News from the Lone Star State
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Arlington granny 'didn't want to kill' intruder
ARLINGTON, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) -- An Arlington woman who wounded an intruder she found hiding in a closet says she shot his leg -- because she didn't want to kill him.
Sixty-six-year-old Susan Gaylord Buxton says she's good shot and could have killed the guy.
Police say Buxton has a permit to carry a handgun and won't be charged over yesterday's shooting at her home.
Authorities believe the suspect ended up at Buxton's place after fleeing when officers tried to ticket him for speeding in a stolen car.
Buxton heard glass breaking and told her 28-year-old granddaughter to call 9-1-1.
Buxton located the intruder in a closet near the front door.
In the 9-1-1 tape, Buxton is heard telling 22-year-old Christopher Lessner to lie on the floor, before the first shot is fired.
Before the second shot, Buxton said to her granddaughter, "Get the police out here or this is it for him."
Lessner took off, but was captured at a nearby house.
He faces charges of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, evading arrest, criminal mischief and criminal trespass.
ARLINGTON, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) -- An Arlington woman who wounded an intruder she found hiding in a closet says she shot his leg -- because she didn't want to kill him.
Sixty-six-year-old Susan Gaylord Buxton says she's good shot and could have killed the guy.
Police say Buxton has a permit to carry a handgun and won't be charged over yesterday's shooting at her home.
Authorities believe the suspect ended up at Buxton's place after fleeing when officers tried to ticket him for speeding in a stolen car.
Buxton heard glass breaking and told her 28-year-old granddaughter to call 9-1-1.
Buxton located the intruder in a closet near the front door.
In the 9-1-1 tape, Buxton is heard telling 22-year-old Christopher Lessner to lie on the floor, before the first shot is fired.
Before the second shot, Buxton said to her granddaughter, "Get the police out here or this is it for him."
Lessner took off, but was captured at a nearby house.
He faces charges of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, evading arrest, criminal mischief and criminal trespass.
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Mom: Chili powder didn't seem dangerous to baby
By ROBERT THARP / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - The pasty mixture of chili powder and water tasted “gross,” but a young mother facing capital murder charges testified Thursday that she didn’t think it was dangerous to mold it around her infant daughter’s thumb and force her to swallow it to break her thumb-sucking habit.
Speaking in her own defense on the third day of testimony in her capital murder trial, Angela Disabella said she placed the pepper mixture on her daughter Kira’s thumb several times over about an hour before the baby began to choke in May 2004.
“It wasn’t hot at all - I tasted it. It just has a weird gross taste,” she said. “It wasn’t horribly gross so you would throw it up - just so you wouldn’t keep it [your thumb] in your mouth.”
Nearly six months old, Kira was not even ready to eat soft food, but Ms. Disabella, 21, said she was not concerned as the globs of brownish red pepper disappeared inside the baby’s mouth.
“I thought it was working,” she said. “As soon as she’d put her thumb in her mouth she’d take it out … She’d make this weird smile.”
The powder eventually clogged Kira’s throat and lungs entirely, causing her suffocation death, according to court testimony.
Under cross-examination by prosecutor Patricia Hogue, Ms. Disabella denied that she caused the baby’s death. “She passed away, but not because I intentionally tried to kill her,” she said.
Ms. Disabella acknowledged having a troubled adolescence and young-adult life. She didn’t complete the ninth grade and ran away at 16. She also said she had been a danger to herself at times, mutilating her arms with knives and trying to kill herself on several occasions.
Throughout several hours on the witness stand, Ms. Disabella maintained her composure under long questioning by Ms. Hogue about the events that led up to Kira’s death.
Although the baby had gained less than a pound in the nearly six months that she lived, Ms. Disabella said she fed her according to what she read in books and magazines. She said she didn’t always have formula because her live-in boyfriend and the baby’s father, Cameron Stockton, wanted her to breastfeed and refused to buy formula.
“I went by what the book said - I tried to do my best,” she said.
Prosecutors have charged that the baby’s suffocation was the culmination of a string of neglect and abuse the baby suffered in its short life. Besides being malnourished, the baby suffered two fractured ribs about a month before she died. A medical investigator testified that the rib injuries were likely caused by blunt-force abuse.
Friends and relatives of Ms. Disabella testified that she was concerned about the baby’s lack of weight-gain, and they thought she was feeding her. They also testified that they believed Mr. Stockton was abusive to her, a matter that prosecutors say is irrelevant because he was not at home when the baby died.
“Angela was a very caring mother. She cared about her baby. She loved her baby,” said friend Lindsay Kellner. “Cameron controlled the relationship. He decided what she would do, where she would go and how they would do things.”
If convicted of capital murder, Ms. Disabella faces an automatic life sentence in prison. Jurors will likely also have the option of considering lesser charges of causing serious bodily injury to a child by recklessness or negligence.
By ROBERT THARP / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - The pasty mixture of chili powder and water tasted “gross,” but a young mother facing capital murder charges testified Thursday that she didn’t think it was dangerous to mold it around her infant daughter’s thumb and force her to swallow it to break her thumb-sucking habit.
Speaking in her own defense on the third day of testimony in her capital murder trial, Angela Disabella said she placed the pepper mixture on her daughter Kira’s thumb several times over about an hour before the baby began to choke in May 2004.
“It wasn’t hot at all - I tasted it. It just has a weird gross taste,” she said. “It wasn’t horribly gross so you would throw it up - just so you wouldn’t keep it [your thumb] in your mouth.”
Nearly six months old, Kira was not even ready to eat soft food, but Ms. Disabella, 21, said she was not concerned as the globs of brownish red pepper disappeared inside the baby’s mouth.
“I thought it was working,” she said. “As soon as she’d put her thumb in her mouth she’d take it out … She’d make this weird smile.”
The powder eventually clogged Kira’s throat and lungs entirely, causing her suffocation death, according to court testimony.
Under cross-examination by prosecutor Patricia Hogue, Ms. Disabella denied that she caused the baby’s death. “She passed away, but not because I intentionally tried to kill her,” she said.
Ms. Disabella acknowledged having a troubled adolescence and young-adult life. She didn’t complete the ninth grade and ran away at 16. She also said she had been a danger to herself at times, mutilating her arms with knives and trying to kill herself on several occasions.
Throughout several hours on the witness stand, Ms. Disabella maintained her composure under long questioning by Ms. Hogue about the events that led up to Kira’s death.
Although the baby had gained less than a pound in the nearly six months that she lived, Ms. Disabella said she fed her according to what she read in books and magazines. She said she didn’t always have formula because her live-in boyfriend and the baby’s father, Cameron Stockton, wanted her to breastfeed and refused to buy formula.
“I went by what the book said - I tried to do my best,” she said.
Prosecutors have charged that the baby’s suffocation was the culmination of a string of neglect and abuse the baby suffered in its short life. Besides being malnourished, the baby suffered two fractured ribs about a month before she died. A medical investigator testified that the rib injuries were likely caused by blunt-force abuse.
Friends and relatives of Ms. Disabella testified that she was concerned about the baby’s lack of weight-gain, and they thought she was feeding her. They also testified that they believed Mr. Stockton was abusive to her, a matter that prosecutors say is irrelevant because he was not at home when the baby died.
“Angela was a very caring mother. She cared about her baby. She loved her baby,” said friend Lindsay Kellner. “Cameron controlled the relationship. He decided what she would do, where she would go and how they would do things.”
If convicted of capital murder, Ms. Disabella faces an automatic life sentence in prison. Jurors will likely also have the option of considering lesser charges of causing serious bodily injury to a child by recklessness or negligence.
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NorthPark mall to open 26 new stores, including Nordstrom
By BRAD WATSON / WFAA ABC 8
Shopping in North Texas is more than just about buying things. In this landlocked part of the world, it's a way of life.
When there are no mountains or water, it's a great way to spend time.
Some 22 million people visited NorthPark Center last year making it one of the top attractions in the state.
From Friday, the mall will offer more, when Seattle-based Nordstrom opens its fourth store in North Texas at NorthPark.
Nordstrom says it will feature fashion from designer collections to ready to wear, cosmetics, customer service and of course shoes - lots and lots of shoes.
"Nordstrom is just different. I mean it's an experience in its own right," said a shopper at the mall, Nina Beazley.
NorthPark says 26 of 110 new stores will open this weekend as part of the expansion, giving the 40-year-old center the balance it wanted.
"Up to now we've never been able to maximize on that potential because of limited space," said Christine Szalay, a spokeswoman for NorthPark.
"You want to find everything in the same mall and when stores like this open in the same mall it makes it more easier for you," added Shetina Wilson, a shopper.
As well Nordstrom, new stores to open in November include Juicy Couture, Ted Baker, Puma, Porsche Design, Vilebrequin, Custo Barcelona, BOSS Hugo Boss, Charles David, Lancôme, Steve Madden, Apple Computer, Bose, White House|Black Market, Sigrid Olsen, J.Jill, Elisabeth, Cole Haan, Coldwater Creek and Chico's.
By BRAD WATSON / WFAA ABC 8
Shopping in North Texas is more than just about buying things. In this landlocked part of the world, it's a way of life.
When there are no mountains or water, it's a great way to spend time.
Some 22 million people visited NorthPark Center last year making it one of the top attractions in the state.
From Friday, the mall will offer more, when Seattle-based Nordstrom opens its fourth store in North Texas at NorthPark.
Nordstrom says it will feature fashion from designer collections to ready to wear, cosmetics, customer service and of course shoes - lots and lots of shoes.
