News from the Lone Star State

[TexasStooge]

Counties face probation officer shortage

By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA ABC 8

COLLIN COUNTY, Texas - Brenda Stamper wants to see more supervision of people on probation like the drunken driver responsible for the death of her son Aaron.

However, some counties, including Collin County, are struggling with a shortage of supervision officers.

"If we don't adequately fund community supervision we are putting the public at risk," said Melissa Cahill, Director of Collin County’s Community Supervision and Corrections Department. Each of Collin County's 60 supervision officers carries a load of about 160 cases.

Their job is to make sure each of these offenders comply with court ordered conditions for probation.

Officials said, though, that they don't have time to increase the number of visits to offenders and as a result now have 875 fugitives from probation.

“[They] could be re-offending, using drugs, stealing, all manners of crimes,” said Mark Miller of Collin County’s Supervision and Corrections Department. “It's a problem."

Because of the staffing shortage, Miller is the only person assigned to hunt those on the run including burglars, violent offenders and sex offenders.

“For every one I find, I get probably 10 new cases," Miller said.

Yet he and other officers forge ahead, day and night, attempting to make sure no one else is hurt or victimized.

Stamper continues to hope that these offender are closely monitored so others don’t have to feel the pain of the loss of a loved one.

"This is my only child,” she said. “It's been five years, two months and nine days. I can't tell you how brokenhearted my husband and I are."

[TexasStooge]

Judge keeping daycare crash driver behind bars

By GARY REAVES / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - The teenager behind the wheel of a car that crashed into a Dallas daycare center is getting no breaks from the legal system.

At a hearing in juvenile court on Thursday, a judge decided to keep the 14-year-old locked up for at least 10 more days.

The move has prompted complaints about fairness from the girl's mother, Jeanetta Bass, and others. Bass was clearly disappointed after the judge ruled that her daughter must remain in custody while she awaits trial.

"It's a shame, because it was just an accident," Bass said. "Bless those that are severely hurt."

At a rally for her daughter on Tuesday, Bass wouldn't talk about the accident, only about the pain she blames on the fact that he law doesn't allow juveniles to post bail.

"I know what kind of child she is," Bass said. "For her to be locked up in the system, it's unreal."

It is hard to know why the judge is keeping the teen in custody, because by law juvenile records are not public. The girl's supporters contrast her case with 18-year-old Austin Ames, who was able to post bond since he was tried as an adult

"It's a matter of fairness, when a Caucasian can run over and kill a six-year-old girl in Highland Park and receive two years' probation," said Rev. Ronald Wright of Praise Him Ministries. "It's just about being just."

Attorney Raul Loya's main concern is his client. Rosemary Solis, 10, spent nearly two weeks in the Parkland Hospital burn unit.

"I think its completely fair," Loya said of the judge's decision. "(Rosemary) was trapped under the vehicle; she will bear these scars the rest of her life."

That will also be true for all involved with this case, no matter what the courts decide.

[TexasStooge]

Holdup suspect killed after pursuit

DECATUR, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A shootout with sheriff's deputies ended with the death of a robbery suspect in Wise County overnight.

An armed man robbed the Wal-Mart in Sherman a little after 2 a.m. Friday, said Lt. Steven Potts of the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The man’s vehicle was spotted in Cook County around 3:30 a.m., when authorities from Cook and Wise counties and DPS troopers began to chase him.

The man stopped the vehicle around 4:10 a.m. at Highway 380 near Highway 287 in Decatur. He got out of “the vehicle and shots were fired,” Potts said.

The man, who has not been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities were investigating whether he fired any shots.

No one else was hurt.

[TexasStooge]

Teen drowns in Oak Cliff pond

By DAN RONAN / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - Dallas police tried and failed to save a drowning teenager Thursday night.

Witnesses said Juan Acquisa, 13, jumped in an Oak Cliff pond and failed to surface.

It took authorities 10 to 15 minutes to arrive because the pond is in an isolated area.

The officers who responded quickly jumped in as friends and relatives stood nearby.

"They tried to do everything that they could," said Dallas police spokesman Sgt. Gil Cerda. "They tried to do the best they could to revive the young man."

Acquisa was pronounced dead at Methodist Medical Center.

[TexasStooge]

Burning candles spark Fort Worth fire

FORT WORTH, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) — No one was hurt when fire damaged a Fort Worth apartment building early Friday.

The first alarm went out around midnight at the Oak Hollow Apartments in the 5900 block of Boca Raton Boulevard on the city's east side.

A family told investigators they lit candles before going to bed, and that's believed to be the source of the fire.

Damage was estimated at $125,000 and was limited to one unit.

About 20 tenants were displaced because electrical service was cut to the building.

[TexasStooge]

Time to pay for check scam

Woman who defrauded district attorney is set to get prison time

HOUSTON, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) – A woman who has run identity-theft scams for years is facing prison for writing checks on the personal bank account of Harris County's highest-ranking prosecutor.

