jones Oil Equipment and Services index, 30 have headquarters in Texas, and 25 of those are in Houston.
Still, data from the Texas Workforce Commission show employment in the oil and gas extraction industry hasn't wavered much in the last couple of years. In November, the latest month for which data are available, 63,500 Texans were employed in the industry, up just 100 from the prior year.
Such restraint may help avoid the situation of the early 1980s, when the U.S. operating rig count grew 38 percent in 1981, then shrank 40 percent the following year, according to Baker Hughes Inc.
Lehman said it surveyed production companies and found most wouldn't cut their spending budgets unless oil prices drop below $50 a barrel and natural gas below around $6 per million British thermal units.
On Tuesday, light sweet crude for March delivery fell $1.04 to settle at $67.06 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas futures rose 32.6 cents to $8.90 per 1,000 cubic feet.
The service companies' restraint puts producers in the position of begging to spend money. With the dearth of rigs and equipment, the game is money and relationships – or luck and ingenuity.
Lehman said it expects exploration and product spending growth in the U.S. this year to be around 15 percent, due mostly to higher prices for oilfield services rather than more drilling activity.
A producer that used to rent a rig for a day or two to drill one well now must commit to renting the rig for a year or longer – and at higher daily rates. That means producers must line up dozens of potential wells to drill.
Planning ahead
XTO Energy Inc. of Fort Worth is among the largest drillers in the U.S., and it plans its drilling at least a year in advance.
In the Barnett Shale in North Texas, "we've got at least three to four years of drilling that we're highly confident in. We know the rigs we'll need. We've worked to secure those," said Gary Simpson, head of investor relations for the company, the second-largest producer of the Barnett field.
XTO's problem isn't finding rigs to rent but keeping service costs down. One of XTO's strategies is to hire small, private service companies that value long-term commitments, Mr. Simpson said.
The challenge for smaller producers is finding enough equipment and services.
"I've been in this business for 24 years, and the service side of the business has never been more difficult to obtain than now," said Larry Dale, president and part owner of Dale Resources.
He said many small producers, unable to line up enough wells to drill to justify expensive, long-term service contracts, are selling out to bigger companies.
For the smallest producers, the challenge is finding a rig at all.
Charles Bitters, founder of tiny producer American Energy Production Inc., was looking at a one- or two-year wait for a rig. He'd already leased land near Mineral Wells to produce in the Barnett Shale, and his partner had found investors for a few prospective wells. "We're literally just out of business because you can't get a rig," he said.
But Mr. Bitters, who has owned oil wells for decades, heard through some buddies in South Texas about a 20-year-old rig sitting in the basement of a building in Mexico City. The rig had been idle for years, spared from the scrap heap because a Mexican company used it to drill water wells.
Mr. Bitters flew to Mexico City and struck a deal he calls "the steal of the century," though he won't name his price.
Meanwhile, Mr. Bitters' brother managed to hire a seismic equipment crew that was delayed by the hurricanes on its way to East Texas. Seismic studies map the natural gas resources in the Earth and help producers decide where to drill.
"I just pieced everything together," Mr. Bitters said last week, watching his crew put the rig together on the well site. "That's what everybody has to do."
Growing demand
As service companies work to lengthen the good times, some experts say those efforts are nothing compared with the growing demand for oil and natural gas. As long as demand outpaces supply, oil and gas prices will remain high.
"There are a lot of rigs drilling for oil and gas right now," said Pickering Energy analyst Jeff Tillery. "The incremental rig going to work isn't going to add enough to supply" to change the economics.
For the boom to fizzle, large amounts of supply must hit the market, through, for example, more liquefied natural gas imports, he said. Other analysts say new production technology or the unlikely discovery of a giant oil or gas field could also break the boom.
0 likes
-
TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Jail treads water in efforts to curb staph infections
Dallas County: Number of infected inmates holds steady despite new rules
By JAMES M. O'NEILL / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - The number of inmates with a painful, contagious and potentially dangerous staph infection has not abated over the last year at the Dallas County Jail, despite efforts by officials to improve hygiene at the facility.
About 250 cases of staph infection were identified among inmates in November 2005 – the same number recorded in November 2004.
The infection, which usually appears as reddish marks or pus-oozing boils on the skin, is a concern to health officials because it can be spread from person to person and because newer strains found in the community are growing more resistant to antibiotics.
"We still have it. It's not going away," said Sheriff's Department Deputy Chief Edgar McMillan Jr. "But at least it's not getting worse. We've done some things so that we're at least treading water."