"Nordstrom is just different. I mean it's an experience in its own right," said a shopper at the mall, Nina Beazley.
NorthPark says 26 of 110 new stores will open this weekend as part of the expansion, giving the 40-year-old center the balance it wanted.
"Up to now we've never been able to maximize on that potential because of limited space," said Christine Szalay, a spokeswoman for NorthPark.
"You want to find everything in the same mall and when stores like this open in the same mall it makes it more easier for you," added Shetina Wilson, a shopper.
As well Nordstrom, new stores to open in November include Juicy Couture, Ted Baker, Puma, Porsche Design, Vilebrequin, Custo Barcelona, BOSS Hugo Boss, Charles David, Lancôme, Steve Madden, Apple Computer, Bose, White House|Black Market, Sigrid Olsen, J.Jill, Elisabeth, Cole Haan, Coldwater Creek and Chico's.
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Police: Man attempts 2 abductions in Irving
By YOLANDA WALKER / WFAA ABC 8
IRVING, Texas - A man in Irving allegedly tried to abduct two different children at two different locations Thursday night at the same shopping plaza on the 3400 block of North Belt Line.
Irving police urged parents to keep a close eye on children in the area.
The first attempted abduction was reported at a Cici's Pizza in the shopping plaza. He picked up an infant out of its carrier while his mother was at the food bar getting pizza.
It was reported he then went three doors down to a T.J. Maxx where he approached a 3-year-old child and began leading the child out of the store by his hand.
In both attempts, he told the mothers who confronted him that he needed money.
Police said they were not sure what he meant when he told the mothers he was in need of money. However, they said it didn't make too much since to them because after he attempted the abductions, he went to another store and purchased a hat.
The suspect was a black male in his 20s. He was described as wearing a long, red-sleeved T-shirt that had CompUSA written on across the front and dark sweat pants pulled up to his knees.
Anyone who has information has been asked to call the Irving Police Department.
By YOLANDA WALKER / WFAA ABC 8
IRVING, Texas - A man in Irving allegedly tried to abduct two different children at two different locations Thursday night at the same shopping plaza on the 3400 block of North Belt Line.
Irving police urged parents to keep a close eye on children in the area.
The first attempted abduction was reported at a Cici's Pizza in the shopping plaza. He picked up an infant out of its carrier while his mother was at the food bar getting pizza.
It was reported he then went three doors down to a T.J. Maxx where he approached a 3-year-old child and began leading the child out of the store by his hand.
In both attempts, he told the mothers who confronted him that he needed money.
Police said they were not sure what he meant when he told the mothers he was in need of money. However, they said it didn't make too much since to them because after he attempted the abductions, he went to another store and purchased a hat.
The suspect was a black male in his 20s. He was described as wearing a long, red-sleeved T-shirt that had CompUSA written on across the front and dark sweat pants pulled up to his knees.
Anyone who has information has been asked to call the Irving Police Department.
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Frisco city hall employees focus in drug probe
By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA ABC 8
FRISCO, Texas - Frisco police are investigating two former city hall employees arrested for allegedly selling drugs.
While on the clock at Frisco City Hall, police said two employees left work to sell cocaine to undercover officers off city property.
They were both later arrested on city property for delivery of a controlled substance.
"The investigation began when our police department received a tip that these two city employees, at the time, were selling cocaine," said Gina McFarlin Frisco Police Department.
The 24-year-old female arrested worked as a special project and volunteer coordinator, and the 28-year-old male was employed as a customer service representative.
Police said both resigned after the arrest. Detectives are now investigating whether the two were working together allegedly selling drugs.
The incident has some residents worried.
"Yes, that would bother me," said resident Joanna Sanchez. "That just doesn't seem [right] since they are in city hall and representing our families."
However, it didn't change resident Aaron Adamick's faith in city hall.
"I really don't think it is a reflection on city hall that much," he said.
By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA ABC 8
FRISCO, Texas - Frisco police are investigating two former city hall employees arrested for allegedly selling drugs.
While on the clock at Frisco City Hall, police said two employees left work to sell cocaine to undercover officers off city property.
They were both later arrested on city property for delivery of a controlled substance.
"The investigation began when our police department received a tip that these two city employees, at the time, were selling cocaine," said Gina McFarlin Frisco Police Department.
The 24-year-old female arrested worked as a special project and volunteer coordinator, and the 28-year-old male was employed as a customer service representative.
Police said both resigned after the arrest. Detectives are now investigating whether the two were working together allegedly selling drugs.
The incident has some residents worried.
"Yes, that would bother me," said resident Joanna Sanchez. "That just doesn't seem [right] since they are in city hall and representing our families."
However, it didn't change resident Aaron Adamick's faith in city hall.
"I really don't think it is a reflection on city hall that much," he said.
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Woman burned while smoking, using oxygen tank
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Police said a 69-year-old woman caught herself on fire Thursday night by smoking a cigarette while using her oxygen tank.
Her family told News 8 she used her oxygen tank while smoking often.
Mary Russell was taken by air ambulance to Parkland Memorial Hospital with 2nd and 3rd degree burns over 85 percent of her body.
Russell was bedridden with disease from smoking.
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Police said a 69-year-old woman caught herself on fire Thursday night by smoking a cigarette while using her oxygen tank.
Her family told News 8 she used her oxygen tank while smoking often.
Mary Russell was taken by air ambulance to Parkland Memorial Hospital with 2nd and 3rd degree burns over 85 percent of her body.
Russell was bedridden with disease from smoking.
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Mother pleads for help for child's facial tumor
DALLAS, Texas/MIAMI, Fla. (WFAA ABC 8) - The International Kids Fund is pleading for help for a Haitian mother who is trying to save her disfigured daughter's life.
At age three, Marlie Casseus had a normal child's face. Now at the age of 14, a tumor has covered her entire face.
The child needs life-saving surgery to remove the 16-pound mass. The surgery would cost more than $95,000.
Thursday in Miami, Casseus' mother asked people to donate through the International Kids Fund to help pay for the hospital costs.
To make a donation to help with the cost of Marlie's surgery, send a check or money order to: International Kids Fund Re: Marlie Casseus P.O. Box 012297 Miami, FL 33101
DALLAS, Texas/MIAMI, Fla. (WFAA ABC 8) - The International Kids Fund is pleading for help for a Haitian mother who is trying to save her disfigured daughter's life.
At age three, Marlie Casseus had a normal child's face. Now at the age of 14, a tumor has covered her entire face.
The child needs life-saving surgery to remove the 16-pound mass. The surgery would cost more than $95,000.
Thursday in Miami, Casseus' mother asked people to donate through the International Kids Fund to help pay for the hospital costs.
To make a donation to help with the cost of Marlie's surgery, send a check or money order to: International Kids Fund Re: Marlie Casseus P.O. Box 012297 Miami, FL 33101
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Marine to help lead parade
Fighter brings heroics, humility as a grand marshal
By GRETEL C. KOVACH / The Dallas Morning News
Sgt. Maj. Daniel Huff tried not to worry his wife when he called home from Iraq. Everyone's fine, he'd say, can you send us some coffee?
It wasn't until she attended his Bronze Star pinning ceremony that Donna Huff finally learned the details of her husband's two tours in Iraq with the Marine Corps.
When officials read the citation on behalf of the president at the January ceremony in Dallas, Mrs. Huff was shocked.
"When he was over there, he would tell me that everything is OK, that I had the toughest job back here taking care of the kids," she said.
There were many rough days for Sgt. Maj. Huff – a grand marshal in Friday's Dallas Veterans Day Parade – during his 14 months in Iraq.
During that time, more than 200 of the 900 men in the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines were wounded or killed during security and stability operations near the Syrian border.
But April 14, 2004, stood out.
Led by the local police chief, the Marines were traveling in a convoy through the industrial outskirts of Husaybah when the first roadside bomb exploded.
Sgt. Maj. Huff was riding beside Lt. Col. Matt Lopez, the battalion commander, when attackers blew the back off of their soft-top Humvee with a rocket-propelled grenade.
Machine gun rounds ripped through canvas and metal on their unarmored vehicle and the stitching on Kevlar blankets laid inside for protection.
The commander's young Kuwaiti-born linguist, Lance Cpl. Akram Falah, screamed as blood spurted from an artery in his left biceps. He lost consciousness, and Col. Lopez grimaced with what Sgt. Maj. Huff first took for concern over the critically injured Marine he had treated like a son.
Sgt. Maj. Huff later learned that a bullet had slammed into the commander's flak jacket, leaving an angry burned bruise.
Sgt. Maj. Huff kept one hand pressed against Cpl. Falah's artery and the other gripping his M-16 rifle, propped in the window as the driver punched through the kill zone to safety.
When the shooting stopped, they could see that Cpl. Falah was losing blood fast. He was dying, they feared, so they took the dangerous market road toward a Black Hawk helicopter sent to evacuate another Marine wounded in a different firefight.
Cpl. Falah was flown back to camp, located in an old railroad depot, where Sgt. Maj. Huff later found him fretting about the commander he had sworn to protect.
Sgt. Maj. Huff survived the ambush unharmed. He helped save the young Marine's life, but his job wasn't done that day.
He and the battalion commander returned to Husaybah, where they helped free a pinned-down sniper team and evacuate two dozen other wounded Marines.
"It was a long day," Sgt. Maj. Huff said.
During the larger battle for Husaybah later that week, Sgt. Maj. Huff and the battalion were credited with safeguarding the city from an attempted takeover by insurgent forces.