Sharon Durbin pleaded guilty to felony forgery Wednesday in a case in which she assumed the identity of Cathy Rosenthal and wrote 21 checks on the account of District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal.

The 31-year-old Beaumont woman's convictions include theft, fraudulent checks and credit-card fraud. She's eluded prison time until now.

Ms. Durbin faces two to 10 years in prison when she is sentenced Aug. 25.

Meanwhile, Mr. Rosenthal said the efforts to straighten out his financial problems, which began with Ms. Durbin's scam in February 2004, continue.

At some businesses he said he still has problems cashing personal checks.

"She's caused us a lot of consternation," he said Wednesday.

Ms. Durbin used a fake driver's license to cash 21 checks totaling more than $9,000, investigators said. She bought groceries, gift certificates at a pet store, and computers.

Police arrested her after one cashier required her thumbprint on a check.

Gaylyn Cooper of Beaumont, Ms. Durbin's attorney, said he did not think his client was treated differently because the victim of the crime was a district attorney.

Mr. Rosenthal said he is unaware of the details of the case. To avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, he appointed a special prosecutor to handle the case.

But he has recently dedicated an investigator and prosecutor in his office to focus on identity theft.

With four check-fraud felony cases a week filed in Harris County, he has also requested funding from the Commissioners Court to create a special division. The division would include an investigator, two prosecutors and a financial analyst.

[TexasStooge]

Suspect arrested in Denton attacks

By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA ABC 8

DENTON, Texas - Victims in a string of indecent exposures in Denton are expressing relief that police arrested one suspect and continue to look for others.

Denton police picked up one man and are trying to identify two others who they suspect of terrorizing women over the last six months.

One victim identified the suspect in Thursday's arrest, but detectives want to know if he's linked to other cases.

One woman is still afraid of the man who allegedly exposed and fondled himself in front of her, so she asked not to be identified.

"I told the police I was scared, because what if he sees me somewhere ... he knows my car," she said.

She's afraid even now after Denton police arrested a suspect she picked out of a photo lineup, 29-year-old Toby Miller. The victim provided detectives with a description and license plate number they used to track Miller down.

Police are also looking for similarities in other cases they're investigating.

"I think there at least several, as many as five or six, that he may be responsible for," said Lt. Roger While of the Denton Police Department.

But police suspect up to three men are responsible for more than 17 indecent exposure reports.

In each incident, women were approached, often in broad daylight and in public places like a laundromat or swimming pool.

Crime alerts posted at this apartment complex warned residents about an incident just this week, and since some others happened not far from the University of North Texas campus, officials there distributed safety tips to students.

"It just creeps me out," said UNT student Ciara Garrison. "I don't want to ... encounter this person."

"If they've gotten away with it to a certain point, it would seem as though they would take it further," said student Fran Jackson

[TexasStooge]

Pit bulls attack farm animals

By BRETT SHIPP / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - This morning, just outside the Dallas city limits, a pack of pit bulls lived up to their reputation.

Leaping a fence, the dogs mauled Toni and Jim Mooney's five pet goats, killing one instantly.

Maude, who valiantly defended the other goats, paid a horrible price and was killed while fighting to protect the other goats.

A neighbor's dog was also mauled.

"It's the worst I've seen around here," said Robert Wortham, a neighbor. "I'm scared they'll come back and hurt some kids or something cause they got the taste of blood."

Dallas County Animal Control workers responded quickly and captured two of the dogs and tranquilized a third that ran away. The third dog was located and authories have not let known whether the dog will be put to sleep.

[TexasStooge]

Man allegedly tried to build bomb, sell to terrorists

HOUSTON, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) - A man who told undercover agents he had "no loyalty for America" was indicted Thursday in Houston in a terrorism investigation.

Ronald Allen Grecula of Bangor, Pennsylvania, is accused of trying to build a bomb and sell it to the terrorist group or its affiliates.

Grecula was arrested by the FBI on May 20, the day he arrived in Houston, and he remains in custody.

Bond was denied Thursday for Grecula after a judge ruled the 68-year-old suspect should be considered dangerous and is a flight risk.

Prosecutors said Grecula is charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to foreign terrorist organization al-Qaeda. If convicted, Grecula could get up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The undercover investigation began in April.

[TexasStooge]

Violinist, 12, pulls at heartstrings

What's it's like soloing with Dallas Symphony Orchestra at 12? 'Orchestra is just, like, loud behind you'

By KATHARINE GOODLOE / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas - She won't be a teenager for two more weeks, but 12-year-old Shannon Lee celebrated anyway on Thursday night. The pint-sized prodigy became one of the youngest musicians ever to play with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra – and as a violin soloist, at that.

After escorting the young phenom off the stage, DSO music director Andrew Litton returned and enthused, "I haven't come down yet."

"It's not really that easy," Shannon said after a practice earlier in the day.


"They make it really exciting. The orchestra is just, like, loud behind you."

It's a feeling she'll have to get used to.

