Teenage girl found murdered in Haltom City
By CYNTHIA VEGA / WFAA ABC 8
HALTOM CITY, Texas — The body of a 14-year-old girl was found in the courtyard of a Haltom City apartment complex overnight. Police said she appeared to be a murder victim.
Police said an anonymous 911 caller alerted them to the body, which was found in an open area near a playground at the Waldemar Apartments in the 4800 block of Waldemar Street.
Investigators know the name of the victim and manner in which she was killed, but that information was not released to the news media.
They said the victim was a resident at Waldemar Apartments.
Detectives were questioning tenants Tuesday morning trying to find anyone who might be able to identify suspicious activity related to the crime.
News from the Lone Star State
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Sheriff probes jail computer crash
Valdez says problems being fixed, but others tired of waiting
By CHRIS HEINBAUGH / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez praised her employees Monday for their action resolving the county jail's computer crisis, but families of inmates say the problem is far from fixed.
When a new computer system crashed, most everything at the jail had to be done by hand, and for most of the week only a trickle of prisoners were being released, while hundreds more kept coming in and families outside were left trying to get answers.
The problem was the first major test for the new sheriff.
"You can never know what is going to happen," Valdez said. "What I am satisfied with is we did everything possible, as humanly possible, to get in there and get it done right."
Valdez said that's the good news from the computer meltdown at the jail. Department employees pulled together to set things right.
"Through a stressful and sometimes very uncomfortable time, they came together very nicely to get the job done," she said.
When the system crashed early last week, prisoner processing slowed to a crawl. Those who should have been released in hours sat for days, and holding cells overflowed.
Valdez said experts don't know yet what went wrong, but she said jail backlog has been reduced, and the computer system - while still slow - will get faster as workers learn how to use it.
She feels the worst is over.
"Aside from inconvenience, we wanted to make sure that nobody was harmed in the process," Valdez said.
But for the families of prisoners, that process is still plenty painful.
"Since Wednesday to now we been here day and night," said Elva Nava. "We go out one hour for eat, and it's the same answer, same thing."
Nava said her son was brought to the jail last week for an unpaid ticket. Information has been scarce.
"They tell you the computers are down, and there's nothing they can do, sorry," Nava said. "One sorry is not going to help."
Monday morning, she was back in another line that wrapped around the corner. From her perspective, things at the Dallas County Jail haven't gotten much better.
Valdez said eventually there will a debriefing, not to place blame, but to determine what mistakes were made. But for now, she said the department's energy is being focused on getting the problem fixed.
Valdez says problems being fixed, but others tired of waiting
By CHRIS HEINBAUGH / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez praised her employees Monday for their action resolving the county jail's computer crisis, but families of inmates say the problem is far from fixed.
When a new computer system crashed, most everything at the jail had to be done by hand, and for most of the week only a trickle of prisoners were being released, while hundreds more kept coming in and families outside were left trying to get answers.
The problem was the first major test for the new sheriff.
"You can never know what is going to happen," Valdez said. "What I am satisfied with is we did everything possible, as humanly possible, to get in there and get it done right."
Valdez said that's the good news from the computer meltdown at the jail. Department employees pulled together to set things right.
"Through a stressful and sometimes very uncomfortable time, they came together very nicely to get the job done," she said.
When the system crashed early last week, prisoner processing slowed to a crawl. Those who should have been released in hours sat for days, and holding cells overflowed.
Valdez said experts don't know yet what went wrong, but she said jail backlog has been reduced, and the computer system - while still slow - will get faster as workers learn how to use it.
She feels the worst is over.
"Aside from inconvenience, we wanted to make sure that nobody was harmed in the process," Valdez said.
But for the families of prisoners, that process is still plenty painful.
"Since Wednesday to now we been here day and night," said Elva Nava. "We go out one hour for eat, and it's the same answer, same thing."
Nava said her son was brought to the jail last week for an unpaid ticket. Information has been scarce.
"They tell you the computers are down, and there's nothing they can do, sorry," Nava said. "One sorry is not going to help."
Monday morning, she was back in another line that wrapped around the corner. From her perspective, things at the Dallas County Jail haven't gotten much better.
Valdez said eventually there will a debriefing, not to place blame, but to determine what mistakes were made. But for now, she said the department's energy is being focused on getting the problem fixed.
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Diocese faces DA inquiry
Handling of abuse claims targeted; church pledges cooperation
By BROOKS EGERTON / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas County District Attorney Bill Hill is launching a broad criminal investigation of how Catholic Bishop Charles Grahmann and his staff have handled allegations of sexual misconduct, officials confirmed Monday.
The goal is to determine whether the Dallas Diocese "has received any allegations of abuse by members of the clergy that have not subsequently been reported to law enforcement," said Rachel Horton, a spokeswoman for Mr. Hill.
She said two recent disclosures made prosecutors suspicious of the diocese's written insistence, in 2002, that it had no one in the ministry with "any indication of violations of state laws relating to minors."
First, a Rockwall pastor who announced his resignation Sunday had been accused in sworn statements in the early 1990s of sexually harassing boys at jobs in Dallas and Plano, The Dallas Morning News reported Monday. Accusers said they saw no sign that the diocese investigated the allegations or reported them to state authorities.
And last week, Grand Prairie police arrested a pastor on charges of possessing child pornography. The bishop's spokesman, Bronson Havard, has said the diocese first got evidence of the priest's possible misconduct a few weeks ago and promptly notified police.
Mr. Havard initially limited his comment Monday evening to this e-mail message: "We welcome the DA's help and will cooperate fully with him."
Later, the diocesan newspaper he edits, Texas Catholic, said the district attorney is investigating allegations made by journalists who are "strident critics" of the church.
The criminal investigation "will show the diocese has fully complied with the law," according to Texas Catholic's online edition.
The Rockwall and Grand Prairie priests have declined to comment.
Others investigated
The Dallas Diocese joins a list of about a dozen dioceses nationwide that have faced investigations into whether they covered up abuse. From Boston to St. Louis to Los Angeles, in recent years prosecutors have impaneled grand juries, subpoenaed church records and deposed religious leaders.
Those inquiries have not led to prosecutions of any Catholic bishops who were still running dioceses. Some investigations ground to a halt because complaints were too old to prosecute; others led to charges against individual priests.
In late 2003, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati pleaded no contest to five misdemeanor counts of failing to report abuse in the late 1970s and early 1980s – when a previous bishop was in power.
Elsewhere, the dioceses of Manchester, N.H., and Phoenix struck deals to avert charges in exchange for providing access to church files and pledging specific reforms.
SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said the Dallas investigation is the first to be triggered by revelations about clergymen who remained on duty after U.S. bishops adopted national "zero tolerance" reforms in 2002.
"It's groundbreaking," SNAP leader David Clohessy said. "So many prosecutors want to believe the church has learned its lesson."