Still, the jail identifies 250 cases a month – a higher rate than the Los Angeles County Jail, where 245 recorded cases occurred in December among a jail population that is 65 percent larger than the inmate population in Dallas.
"We obviously have to look at doing more to cut down on the numbers," said Dallas County Commissioner Kenneth Mayfield, who chairs a committee on improving health care at the jail.
Jails across the country have been fighting to contain incidents of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, for years.
Dr. Elizabeth Bancroft, a medical epidemiologist with Los Angeles County, said jails face MRSA more often because they house many people with a higher risk for carrying the bacterium – drug users and homeless people who often have little access to health care in the community.
The spread of MRSA is also linked with hygiene and a facility's cleanliness, since the bacterium is transferable when people use common facilities, like the toilets and showers in a jail.
The Dallas jail has been cited for hygiene problems for years, and when the U.S. Justice Department announced in November that it will conduct an investigation into jail conditions, it noted sanitation – along with medical care – as an area of focus.
To fight staph's spread, about 18 months ago the Sheriff's Department started handing out bleach to inmates once a week. Under supervision by jail guards, inmates are supposed to wash down their cells and showers with the bleach. Employees receive surgical gloves for protection, and the jail distributes antibacterial soap.
But Chief McMillan said he can't walk around making sure that every inmate uses antibacterial soap and that every jail guard uses protective gloves.
"Because of the way it can be passed along, MRSA is one of the more difficult things to reduce," said Rita Espinoza, a state health department epidemiologist. "Habits are hard to control and deal with. It's not just using gloves, for instance. Are the jail staff changing the gloves regularly? And are infected inmates using good hygiene?"
The spread of MRSA not only affects inmates and those they come in contact with once released. Jail guards and their families are also at risk. Zachary Thompson, Dallas County's health and human services director, said that in 2004, 32 jail employees who visited the county employee clinic tested positive for MRSA. In 2005, 22 jail employees tested positive.
Mr. Thompson said the decrease might indicate that precautions are working. But he also said some jail guards might be getting treatment through their family doctor rather than the county.
Chief McMillan said the Sheriff's Department tries to isolate inmates who have serious cases of staph infection, but the jail is at capacity and its physical layout complicates efforts to isolate inmates.
There are two main strains of the MRSA bacterium. One is hospital-based and is highly resistant to multiple drugs, and the other is a less-resistant community-based strain found in places such as day-care centers, school locker rooms and jails.
Medical officials across the country are concerned that as they fight the community-based MRSA strain with antibiotics, the strain grows more resistant and more dangerous.
The strain usually causes skin infections, but in 6 to 8 percent of cases, the bacterium can get into the bloodstream and infect bone, spinal fluid and the lungs.
It can cause a fatal form of pneumonia. Ms. Espinoza said Texas has seen several cases of fatal pneumonia caused by MRSA.
Los Angeles County has taken even more aggressive steps than Dallas to control MRSA in its jails. At intake, inmates are screened for MRSA, and the worst cases are isolated in wards where they receive more intensive treatment: Their bandages are changed daily, and the infected area is cleansed with saline.
Parkland Memorial Hospital will take over health care at the Dallas County Jail in March. Sharon Phillips, a Parkland vice president overseeing the transition, said that some planned changes will address the staph issue.
For instance, jail guards without medical training currently handle inmate screening at book in. A report last year estimated that they often missed symptoms of mental and physical illness.
Parkland plans to have medical staff members handle the screening, and early detection of staph infection will enable the staff to isolate and treat these inmates before they get mixed in with the general population.
In addition, Chief McMillan and Ms. Phillips said that a new wing of the jail that will be ready in two years should provide more flexibility and give them a chance to set aside space to isolate inmates with contagious infections.
Ms. Phillips said some Parkland officials toured the jail several weeks ago and made note of "cleanliness issues."
However, during a follow-up tour late last week, "there was a tremendous difference," she said. "The infirmary area and the West Tower smelled and looked better."
Dallas County: Number of infected inmates holds steady despite new rules
By JAMES M. O'NEILL / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - The number of inmates with a painful, contagious and potentially dangerous staph infection has not abated over the last year at the Dallas County Jail, despite efforts by officials to improve hygiene at the facility.
About 250 cases of staph infection were identified among inmates in November 2005 – the same number recorded in November 2004.
The infection, which usually appears as reddish marks or pus-oozing boils on the skin, is a concern to health officials because it can be spread from person to person and because newer strains found in the community are growing more resistant to antibiotics.