The Plano girl, who won last year's Lynn Harrell Concerto Competition to earn this DSO gig, is already attracting national attention. She's played for Itzhak Perlman and has been invited to perform at Carnegie Hall next year. In November, she'll tour four Texas universities with DSO members, who average at least 45 years old.

"She's bright," said Jan Mark Sloman, the orchestra's principal associate concertmaster and Shannon's violin teacher. "She's cheerful. She absorbs everything that goes on around her – musically and intellectually. And she has focus."

That focus began shortly before her fourth birthday. Her mom, Frances Lee, tried to enroll her in piano courses. But after teachers said Shannon's hands were too small, Mrs. Lee instead found a music class that taught clapping in rhythm and showed kids how to make instruments.

In the classroom next door, though, kids studied the violin. One day, mom and daughter stopped in to watch. "When she went in there," Mrs. Lee said, "she just sat down and froze."

Now, she's playing a 300-year-old, three-quarter-size violin on loan from London. She's also switched to a new school and skipped a grade: Shannon started last fall in seventh grade at Robinson Middle School and finished up eighth grade at Spring Creek Academy, where a half-day schedule allows more time for violin practice.

Her latest project rests on the music stand near her bedroom window: Chausson's Poème, one of the two pieces she played Thursday night. (The other, Franz Waxman's Carmen Fantasy, "is one of the most difficult pieces for the violin," according to Mr. Sloman.)

"It's a slow 'emotional' piece," Shannon says, pausing to illustrate the quote marks around "emotional," with a shy smile framing her braces. "Usually my favorite piece is whatever I'm playing right now."

Shannon, whose mom is from Montreal and dad is from Hong Kong, was born in Canada. The family moved to Dallas when she was 2.

Her brother, Kevin, 6, and sister, Jordan, 8, somersault across Shannon's canopy bed, all the while listening to their soft-spoken sister explain that even though all three siblings play violin, they don't often play together.

"People tell us if you have three kids, you have a trio," says Aumen Lee, Shannon's dad. "But they all play the same instrument."

On a corner bedpost, a barrage of medals and ribbons of blue, red and purple serve as reminders of Shannon's feats – her appearance on National Public Radio earlier this year, a Collin County musical honor and an award from her old school. A few ribbons remind her of long-ago piano recitals; she ended up learning the instrument, after all, but gave it up to focus on violin.

And she's happy to show an audience everything she's learned since then.

"It's how all your work pays off," says Shannon, whose other passions include swimming and reading books (her fave is To Kill a Mockingbird ). "If no one else hears anything, then you're just out there doing it all for yourself."

Special contributor Olin Chism contributed to this report.

[TexasStooge]

Dallas housing is hot property

Grass looks green to investors, real estate pros say

By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas - Carloads of Californian speculators shopping for suburban tract housing.

Wealthy speculators snapping up in-town condos.

The buzz in the Dallas housing market is about investors.

Depending on whom you talk to, these opportunistic buyers are either a boon or bad news."Is it happening? Yes," said real estate broker Kyle Crews. "Can I tell you how deep and wide this market is? No.

"But I hear more and more chatter about people coming in from out of state and buying housing," said Mr. Crews, an agent with Allie Beth Allman & Associates who recently sold two new high-rise condos in Uptown Dallas and one in Austin to the same California buyer. "Compared to prices in other markets, Dallas has got to be looked at very favorably."

Average residential prices here are half or less what they are in many West Coast cities, which is bound to attract speculators, brokers say.

Coming up with statistics on the investor market is almost impossible. It's never easy to tell who's buying a home to live in and who's making an investment play.

One market that's easier to gauge for investor demand is high-rise condominiums. Developers report that a great many of these expensive homes are going to investors.

"The last number I saw for our building was 20 percent investors," said Jonas Woods, president of Hillwood Capital, which is building the W Dallas Victory Hotel & Residences in Uptown. "There is no question that this is a phenomenon we are seeing in markets around the country."

Too many?

Builders are always reluctant to turn away wealthy buyers, but investor sales are not something they promote, Mr. Woods said.

"It's a disaster waiting to happen for people who develop in this market," he said. "It gives you a false sense of security about buyer demand.

"But someday the investor market will shut down overnight," he said. "If 20 and 30 percent of your buildings have been taken by speculators, and your price has been driven up, then we can all find ourselves in a tough spot."

Some of the country's top housing economists share those worries.

"We are seeing increasing shares of investor activity," said David Seiders, chief economist for the National Association of Home Builders in Washington, D.C. "It raises the question if the recent level of home sales and prices has something of an unsustainability – particularly if it's buying solely for the generation of short-term capital gains."

To guard against this, some high-rise condo developers are requiring buyers to keep their units at least 12 months. They are also adding clauses that prevent buyers from assigning or flipping the purchase contract to another buyer.

"You can't prevent speculators from purchasing, but there are some measures you can take to discourage it," said Christine Lutz of Garrison Partners Consulting, a Chicago company that markets high-rise residential projects all over the country, including the Metropolitan condominium tower at 1200 Main St. "There is too much speculation out there, and we are trying to limit it."