Ken Watterson, a vice commandant of the National Marine Corps League, attended the Bronze Star ceremony and was so impressed that he nominated Sgt. Maj. Huff to be a grand marshal in Friday's parade.
"We've honored our Vietnam and World War II and Korea veterans many times. It is time we start honoring our current veterans. They're heroes, they really are," he said.
Sgt. Robert Garza, a 23-year-old Marine recruiter in Garland, served with Sgt. Maj. Huff in Iraq.
He had been sent home after cracking his ribs in combat, but he heard about the ambush and the role that Sgt. Maj. Huff had played.
"To me, he's the ultimate Marine," Sgt. Garza said. "He is a standout leader. He took care of all of us."
Sgt. Maj. Huff moved from California to the Dallas area last year to work as a recruiter. At 44, he has spent almost 25 years in the Marines. He could have retired already, but Mrs. Huff said she couldn't imagine him doing anything else.
"It was the highlight of my career being the infantry battalion sergeant major, being out there with a lot of great young men," Sgt. Maj. Huff said.
Mrs. Huff hadn't even known he was up for the Bronze Star. Their 17-year-old daughter, Jessica, and their son, David, 16, were at school when she attended the ceremony.
Listening to the citation, she discovered that her husband was a "sage combat leader" whose "heroic actions during an enemy ambush on a battalion commander's convoy were instrumental in saving the lives of wounded Marines."
"In the enemy's impact zone, facing a barrage of grenades and small-arms fire, he provided first aid to a critically wounded Marine while simultaneously returning fire," the citation said.
All Mrs. Huff could think was, " 'Oh my God, you did that? Oh my God!' I really couldn't believe that had happened. He kept me sheltered quite a bit."
Unless he's hollering like the drill sergeant he once was, Sgt. Maj. Huff is so soft-spoken that even his wife tells him to speak up.
"He doesn't like to be patted on the back, saying 'Wonderful job, gung-ho boy!' He just wants to do his job," she said.
Sgt. Maj. Huff is proud to pin the Bronze Star for valor to his dress blues. He wears it in memory of all the Marines who made "the ultimate sacrifice," he said.
But he was surprised to have been asked to join the parade.
"I just consider myself an average Marine, not anything special," he said. "I didn't do anything different than a whole lot of Marines have done.
Fighter brings heroics, humility as a grand marshal
By GRETEL C. KOVACH / The Dallas Morning News
Sgt. Maj. Daniel Huff tried not to worry his wife when he called home from Iraq. Everyone's fine, he'd say, can you send us some coffee?
It wasn't until she attended his Bronze Star pinning ceremony that Donna Huff finally learned the details of her husband's two tours in Iraq with the Marine Corps.
When officials read the citation on behalf of the president at the January ceremony in Dallas, Mrs. Huff was shocked.
"When he was over there, he would tell me that everything is OK, that I had the toughest job back here taking care of the kids," she said.
There were many rough days for Sgt. Maj. Huff – a grand marshal in Friday's Dallas Veterans Day Parade – during his 14 months in Iraq.
During that time, more than 200 of the 900 men in the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines were wounded or killed during security and stability operations near the Syrian border.
But April 14, 2004, stood out.
Led by the local police chief, the Marines were traveling in a convoy through the industrial outskirts of Husaybah when the first roadside bomb exploded.
Sgt. Maj. Huff was riding beside Lt. Col. Matt Lopez, the battalion commander, when attackers blew the back off of their soft-top Humvee with a rocket-propelled grenade.
Machine gun rounds ripped through canvas and metal on their unarmored vehicle and the stitching on Kevlar blankets laid inside for protection.
The commander's young Kuwaiti-born linguist, Lance Cpl. Akram Falah, screamed as blood spurted from an artery in his left biceps. He lost consciousness, and Col. Lopez grimaced with what Sgt. Maj. Huff first took for concern over the critically injured Marine he had treated like a son.
Sgt. Maj. Huff later learned that a bullet had slammed into the commander's flak jacket, leaving an angry burned bruise.
Sgt. Maj. Huff kept one hand pressed against Cpl. Falah's artery and the other gripping his M-16 rifle, propped in the window as the driver punched through the kill zone to safety.
When the shooting stopped, they could see that Cpl. Falah was losing blood fast. He was dying, they feared, so they took the dangerous market road toward a Black Hawk helicopter sent to evacuate another Marine wounded in a different firefight.
Cpl. Falah was flown back to camp, located in an old railroad depot, where Sgt. Maj. Huff later found him fretting about the commander he had sworn to protect.
Sgt. Maj. Huff survived the ambush unharmed. He helped save the young Marine's life, but his job wasn't done that day.
He and the battalion commander returned to Husaybah, where they helped free a pinned-down sniper team and evacuate two dozen other wounded Marines.
"It was a long day," Sgt. Maj. Huff said.
During the larger battle for Husaybah later that week, Sgt. Maj. Huff and the battalion were credited with safeguarding the city from an attempted takeover by insurgent forces.
Ken Watterson, a vice commandant of the National Marine Corps League, attended the Bronze Star ceremony and was so impressed that he nominated Sgt. Maj. Huff to be a grand marshal in Friday's parade.
"We've honored our Vietnam and World War II and Korea veterans many times. It is time we start honoring our current veterans. They're heroes, they really are," he said.
Sgt. Robert Garza, a 23-year-old Marine recruiter in Garland, served with Sgt. Maj. Huff in Iraq.
He had been sent home after cracking his ribs in combat, but he heard about the ambush and the role that Sgt. Maj. Huff had played.
"To me, he's the ultimate Marine," Sgt. Garza said. "He is a standout leader. He took care of all of us."
Sgt. Maj. Huff moved from California to the Dallas area last year to work as a recruiter. At 44, he has spent almost 25 years in the Marines. He could have retired already, but Mrs. Huff said she couldn't imagine him doing anything else.
"It was the highlight of my career being the infantry battalion sergeant major, being out there with a lot of great young men," Sgt. Maj. Huff said.
Mrs. Huff hadn't even known he was up for the Bronze Star. Their 17-year-old daughter, Jessica, and their son, David, 16, were at school when she attended the ceremony.
Listening to the citation, she discovered that her husband was a "sage combat leader" whose "heroic actions during an enemy ambush on a battalion commander's convoy were instrumental in saving the lives of wounded Marines."
"In the enemy's impact zone, facing a barrage of grenades and small-arms fire, he provided first aid to a critically wounded Marine while simultaneously returning fire," the citation said.
All Mrs. Huff could think was, " 'Oh my God, you did that? Oh my God!' I really couldn't believe that had happened. He kept me sheltered quite a bit."
Unless he's hollering like the drill sergeant he once was, Sgt. Maj. Huff is so soft-spoken that even his wife tells him to speak up.
"He doesn't like to be patted on the back, saying 'Wonderful job, gung-ho boy!' He just wants to do his job," she said.
Sgt. Maj. Huff is proud to pin the Bronze Star for valor to his dress blues. He wears it in memory of all the Marines who made "the ultimate sacrifice," he said.
But he was surprised to have been asked to join the parade.
"I just consider myself an average Marine, not anything special," he said. "I didn't do anything different than a whole lot of Marines have done.
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Mom thought chili powder safe for baby
'She passed away, but not because I intentionally tried to kill her'
By ROBERT THARP / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - The pasty mixture of chili powder and water tasted "gross," but a young Irving mother facing capital murder charges testified Thursday that she didn't think it was dangerous to mold it around her infant daughter's thumb and force her to swallow it to break her thumb-sucking habit.
Speaking in her own defense on the third day of testimony in her capital murder trial, Angela Disabella said she placed the pepper mixture on her daughter's thumb several times over about an hour before the baby began to choke in May 2004.
"It wasn't hot at all; I tasted it. It just has a weird, gross taste," she said. "It wasn't horribly gross so you would throw it up – just so you wouldn't keep it [your thumb] in your mouth."
Nearly 6 months old, Kira was not yet ready to eat soft food, but Ms. Disabella, 21, said she was not concerned as the globs of brownish red pepper disappeared in the baby's mouth.
"I thought it was working," she said. "As soon as she'd put her thumb in her mouth she'd take it out. ... She'd make this weird smile."
The powder eventually clogged Kira's throat and lungs entirely, causing her suffocation death, according to court testimony.
Under cross-examination by prosecutor Patricia Hogue, Ms. Disabella denied that she caused the baby's death.
"She passed away, but not because I intentionally tried to kill her," she said.
Ms. Disabella acknowledged having a troubled adolescence and young-adult life. She didn't complete the ninth grade and ran away at age 16. She also said she had been a danger to herself at times, mutilating her arms with knives and trying to kill herself on several occasions.
Throughout several hours on the witness stand, Ms. Disabella maintained her composure under long questioning by Ms. Hogue about the events that led up to Kira's death.
Although the baby had gained less than a pound in the nearly six months that she lived, Ms. Disabella said she fed her according to what she read in books and magazines. She said she didn't always have formula because her live-in boyfriend and the baby's father, Cameron Stockton, wanted her to breastfeed and refused to buy formula.
"I went by what the book said. I tried to do my best," she said.
Prosecutors have charged that the baby's suffocation was the culmination of a string of neglect and abuse the baby suffered in her short life.
Besides being malnourished, the baby suffered two fractured ribs about a month before she died.
A medical investigator testified that the rib injuries were likely caused by blunt-force abuse.