"We still have it. It's not going away," said Sheriff's Department Deputy Chief Edgar McMillan Jr. "But at least it's not getting worse. We've done some things so that we're at least treading water."
Still, the jail identifies 250 cases a month – a higher rate than the Los Angeles County Jail, where 245 recorded cases occurred in December among a jail population that is 65 percent larger than the inmate population in Dallas.
"We obviously have to look at doing more to cut down on the numbers," said Dallas County Commissioner Kenneth Mayfield, who chairs a committee on improving health care at the jail.
Jails across the country have been fighting to contain incidents of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, for years.
Dr. Elizabeth Bancroft, a medical epidemiologist with Los Angeles County, said jails face MRSA more often because they house many people with a higher risk for carrying the bacterium – drug users and homeless people who often have little access to health care in the community.
The spread of MRSA is also linked with hygiene and a facility's cleanliness, since the bacterium is transferable when people use common facilities, like the toilets and showers in a jail.
The Dallas jail has been cited for hygiene problems for years, and when the U.S. Justice Department announced in November that it will conduct an investigation into jail conditions, it noted sanitation – along with medical care – as an area of focus.
To fight staph's spread, about 18 months ago the Sheriff's Department started handing out bleach to inmates once a week. Under supervision by jail guards, inmates are supposed to wash down their cells and showers with the bleach. Employees receive surgical gloves for protection, and the jail distributes antibacterial soap.
But Chief McMillan said he can't walk around making sure that every inmate uses antibacterial soap and that every jail guard uses protective gloves.
"Because of the way it can be passed along, MRSA is one of the more difficult things to reduce," said Rita Espinoza, a state health department epidemiologist. "Habits are hard to control and deal with. It's not just using gloves, for instance. Are the jail staff changing the gloves regularly? And are infected inmates using good hygiene?"
The spread of MRSA not only affects inmates and those they come in contact with once released. Jail guards and their families are also at risk. Zachary Thompson, Dallas County's health and human services director, said that in 2004, 32 jail employees who visited the county employee clinic tested positive for MRSA. In 2005, 22 jail employees tested positive.
Mr. Thompson said the decrease might indicate that precautions are working. But he also said some jail guards might be getting treatment through their family doctor rather than the county.
Chief McMillan said the Sheriff's Department tries to isolate inmates who have serious cases of staph infection, but the jail is at capacity and its physical layout complicates efforts to isolate inmates.
There are two main strains of the MRSA bacterium. One is hospital-based and is highly resistant to multiple drugs, and the other is a less-resistant community-based strain found in places such as day-care centers, school locker rooms and jails.
Medical officials across the country are concerned that as they fight the community-based MRSA strain with antibiotics, the strain grows more resistant and more dangerous.
The strain usually causes skin infections, but in 6 to 8 percent of cases, the bacterium can get into the bloodstream and infect bone, spinal fluid and the lungs.
It can cause a fatal form of pneumonia. Ms. Espinoza said Texas has seen several cases of fatal pneumonia caused by MRSA.
Los Angeles County has taken even more aggressive steps than Dallas to control MRSA in its jails. At intake, inmates are screened for MRSA, and the worst cases are isolated in wards where they receive more intensive treatment: Their bandages are changed daily, and the infected area is cleansed with saline.
Parkland Memorial Hospital will take over health care at the Dallas County Jail in March. Sharon Phillips, a Parkland vice president overseeing the transition, said that some planned changes will address the staph issue.
For instance, jail guards without medical training currently handle inmate screening at book in. A report last year estimated that they often missed symptoms of mental and physical illness.
Parkland plans to have medical staff members handle the screening, and early detection of staph infection will enable the staff to isolate and treat these inmates before they get mixed in with the general population.
In addition, Chief McMillan and Ms. Phillips said that a new wing of the jail that will be ready in two years should provide more flexibility and give them a chance to set aside space to isolate inmates with contagious infections.
Ms. Phillips said some Parkland officials toured the jail several weeks ago and made note of "cleanliness issues."
However, during a follow-up tour late last week, "there was a tremendous difference," she said. "The infirmary area and the West Tower smelled and looked better."
0 likes
-
TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Police: Teens with high-powered weapons on rise
By REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA ABC 8
Powerful military rifles, the kind used against United States troops in Iraq, are increasingly being found on young teenagers in North Texas, police said.
The weapons are so powerful they could pierce some body armor, which has some officers worried.