A recent report by the National Association of Realtors estimated that 23 percent of residences sold in the United States last year went to investors. Based on 2004's total sales, that would be more than 1 million homes.

But the Realtors estimate that only about 3 percent of buyers sell in a year's time or less.

Investor's dream

Many investor buyers come from cities where they've already made a bundle on housing.

"We have made so much money here that people are uncomfortable about plowing it back into this market," said Christopher P. Van Slyke, a Southern California financial adviser who has suggested some of his clients buy properties in Texas. "It's hot, inflated money out here looking for prices more related to value.

"All this money out here is looking for bargains."

And compared with California, the Dallas-Fort Worth area must seem like an investor's dream.

"People are asking why should I buy another condo here for $2 million when you can buy a really nice one in Texas for a half million?" said Mr. Van Slyke, managing director of Capital Financial Advisors of San Diego. "It's cheap for us and great for you."

Christian Hibberd, who works in the entertainment industry in the Los Angeles area, recently bought two investment units in a downtown Dallas condominium project.

"I've seen what's happened to prices out here in the last few years," Mr. Hibberd said. "I think downtown Dallas has lots of potential."

North Texas real estate agents say Mr. Hibberd has plenty of company.

"They are coming in by the busloads – especially from California," said Bill Sabino, manager of Re/Max Premier Group Realtors. "They will go into a new home subdivision and buy three or four.

"They are buying pre-owned homes, too," he said. "And they are not buying them at discount prices."

More on the market

Most investors plan to rent the house out for a year or so and then resell. Good luck, says Mr. Sabino.

"I don't know how they are going to rent them," he said.

The North Texas Multiple Listing Service currently shows about 3,900 rental homes and condos on the market. That's up from about 1,600 in 2002.

Maybe so, but investors "are definitely more prevalent, especially in the last six months or so," said David Brown, director of the Dallas office of housing analyst Metrostudy Inc., which tracks the new-home market in North Texas.

Most big homebuilders don't want to sell to speculators, Mr. Brown said.

"They don't want a new subdivision with seven or eight 'for lease' signs," he said. "You could wind up competing against yourself."

John Landon, co-chairman and chief executive of Meritage Homes, which has dual headquarters in Dallas and Scottsdale, Ariz., says investor sales are still only a small part of the North Texas new home market.

"There have definitely been many investors in the Phoenix market, in California and the Las Vegas market," Mr. Landon said. "But in Dallas-Fort Worth, we are not going to see great appreciation like you have in those markets.

"The barriers to entry are much less in the housing market, and there is no housing bubble here," he said.

[TexasStooge]

Perry signs life-without-parole bill

AUSTIN, Texas (The Dallas Morning News/AP) - Gov. Rick Perry signed into law Friday a new life-without-parole sentencing option for Texas juries in capital murder cases.

Texas juries have been able to sentence capital murder convicts to death or life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years. The new law, which takes effect Sept. 1, will strip the possibility of parole.

Texas leads the nation in executions with nine this year and 345 since the state resumed the practice in 1982. Of the 38 states that execute capital offenders, Texas and New Mexico are the only ones that lacked the life-without-parole option.

"I believe this bill will improve our criminal justice system because it gives jurors a new option to protect the public with the certainty a convicted killer will never roam our streets again," said Perry, a Republican.

The Legislature approved the change in the session that ended May 30.

A Scripps-Howard poll in October found that 75 percent of Texans support the death penalty and 78 percent favored giving juries the option of life without parole.

Opponents of the change argued the current parole option gives convicts a reason to behave in prison if good behavior will help them get out. Supporters preferred to call it "truth in sentencing" since convicts sentenced to life are guaranteed never to be freed.

While some prosecutors were opposed to the legislation when it included keeping the possibility of life with parole, many decided to support the bill once the parole option was removed.

Bill sponsors who had failed to pass the measure in previous years felt their case was bolstered by the Supreme Court ruling in March that banned the execution of murderers who kill when they are younger than 18. In 2002, the courts also struck down executions of mentally retarded inmates.

[TexasStooge]

Truck, SUV collide; one dead

VAN ALSTYNE, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/WFAA.com) - One person was killed Friday morning when an 18-wheeler and a sport utility vehicle collided on U.S. 75 south of Van Alstyne near the Grayson-Collin County line.

The first Texas Department of Public Safety troopers at the scene said it appeared that one of the vehicles crossed the median into an opposing lane of traffic.

The passenger compartment of the SUV was destroyed in the wreck. The front end of the big rig was also heavily damaged.

The identity of the person who died was not available.

There is no median barrier on that stretch of U.S. 75 as there is south of McKinney. Van Alstyne is about 16 miles north of McKinney.

The highway's southbound lanes were shut down during the investigation. Traffic was routed to the service road, leading to a backup of about one mile.

The 18-wheeler's flatbed trailer was carrying a load of lumber, much of which was in the median after the wreck.