Friends and relatives of Ms. Disabella testified that she was concerned about the baby's lack of weight gain and that they thought she was feeding her.
They also testified that they believed Mr. Stockton was abusive to Ms. Disabella, a matter that prosecutors say is irrelevant because he was not at home when the baby died.
"Angela was a very caring mother. She cared about her baby. She loved her baby," friend Lindsay Kellner said. "Cameron controlled the relationship. He decided what she would do, where she would go and how they would do things."
If convicted of capital murder, Ms. Disabella will face an automatic life sentence in prison. Jurors will likely also have the option of considering lesser charges of causing serious bodily injury to a child by recklessness or negligence.
'She passed away, but not because I intentionally tried to kill her'
By ROBERT THARP / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - The pasty mixture of chili powder and water tasted "gross," but a young Irving mother facing capital murder charges testified Thursday that she didn't think it was dangerous to mold it around her infant daughter's thumb and force her to swallow it to break her thumb-sucking habit.
Speaking in her own defense on the third day of testimony in her capital murder trial, Angela Disabella said she placed the pepper mixture on her daughter's thumb several times over about an hour before the baby began to choke in May 2004.
"It wasn't hot at all; I tasted it. It just has a weird, gross taste," she said. "It wasn't horribly gross so you would throw it up – just so you wouldn't keep it [your thumb] in your mouth."
Nearly 6 months old, Kira was not yet ready to eat soft food, but Ms. Disabella, 21, said she was not concerned as the globs of brownish red pepper disappeared in the baby's mouth.
"I thought it was working," she said. "As soon as she'd put her thumb in her mouth she'd take it out. ... She'd make this weird smile."
The powder eventually clogged Kira's throat and lungs entirely, causing her suffocation death, according to court testimony.
Under cross-examination by prosecutor Patricia Hogue, Ms. Disabella denied that she caused the baby's death.
"She passed away, but not because I intentionally tried to kill her," she said.
Ms. Disabella acknowledged having a troubled adolescence and young-adult life. She didn't complete the ninth grade and ran away at age 16. She also said she had been a danger to herself at times, mutilating her arms with knives and trying to kill herself on several occasions.
Throughout several hours on the witness stand, Ms. Disabella maintained her composure under long questioning by Ms. Hogue about the events that led up to Kira's death.
Although the baby had gained less than a pound in the nearly six months that she lived, Ms. Disabella said she fed her according to what she read in books and magazines. She said she didn't always have formula because her live-in boyfriend and the baby's father, Cameron Stockton, wanted her to breastfeed and refused to buy formula.
"I went by what the book said. I tried to do my best," she said.
Prosecutors have charged that the baby's suffocation was the culmination of a string of neglect and abuse the baby suffered in her short life.
Besides being malnourished, the baby suffered two fractured ribs about a month before she died.
A medical investigator testified that the rib injuries were likely caused by blunt-force abuse.
Friends and relatives of Ms. Disabella testified that she was concerned about the baby's lack of weight gain and that they thought she was feeding her.
They also testified that they believed Mr. Stockton was abusive to Ms. Disabella, a matter that prosecutors say is irrelevant because he was not at home when the baby died.
"Angela was a very caring mother. She cared about her baby. She loved her baby," friend Lindsay Kellner said. "Cameron controlled the relationship. He decided what she would do, where she would go and how they would do things."
If convicted of capital murder, Ms. Disabella will face an automatic life sentence in prison. Jurors will likely also have the option of considering lesser charges of causing serious bodily injury to a child by recklessness or negligence.
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- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
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S. Texas man arrested 6 years after fleeing trial
BROWNSVILLE, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) – A restaurant cook who walked out of his South Texas murder trial six years ago has been arrested in Georgia and is expected to be extradited back to Texas for sentencing.
Jose Angel Fajardo, 25, of Harlingen, was convicted of manslaughter in absentia after never returning to his trial in January 1999, when he told his lawyer “I'm going out” after stepping down from the witness stand.
Fajardo, who was 16 when arrested in 1997 for allegedly stabbing co-worker Sergio Arturo in the neck with a kitchen knife at a Taco Charlie's, was arrested in Atlanta by the FBI on Tuesday after authorities received a tip.
“A lot of these people think they can beat the system, and truth is they cannot,” Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos said in Friday editions of The Brownsville Herald.
Fajardo was tried as an adult and was sentenced to 20 years in prison and fined $10,000. He is being held in the Fulton County Jail outside Atlanta while Cameron County officials await extradition.
Fajardo stabbed Rivera because he did not like being asked to get a jar of mayonnaise, according to newspaper reports at the time.
BROWNSVILLE, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) – A restaurant cook who walked out of his South Texas murder trial six years ago has been arrested in Georgia and is expected to be extradited back to Texas for sentencing.
Jose Angel Fajardo, 25, of Harlingen, was convicted of manslaughter in absentia after never returning to his trial in January 1999, when he told his lawyer “I'm going out” after stepping down from the witness stand.
Fajardo, who was 16 when arrested in 1997 for allegedly stabbing co-worker Sergio Arturo in the neck with a kitchen knife at a Taco Charlie's, was arrested in Atlanta by the FBI on Tuesday after authorities received a tip.
“A lot of these people think they can beat the system, and truth is they cannot,” Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos said in Friday editions of The Brownsville Herald.
Fajardo was tried as an adult and was sentenced to 20 years in prison and fined $10,000. He is being held in the Fulton County Jail outside Atlanta while Cameron County officials await extradition.
Fajardo stabbed Rivera because he did not like being asked to get a jar of mayonnaise, according to newspaper reports at the time.
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- Contact:
For victim, weight of criminal ID theft hard to bear
Offender's false use of name made clearing record almost hopeless
By DIANE JENNINGS / The Dallas Morning News
Quinton Graham is no angel, but he's not the ex-con the Texas Department of Public Safety makes him out to be.
And he's found out the hard way that clearing his name after a wrongful listing in the state's criminal database is nearly impossible. He's been trying since 1999.
"It changed my entire goals," Mr. Graham said.
He ticked off a list of problems his brother caused by using his identity when picked up for a traffic ticket. Mr. Graham's brother has been in and out of trouble with the law. The intertwining of their records made it hard for Mr. Graham to find a job to support his five children, pursue his hobby collecting guns and even get to know his neighbors.
But the Montague resident is hardly the only Texan to lose his identity to an offender moving through the legal system.
Since 2001, the DPS has processed 127 claims of misused identity and expunged 284 records because of misuse. And those numbers only hint at the extent of the problem; more people may not have discovered it's already happened to them.
"You may not know you're a victim," said Monique Einhorn, attorney for the Federal Trade Commission.
Not uncommonly, as in Mr. Graham's case, it's a sibling who starts the problem, because they might have a physical likeness or have access to personal data such as birthdates.
If you are a victim, you'll probably find out during a routine traffic stop or when you're rejected for a job because of a background check, said Jay Foley, co-executive director of the Identity Theft Resource Center, a nonprofit organization based in California.
Unfortunately, Mr. Foley said, clearing a criminal record is complicated because the data are sold and resold to private companies who make the erroneous information easily accessible on the Internet. Even if the originating agency corrects the record, there's no guarantee the purchasers will.
"It's sort of like tracing a raindrop, because you have no idea where the rain is going to fall – you just know that it will," he said. "Information, once it's put into the system, bought from the system, transferred all around – there's no telling where it's going to end up."
Mr. Graham has found that correcting the bad information is an unending spiral of frustration.
"It's been a snowball hill of incompetence," he said.
The state criminal convictions database, which includes millions of records from law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and courts, also suffers from holes because of poor reporting at the local level, as documented last year by The Dallas Morning News.
DPS officials declined to comment on Mr. Graham's case, citing pending litigation – he has filed libel and defamation claims against agency officials.
Tom Kelley, spokesman for the attorney general's office, said officials expect the case to eventually be dismissed.
"We should not be in court on this matter," he said. "It is an administrative matter that the wrongfully accused allegedly needs to take care of."
Lives intertwined
Mr. Graham believes his headache began in the early 1990s, when his older brother, Jason, used the name Quinton to evade a traffic ticket.
"He figured since I was in the U.S. Marines at the time, no one would be the wiser," Mr. Graham said.
Jason had been in trouble previously, however, for taking a relative's car, Quinton Graham said, adding that his brother continued to get into scrapes the next few years for everything from evading arrest to driving with a suspended license.
Mr. Graham believes authorities confirmed Jason's true identity soon enough through fingerprints, but it was too late. Though no one has been able to tell Mr. Graham exactly how it happened, the two men's names and backgrounds became hopelessly intertwined. Jason Graham could not be reached for comment.
Mr. Graham discovered the erroneous records in 1999, when a job offer in information technology was abruptly withdrawn. The reason cited was not a bad conduct discharge from the Marines for indecent exposure that Mr. Graham had received in 1997, but a felony record for escape from custody that belonged to his brother.
Mr. Graham said he went to Fort Worth, where his brother was convicted, and obtained a clearance letter stating Quinton Graham had no offenses. He said he was told it would take several months for the correction to filter through to the state and federal systems.
The job offer was reinstated, and Mr. Graham said he thought the issue had been resolved.
But his name continued to appear in state records. And when he tried changing jobs again, he couldn't get hired, though no one gave a specific reason.
Pressed by mounting bills, he abandoned information technology and opted to work as a truck driver. But when he applied for jobs in that field, the erroneous criminal convictions resurfaced.
Mr. Graham said he's occasionally had to explain the error to others.