The district attorney's office said it would not limit its investigation to the Rockwall and Grand Prairie cases.
Allegations about the diocese's handling of the Rockwall priest might be too old to prosecute, said Ms. Horton, the spokeswoman for Mr. Hill.
She would not discuss how prosecutors might proceed, beyond saying that a grand jury could be involved.
"Obviously, the local police departments are the primary investigative agencies in Dallas County, and we would encourage any victim of crime to report to the police," a prepared statement from Ms. Horton said.
"We would urge any victim of abuse by any member of the clergy to report the matter directly to police," the statement said. "We would also ask that anyone who has reported such abuse to the church in the past, that was not subsequently reported to authorities, to come forward."
GP inquiry
Ms. Horton particularly asked for help with the ongoing Grand Prairie police investigation of the Rev. Matthew Bagert, whom the bishop has suspended as pastor of Immaculate Conception Church.
"We would ask that parents of any children who may have had contact with this priest to talk to their children, and, if any misconduct is revealed, report it to police immediately," her statement said.
Police say they found pictures of naked boys as young as 4 in Father Bagert's possession. Bishop Grahmann tearfully asked Grand Prairie parishioners Sunday to forgive the priest.
National church policy bars anyone who has abused children from ministry. It defines abuse as "behavior by which an adult uses a minor as an object of sexual gratification," even if there is no physical contact or force.
The district attorney's office launched its investigation after a prominent critic of Bishop Grahmann posted online messages demanding action Monday morning.
"When will the district attorney finally get off his duff and investigate ...?" D magazine publisher Wick Allison wrote on his publication's blog.
Mr. Hill already had staff members researching a possible investigation when Mr. Allison began commenting, Ms. Horton said.
Well-connected lay Catholics allied with Mr. Allison ran a petition drive two years ago that sought, unsuccessfully, to force the bishop from office. Some priests, including Father Bagert, led a counter-petition movement.
Mr. Allison's frustration was echoed Monday night by Cliff Allen, who alerted Bishop Grahmann's predecessor in 1989 that a priest was having boys spend the night with him. That priest, Rudy Kos, stayed on duty under Bishop Grahmann until 1992.
Mr. Hill's investigation "is only about five years too late," Mr. Allen said. "Better late than never, I guess."
Bishop Grahmann has barred about 10 priests from ministry because of sexual abuse. Some of them were allowed to resign from their churches without parishioners' being told why. The diocese and its insurers have paid tens of millions of dollars to settle cover-up claims.
The district attorney's office has prosecuted and sent to prison two of those men: Mr. Kos, who has since been expelled from the priesthood, and the Rev. Emeh "Anthony" Nwaogu.
Staff writer Reese Dunklin contributed to this report.
Handling of abuse claims targeted; church pledges cooperation
By BROOKS EGERTON / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas County District Attorney Bill Hill is launching a broad criminal investigation of how Catholic Bishop Charles Grahmann and his staff have handled allegations of sexual misconduct, officials confirmed Monday.
The goal is to determine whether the Dallas Diocese "has received any allegations of abuse by members of the clergy that have not subsequently been reported to law enforcement," said Rachel Horton, a spokeswoman for Mr. Hill.
She said two recent disclosures made prosecutors suspicious of the diocese's written insistence, in 2002, that it had no one in the ministry with "any indication of violations of state laws relating to minors."
First, a Rockwall pastor who announced his resignation Sunday had been accused in sworn statements in the early 1990s of sexually harassing boys at jobs in Dallas and Plano, The Dallas Morning News reported Monday. Accusers said they saw no sign that the diocese investigated the allegations or reported them to state authorities.
And last week, Grand Prairie police arrested a pastor on charges of possessing child pornography. The bishop's spokesman, Bronson Havard, has said the diocese first got evidence of the priest's possible misconduct a few weeks ago and promptly notified police.
Mr. Havard initially limited his comment Monday evening to this e-mail message: "We welcome the DA's help and will cooperate fully with him."
Later, the diocesan newspaper he edits, Texas Catholic, said the district attorney is investigating allegations made by journalists who are "strident critics" of the church.
The criminal investigation "will show the diocese has fully complied with the law," according to Texas Catholic's online edition.
The Rockwall and Grand Prairie priests have declined to comment.
Others investigated
The Dallas Diocese joins a list of about a dozen dioceses nationwide that have faced investigations into whether they covered up abuse. From Boston to St. Louis to Los Angeles, in recent years prosecutors have impaneled grand juries, subpoenaed church records and deposed religious leaders.
Those inquiries have not led to prosecutions of any Catholic bishops who were still running dioceses. Some investigations ground to a halt because complaints were too old to prosecute; others led to charges against individual priests.
In late 2003, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati pleaded no contest to five misdemeanor counts of failing to report abuse in the late 1970s and early 1980s – when a previous bishop was in power.
Elsewhere, the dioceses of Manchester, N.H., and Phoenix struck deals to avert charges in exchange for providing access to church files and pledging specific reforms.
SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said the Dallas investigation is the first to be triggered by revelations about clergymen who remained on duty after U.S. bishops adopted national "zero tolerance" reforms in 2002.
"It's groundbreaking," SNAP leader David Clohessy said. "So many prosecutors want to believe the church has learned its lesson."
The district attorney's office said it would not limit its investigation to the Rockwall and Grand Prairie cases.
Allegations about the diocese's handling of the Rockwall priest might be too old to prosecute, said Ms. Horton, the spokeswoman for Mr. Hill.
She would not discuss how prosecutors might proceed, beyond saying that a grand jury could be involved.
"Obviously, the local police departments are the primary investigative agencies in Dallas County, and we would encourage any victim of crime to report to the police," a prepared statement from Ms. Horton said.
"We would urge any victim of abuse by any member of the clergy to report the matter directly to police," the statement said. "We would also ask that anyone who has reported such abuse to the church in the past, that was not subsequently reported to authorities, to come forward."
GP inquiry
Ms. Horton particularly asked for help with the ongoing Grand Prairie police investigation of the Rev. Matthew Bagert, whom the bishop has suspended as pastor of Immaculate Conception Church.
"We would ask that parents of any children who may have had contact with this priest to talk to their children, and, if any misconduct is revealed, report it to police immediately," her statement said.
Police say they found pictures of naked boys as young as 4 in Father Bagert's possession. Bishop Grahmann tearfully asked Grand Prairie parishioners Sunday to forgive the priest.
National church policy bars anyone who has abused children from ministry. It defines abuse as "behavior by which an adult uses a minor as an object of sexual gratification," even if there is no physical contact or force.
The district attorney's office launched its investigation after a prominent critic of Bishop Grahmann posted online messages demanding action Monday morning.
"When will the district attorney finally get off his duff and investigate ...?" D magazine publisher Wick Allison wrote on his publication's blog.