[TexasStooge]

Study: Bilingual principals not vital

DISD: Survey shows test scores unaffected by language leaders use

By TAWNELL D. HOBBS / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas - At a time when some community leaders want all principals of mostly Hispanic schools to be bilingual, a DISD analysis suggests that wouldn't have much effect on student performance.

"There is no statistical significant difference between the performance of schools with bilingual principals and the schools without bilingual principals, in either reading or math," according to a June 10 Dallas Independent School District memo.

Trustee Joe May is pushing a proposal that principals at campuses where at least half of the students have been in limited English proficiency programs must learn the language spoken by the majority of the students. The principals would have three years to attain language proficiency at the district's expense.

The plan, brought to trustees last month, has been a contentious issue.

Trustee Hollis Brashear asked district administrators to assess whether such a plan would help students.

The review looked at state scores in the major core subjects of reading and math on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills. According to the district's assessment, 89 schools would qualify for the plan.

For students who were supervised by principals who were not bilingual, the average reading pass rate was 76.08 percent. For students supervised by bilingual principals, the average reading pass rate was 76.06 percent.

The average math pass rate for students at schools with principals who were not bilingual was 69.95 percent, compared with an average pass rate of 72.65 percent at schools with bilingual principals.

The district's analysis said many factors could contribute to student performance, including having a supportive learning environment, opportunities to learn and high achievement expectations.

"The extent to which a principal speaking Spanish contributes to these factors for improving student achievement in [predominantly limited-English proficient] schools is unknown," the assessment states.

Mr. Brashear said he would not support the plan when it comes to the board in August.

"Requiring principals to speak another language doesn't make any difference," he said. "This appears on the surface a tactic to get more Hispanic-speaking people in leadership positions."

But Mr. May disputes the district's data.

"I have to think that my idea has never been embraced by the administration to begin with," he said. "I will be countering that data; I will be presenting my own."

Mr. May said the goal of the plan is to allow parents who don't speak English to communicate with their child's principal – and to provide principals with a communication tool. That, he said, is critical.

"All roads lead to parental participation," he said.

[TexasStooge]

Sale of prison horses for meat opposed

Backers cite revenue; foes say practice is inhumane

By DAVE MICHAELS / The Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has sold more than 50 of its horses over the last three years to a plant in Kaufman that processes horse meat for sale in Europe and Japan, records show.

The practice has outraged horse advocates in Texas, who said the agency callously threw away the animals after they served corrections officers in the field.

The transaction also appears to violate a 2002 opinion by former Attorney General John Cornyn, who ruled that state law forbids the sale of horse meat for human consumption, even to foreign countries. That law has been put on hold, though, by a federal judge.

The state's retired workhorses "should be euthanized and put down humanely," said Julie Caramante of Pearland, a volunteer with Habitat for Horses, an equine rescue organization. Instead, she said, the animals are "being taken to the plants like, 'Thank you for your years of service. We'll get a couple of bucks.' "

A TDCJ spokesman noted that some of its horses were sold to private owners, and a former department official argued that it makes sense for the state to try to save taxpayers money by selling old horses to the plants.

Facilities such as Dallas Crown, in Kaufman, use the same technique on horses that is used to kill cattle, a plant spokesman said. The horse is stunned with a steel bolt driven into its head, then bled to death.

"Everyone from the American Veterinary Association to Texas A&M University says it's the most humane way to slaughter an animal," said Jim Bradshaw, a spokesman for Dallas Crown and Beltex, a Fort Worth plant.

But processing horse meat – which few Americans eat but which gained popularity in Europe during mad-cow disease scares – remains a divisive subject. In Washington last week, the U.S. House passed a provision that seeks to block the slaughter of horses for meat. The legislation would forbid the government from spending money to inspect the meat, which is required for it to be sold.

The Texas prison system maintains a herd of 1,700 horses throughout the state. Corrections officers ride them as they watch inmates who work in the agency's farms and fields. Employees also use them as they tend to the agency's massive stock of beef cattle.

The criminal justice department sold 53 horses to Dallas Crown between February 2003 and November 2004, according to inspection forms maintained by the Kaufman County clerk. The company said the horses probably sold for $400 to $500 each.

Texas A&M University veterinarians inspected the horses before they could be sold for slaughter, said agency spokesman Mike Viesca. Other horses have been sold through public auction, Mr. Viesca said.

Tom Fordyce, a former director of agribusiness for the TDCJ, said the sale of horses for meat processing is "an emotional deal." The decision was best for taxpayers, he said.

"Is it in the best interest of my state to [pay to] euthanize the horse, and then go out and bury the horse?" said Mr. Fordyce, who retired in January. "Or could I try to salvage some money out of this horse to lower the cost of operating the agriculture program?"

Department officials said their decision does not violate a 1949 state law that slaughterhouses are challenging. The agriculture code prohibits a person from selling horse meat for human consumption, but it does not prohibit selling horses for slaughter.

"TDCJ sold horses to a slaughterhouse, which is not prohibited by state law," Mr. Viesca said.

But Mr. Cornyn, now a U.S. senator, ruled in 2002 that the law applies to a person who transfers "horse-meat to a person who intends to sell" the meat for human consumption.