"My neighbors all think I'm a criminal," he said, noting that one of his daughter's friends told her he "was a bad daddy because I was a criminal."
He said he didn't know why his neighbors checked his background, "but somehow they knew."
Headache continues
In 2003, Mr. Graham called the DPS to declare his innocence. Officials there advised him to get fingerprinted at a local law enforcement agency and send the prints, and $15, to their offices, according to e-mails provided by Mr. Graham. He did. A few weeks later, he received a notice that he had no criminal record in Texas.
But subsequent database checks for his name again popped up a handful of convictions.
Mr. Graham, who has stacks of paperwork chronicling his odyssey through the criminal records system, said DPS officials told him they didn't have a copy of the letter indicating he had no record.
He faxed them one.
Their response, he claims, was essentially: "You're just going to have to live with this."
"They've never been cooperative," Mr. Graham said. "They're not responsive to anything."
A few months later, Mr. Graham filed his lawsuit, which accuses the agency of defamation and libel. If the case goes to trial, it will not be for months.
Bill Walsh, Mr. Graham's attorney, said his client "wants them to clear that record."
"He would like an apology," Mr. Walsh said.
Clearing the record
Mr. Foley, of the identity theft resource center, said confusion over how to clear a record isn't uncommon. He said he's working on a couple dozen cases across the country.
"Most of these people are just guessing when they give out the advice," he said. "They don't know exactly what the process is."
DPS officials said an "identity misuse" form needs to be signed by local law enforcement, which is then filed with the state data-collection system.
"DPS cannot take it upon itself to remove something from someone's criminal history," spokeswoman Tela Mange said.
After the form is filed, the victim is assigned a "password" to give law enforcement authorities if a question arises, officials said.
But it turns out that even if Mr. Graham had received a password – he says he didn't – that only puts the information in the state's "misuse" file – it doesn't remove his name from the criminal database.
After Mr. Graham filed his lawsuit, the Texas attorney general's office informed Mr. Graham he needed to get an "expunction." How? Good question.
"The way for your client to cure the identity problem created by his brother is to file an application for expunction (there is no form that we know of, you can make up or maybe get one from a District Attorney's office in a larger city), with the local District or County Attorney who will verify the application (compare your client's fingerprints with his brothers, etc.)" assistant attorney general M. Lawrence Wells wrote Mr. Graham's attorney recently.
Mr. Graham's attorney said the problem with getting an expunction order in his case is that local jurisdictions have no record of convictions in Mr. Graham's name. So they can't expunge a record they don't have.
"There is no remedy for my client to get his identity back," Mr. Walsh said. "The ways in which the attorney general has been arguing ... will not get this done."
In earlier court filings, the attorney general's office offered another hint to Mr. Graham: apply for a new driver's license.
That would help only if his identity had been stolen for credit purposes, however, because criminal convictions are typically accessed by name searches.
Changing the law?
Besides clearing his name, Mr. Graham would like the law changed.
"I want them to notify people before they put them in the database," he said, to afford victims of criminal identity theft a chance to set the record straight.
But experts, who sympathize with victims, say that's impractical.
"Now you're talking about slamming the brakes on the entire criminal justice system for 30, 90 days on every case," said Clay Abbott, with the Texas District and County Attorneys Association.
And that could delay the entry of actual criminals into databases, allowing them to go undetected and possibly uncaught before they commit other crimes.
DPS said it notifies the FBI if an expunction is ordered. And, if a court order specifies companies that purchased the data, they are notified as well.
In addition, the agency plans to include such updated records in weekly updates to the data companies. But "there's still nothing in place to require anybody to notify of an expunction," said Angie Klein, who oversees the criminal justice database for DPS.
"I'll never be clear of it," Mr. Graham said. "Realistically, they can never clear this up. It's uncontrollable."
Offender's false use of name made clearing record almost hopeless
By DIANE JENNINGS / The Dallas Morning News
Quinton Graham is no angel, but he's not the ex-con the Texas Department of Public Safety makes him out to be.
And he's found out the hard way that clearing his name after a wrongful listing in the state's criminal database is nearly impossible. He's been trying since 1999.
"It changed my entire goals," Mr. Graham said.
He ticked off a list of problems his brother caused by using his identity when picked up for a traffic ticket. Mr. Graham's brother has been in and out of trouble with the law. The intertwining of their records made it hard for Mr. Graham to find a job to support his five children, pursue his hobby collecting guns and even get to know his neighbors.
But the Montague resident is hardly the only Texan to lose his identity to an offender moving through the legal system.
Since 2001, the DPS has processed 127 claims of misused identity and expunged 284 records because of misuse. And those numbers only hint at the extent of the problem; more people may not have discovered it's already happened to them.
"You may not know you're a victim," said Monique Einhorn, attorney for the Federal Trade Commission.
Not uncommonly, as in Mr. Graham's case, it's a sibling who starts the problem, because they might have a physical likeness or have access to personal data such as birthdates.
If you are a victim, you'll probably find out during a routine traffic stop or when you're rejected for a job because of a background check, said Jay Foley, co-executive director of the Identity Theft Resource Center, a nonprofit organization based in California.
Unfortunately, Mr. Foley said, clearing a criminal record is complicated because the data are sold and resold to private companies who make the erroneous information easily accessible on the Internet. Even if the originating agency corrects the record, there's no guarantee the purchasers will.
"It's sort of like tracing a raindrop, because you have no idea where the rain is going to fall – you just know that it will," he said. "Information, once it's put into the system, bought from the system, transferred all around – there's no telling where it's going to end up."
Mr. Graham has found that correcting the bad information is an unending spiral of frustration.
"It's been a snowball hill of incompetence," he said.
The state criminal convictions database, which includes millions of records from law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and courts, also suffers from holes because of poor reporting at the local level, as documented last year by The Dallas Morning News.
DPS officials declined to comment on Mr. Graham's case, citing pending litigation – he has filed libel and defamation claims against agency officials.
Tom Kelley, spokesman for the attorney general's office, said officials expect the case to eventually be dismissed.
"We should not be in court on this matter," he said. "It is an administrative matter that the wrongfully accused allegedly needs to take care of."
Lives intertwined
Mr. Graham believes his headache began in the early 1990s, when his older brother, Jason, used the name Quinton to evade a traffic ticket.
"He figured since I was in the U.S. Marines at the time, no one would be the wiser," Mr. Graham said.
Jason had been in trouble previously, however, for taking a relative's car, Quinton Graham said, adding that his brother continued to get into scrapes the next few years for everything from evading arrest to driving with a suspended license.
Mr. Graham believes authorities confirmed Jason's true identity soon enough through fingerprints, but it was too late. Though no one has been able to tell Mr. Graham exactly how it happened, the two men's names and backgrounds became hopelessly intertwined. Jason Graham could not be reached for comment.
Mr. Graham discovered the erroneous records in 1999, when a job offer in information technology was abruptly withdrawn. The reason cited was not a bad conduct discharge from the Marines for indecent exposure that Mr. Graham had received in 1997, but a felony record for escape from custody that belonged to his brother.
Mr. Graham said he went to Fort Worth, where his brother was convicted, and obtained a clearance letter stating Quinton Graham had no offenses. He said he was told it would take several months for the correction to filter through to the state and federal systems.
The job offer was reinstated, and Mr. Graham said he thought the issue had been resolved.
But his name continued to appear in state records. And when he tried changing jobs again, he couldn't get hired, though no one gave a specific reason.
Pressed by mounting bills, he abandoned information technology and opted to work as a truck driver. But when he applied for jobs in that field, the erroneous criminal convictions resurfaced.
Mr. Graham said he's occasionally had to explain the error to others.
"My neighbors all think I'm a criminal," he said, noting that one of his daughter's friends told her he "was a bad daddy because I was a criminal."
He said he didn't know why his neighbors checked his background, "but somehow they knew."
Headache continues
In 2003, Mr. Graham called the DPS to declare his innocence. Officials there advised him to get fingerprinted at a local law enforcement agency and send the prints, and $15, to their offices, according to e-mails provided by Mr. Graham. He did. A few weeks later, he received a notice that he had no criminal record in Texas.
But subsequent database checks for his name again popped up a handful of convictions.
Mr. Graham, who has stacks of paperwork chronicling his odyssey through the criminal records system, said DPS officials told him they didn't have a copy of the letter indicating he had no record.
He faxed them one.
Their response, he claims, was essentially: "You're just going to have to live with this."
"They've never been cooperative," Mr. Graham said. "They're not responsive to anything."
A few months later, Mr. Graham filed his lawsuit, which accuses the agency of defamation and libel. If the case goes to trial, it will not be for months.
Bill Walsh, Mr. Graham's attorney, said his client "wants them to clear that record."
"He would like an apology," Mr. Walsh said.
Clearing the record
Mr. Foley, of the identity theft resource center, said confusion over how to clear a record isn't uncommon. He said he's working on a couple dozen cases across the country.
"Most of these people are just guessing when they give out the advice," he said. "They don't know exactly what the process is."
DPS officials said an "identity misuse" form needs to be signed by local law enforcement, which is then filed with the state data-collection system.
"DPS cannot take it upon itself to remove something from someone's criminal history," spokeswoman Tela Mange said.
After the form is filed, the victim is assigned a "password" to give law enforcement authorities if a question arises, officials said.
But it turns out that even if Mr. Graham had received a password – he says he didn't – that only puts the information in the state's "misuse" file – it doesn't remove his name from the criminal database.