Mr. Hill already had staff members researching a possible investigation when Mr. Allison began commenting, Ms. Horton said.
Well-connected lay Catholics allied with Mr. Allison ran a petition drive two years ago that sought, unsuccessfully, to force the bishop from office. Some priests, including Father Bagert, led a counter-petition movement.
Mr. Allison's frustration was echoed Monday night by Cliff Allen, who alerted Bishop Grahmann's predecessor in 1989 that a priest was having boys spend the night with him. That priest, Rudy Kos, stayed on duty under Bishop Grahmann until 1992.
Mr. Hill's investigation "is only about five years too late," Mr. Allen said. "Better late than never, I guess."
Bishop Grahmann has barred about 10 priests from ministry because of sexual abuse. Some of them were allowed to resign from their churches without parishioners' being told why. The diocese and its insurers have paid tens of millions of dollars to settle cover-up claims.
The district attorney's office has prosecuted and sent to prison two of those men: Mr. Kos, who has since been expelled from the priesthood, and the Rev. Emeh "Anthony" Nwaogu.
Staff writer Reese Dunklin contributed to this report.
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TexasStooge
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Bush budget directly affects N. Texas
By BRAD WATSON / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - With a build-up of national defense and rising health care costs, President Bush's proposed federal budget cuts back on spending in many areas that will affect North Texas.
The budget is a prescription for trying to reduce the deficit by controlling spending that Congress still has some control over. So, the president wants some veterans to pay more for health care at the VA Medical Center in Dallas.
Higher-income vets would see their co-payments on prescription drugs go from $7 to $15 for a 30-day supply. Those treated for non-service-related conditions would pay an annual $250 fee.
Ex-Marine Bob Gould of Arlington didn't like these proposals at all.
Asked Gould, "Why mess with the veterans? Why not figure out a smarter way to get money?"
Of course, local vets aren't the only people possibly affected by President Bush's budget. There are also calls for change in defense, homeland security and health care.
Dallas County and other local health departments saw last fall what happens when the demand exceeded the flu vaccine supply: lines and confusion. The Bush budget cuts funding for local health agencies to give mass immunizations after a bioterror attack. Dallas County fears it may need to cut the planned 70 emergency clinics.
"You don't want that to happen under an attack or terroristic attack where individuals now are required to get antibiotics, and you don't have antibiotics and you have locations in which they can go to to receive it," said county health director Zachary Thompson.
The FA-22 fighter jet made by Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth also takes a hit in the Bush budget. The president wants to stop making the plane in 2008, three years earlier than planned, and only build 179, 96 fewer than planned. More than 1,500 people work on the FA-22.
The president also wants airline passengers at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to pay more for security, increasing the fee for each leg of a round trip by $3 to $5.50.
Over the months ahead, Congress will decide if the budget is the right prescription for the nation.
By BRAD WATSON / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - With a build-up of national defense and rising health care costs, President Bush's proposed federal budget cuts back on spending in many areas that will affect North Texas.
The budget is a prescription for trying to reduce the deficit by controlling spending that Congress still has some control over. So, the president wants some veterans to pay more for health care at the VA Medical Center in Dallas.
Higher-income vets would see their co-payments on prescription drugs go from $7 to $15 for a 30-day supply. Those treated for non-service-related conditions would pay an annual $250 fee.
Ex-Marine Bob Gould of Arlington didn't like these proposals at all.
Asked Gould, "Why mess with the veterans? Why not figure out a smarter way to get money?"
Of course, local vets aren't the only people possibly affected by President Bush's budget. There are also calls for change in defense, homeland security and health care.
Dallas County and other local health departments saw last fall what happens when the demand exceeded the flu vaccine supply: lines and confusion. The Bush budget cuts funding for local health agencies to give mass immunizations after a bioterror attack. Dallas County fears it may need to cut the planned 70 emergency clinics.
"You don't want that to happen under an attack or terroristic attack where individuals now are required to get antibiotics, and you don't have antibiotics and you have locations in which they can go to to receive it," said county health director Zachary Thompson.
The FA-22 fighter jet made by Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth also takes a hit in the Bush budget. The president wants to stop making the plane in 2008, three years earlier than planned, and only build 179, 96 fewer than planned. More than 1,500 people work on the FA-22.
The president also wants airline passengers at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to pay more for security, increasing the fee for each leg of a round trip by $3 to $5.50.
Over the months ahead, Congress will decide if the budget is the right prescription for the nation.
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Surgery goes well for Egyptian twin
By CYNTHIA VEGA / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Surgeons were optimistic Monday following a procedure to reconstruct the skull of 3-year-old Ahmed Ibrahim, one of the formerly conjoined Egyptian twins.
The 4-and-a-half hour surgery, performed at Medical City Children's Hospital in Dallas, was the latest in a series of steps to ensure long-term survival for Ahmed and his brother, Mohamed.
Monday's operation was designed to rebuild Ahmed's skull. "We're very pleased to announce that the surgery went as planned and that he's in the recovery room now waking up and doing very well," said craniofacial surgeon Dr. Kenneth Salyer.
Salyer and a team of surgeons from Dallas-based International Craniofacial Institute exposed Ahmed's skull and covered it with a substance designed to promote bone formation and growth. They then added a layer of bone material, some of which had been "banked" in the child's own thighs.
Doctors said they will be watching for any signs of infection following the surgery. Ahmed must remain inactive during the next 10-12 weeks as new bone formation solidifies.
Ahmed and Mohamed, who were joined at the head when born, were separated during a marathon 34-hour procedure at Children's Medical Center Dallas in October, 2003. They have been living in Dallas as outpatients since last year during their rehabilitation.
Mohamed's reconstructive surgery was delayed as he battles a case of the flu. It is tentatively scheduled for next month.
By CYNTHIA VEGA / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Surgeons were optimistic Monday following a procedure to reconstruct the skull of 3-year-old Ahmed Ibrahim, one of the formerly conjoined Egyptian twins.
The 4-and-a-half hour surgery, performed at Medical City Children's Hospital in Dallas, was the latest in a series of steps to ensure long-term survival for Ahmed and his brother, Mohamed.
Monday's operation was designed to rebuild Ahmed's skull. "We're very pleased to announce that the surgery went as planned and that he's in the recovery room now waking up and doing very well," said craniofacial surgeon Dr. Kenneth Salyer.
Salyer and a team of surgeons from Dallas-based International Craniofacial Institute exposed Ahmed's skull and covered it with a substance designed to promote bone formation and growth. They then added a layer of bone material, some of which had been "banked" in the child's own thighs.
Doctors said they will be watching for any signs of infection following the surgery. Ahmed must remain inactive during the next 10-12 weeks as new bone formation solidifies.
Ahmed and Mohamed, who were joined at the head when born, were separated during a marathon 34-hour procedure at Children's Medical Center Dallas in October, 2003. They have been living in Dallas as outpatients since last year during their rehabilitation.