Chris Heyde of the Society for Animal Protective Legislation in Washington said the department should have stopped selling horses to Dallas Crown when Mr. Cornyn issued his ruling.

"You would hope the agency would not profit from something that the attorney general has said is illegal," Mr. Heyde said.

Mr. Heyde said the practice also runs counter to the habits of many law enforcement agencies that use horses.

Many local police departments give away animals that can no longer serve officers. The Houston Police Department offers them back to the people who donated the animals.

"We don't do any of the auctions or the slaughterhouses," said Houston police spokesman John Cannon.

In Dallas, the city often sells the animals to the family of the officer who rode them, said Dallas police Lt. Craig Miller, who oversees the Mounted Squad.

Mr. Fordyce, the former TDCJ official, said the issue is complicated. He has been around horses his entire life, he said, and would not eat their meat. But the horses have outlived their usefulness and, in some cases, are not in good enough shape to ride.

"For whatever reason, they may have been a rogue animal," Mr. Fordyce said. "We wouldn't have wanted to turn around and sell that at auction to a mother and father to give to their 5-year-old kid to ride."

Staff writer Jim Getz in Dallas contributed to this report.

[TexasStooge]

Jury: Molester is still a threat

Dallas: Pedophile Jones to remain under house arrest indefinitely

By ROBERT THARP / The Dallas Morning News

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas - A jury concluded Thursday that notorious pedophile David Wayne Jones, despite having undergone surgical castration and promising that he no longer poses a threat to boys, remains a "sexually violent predator."

The decision by a Montgomery County jury means that by state law, the former YMCA counselor will remain under house arrest indefinitely. Mr. Jones had one year of parole left on a 15-year prison term early next year after he admitted molesting about 40 boys in the early 1990s.

Since his release from prison, Mr. Jones has been living in a former hotel converted into a halfway house for sex offenders in an industrial part of Dallas.

Under the civil commitment order, he will remain at the Wayback House just west of downtown, but his restrictions will be even greater than the "super intensive" parole rules he was already living under.

Although he is not allowed to leave the building or go anywhere without an official escort, he will also wear a global positioning system beacon so authorities will always know his whereabouts. He is required to take part in sex-offender treatment and undergo regular lie-detector and sexual-stimulation tests.

He also must register as a sex offender and check in with authorities every 30 days. His civil commitment status will be reviewed every two years.

Any violations of the rules could result in a new felony prosecution and a return to prison.

Civil commitments

Mr. Jones is the most prolific known sexual predator in the city's history, but some defense attorneys who have handled civil commitment cases say they're worried that the law may be being abused.

"I feel badly for David Wayne Jones," said David O'Neill, a Huntsville attorney.

Mr. O'Neill believes the civil commitment law should be used for the state's most serious offenders, but he said he's troubled by the concept of predicting someone's future dangerousness.

In the Jones case, "here's a guy who's done everything he possibly can and could have been a model for people to get castrations. ... The people who voted in the case sent a clear message – why bother? We're going to commit you anyway."

Prosecutors argued that castration is not a cure-all for pedophiles because some sexual abnormalities are triggered by the brain, not hormones. Two psychiatrists also testified in the trial that they think Mr. Jones poses a continued threat.

As part of his original plea bargain reached with Dallas County prosecutors, Mr. Jones admitted to molesting about boys at the YMCA and one boy not affiliated with the organization. Prosecutors agreed to a prison sentence of no more than 15 years.

Parents of some of the abused boys later complained that they were not adequately informed of the plea deal and were frustrated that Mr. Jones could not be further prosecuted.

State authorities moved to prosecute Mr. Jones under civil commitment statutes after two separate attempts by Dallas County prosecutors to try him on new allegations dating from the early 1990s failed in recent years. A judge threw the cases out, ruling that prosecutors had violated federal speedy trial statutes.

As his mandatory parole date approached last year, Mr. Jones elected to have himself surgically castrated. He said at the time that the decision was based on his own self-awareness in treatment.

In an interview last month, Mr. Jones expressed frustration that the state was pursuing the civil commitment after he had nearly completed his sentence and had made what he considered progress in his treatment.

'I've changed'

"I've changed, and I have made contributions to my rehabilitation," he said. "It really seems to me like they're trying to make me fail."

Mr. Jones is one of nearly 50 convicted sex offenders who have been civilly committed since lawmakers passed the statute in 2000.

Texas is one of more than a dozen states with such laws, though the state's approach differs somewhat because offenders are placed on close supervision rather than being committed to a hospital or facility.

Critics are concerned because they say civil commitments unfairly cause people to be either punished without being convicted of a crime, or have their punishment extended after legally serving out a sentence. The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the process.

Keith Hampton, an Austin attorney and legislative chairman of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, said he's also troubled by the concept of predicting someone's future threat.

"The notion that someone will be a future danger – that is an emotion that is easily played upon by prosecutors," he said.