After Mr. Graham filed his lawsuit, the Texas attorney general's office informed Mr. Graham he needed to get an "expunction." How? Good question.
"The way for your client to cure the identity problem created by his brother is to file an application for expunction (there is no form that we know of, you can make up or maybe get one from a District Attorney's office in a larger city), with the local District or County Attorney who will verify the application (compare your client's fingerprints with his brothers, etc.)" assistant attorney general M. Lawrence Wells wrote Mr. Graham's attorney recently.
Mr. Graham's attorney said the problem with getting an expunction order in his case is that local jurisdictions have no record of convictions in Mr. Graham's name. So they can't expunge a record they don't have.
"There is no remedy for my client to get his identity back," Mr. Walsh said. "The ways in which the attorney general has been arguing ... will not get this done."
In earlier court filings, the attorney general's office offered another hint to Mr. Graham: apply for a new driver's license.
That would help only if his identity had been stolen for credit purposes, however, because criminal convictions are typically accessed by name searches.
Changing the law?
Besides clearing his name, Mr. Graham would like the law changed.
"I want them to notify people before they put them in the database," he said, to afford victims of criminal identity theft a chance to set the record straight.
But experts, who sympathize with victims, say that's impractical.
"Now you're talking about slamming the brakes on the entire criminal justice system for 30, 90 days on every case," said Clay Abbott, with the Texas District and County Attorneys Association.
And that could delay the entry of actual criminals into databases, allowing them to go undetected and possibly uncaught before they commit other crimes.
DPS said it notifies the FBI if an expunction is ordered. And, if a court order specifies companies that purchased the data, they are notified as well.
In addition, the agency plans to include such updated records in weekly updates to the data companies. But "there's still nothing in place to require anybody to notify of an expunction," said Angie Klein, who oversees the criminal justice database for DPS.
"I'll never be clear of it," Mr. Graham said. "Realistically, they can never clear this up. It's uncontrollable."
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Night school helps kids take on test
Irving: Nimitz gives students a boost to prepare for TAKS
By KATHERINE LEAL UNMUTH / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas – John Irwin wastes no time putting his 12 students to work on a math test to assess their readiness for the TAKS exit-level exam.
The group attending Nimitz High School's first night school session last Tuesday may be small, but it is diverse. One student is from New Orleans, and several are recent immigrants. But all of Mr. Irwin's students are behind their grade level in math.
Night school director and math department chairwoman Gwynn Shelton shares an oft-repeated refrain to one girl inquiring about a class: "We don't get ahead here. We catch up."
The goal is to do so before the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills exit-level exam in the spring.
Nimitz received grant money for night school from the Texas Education Agency after the school failed to make adequate yearly progress for two years in math under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
In 2003, not enough white students showed up to take the test. In 2004, too few limited-English speaking students passed the math test. Passing rates for students in math improved last year, and Ms. Shelton said the classes were a factor.
Last spring, when the night school started, more than 200 students enrolled after they failed first-semester classes. About 40 students are enrolled this fall. Many are juniors taking sophomore-level geometry instead of Algebra II. Ms. Shelton believes enrollment will be higher once again in the spring after first-semester grades come out.
Students remain after school from 4 to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Snacks and transportation are provided. The Irving school district's alternative campus, Union Bower Center For Learning, also has a night school, but it charges tuition. The Nimitz program is voluntary, although counselors urge certain students to sign up.
"Sometimes there are youngsters that need to be here, and the parent won't twist their arm to go," principal Sam Bean said.
Ms. Shelton is persistent. She called one boy at home the first day of class to tell him to come in; he showed up an hour late.
By the time the students arrive in Mr. Irwin's math class, they have already been in school eight hours. Their attention isn't easy to capture. Four girls sat clumped in a corner quietly speaking Spanish throughout his lesson as several other students Googled unrelated information on district-issued laptops.
Mr. Irwin helped several use graphing calculators and make a scatter plot.
Roxana Maldonado, 17, said she signed up to prepare for the TAKS test.
"I don't like math," she said.
Freddy Martiñon, 17, is taking geometry as a junior.
"I'm trying to graduate," he said. "It's good for me because it also helps me stay out of trouble after school."
Down the hall, an English teacher had students take turns reading aloud about Rip Van Winkle. Each time one of them struggled, she took over.
In a third room, geography and social studies students did independent study under a teacher's supervision.
This week, Nimitz started an extended-day program twice a week to about 60 limited-English-speaking students to help with their English and math skills.
Under No Child Left Behind, it's not enough for a school to have an overall passing rate on standardized tests. Schools must also ensure passing rates among sub-groups, such as limited-English speakers.
"Obviously they're having a harder time in the larger group, so we tried smaller groups with more one-on-one time," said Marc Slette, who taught English at night last year. "There's more unity."
Irving: Nimitz gives students a boost to prepare for TAKS
By KATHERINE LEAL UNMUTH / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas – John Irwin wastes no time putting his 12 students to work on a math test to assess their readiness for the TAKS exit-level exam.
The group attending Nimitz High School's first night school session last Tuesday may be small, but it is diverse. One student is from New Orleans, and several are recent immigrants. But all of Mr. Irwin's students are behind their grade level in math.
Night school director and math department chairwoman Gwynn Shelton shares an oft-repeated refrain to one girl inquiring about a class: "We don't get ahead here. We catch up."
The goal is to do so before the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills exit-level exam in the spring.
Nimitz received grant money for night school from the Texas Education Agency after the school failed to make adequate yearly progress for two years in math under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
In 2003, not enough white students showed up to take the test. In 2004, too few limited-English speaking students passed the math test. Passing rates for students in math improved last year, and Ms. Shelton said the classes were a factor.
Last spring, when the night school started, more than 200 students enrolled after they failed first-semester classes. About 40 students are enrolled this fall. Many are juniors taking sophomore-level geometry instead of Algebra II. Ms. Shelton believes enrollment will be higher once again in the spring after first-semester grades come out.
Students remain after school from 4 to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Snacks and transportation are provided. The Irving school district's alternative campus, Union Bower Center For Learning, also has a night school, but it charges tuition. The Nimitz program is voluntary, although counselors urge certain students to sign up.
"Sometimes there are youngsters that need to be here, and the parent won't twist their arm to go," principal Sam Bean said.
Ms. Shelton is persistent. She called one boy at home the first day of class to tell him to come in; he showed up an hour late.
By the time the students arrive in Mr. Irwin's math class, they have already been in school eight hours. Their attention isn't easy to capture. Four girls sat clumped in a corner quietly speaking Spanish throughout his lesson as several other students Googled unrelated information on district-issued laptops.
Mr. Irwin helped several use graphing calculators and make a scatter plot.
Roxana Maldonado, 17, said she signed up to prepare for the TAKS test.
"I don't like math," she said.
Freddy Martiñon, 17, is taking geometry as a junior.
"I'm trying to graduate," he said. "It's good for me because it also helps me stay out of trouble after school."
Down the hall, an English teacher had students take turns reading aloud about Rip Van Winkle. Each time one of them struggled, she took over.
In a third room, geography and social studies students did independent study under a teacher's supervision.
This week, Nimitz started an extended-day program twice a week to about 60 limited-English-speaking students to help with their English and math skills.
Under No Child Left Behind, it's not enough for a school to have an overall passing rate on standardized tests. Schools must also ensure passing rates among sub-groups, such as limited-English speakers.
"Obviously they're having a harder time in the larger group, so we tried smaller groups with more one-on-one time," said Marc Slette, who taught English at night last year. "There's more unity."
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She's making sure charter schools pass tests
Ex-attorney to be honored for work at North Hills, Peak
By ELIZABETH LANGTON / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas - Rosemary Perlmeter wasn't looking for educational opportunities for her own children when she helped found a charter school in Irving more than 10 years ago. She just really believed in the idea.
"I think that offering quality educational programs to all kids at all financial backgrounds is important – it's a civil right, really," she said.
Ms. Perlmeter is executive director of Uplift Education, a nonprofit corporation that holds the charters for The North Hills School in Irving and Peak Academy in Dallas.
The Real Estate Council will honor her this month with one of its Dreamers, Doers and Unsung Heroes awards.
North Hills headmaster Sandy Doerge called Ms. Perlmeter a passionate, fanatical and monomaniacal student advocate.
"I think it is splendid that The Real Estate Council is recognizing the almost superhuman effort made by Rosemary" in building these schools, he said. "In a just world, she will also be recognized by an educational group for the contributions her schools have made to improvement in education in the metroplex."
North Hills was one of the first charter schools authorized by the Texas Education Agency. It opened in fall 1997.
Community leaders initiated the effort and recruited Ms. Perlmeter to help, she said.
Ms. Perlmeter, an attorney, worked at the time as a corporate executive for Zale Corp.
She quit that job about five years ago to run Uplift full time. Before law school, she considered a career in education.
"I always wanted to do something, but I never could find the niche," she said. "It's just a great privilege. There just aren't a lot of opportunities to initiate social change at this level."
The Real Estate Council's awards honor people who work to improve their communities. The recipients – one each from Dallas, Collin, Denton and Tarrant counties and a president's award winner – receive $5,000 for their organizations.
Barbara Horn, a member of the awards committee, said Uplift's achievements and Ms. Perlmeter's dedication to the program impressed committee members.
"I know that her success, as well as her personal sacrifice, has come to the attention of a lot of people," she said.
Some charter schools have faced scrutiny for their performance, but North Hills, with students in first through 12th grades, has consistently earned recognized or exemplary ratings from the state.