Mohamed's reconstructive surgery was delayed as he battles a case of the flu. It is tentatively scheduled for next month.
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Child-support checks lost in fray
Firm's legal war with AG disrupts payments
By TIM WYATT / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Sally Martin knew there must be some mistake. The child support arrived late – and $170 short.
Ms. Martin and her ex-husband of five years had their differences, but financial support for their children wasn't one of them. It took awhile for the Garland mother of three to discover that another sort of custody battle was to blame for the lighter check.
The attorney general of Texas and a McKinney company that has collected and distributed child support for a fee are locking horns in an Austin courtroom over who should control child-support payments.
Caught in the middle of the two-year court battle are almost 2,000 Collin and Dallas County divorced couples whose support payments, records and paperwork have been shifted back and forth between the state agency and Child Support Systems Inc. In recent months, the resulting problems for parents range from receiving pitifully small support checks to incomplete payment records to threats of jail time for not paying child support.
"It made me furious," Ms. Martin said.
Her ex-husband, Mike Martin, wasn't happy, either. The confusion caused by the legal struggle also led to accusations that he was in contempt of court after his payment record was mistakenly earmarked 17 months overdue.
"We have a good relationship, and this threatened that," Ms. Martin said. "He thought it was my doing, at first."
For more than 15 years, courts in Collin and Dallas counties appointed McKinney businessman Robert T. O'Donnell to monitor, collect and distribute child support in thousands of divorce cases.
His company, Child Support Systems, tracked spouses, kept checks flowing and monitored payment histories. A flat fee of $10 per month was added to the support payments to cover the company's costs.
Mr. O'Donnell said his program followed about 22,000 cases in the two counties, boasting an 87 percent success rate in securing and distributing child support.
But beginning in 1996, the federal government ordered states to take over the job of managing child-support payments in an effort to boost the number of parents who weren't supporting their kids. The Texas attorney general created the Disbursement Unit, which receives two-thirds of its funding from the U.S. government.
The state determined two years ago that a big chunk of its funding could be at risk if parents did not specifically authorize the payments to go through Mr. O'Donnell's company, attorney general officials stated in court documents.
Payments intercepted
By 2002, the attorney general's office began intercepting payments that were going through Child Support Systems and began sending the money straight to parents.
By then, the number of new cases assigned to Mr. O'Donnell had slowed dramatically, but he continued to be listed on older divorce decrees as guardian ad litem.
Because the judges appointed the firm to the cases, Mr. O'Donnell contends, he has legal standing to reclaim his cases and recoup the fees he lost when the state took over.
Mr. O'Donnell's firm worked to wrestle back control by resubmitting old divorce decrees with the attorney general's office that had established him as middleman. He also filed a federal lawsuit against the state in November 2003. A decision is expected soon.
Janece Keetch, a spokeswoman for the attorney general's office, said her office is hoping the judge's ruling will settle the clash once and for all.
"It's our hope to resolve this matter as quickly as possible," she said. "Not only for the good of the parents, but even more importantly for all the families involved."
Both Mr. O'Donnell and the attorney general's office estimate 2,000 divorce cases have gotten caught up in the struggle.
Fees sought
Since the fall, Mr. O'Donnell's firm has sought to recoup its fees – the $10 per month per case flat fee – from clients and sometimes from support checks. He said those fees cover his company's costs.
In recent months, Mr. O'Donnell said, the attorney general rerouted more than 900 payments back to his office with no explanation. This allowed him as the court-appointed guardian ad litem to recover fees from hundreds of parents.
"It's almost on an ad-hoc basis," Mr. O'Donnell said. "They send us money on some cases when they say they can't or won't on others."
Ms. Keetch declined to comment on how that happened.
The company's efforts to collect the back fees – usually about 14 to 18 months' worth – led to the smaller checks that families received this fall.
That's how Plano mother Kathleen Crabtree's check in September dropped to only $8.64, about $180 short. And Vickie Thompson of Allen saw her support check for her two kids shrink by $170.
Meanwhile, spouses who had paid child support faithfully for years faced contempt charges.
Rodger Pilson of Sugar Land had his child-support payments sent automatically to his wife in Dallas and was surprised in June to learn he was behind. The case was eventually resolved, but not before Mr. Pilson drove six hours to McKinney for a court hearing that was postponed.
"I have done nothing wrong. I'm not in contempt of anything or anybody," Mr. Pilson said. "I was caught between the county and the state, and they can do it again if they want."
Local court authorities that appointed the firm in the first place have not waded in.
State District Judge Nathan White, the senior judge in Collin County, has not responded to repeated requests for interviews to clarify the courts' policy on appointing child-support cases to Mr. O'Donnell.
Mr. O'Donnell says he has complied with court orders establishing guidelines for fees, submitting to audits and sending quarterly financial reports to the judges overseeing the cases.
A Dallas Morning News request for annual court-ordered audits of the firm produced only one 1998 review by a private accounting firm that sampled 100 random cases and found few problems in record-keeping. It noted no complaints from parents.
While declining to talk in detail about its dispute with Mr. O'Donnell, the attorney general's office has logged four formal complaints from divorced parents against the guardian ad litem's office in the last two years: two from parents upset with the service, one from a father who was put in jail for not paying the company, and another from a Plano mother whose check dropped to less than $10.
Parents upset
For the parents caught in the fray, untangling who is responsible has not been easy."Mom's frustrated because no one has communicated with her," Mr. O'Donnell said. "When that money gets routed away, our computer system says this guy hasn't paid – and we sue him.
"They're upset, and rightly so," he said.
Ms. Thompson, the Allen mother of two, said she blames both entities for disrupting payments that used to flow regularly and on time.
"I'm not too happy with either of them," she said. "We were all blindsided by this, and I don't care who's at fault. They should have worked it out amongst themselves before they did this to everyone else."
Some parents have found a way out of the tug of war.
Many don't realize it, but the decision about how support payments are funneled to parents is up to them. Courts appointed the company, but parents can ask the courts to remove it.
Jim Ed Winders of Dallas said a judge granted his request to have Mr. O'Donnell's business removed from his divorce case.
Mr. Winders gets $150 from his ex-wife to help support their young child. In September, his direct deposit receipt for the payment came to $5 after Mr. O'Donnell's business regained control of the payments. His ex-wife was simultaneously threatened with nonpayment, Mr. Winders said.
His former wife declined to speak about the problem, but Mr. Winders offered a blunt explanation.
"They're playing ex against ex, and staying in the middle and keeping the money," he said.
Ms. Crabtree, who also had the firm dismissed, blames both sides for their handling of the situation and for keeping parents in the dark about their rights.
"I don't know who had the responsibility to tell people that they had a choice," Ms. Crabtree said. "I can understand why O'Donnell wouldn't tell me, but the AG didn't tell me, either."
TIMELINE OF THIS EVENT ON NEXT POST...