[TexasStooge]

Guardian Angels launch Dallas patrols

By DAN RONAN / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - The Guardian Angels began walking the streets of Lower Greenville Avenue in Dallas Friday night.

Leaders of the organization said they will be on patrol at least twice a week trying to help the over-burdened police department and the business community get a handle on the city's worst-in-the-nation crime rate.

At the same time, they will try to maintain a high profile in many sections of Dallas.

"We'll be patrolling this area, Greenville tonight, and possibly Deep Ellum later on," said organizer Frank Lee.

Minutes into their first patrol, the volunteers began their walk along Greenville Avenue—part deterrent and part extra set of eyes for police.

"The sole purpose of the Guardian Angels here in Dallas is to be where a police officer cannot," Lee said.

The Guardian Angels, easily identified by their trademark red berets and white T-shirts, are not armed. They say if they see anything out of the ordinary or witness a crime in progress, they will call the police and try to hold the suspect until officers arrive.

"We're going to be prepared to just detain that person and implement a citizen's arrest," Lee said.

Dallas police and some city officials have been lukewarm at best to the Guardian Angels, who have been very successful at their base in New York City and who now have chapters in Houston and in other cities across the U.S. and around the world.

New recruit Andy Montayo said the Angels will make a difference. "Violence is everywhere, crime is everywhere, and I just feel it's my part of giving back," he said.

Dallas ranks number one in the country for crime. Some area businesspeople said city leaders should welcome the Guardian Angels' help.

"It is a good strategy. People have to pay more attention today," said restaurant owner Christopher Rodriguez. "They only think about drinking and getting drunk, having fun all night."

Pawn shop owner Aris Garcia added, "maybe the guys will do something that police haven't been able to do."

On Saturday afternoon, Guardian Angel founder Curtis Sliwa will speak to recruits at a graduation ceremony at the Latino Cultural Center in Dallas.

Saturday night, the Angels plan to return to the streets.
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[url=http://www.guardianangels.org/]The Alliance of Guardian Angels
official site[/url]

[TexasStooge]

Home invasion spree linked to lone robber

String of crimes in Dallas, suburbs included slaying of Plano man

By JASON TRAHAN and ERIC GENTRY / The Dallas Morning News

PLANO, Texas - Law enforcement agencies say a string of home invasions and carjackings in five North Texas cities – including the recent slaying of a Plano accountant – may be linked to the same man.

The man – who has struck in Dallas, Richardson, Coppell and Garland in recent weeks – is armed with a shotgun and may have used it June 2 to shoot Plano accountant Cleofas Zapata, 50.

When police arrived at Mr. Zapata's apartment in the 6800 block of Preston Road, they found his door had been forced open and discovered his body inside.

"We don't want the public to panic, but we want to get the word out about these offenses," said Deputy Chief Alfredo Saldana of the Dallas police. "We're saturating the areas where these are occurring. We're also asking for the public's help to look for suspicious behavior."

Home invasions are a frequent occurrence in Dallas but are rare in the suburbs. They're also difficult to track because the FBI does not require a separate classification for national reporting of such robberies.

In Dallas, about 40 home invasions have been specifically reported this year, but many more are simply classified as robberies. Some are not random – including robberies of rich targets such as known drug houses.

Most home invasions do not result in violence, police and experts say. Experts advise victims to cooperate to avoid a tragedy.

Robbers usually knock, force their way in or enter by open doors – which is how the shotgun-wielding robber entered Christy Kimbrell's Far North Dallas apartment.

"I see three women and three purses," a police report quotes the attacker as saying as he appeared in her doorway about 3 a.m. May 27. He ordered the women to put their purses in a blue sports bag.

"We fumbled around and were confused, but he was calm and redirected us," Ms. Kimbrell said. "It was like this was his day job."

He escorted the women to the bathroom, where they were forced to lie face down while he searched them for cellphones.

"He rummaged through my dresser and looked into my nightstand, but he didn't really mess anything up," Ms. Kimbrell said. "I had jewelry that he didn't take. He was looking for cash, and luckily we only had about $20 between us."

The man checked on them several times in the 15 minutes he was there and then told them to stay in the bathroom for five minutes. When the women emerged from the bathroom, he was gone.

Between May 20 and June 10, police believe one man committed at least seven home invasions and two carjackings.

Police say he usually works alone, but there are exceptions.

In several instances, the man forced people at gunpoint to go to automated teller machines and withdraw cash. Despite that, police so far have no video images of any of the attacks.

Most of the robberies thought to be linked occurred close to Central Expressway, the Dallas North Tollway or Interstate 635 – all busy freeways where a criminal can quickly disappear into traffic.

A review of about three dozen offenses labeled home invasions from January through this month in Dallas reveals some trends:

•Most victims were black or Hispanic women.

•Robbers sometimes focused on apartments where drugs are sold, figuring that cash is probably kept there, too. But in many instances, the victims had no involvement in illegal activities.

•The attacks can be lucrative. Police records show thieves made off with about $102,000 in cash and property in crimes labeled as home invasions.