"This is what we are facing here on the streets," said Mike Dupree, Dallas County constable.
High powered rifles, guns and ammunition were all recently taken from teenagers by Dallas County Constables.
"This is the clip of an AK-47 right here," Dupree said while he showed News 8 some of the confiscated weapons and ammunition. "These are hollow points right here."
Dupree said many citizens might be shocked out how easy it is for young kids to get a hold of the high-powered weapons.
"Oh sure, you can give a kid $300, $400 dollars and say, 'Here, go buy a gun,' and he'll be back in less than an hour with a gun," he said.
Erica Hernandez said she agrees after her 13-year-old brother was placed in jail after she said he was armed with a 9-millimeter handgun and robbed a local vendor.
"Thirteen-years-old and he got a hold of anything he could get a hold of," she said.
Some residents in Oak Cliff said they have seen more teenagers with guns as well.
"They get in a beef with somebody or an argument, they can just pop the trunk and take out guns and shoot," said resident Latasha Brown.
Recently, a 15-year-old Dallas girl was arrested and accused of robbing several banks over the last few months. Incidents such as those have authorities nervous.
"This type of fire power right here, you could stand off a division of law officers," Dupree said.
Law enforcement agencies said they are now targeting areas where there are guns and gangs in an attempt to get to the weapons before they end up in young hands.
By REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA ABC 8
Powerful military rifles, the kind used against United States troops in Iraq, are increasingly being found on young teenagers in North Texas, police said.
The weapons are so powerful they could pierce some body armor, which has some officers worried.
"This is what we are facing here on the streets," said Mike Dupree, Dallas County constable.
High powered rifles, guns and ammunition were all recently taken from teenagers by Dallas County Constables.
"This is the clip of an AK-47 right here," Dupree said while he showed News 8 some of the confiscated weapons and ammunition. "These are hollow points right here."
Dupree said many citizens might be shocked out how easy it is for young kids to get a hold of the high-powered weapons.
"Oh sure, you can give a kid $300, $400 dollars and say, 'Here, go buy a gun,' and he'll be back in less than an hour with a gun," he said.
Erica Hernandez said she agrees after her 13-year-old brother was placed in jail after she said he was armed with a 9-millimeter handgun and robbed a local vendor.
"Thirteen-years-old and he got a hold of anything he could get a hold of," she said.
Some residents in Oak Cliff said they have seen more teenagers with guns as well.
"They get in a beef with somebody or an argument, they can just pop the trunk and take out guns and shoot," said resident Latasha Brown.
Recently, a 15-year-old Dallas girl was arrested and accused of robbing several banks over the last few months. Incidents such as those have authorities nervous.
"This type of fire power right here, you could stand off a division of law officers," Dupree said.
Law enforcement agencies said they are now targeting areas where there are guns and gangs in an attempt to get to the weapons before they end up in young hands.
0 likes
-
TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Dallas fire chiefs on leave for sexual harassment
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Two high-ranking officials with Dallas Fire- Rescue have been placed on administrative leave for alleged sexual harassment.
Assistant Chief Roland Gamez who heads the communications division was placed on leave yesterday pending an internal affairs investigation.
Johnnie Ortiz, the department's 9-1-1 manager was suspended.
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Two high-ranking officials with Dallas Fire- Rescue have been placed on administrative leave for alleged sexual harassment.
Assistant Chief Roland Gamez who heads the communications division was placed on leave yesterday pending an internal affairs investigation.
Johnnie Ortiz, the department's 9-1-1 manager was suspended.
0 likes
-
TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Rail route to D/FW has leaders at odds
Suburban officials back line from Plano; Dallas favors LBJ option
By TONY HARTZEL / The Dallas Morning News
RICHARDSON, Texas – A host of suburban community leaders kicked off a major push Tuesday to get DART to build an east-west rail line from Plano to D/FW Airport. But their efforts could clash with those of Dallas officials, who want a rail line along or under LBJ Freeway.
The northern suburbs are focusing on the Cotton Belt corridor, a long-debated DART-owned rail line that stretches through Plano, Richardson, Addison and Carrollton on its way to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
According to early estimates, light-rail service on that route could cost $1.5 billion to build. As North Texas continues to grow outward, the region needs a rail line like the Cotton Belt that serves major employment centers and the airport without running through downtown, Richardson Mayor Gary Slagel said.