Firm's legal war with AG disrupts payments
By TIM WYATT / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Sally Martin knew there must be some mistake. The child support arrived late – and $170 short.
Ms. Martin and her ex-husband of five years had their differences, but financial support for their children wasn't one of them. It took awhile for the Garland mother of three to discover that another sort of custody battle was to blame for the lighter check.
The attorney general of Texas and a McKinney company that has collected and distributed child support for a fee are locking horns in an Austin courtroom over who should control child-support payments.
Caught in the middle of the two-year court battle are almost 2,000 Collin and Dallas County divorced couples whose support payments, records and paperwork have been shifted back and forth between the state agency and Child Support Systems Inc. In recent months, the resulting problems for parents range from receiving pitifully small support checks to incomplete payment records to threats of jail time for not paying child support.
"It made me furious," Ms. Martin said.
Her ex-husband, Mike Martin, wasn't happy, either. The confusion caused by the legal struggle also led to accusations that he was in contempt of court after his payment record was mistakenly earmarked 17 months overdue.
"We have a good relationship, and this threatened that," Ms. Martin said. "He thought it was my doing, at first."
For more than 15 years, courts in Collin and Dallas counties appointed McKinney businessman Robert T. O'Donnell to monitor, collect and distribute child support in thousands of divorce cases.
His company, Child Support Systems, tracked spouses, kept checks flowing and monitored payment histories. A flat fee of $10 per month was added to the support payments to cover the company's costs.
Mr. O'Donnell said his program followed about 22,000 cases in the two counties, boasting an 87 percent success rate in securing and distributing child support.
But beginning in 1996, the federal government ordered states to take over the job of managing child-support payments in an effort to boost the number of parents who weren't supporting their kids. The Texas attorney general created the Disbursement Unit, which receives two-thirds of its funding from the U.S. government.
The state determined two years ago that a big chunk of its funding could be at risk if parents did not specifically authorize the payments to go through Mr. O'Donnell's company, attorney general officials stated in court documents.
Payments intercepted
By 2002, the attorney general's office began intercepting payments that were going through Child Support Systems and began sending the money straight to parents.
By then, the number of new cases assigned to Mr. O'Donnell had slowed dramatically, but he continued to be listed on older divorce decrees as guardian ad litem.
Because the judges appointed the firm to the cases, Mr. O'Donnell contends, he has legal standing to reclaim his cases and recoup the fees he lost when the state took over.
Mr. O'Donnell's firm worked to wrestle back control by resubmitting old divorce decrees with the attorney general's office that had established him as middleman. He also filed a federal lawsuit against the state in November 2003. A decision is expected soon.
Janece Keetch, a spokeswoman for the attorney general's office, said her office is hoping the judge's ruling will settle the clash once and for all.
"It's our hope to resolve this matter as quickly as possible," she said. "Not only for the good of the parents, but even more importantly for all the families involved."
Both Mr. O'Donnell and the attorney general's office estimate 2,000 divorce cases have gotten caught up in the struggle.
Fees sought
Since the fall, Mr. O'Donnell's firm has sought to recoup its fees – the $10 per month per case flat fee – from clients and sometimes from support checks. He said those fees cover his company's costs.
In recent months, Mr. O'Donnell said, the attorney general rerouted more than 900 payments back to his office with no explanation. This allowed him as the court-appointed guardian ad litem to recover fees from hundreds of parents.
"It's almost on an ad-hoc basis," Mr. O'Donnell said. "They send us money on some cases when they say they can't or won't on others."
Ms. Keetch declined to comment on how that happened.
The company's efforts to collect the back fees – usually about 14 to 18 months' worth – led to the smaller checks that families received this fall.
That's how Plano mother Kathleen Crabtree's check in September dropped to only $8.64, about $180 short. And Vickie Thompson of Allen saw her support check for her two kids shrink by $170.
Meanwhile, spouses who had paid child support faithfully for years faced contempt charges.
Rodger Pilson of Sugar Land had his child-support payments sent automatically to his wife in Dallas and was surprised in June to learn he was behind. The case was eventually resolved, but not before Mr. Pilson drove six hours to McKinney for a court hearing that was postponed.
"I have done nothing wrong. I'm not in contempt of anything or anybody," Mr. Pilson said. "I was caught between the county and the state, and they can do it again if they want."
Local court authorities that appointed the firm in the first place have not waded in.
State District Judge Nathan White, the senior judge in Collin County, has not responded to repeated requests for interviews to clarify the courts' policy on appointing child-support cases to Mr. O'Donnell.
Mr. O'Donnell says he has complied with court orders establishing guidelines for fees, submitting to audits and sending quarterly financial reports to the judges overseeing the cases.
A Dallas Morning News request for annual court-ordered audits of the firm produced only one 1998 review by a private accounting firm that sampled 100 random cases and found few problems in record-keeping. It noted no complaints from parents.
While declining to talk in detail about its dispute with Mr. O'Donnell, the attorney general's office has logged four formal complaints from divorced parents against the guardian ad litem's office in the last two years: two from parents upset with the service, one from a father who was put in jail for not paying the company, and another from a Plano mother whose check dropped to less than $10.
Parents upset
For the parents caught in the fray, untangling who is responsible has not been easy."Mom's frustrated because no one has communicated with her," Mr. O'Donnell said. "When that money gets routed away, our computer system says this guy hasn't paid – and we sue him.
"They're upset, and rightly so," he said.
Ms. Thompson, the Allen mother of two, said she blames both entities for disrupting payments that used to flow regularly and on time.
"I'm not too happy with either of them," she said. "We were all blindsided by this, and I don't care who's at fault. They should have worked it out amongst themselves before they did this to everyone else."
Some parents have found a way out of the tug of war.
Many don't realize it, but the decision about how support payments are funneled to parents is up to them. Courts appointed the company, but parents can ask the courts to remove it.
Jim Ed Winders of Dallas said a judge granted his request to have Mr. O'Donnell's business removed from his divorce case.
Mr. Winders gets $150 from his ex-wife to help support their young child. In September, his direct deposit receipt for the payment came to $5 after Mr. O'Donnell's business regained control of the payments. His ex-wife was simultaneously threatened with nonpayment, Mr. Winders said.
His former wife declined to speak about the problem, but Mr. Winders offered a blunt explanation.
"They're playing ex against ex, and staying in the middle and keeping the money," he said.
Ms. Crabtree, who also had the firm dismissed, blames both sides for their handling of the situation and for keeping parents in the dark about their rights.
"I don't know who had the responsibility to tell people that they had a choice," Ms. Crabtree said. "I can understand why O'Donnell wouldn't tell me, but the AG didn't tell me, either."
TIMELINE OF THIS EVENT ON NEXT POST...