•More than half the time, the attackers were armed with guns – though victims described being terrorized with a can of Mace, knives and even a hammer.

•Some attackers wear ski masks, while others do not try to conceal their faces. In at least one incident, robbers were dressed as police.

While relatively common in Dallas, such crimes remain rare in the suburbs.

Frisco police spokeswoman Sgt. Gina McFarlin said the last home invasion robbery on record there was three years ago.

"We've just been lucky that that hasn't happened up here," she said.

Carrollton had its first home invasion of the year June 10 when at 2:45 a.m., two women were returning home when two men followed them into their garage. The attackers tied them up at gunpoint and fled in a stolen Jaguar.

Authorities in and around northeast Tarrant County pooled their resources and compared notes after a spate of home invasions in October in Coppell, Southlake, Keller, North Richland Hills and Colleyville.In Southlake, two teens were robbed at gunpoint at their home.

"We put together a task force with detectives and they finally caught a break and captured the guys who were responsible," said Southlake Police Chief Marlin Price. "The task force was the key to the thing."

Tips from informants led to the arrests of three Fort Worth men.

It's unclear how many home invasions occur in Dallas, but at least a half-dozen are labeled as such each month. They can be almost common, police say.

For example, about 2:10 a.m. Friday, two robbers entered an apartment in the 9300 block of Pinyon Tree Lane and struck a man with a broom. They took $5 and fled.

The same day, Dallas police arrested James Curtis Andrews, 21, in connection with another home invasion robbery June 11 in the 8500 block of Park Lane.

In that attack, one of the robbers struck a victim with a handgun. They took cash and jewelry.

Police don't think those two cases are related to the invasions and carjackings committed with a shotgun. But home invasions are often connected.

On June 9, Dallas police arrested Raymond Sotelo, 18, a man suspected in a string of home invasion robberies targeting Hispanic women in northwest Dallas.

Police believe that Mr. Sotelo might be one of two or three robbers linked to a string of daytime robberies in which robbers knock on apartment doors and tell women they need to borrow tools.

If the women open the door, they force their way inside and rob them.

Such attacks linger in the minds of the victims, even if there is no physical injury.

Like most home invasion victims, Ms. Kimbrell said her sense of security in her own home is in shambles.

"I'm not even comfortable in my own home," the 29-year-old said, adding that she may move soon. "He's taken that from me."

Staff writers Holly Yan, Ernesto Londoño, Jennifer Emily, Tiara M. Ellis, Brandon Formby and Debra Dennis contributed to this report.

[TexasStooge]

Sherman woman dies in crossover wreck

By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA ABC 8

SHERMAN, Texas - A Sherman woman was killed Friday morning when her sport utility vehicle collided with an 18-wheeler on U.S. 75 south of Van Alstyne, near the Grayson-Collin County line.

Investigators said the driver of the SUV, identified as Saraswathi Ramaswamy Swamy, 62, apparently lost control on the rain slick highway as she was traveling southbound—just 100 yards beyond the end of a concrete median barrier.

"And then she hydroplaned and went across the center median," said Van Alstyne Police Chief Robert Spindle.

The truck driver suffered minor injuries, but Swamy died at the scene.

Chief Spindle said the median barrier can make all the difference. "That has cut down on our accident rates tremendously," he said. "We have not had a fatality accident since they put the barrier up."

Barriers were installed on U.S. 75 between Highway 121 and U.S. 380 in Collin County. Similar barriers are now being installed on President George Bush Turnpike in response to serious crossover accidents and deaths.

But for motorists, the 13.5 mile stretch without barriers from U.S. 380 to the Grayson County line is frightening.

"It makes you nervous knowing that something could come from over on the other side and hit you," said motorist Chris Ferrell.

State highway officials said workers will begin erecting a cable median barrier between Highway 380 and the Grayson County line starting next February. While the cable-style barrier costs less, officials said it is just as effective in preventing crossover accidents.

The highway's southbound lanes were shut down during the investigation. Traffic was routed to the service road, leading to a backup of about one mile.

The 18-wheeler's flatbed trailer was carrying a load of lumber, much of which was in the median after the wreck.

[TexasStooge]

Oak Cliff street crews increase curve's safety

By CHRIS HEINBAUGH / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - City street crews planted dome posts at an Oak Cliff intersection after News 8 reported on the curve's safety hazards.

Last month a car lost control and flew into a resident's living room. Incidences such as this have occured at this area several times a year.

Crews also fixed a broken warning light, will repaint the street lines and add reflective bumps.

"To know that's going to stop someone from coming into the house, that's wonderful," said Ernestine Johnson, who owns a home in the area.

However, Johnson's husband of 63-years passed away last night before he could see the new changes.

"He's happy," Johnson said. "I just wish he were here to see it."

Although the city workers were just supposed to install posts, they heard Johnson's husband death and decided there was more they could do.

"She told me her husband was dying and I just felt for her," said Gerald Lones, a street worker.

The workers rebuilt her broken cinderblock wall, trimmed some of the brush and even watered her flowers.