The school has a waiting list, Ms. Perlmeter said, and officials conduct a lottery each year to determine who gets in.
Uplift opened Peak for fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders last year. The school, in East Dallas, plans to enroll middle school and high school students next fall.
Charter schools provide a private school-type education without charging tuition, said Ms. Perlmeter, a longtime Irving resident who recently moved to Dallas.
A combination of funding and oversight like public schools with program freedoms like private schools – makes it work, she said.
"It's easier to be mission-driven when you can recruit people who are interested in the mission," she said.
Ex-attorney to be honored for work at North Hills, Peak
By ELIZABETH LANGTON / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas - Rosemary Perlmeter wasn't looking for educational opportunities for her own children when she helped found a charter school in Irving more than 10 years ago. She just really believed in the idea.
"I think that offering quality educational programs to all kids at all financial backgrounds is important – it's a civil right, really," she said.
Ms. Perlmeter is executive director of Uplift Education, a nonprofit corporation that holds the charters for The North Hills School in Irving and Peak Academy in Dallas.
The Real Estate Council will honor her this month with one of its Dreamers, Doers and Unsung Heroes awards.
North Hills headmaster Sandy Doerge called Ms. Perlmeter a passionate, fanatical and monomaniacal student advocate.
"I think it is splendid that The Real Estate Council is recognizing the almost superhuman effort made by Rosemary" in building these schools, he said. "In a just world, she will also be recognized by an educational group for the contributions her schools have made to improvement in education in the metroplex."
North Hills was one of the first charter schools authorized by the Texas Education Agency. It opened in fall 1997.
Community leaders initiated the effort and recruited Ms. Perlmeter to help, she said.
Ms. Perlmeter, an attorney, worked at the time as a corporate executive for Zale Corp.
She quit that job about five years ago to run Uplift full time. Before law school, she considered a career in education.
"I always wanted to do something, but I never could find the niche," she said. "It's just a great privilege. There just aren't a lot of opportunities to initiate social change at this level."
The Real Estate Council's awards honor people who work to improve their communities. The recipients – one each from Dallas, Collin, Denton and Tarrant counties and a president's award winner – receive $5,000 for their organizations.
Barbara Horn, a member of the awards committee, said Uplift's achievements and Ms. Perlmeter's dedication to the program impressed committee members.
"I know that her success, as well as her personal sacrifice, has come to the attention of a lot of people," she said.
Some charter schools have faced scrutiny for their performance, but North Hills, with students in first through 12th grades, has consistently earned recognized or exemplary ratings from the state.
The school has a waiting list, Ms. Perlmeter said, and officials conduct a lottery each year to determine who gets in.
Uplift opened Peak for fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders last year. The school, in East Dallas, plans to enroll middle school and high school students next fall.
Charter schools provide a private school-type education without charging tuition, said Ms. Perlmeter, a longtime Irving resident who recently moved to Dallas.
A combination of funding and oversight like public schools with program freedoms like private schools – makes it work, she said.
"It's easier to be mission-driven when you can recruit people who are interested in the mission," she said.
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Leader helping women laugh and learn
Irving: She's heading group's national event this week in Grapevine
By JESSICA PIECZONKA / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas – In a warm voice tinged with hints of the South, Vicki Marlett radiates personality as she guides the American Business Women's Association to its pinnacle annual event.
The 44-year-old Irving resident is the 2005 general chairwoman for the National Women's Leadership Conference this week at the Gaylord Texan resort in Grapevine.
"It is all about living, learning and laughing," said Mrs. Marlett, whose laughter is contagious. "This conference is a great opportunity to do just that."
As general chairwoman, Mrs. Marlett directs the team organizing the conference for an expected 2,000 participants. More than $19,000 in proceeds will benefit scholarships sponsored by the group.
"An event of this magnitude in our area is rare," she said. "This conference is truly a networking experience where attendees can explore countless opportunities to improve their personal and professional lives. It is going to be a blast."
The conference boasts more than 100 hours of leadership and managerial development seminars.
"I want all participants to enjoy themselves, learn something and leave with a sense of accomplishment, rejuvenation and a whole new view on their purpose," Mrs. Marlett said.
Association vice president Barbara Acy said she expects the conference to be memorable, given Mrs. Marlett's leadership.
"Vicki has a magnetic personality, and she has taken charge of this conference," Mrs. Acy said. "Not only [is she] a hard worker and competent leader, she's a real hoot."
Along with her devotion to the American Business Women's Association, Mrs. Marlett founded Suited for Success, a program that provides business attire to underprivileged women and familiarizes them with résumé writing and job searches.
"I want to expand the program and offer women a friendly environment to learn about corporate America. Being suited for success is more than attire; it is a state of mind," Mrs. Marlett said.
She also stays focused on her career as an emergency preparedness specialist for Verizon, where she has worked for 23 years. She is responsible for emergency event management plans for the company's 208,000 employees.
"It is a great place to work and has allowed me to grow professionally and personally while having a good time," Mrs. Marlett said.
In her spare time, she enjoys writing poetry, bowling, fishing, attending baseball games and spending time with her longtime friends – dubbed the "Cottage Fries."
"They call me Deep Fry," Mrs. Marlett said. "I'm the deep thinker of the group."
The business world continues to evolve, and Mrs. Marlett, whose future includes a 2006 candidacy for the business group's district vice president, said women will forever stand at the forefront.
"Women must overcome the desire to constantly reinvent themselves and be satisfied with who they are – learning, laughing, and living along the way," she said.
Jessica Pieczonka is a Mansfield-based freelance writer.
Irving: She's heading group's national event this week in Grapevine
By JESSICA PIECZONKA / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas – In a warm voice tinged with hints of the South, Vicki Marlett radiates personality as she guides the American Business Women's Association to its pinnacle annual event.
The 44-year-old Irving resident is the 2005 general chairwoman for the National Women's Leadership Conference this week at the Gaylord Texan resort in Grapevine.
"It is all about living, learning and laughing," said Mrs. Marlett, whose laughter is contagious. "This conference is a great opportunity to do just that."
As general chairwoman, Mrs. Marlett directs the team organizing the conference for an expected 2,000 participants. More than $19,000 in proceeds will benefit scholarships sponsored by the group.
"An event of this magnitude in our area is rare," she said. "This conference is truly a networking experience where attendees can explore countless opportunities to improve their personal and professional lives. It is going to be a blast."
The conference boasts more than 100 hours of leadership and managerial development seminars.
"I want all participants to enjoy themselves, learn something and leave with a sense of accomplishment, rejuvenation and a whole new view on their purpose," Mrs. Marlett said.
Association vice president Barbara Acy said she expects the conference to be memorable, given Mrs. Marlett's leadership.
"Vicki has a magnetic personality, and she has taken charge of this conference," Mrs. Acy said. "Not only [is she] a hard worker and competent leader, she's a real hoot."
Along with her devotion to the American Business Women's Association, Mrs. Marlett founded Suited for Success, a program that provides business attire to underprivileged women and familiarizes them with résumé writing and job searches.
"I want to expand the program and offer women a friendly environment to learn about corporate America. Being suited for success is more than attire; it is a state of mind," Mrs. Marlett said.
She also stays focused on her career as an emergency preparedness specialist for Verizon, where she has worked for 23 years. She is responsible for emergency event management plans for the company's 208,000 employees.
"It is a great place to work and has allowed me to grow professionally and personally while having a good time," Mrs. Marlett said.
In her spare time, she enjoys writing poetry, bowling, fishing, attending baseball games and spending time with her longtime friends – dubbed the "Cottage Fries."
"They call me Deep Fry," Mrs. Marlett said. "I'm the deep thinker of the group."
The business world continues to evolve, and Mrs. Marlett, whose future includes a 2006 candidacy for the business group's district vice president, said women will forever stand at the forefront.
"Women must overcome the desire to constantly reinvent themselves and be satisfied with who they are – learning, laughing, and living along the way," she said.
Jessica Pieczonka is a Mansfield-based freelance writer.
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Shots fired in undercover drug deal
By CYNTHIA VEGA / WFAA ABC 8
ROWLETT, Texas — Two suspected drug dealers were in custody Friday morning after one of them allegedly tried to run down a Rowlett police officer.
Investigators said it started just before midnight Thursday when undercover officers purchased a substance suspected to be methamphetamine from a man and a female companion in a gas station parking lot.
"He came to the location to meet with our undercover agents, and as we attempted to place him under arrest he backed up through the parking lot," said Rowlett police spokesman Lt. David Nabors. "As he was leaving the parking lot, he came towards an officer."
Nabors said police fired three rounds in an attempt to disable the fleeing vehicle.
The two suspects, whose names were not available, were arrested on the Interstate 30 bridge over Lake Ray Hubbard after a brief chase.
Police said they recovered between one-quarter and one-half pound of methamphetamines valued at thousands of dollars.
By CYNTHIA VEGA / WFAA ABC 8
ROWLETT, Texas — Two suspected drug dealers were in custody Friday morning after one of them allegedly tried to run down a Rowlett police officer.
Investigators said it started just before midnight Thursday when undercover officers purchased a substance suspected to be methamphetamine from a man and a female companion in a gas station parking lot.
"He came to the location to meet with our undercover agents, and as we attempted to place him under arrest he backed up through the parking lot," said Rowlett police spokesman Lt. David Nabors. "As he was leaving the parking lot, he came towards an officer."
Nabors said police fired three rounds in an attempt to disable the fleeing vehicle.