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TexasStooge
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TIMELINE:
1985: A voluntary pilot program for automated child-support enforcement, using software designed by the son of a state district court judge, gets good reviews in Collin and Dallas counties. Rates of payment for child support range from 30 percent to 40 percent. In six months, the rate in Collin County alone climbs to 84 percent.
June 1987: Three district judges sign a joint order appointing Robert T. O'Donnell, president of Child Support Systems Inc., to enforce all child-support decrees in Collin County. A flat fee of $10 a month is to be charged to the paying parent. Parents aren't given an option for the program. Four Dallas family judges also appoint Mr. O'Donnell to an exclusive contract for the same services in their courts.
1996: The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act mandates that states form centralized disbursement units to collect and pay all child support ordered after January 1994.
1997: The Texas Legislature follows suit and amends the family code to make the attorney general responsible for collecting and disbursing child-support payments directly to custodial parents.
2000: The attorney general's office begins sending out notices that redirect payments to its state disbursal unit for forwarding to custodial parents.
November 2002: The attorney general informs Mr. O'Donnell that its office will not forward payments to his firm without signed authorization from custodial parents.
November 2003: Mr. O'Donnell files suit against Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, accusing the office's child-support division of intercepting child-support payments and refusing to forward them, plus their fees, through his McKinney office.
1985: A voluntary pilot program for automated child-support enforcement, using software designed by the son of a state district court judge, gets good reviews in Collin and Dallas counties. Rates of payment for child support range from 30 percent to 40 percent. In six months, the rate in Collin County alone climbs to 84 percent.
June 1987: Three district judges sign a joint order appointing Robert T. O'Donnell, president of Child Support Systems Inc., to enforce all child-support decrees in Collin County. A flat fee of $10 a month is to be charged to the paying parent. Parents aren't given an option for the program. Four Dallas family judges also appoint Mr. O'Donnell to an exclusive contract for the same services in their courts.
1996: The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act mandates that states form centralized disbursement units to collect and pay all child support ordered after January 1994.
1997: The Texas Legislature follows suit and amends the family code to make the attorney general responsible for collecting and disbursing child-support payments directly to custodial parents.
2000: The attorney general's office begins sending out notices that redirect payments to its state disbursal unit for forwarding to custodial parents.
November 2002: The attorney general informs Mr. O'Donnell that its office will not forward payments to his firm without signed authorization from custodial parents.
November 2003: Mr. O'Donnell files suit against Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, accusing the office's child-support division of intercepting child-support payments and refusing to forward them, plus their fees, through his McKinney office.
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Voter drive targets renters
Tenant advocates call City Hall unresponsive; mayor disagrees
By EMILY RAMSHAW / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas landlords and tenants gathered with the Apartment Association of Greater Dallas on Monday to kick off a voter registration drive targeting residents in more than 100,000 of the city's apartment units.
While apartment dwellers make up 60 percent of Dallas residents, tenant advocates say they have a disproportionately small voice at City Hall. With higher voter turnout and better education on candidates for municipal office, they hope, apartment renters will sway future elections.
"Apartment development and a strong resident base have driven much of the redevelopment in Dallas, from Uptown to downtown to north Oak Cliff," said Gerry Henigsman, executive vice president of the Apartment Association. "The city says, 'We want your involvement; we want your residents.' But we get very little response when it comes to issues that impact residents."
While registering more voters is always positive for the city, Mayor Laura Miller said Monday she and her colleagues on the City Council do hear the voices of Dallas' tenants.
"When we make changes to ordinances that affect them, we have lots of conversations with them," Ms. Miller said. "I think they're very well represented at City Hall. They're just opposed to what we're doing."
Crime is the top concern for most landlords and apartment dwellers. Apartment renters say elected officials blame safety problems in multifamily complexes on the style of housing and the individuals who live there instead of putting more police officers on patrol.
"We have been used as a scapegoat for all the crime in the city," said Kathy Carlton, director of government affairs for the Apartment Association. "We are more victims of crimes than perpetrators, and we're trying to get the same kind of police enforcement" as other residential neighborhoods.
Renter ordinances
Industry leaders also say the city has passed ordinances that negatively affect apartment dwellers and their landlords without giving them any advance notice.
The fire department recently banned the storage of grills within 10 feet of an apartment – an inconvenience to renters who need someplace to stow their outdoor grills. And the city is demanding that apartment management companies tow cars with expired inspection stickers, association members say, even when landlords know the car is in use and hasn't been abandoned.
"These are simple things, not the most earth-shattering things," Mr. Henigsman said. "But residents will find that not a very good experience."
Tenant safety cited
All the ordinances the council has passed regarding apartment complexes are intended to protect tenants, Ms. Miller said.
Last year, the council approved code amendments requiring property managers to post building-code inspection scores on site and to register their complexes with the city annually, at a cost of $2 per unit. The Apartment Association and many Dallas landlords were none too pleased by the decision.
"Those tenants should be thrilled there are more safeguards in place," Ms. Miller said. "It's unfortunate that they feel the way they do. I hope they get lots of people to register to vote."
The mobilization drive will include a newsletter and coffee meetings with City Council candidates. New renters will be encouraged to register to vote when they sign their leases. And the Apartment Association has held training sessions for more than 90 on-site registration representatives, who will be going door-to-door and meeting with tenants to get out the vote. The coalition will also provide some residents with transportation during early voting and on Election Day.
The association has commitments from the property management firms of nearly 50 percent of the city's apartment units, Ms. Carlton said. And while industry leaders don't have a great sense of how many apartment dwellers regularly turn out for municipal elections, she said, every vote counts in a council race.
"We're going to get voter registration materials in their hands," she said. "Municipal elections are historically decided by very small numbers."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BY THE NUMBERS:
60% of Dallas residents live in apartments.
500,000 people live in apartments in Dallas.
There are 200,000 apartment units in Dallas.
Dallas' apartment managers pay $21 million each year for security.
Source: Apartment Association of Greater Dallas
Tenant advocates call City Hall unresponsive; mayor disagrees
By EMILY RAMSHAW / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas landlords and tenants gathered with the Apartment Association of Greater Dallas on Monday to kick off a voter registration drive targeting residents in more than 100,000 of the city's apartment units.
While apartment dwellers make up 60 percent of Dallas residents, tenant advocates say they have a disproportionately small voice at City Hall. With higher voter turnout and better education on candidates for municipal office, they hope, apartment renters will sway future elections.
"Apartment development and a strong resident base have driven much of the redevelopment in Dallas, from Uptown to downtown to north Oak Cliff," said Gerry Henigsman, executive vice president of the Apartment Association. "The city says, 'We want your involvement; we want your residents.' But we get very little response when it comes to issues that impact residents."
While registering more voters is always positive for the city, Mayor Laura Miller said Monday she and her colleagues on the City Council do hear the voices of Dallas' tenants.
"When we make changes to ordinances that affect them, we have lots of conversations with them," Ms. Miller said. "I think they're very well represented at City Hall. They're just opposed to what we're doing."