"The bottom line is, we're trying to move people. This is an important project for all of us who are here," Mr. Slagel told a crowd of about 150 Cotton Belt supporters at the University of Texas at Dallas.
The crowd featured state Reps. Linda Harper-Brown, R-Irving, and Jerry Madden, R-Richardson, and representatives of Mary Kay Inc. and the university.
A rail line could connect UTD to more potential students, and it could open up possibilities for the university to develop outreach programs for young students and a continuing education center for adults, said Dr. David Daniel, the university president.
"This station has the opportunity to connect UTD to the whole metroplex and open up access in significant ways," Dr. Daniel said. "It means that students can take a class at other universities, and those choices will enrich the entire community."
Dallas officials, on the other hand, are asking DART to consider and adopt plans for a rail line along or under LBJ Freeway that would connect with the Cotton Belt line in Addison and continue to D/FW Airport. That line would cost about $2 billion to build, but its supporters say it would probably attract more riders and more economic development.
Both plans are part of DART's review of potential projects that could be included in its 2030 system plan. The 2030 plan outlines projects that will be built after the transit agency finishes construction on its rail lines to Fair Park, Pleasant Grove, Irving, D/FW Airport, Farmers Branch, Carrollton, Rowlett and South Oak Cliff.
Money could become a major issue as the debate intensifies. According to DART estimates, the agency will have about $1.8 billion in revenue to build rail projects from 2015 to 2030. Although the suburbs and the city seem to be staking out separate positions, both sides agree that they are waiting for better data from DART before coming to solid conclusions about what lines to build when.
"We haven't as a city determined what our priorities are going to be," said Dallas City Council member Linda Koop, the chairwoman of the city's transportation and environment committee. "We have a lot of needs all over the city, including the southern sector. We have to determine how to meet those needs and balance that with how much money DART has."
Supporters of both lines agree that the Cotton Belt and LBJ routes serve different travel patterns and customers. DART expects to have a better idea of how many people would ride both lines in a month or two.
While money may be tight for one or both lines, DART officials have started looking at a seldom-used option that could raise even more revenue for transit projects and possibly create consensus on the 15-member DART board.
The transit agency is obligated to use short-term financing to build rail lines unless it obtains voter approval for long-term debt on specific projects.
If voters approve, DART could raise an estimated $3 billion for projects like LBJ and the Cotton Belt through 2030. The transit agency obtained voter approval in 2000 for debt that will help build much of its current slate of $2.9 billion in projects to Carrollton, Irving and D/FW Airport.
Where northern suburban leaders see great potential for a new commuter rail line on the Cotton Belt, others have seen a long, difficult history of fighting to keep DART trains from running through their Far North Dallas neighborhood.
Concerns from Far North Dallas residents and the Dallas City Council led DART to scrap plans for the Cotton Belt in the mid-1990s. Although he still questions the number of riders that the line would attract, longtime resident and Cotton Belt opponent Bob Quat says the debate has shifted to economics.
"The best defense we have is that LBJ is a better route," he said, pointing out that the LBJ line could help attract more economic development. "Dallas needs LBJ. It's not just homeowners in North Dallas that don't want the train going through their back yard."
DART has tentatively scheduled a community meeting on the east-west rail options for late winter or early spring, and it could hold final public hearings on its 2030 plan by late spring.
Suburban officials back line from Plano; Dallas favors LBJ option
By TONY HARTZEL / The Dallas Morning News
RICHARDSON, Texas – A host of suburban community leaders kicked off a major push Tuesday to get DART to build an east-west rail line from Plano to D/FW Airport. But their efforts could clash with those of Dallas officials, who want a rail line along or under LBJ Freeway.
The northern suburbs are focusing on the Cotton Belt corridor, a long-debated DART-owned rail line that stretches through Plano, Richardson, Addison and Carrollton on its way to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
According to early estimates, light-rail service on that route could cost $1.5 billion to build. As North Texas continues to grow outward, the region needs a rail line like the Cotton Belt that serves major employment centers and the airport without running through downtown, Richardson Mayor Gary Slagel said.
"The bottom line is, we're trying to move people. This is an important project for all of us who are here," Mr. Slagel told a crowd of about 150 Cotton Belt supporters at the University of Texas at Dallas.
The crowd featured state Reps. Linda Harper-Brown, R-Irving, and Jerry Madden, R-Richardson, and representatives of Mary Kay Inc. and the university.
A rail line could connect UTD to more potential students, and it could open up possibilities for the university to develop outreach programs for young students and a continuing education center for adults, said Dr. David Daniel, the university president.