The two suspects, whose names were not available, were arrested on the Interstate 30 bridge over Lake Ray Hubbard after a brief chase.
Police said they recovered between one-quarter and one-half pound of methamphetamines valued at thousands of dollars.
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Tax preparers 'pocketed refunds'
By BRETT SHIPP / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Following a News 8 investigation into allegations of fraud by a Dallas tax preparation service, we have been flooded with more complaints, including one against another tax service.
Twin Tax Service of Dallas was accused of padding tax returns and pocketing refund taxes. The preparer has closed his doors.
Now we've learned of an affiliate company allegedly doing the same thing.
Ken Oder of Garland went to small claims court in search of justice.
He said the tax preparation service he used—Quick File Tax of Addison—filed bogus returns without his knowledge, claiming an extra $3,200 in employee business credits and $500 in education credits.
"Just things that don't exist," Oder said.
Then a friend told him to watch the News 8 Investigates report on Twin Tax Service that aired Tuesday night.
"When I started watching it and I started seeing the similarities, it just blew me away," Oder said.
Our investigation brought to light the experiences of dozens of Twin Tax customers suddenly in debt to the IRS over returns allegedly packed full of bogus deductions.
Twin Tax owner Anthony Barber declined an on-camera interview, but told us by phone that his preparers did nothing wrong. But now, many of his customers are being audited, looking for answers but finding only locked doors.
"I can call the number to make an appointment and all I get is deet, deet, deet. They are just hiding from me now," said Al Martinez, a Twin Tax customer.
So what do Twin Tax and Quick File Tax Service have in common? The preparer's name: Anthony Barber.
When Oder took Quick File Tax Service to court, it was Anthony Barber who showed up to support its owner, Mickey Ryoo.
Ultimately, the judge ordered Ryoo to pay Oder the $1,800 she charged to prepare his 2002 and 2003 taxes.
When we tried to interview Mr. Barber, he attempted to wrestle our camera away, but he was eventually stopped by a team of deputy constables.
Barber is now apparently under IRS investigation. However, all the IRS will tell us is that all refund overpayments—regardless of who received them—are the responsibility of the taxpayers.
WFAA ABC 8
Twin Tax and Quick File Tax Service share the same preparer.
By BRETT SHIPP / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Following a News 8 investigation into allegations of fraud by a Dallas tax preparation service, we have been flooded with more complaints, including one against another tax service.
Twin Tax Service of Dallas was accused of padding tax returns and pocketing refund taxes. The preparer has closed his doors.
Now we've learned of an affiliate company allegedly doing the same thing.
Ken Oder of Garland went to small claims court in search of justice.
He said the tax preparation service he used—Quick File Tax of Addison—filed bogus returns without his knowledge, claiming an extra $3,200 in employee business credits and $500 in education credits.
"Just things that don't exist," Oder said.
Then a friend told him to watch the News 8 Investigates report on Twin Tax Service that aired Tuesday night.
"When I started watching it and I started seeing the similarities, it just blew me away," Oder said.
Our investigation brought to light the experiences of dozens of Twin Tax customers suddenly in debt to the IRS over returns allegedly packed full of bogus deductions.
Twin Tax owner Anthony Barber declined an on-camera interview, but told us by phone that his preparers did nothing wrong. But now, many of his customers are being audited, looking for answers but finding only locked doors.
"I can call the number to make an appointment and all I get is deet, deet, deet. They are just hiding from me now," said Al Martinez, a Twin Tax customer.
So what do Twin Tax and Quick File Tax Service have in common? The preparer's name: Anthony Barber.
When Oder took Quick File Tax Service to court, it was Anthony Barber who showed up to support its owner, Mickey Ryoo.
Ultimately, the judge ordered Ryoo to pay Oder the $1,800 she charged to prepare his 2002 and 2003 taxes.
When we tried to interview Mr. Barber, he attempted to wrestle our camera away, but he was eventually stopped by a team of deputy constables.
Barber is now apparently under IRS investigation. However, all the IRS will tell us is that all refund overpayments—regardless of who received them—are the responsibility of the taxpayers.

WFAA ABC 8
Twin Tax and Quick File Tax Service share the same preparer.
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Dallas DA won't seek re-election
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Dallas County District Attorney Bill Hill announced Friday he will not seek re-election next year.
In a brief statement released by his office, Hill indicated he had accomplished all of his major goals since taking office in 1999.
Hill said he has disposed of more than 600,000 criminal cases and established a partnership with the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Secret Service to establish the state's first Identity Fraud Task Force.
Hill said he will remain in office until a new district attorney is elected.
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Dallas County District Attorney Bill Hill announced Friday he will not seek re-election next year.
In a brief statement released by his office, Hill indicated he had accomplished all of his major goals since taking office in 1999.
Hill said he has disposed of more than 600,000 criminal cases and established a partnership with the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Secret Service to establish the state's first Identity Fraud Task Force.
Hill said he will remain in office until a new district attorney is elected.
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The girl with two hearts
By JANET ST. JAMES / WFAA ABC 8
Most two-year-olds are active and curious, but Camila Gonzalez isn't like most kids.
Maria Gonzalez said her daughter doesn't like to play; she doesn't even enjoy watching cartoons on TV.
Camila has a heart condition called cardiomyopathy. Her heart muscle is weak, causing blood pressure to rise in her lungs.
Camila blood pressure was five times higher than normal.
"The chances of her surviving longer than another year would've been pretty small," said pediatric cardiologist Dr. Daniel Bernstein of Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto, Calif.
The question wasn't whether Camila needed a transplant, but rather what kind.
When Dr. Bernstein suggested adding a second heart to Camila's damaged one, her mother was understandably worried.
The idea was developd in England about 30 years ago, and is called a "piggyback" transplant. The procedure requires surgeons to link an existing heart with a donor heart.
Dr. Bernstein explained Camila's own heart is now pumping blood to her lungs; her donor heart is pumping blood to the rest of her body.
Camila's parents said they've seen extraordinary changes since the surgery. "She's moving around the house. She plays a lot," Maria Gonzalez said. "I think she's happy."
It's proof that sometimes two hearts really are better than one.
Camila is the youngest and only the ninth child in the United States to receive a second heart. The procedure is also rare for adult patients.
By JANET ST. JAMES / WFAA ABC 8
Most two-year-olds are active and curious, but Camila Gonzalez isn't like most kids.
Maria Gonzalez said her daughter doesn't like to play; she doesn't even enjoy watching cartoons on TV.
Camila has a heart condition called cardiomyopathy. Her heart muscle is weak, causing blood pressure to rise in her lungs.
Camila blood pressure was five times higher than normal.
"The chances of her surviving longer than another year would've been pretty small," said pediatric cardiologist Dr. Daniel Bernstein of Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto, Calif.
The question wasn't whether Camila needed a transplant, but rather what kind.
When Dr. Bernstein suggested adding a second heart to Camila's damaged one, her mother was understandably worried.
The idea was developd in England about 30 years ago, and is called a "piggyback" transplant. The procedure requires surgeons to link an existing heart with a donor heart.
Dr. Bernstein explained Camila's own heart is now pumping blood to her lungs; her donor heart is pumping blood to the rest of her body.
Camila's parents said they've seen extraordinary changes since the surgery. "She's moving around the house. She plays a lot," Maria Gonzalez said. "I think she's happy."
It's proof that sometimes two hearts really are better than one.
Camila is the youngest and only the ninth child in the United States to receive a second heart. The procedure is also rare for adult patients.
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Man accused of trying to kidnap 2 is sought
By HOLLY YAN / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas - Irving police are looking for a man who tried to kidnap two children at a strip mall Thursday night.
About 6 p.m. at a Cici’s Pizza in the 3400 block of North Belt Line Road, the man picked up a 3- month-old child while the child’s mother was away from their table, Irving police officer David Tull said.
After the mother yelled at the man, he put the child down and left. He went to a T.J. Maxx store in the strip mall, where he snatched a 3-year-old child while the child’s mother was looking at clothes.
As he tried to leave with the child, the mother yelled at him to stop, and he let the child go. Officer Tull said the man told both mothers he needed money.
After leaving the store, the man walked next door to a Dollar General store and purchased a knit cap. He was last seen leaving the strip mall on foot. The man, who is black, is about 5-foot-7 and weighs about 160 pounds.
He was wearing a red T-shirt with “Comp USA” printed on it, but no one at a nearby Comp USA store could identify him, Officer Tull said.
Anyone with information about the man is asked to call police at 972-721-2518.
By HOLLY YAN / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas - Irving police are looking for a man who tried to kidnap two children at a strip mall Thursday night.
About 6 p.m. at a Cici’s Pizza in the 3400 block of North Belt Line Road, the man picked up a 3- month-old child while the child’s mother was away from their table, Irving police officer David Tull said.
After the mother yelled at the man, he put the child down and left. He went to a T.J. Maxx store in the strip mall, where he snatched a 3-year-old child while the child’s mother was looking at clothes.
As he tried to leave with the child, the mother yelled at him to stop, and he let the child go. Officer Tull said the man told both mothers he needed money.
After leaving the store, the man walked next door to a Dollar General store and purchased a knit cap. He was last seen leaving the strip mall on foot. The man, who is black, is about 5-foot-7 and weighs about 160 pounds.
He was wearing a red T-shirt with “Comp USA” printed on it, but no one at a nearby Comp USA store could identify him, Officer Tull said.
Anyone with information about the man is asked to call police at 972-721-2518.
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