Crime is the top concern for most landlords and apartment dwellers. Apartment renters say elected officials blame safety problems in multifamily complexes on the style of housing and the individuals who live there instead of putting more police officers on patrol.
"We have been used as a scapegoat for all the crime in the city," said Kathy Carlton, director of government affairs for the Apartment Association. "We are more victims of crimes than perpetrators, and we're trying to get the same kind of police enforcement" as other residential neighborhoods.
Renter ordinances
Industry leaders also say the city has passed ordinances that negatively affect apartment dwellers and their landlords without giving them any advance notice.
The fire department recently banned the storage of grills within 10 feet of an apartment – an inconvenience to renters who need someplace to stow their outdoor grills. And the city is demanding that apartment management companies tow cars with expired inspection stickers, association members say, even when landlords know the car is in use and hasn't been abandoned.
"These are simple things, not the most earth-shattering things," Mr. Henigsman said. "But residents will find that not a very good experience."
Tenant safety cited
All the ordinances the council has passed regarding apartment complexes are intended to protect tenants, Ms. Miller said.
Last year, the council approved code amendments requiring property managers to post building-code inspection scores on site and to register their complexes with the city annually, at a cost of $2 per unit. The Apartment Association and many Dallas landlords were none too pleased by the decision.
"Those tenants should be thrilled there are more safeguards in place," Ms. Miller said. "It's unfortunate that they feel the way they do. I hope they get lots of people to register to vote."
The mobilization drive will include a newsletter and coffee meetings with City Council candidates. New renters will be encouraged to register to vote when they sign their leases. And the Apartment Association has held training sessions for more than 90 on-site registration representatives, who will be going door-to-door and meeting with tenants to get out the vote. The coalition will also provide some residents with transportation during early voting and on Election Day.
The association has commitments from the property management firms of nearly 50 percent of the city's apartment units, Ms. Carlton said. And while industry leaders don't have a great sense of how many apartment dwellers regularly turn out for municipal elections, she said, every vote counts in a council race.
"We're going to get voter registration materials in their hands," she said. "Municipal elections are historically decided by very small numbers."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BY THE NUMBERS:
60% of Dallas residents live in apartments.
500,000 people live in apartments in Dallas.
There are 200,000 apartment units in Dallas.
Dallas' apartment managers pay $21 million each year for security.
Source: Apartment Association of Greater Dallas
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DPD Trailblazers had to do it on foot
By MICHAEL E. YOUNG / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - When the Dallas Police Department hired its first black officers in more than a half-century, their jobs came with a couple of caveats.
Benjamin Thomas and Lee Bilal, who then went by the name Lee Brotherton, received uniforms and an area to patrol in February 1947, but not much more.
They'd been trained but not with white officers. The department arranged for photos of Mr. Bilal and Mr. Thomas standing by a police car – a car they drove once, for the State Fair of Texas' Negro Achievement Day Parade.
They covered the State-Thomas area without backup. And they could only hold suspects until a white officer came to make the arrest.
"We didn't even go in [to police headquarters] at the beginning of the shift," Mr. Bilal said in 2000. "Every day, we would call in from the office of Roseland Homes public housing project."
Mr. Bilal, who served as an Army lieutenant in World War II, said he left the department in 1950 to return to the Army. He later opened a liquor store, and in 1961, a private security firm.
Mr. Thomas remained with the Police Department for the rest of his working life. He was promoted to detective and also worked in the vice department and as a juvenile officer.
Still, he warned those who followed that they'd have to outwork others because of their race.
"He was mild mannered, low-key," said Dallas County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Edgar McMillan. "And he had an extremely large influence on my decision to get into law enforcement."
By MICHAEL E. YOUNG / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - When the Dallas Police Department hired its first black officers in more than a half-century, their jobs came with a couple of caveats.
Benjamin Thomas and Lee Bilal, who then went by the name Lee Brotherton, received uniforms and an area to patrol in February 1947, but not much more.
They'd been trained but not with white officers. The department arranged for photos of Mr. Bilal and Mr. Thomas standing by a police car – a car they drove once, for the State Fair of Texas' Negro Achievement Day Parade.
They covered the State-Thomas area without backup. And they could only hold suspects until a white officer came to make the arrest.
"We didn't even go in [to police headquarters] at the beginning of the shift," Mr. Bilal said in 2000. "Every day, we would call in from the office of Roseland Homes public housing project."
Mr. Bilal, who served as an Army lieutenant in World War II, said he left the department in 1950 to return to the Army. He later opened a liquor store, and in 1961, a private security firm.
Mr. Thomas remained with the Police Department for the rest of his working life. He was promoted to detective and also worked in the vice department and as a juvenile officer.
Still, he warned those who followed that they'd have to outwork others because of their race.
"He was mild mannered, low-key," said Dallas County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Edgar McMillan. "And he had an extremely large influence on my decision to get into law enforcement."
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TexasStooge
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City Demolishes Abandoned House
FORT WORTH, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- City workers took about two hours to demolish an abandoned house Monday, but the demolition erased years of frustration experienced by people who live near the site. The house, located at 1601 East Magnolia Ave., was targeted by the city of Fort Worth for emergency demolition under the city's Category 1 Roundup Project.
"Category 1 means not only substandard, but it's a hazardous situation," said Carl Smart, of the Fort Worth Code of Compliance department.
Fire damaged the house on two occasions last year. City officials said the property's caretakers allowed the structure to decay.
"It was an immediate collapse hazard, meaning it could it could have fallen down," Smart said. "It could have damaged property. It could have damaged anybody that might have been in the house."
Area residents said the house also had become a gathering place for criminals.
"There was a lot of traffic," Magnolia Avenue resident Willie Peoples said. "There was a lot of obscene things that were going on."
"You know, people are afraid to go to sleep," Magnolia Avenue resident Jody Atkinson said. "They'd have to be up watching their house and afraid to go in and out of the house because you never know who's lurking (nearby)."
Code Compliance will present the Fort Worth City Council with results of the Category 1 Roundup.
FORT WORTH, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- City workers took about two hours to demolish an abandoned house Monday, but the demolition erased years of frustration experienced by people who live near the site. The house, located at 1601 East Magnolia Ave., was targeted by the city of Fort Worth for emergency demolition under the city's Category 1 Roundup Project.
"Category 1 means not only substandard, but it's a hazardous situation," said Carl Smart, of the Fort Worth Code of Compliance department.
Fire damaged the house on two occasions last year. City officials said the property's caretakers allowed the structure to decay.
"It was an immediate collapse hazard, meaning it could it could have fallen down," Smart said. "It could have damaged property. It could have damaged anybody that might have been in the house."
Area residents said the house also had become a gathering place for criminals.
"There was a lot of traffic," Magnolia Avenue resident Willie Peoples said. "There was a lot of obscene things that were going on."