"This station has the opportunity to connect UTD to the whole metroplex and open up access in significant ways," Dr. Daniel said. "It means that students can take a class at other universities, and those choices will enrich the entire community."
Dallas officials, on the other hand, are asking DART to consider and adopt plans for a rail line along or under LBJ Freeway that would connect with the Cotton Belt line in Addison and continue to D/FW Airport. That line would cost about $2 billion to build, but its supporters say it would probably attract more riders and more economic development.
Both plans are part of DART's review of potential projects that could be included in its 2030 system plan. The 2030 plan outlines projects that will be built after the transit agency finishes construction on its rail lines to Fair Park, Pleasant Grove, Irving, D/FW Airport, Farmers Branch, Carrollton, Rowlett and South Oak Cliff.
Money could become a major issue as the debate intensifies. According to DART estimates, the agency will have about $1.8 billion in revenue to build rail projects from 2015 to 2030. Although the suburbs and the city seem to be staking out separate positions, both sides agree that they are waiting for better data from DART before coming to solid conclusions about what lines to build when.
"We haven't as a city determined what our priorities are going to be," said Dallas City Council member Linda Koop, the chairwoman of the city's transportation and environment committee. "We have a lot of needs all over the city, including the southern sector. We have to determine how to meet those needs and balance that with how much money DART has."
Supporters of both lines agree that the Cotton Belt and LBJ routes serve different travel patterns and customers. DART expects to have a better idea of how many people would ride both lines in a month or two.
While money may be tight for one or both lines, DART officials have started looking at a seldom-used option that could raise even more revenue for transit projects and possibly create consensus on the 15-member DART board.
The transit agency is obligated to use short-term financing to build rail lines unless it obtains voter approval for long-term debt on specific projects.
If voters approve, DART could raise an estimated $3 billion for projects like LBJ and the Cotton Belt through 2030. The transit agency obtained voter approval in 2000 for debt that will help build much of its current slate of $2.9 billion in projects to Carrollton, Irving and D/FW Airport.
Where northern suburban leaders see great potential for a new commuter rail line on the Cotton Belt, others have seen a long, difficult history of fighting to keep DART trains from running through their Far North Dallas neighborhood.
Concerns from Far North Dallas residents and the Dallas City Council led DART to scrap plans for the Cotton Belt in the mid-1990s. Although he still questions the number of riders that the line would attract, longtime resident and Cotton Belt opponent Bob Quat says the debate has shifted to economics.
"The best defense we have is that LBJ is a better route," he said, pointing out that the LBJ line could help attract more economic development. "Dallas needs LBJ. It's not just homeowners in North Dallas that don't want the train going through their back yard."
DART has tentatively scheduled a community meeting on the east-west rail options for late winter or early spring, and it could hold final public hearings on its 2030 plan by late spring.
0 likes
-
TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Man struck, killed by TRE train in Irving
IRVING, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A man died after he was struck by a Trinity Railway Express train in Irving Wednesday morning.
DART spokesperson Claudia Garibay said the train had left the South Irving station around 9 a.m. and was headed westbound near Irby Lane and Rock Island Road when the train's operator noticed a man walking along the north side of the tracks with his back to the train.
The operator blew the horn, but the man crossed the tracks and was struck, Garibay said.
The victim, about 20 years old, was taken by ambulance to Parkland Hospital, where he died. His name was withheld pending notification of family members.
Garibay said the accident briefly shut down the TRE line, causing delays for other trains. Service was restored around 9:40 a.m., she said.
DallasNews.com staff writer Alan Melson contributed to this report.
WFAA ABC 8
The accident halted TRE service for nearly 40 minutes.
IRVING, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A man died after he was struck by a Trinity Railway Express train in Irving Wednesday morning.
DART spokesperson Claudia Garibay said the train had left the South Irving station around 9 a.m. and was headed westbound near Irby Lane and Rock Island Road when the train's operator noticed a man walking along the north side of the tracks with his back to the train.
The operator blew the horn, but the man crossed the tracks and was struck, Garibay said.
The victim, about 20 years old, was taken by ambulance to Parkland Hospital, where he died. His name was withheld pending notification of family members.
Garibay said the accident briefly shut down the TRE line, causing delays for other trains. Service was restored around 9:40 a.m., she said.
DallasNews.com staff writer Alan Melson contributed to this report.
WFAA ABC 8
The accident halted TRE service for nearly 40 minutes.
0 likes
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 24 guests