"You know, people are afraid to go to sleep," Magnolia Avenue resident Jody Atkinson said. "They'd have to be up watching their house and afraid to go in and out of the house because you never know who's lurking (nearby)."
Code Compliance will present the Fort Worth City Council with results of the Category 1 Roundup.
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TexasStooge
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Laser Beam Blinds AA Pilot Approaching D/FW
Pilot Union Spokesperson Calls Act 'Malicious'
FORT WORTH, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- An investigation is under way after an American Airlines pilot was temporarily blinded Sunday night during an approach to D/FW International Airport on a flight out of San Antonio.
"It's malicious. There's no question about it," said pilot Gregg Overman, a member of Allied Pilots Association.
The laser reportedly hit the aircraft at about 8:30 p.m. near Grapevine Lake, briefly blinding the pilot.
"The captain, who actually was not flying the approach -- the first officer was flying the approach -- but the captain personally did see the laser for a second or two," Overman said.
Doctors examined the pilot after the incident and found no permanent damage to his eyes.
However, the incident has raised concerns among pilots.
"We're looking at this as a potential safety hazard, and we will be aggressive about urging prosecution if anyone is caught doing this intentionally," Overman said.
American Airlines spokesman Tim Wagner said the company was cooperating with investigators.
"The safety of our employees is paramount. American Airlines is working with the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and air traffic control to help them investigate, and is advising pilots to be careful," he said.
Despite calling the incident "malicious," Overman also said there could be other factors involved.
"We understand there are amateur astronomers who use these to point out different parts of constellations, planets and so forth, so it could have been inadvertent," Overman said. "But, regardless, you've got to be careful when you're using something that is a powerful device and it emits a light ray like that."
Meanwhile, pilots have been trained on ways to shield their eyes from the intense bright green beam.
The FBI is conducting a preliminary investigation.
If located, the person responsible could face up to 20 years in prison if prosecuted.
Pilot Union Spokesperson Calls Act 'Malicious'
FORT WORTH, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- An investigation is under way after an American Airlines pilot was temporarily blinded Sunday night during an approach to D/FW International Airport on a flight out of San Antonio.
"It's malicious. There's no question about it," said pilot Gregg Overman, a member of Allied Pilots Association.
The laser reportedly hit the aircraft at about 8:30 p.m. near Grapevine Lake, briefly blinding the pilot.
"The captain, who actually was not flying the approach -- the first officer was flying the approach -- but the captain personally did see the laser for a second or two," Overman said.
Doctors examined the pilot after the incident and found no permanent damage to his eyes.
However, the incident has raised concerns among pilots.
"We're looking at this as a potential safety hazard, and we will be aggressive about urging prosecution if anyone is caught doing this intentionally," Overman said.
American Airlines spokesman Tim Wagner said the company was cooperating with investigators.
"The safety of our employees is paramount. American Airlines is working with the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and air traffic control to help them investigate, and is advising pilots to be careful," he said.
Despite calling the incident "malicious," Overman also said there could be other factors involved.
"We understand there are amateur astronomers who use these to point out different parts of constellations, planets and so forth, so it could have been inadvertent," Overman said. "But, regardless, you've got to be careful when you're using something that is a powerful device and it emits a light ray like that."
Meanwhile, pilots have been trained on ways to shield their eyes from the intense bright green beam.
The FBI is conducting a preliminary investigation.
If located, the person responsible could face up to 20 years in prison if prosecuted.
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Suspected Robber In Jail After Attempting Escape
Man Accused In Latest Attack Targeting Dollar General Stores
DALLAS, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- A suspected robber remains jailed after he was caught trying to get away.
Police said the man used a butcher knife Monday morning to threaten a clerk at a Dollar General store on Duck Creek Drive in Garland.
The attack is one of several targeting the discount chain.
A Dollar General in south Garland was open only a few minutes before Ricky Holloway walked in.
Holloway ran out with a moneybag and into an alley where his SUV was parked, NBC 5 reported.
As police approached, Holloway raced towards Interstate 30. His truck smashed into three cars during chase before he bailed and ran with butcher knife and cash in hand, police said.
While they were trying to get Holloway under arrest, he tried to grab two of the officer's guns, police said.
Last week, two men robbed the Garland Road Dollar General at gunpoint, in front witnesses and obvious surveillance equipment.
Police said the Dollar General discount stores have faced a rash of robberies across the Metroplex, but they don't know if any of them are connected or if Holloway is connected to any other robberies the discount stores.
Two other suspects from last week's robbery remain at large.
Man Accused In Latest Attack Targeting Dollar General Stores
DALLAS, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- A suspected robber remains jailed after he was caught trying to get away.
Police said the man used a butcher knife Monday morning to threaten a clerk at a Dollar General store on Duck Creek Drive in Garland.
The attack is one of several targeting the discount chain.
A Dollar General in south Garland was open only a few minutes before Ricky Holloway walked in.
Holloway ran out with a moneybag and into an alley where his SUV was parked, NBC 5 reported.
As police approached, Holloway raced towards Interstate 30. His truck smashed into three cars during chase before he bailed and ran with butcher knife and cash in hand, police said.
While they were trying to get Holloway under arrest, he tried to grab two of the officer's guns, police said.
Last week, two men robbed the Garland Road Dollar General at gunpoint, in front witnesses and obvious surveillance equipment.
Police said the Dollar General discount stores have faced a rash of robberies across the Metroplex, but they don't know if any of them are connected or if Holloway is connected to any other robberies the discount stores.
Two other suspects from last week's robbery remain at large.
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Officers Injured During Pursuit
Driver Gets Away
DALLAS, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Two officers were being treated Tuesday night at Baylor University hospital after an apparent crash during a police pursuit.
Investigators said seconds after reporting that they were in a chase, the officers radioed for help saying they were trapped by fire.
Police said a passerby helped the officers from the wreckage.
The driver they were pursuing got away, police said.
Both officers suffered serious leg injuries.
Driver Gets Away
DALLAS, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Two officers were being treated Tuesday night at Baylor University hospital after an apparent crash during a police pursuit.
Investigators said seconds after reporting that they were in a chase, the officers radioed for help saying they were trapped by fire.
Police said a passerby helped the officers from the wreckage.
The driver they were pursuing got away, police said.
Both officers suffered serious leg injuries.
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Arlington Police Investigate 'Upskirting' Crime Trend
Officials Say Most Cases Likely Go Unreported
ARLINGTON, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Arlington police are issuing a warning about criminals secretly photographing women --- and even young girls -- and then sharing those images on the Internet.
In fact, officials said they are investigating several cases that occurred during the past year.
Investigators said men armed with hidden cameras are preying on victims in public places -- like a shopping mall -- when they least expect it.
"The object of the man is to catch the woman unaware," Detective Ben Lopez said. "The person who does this will follow women around and try to videotape up their skirts or shorts as they're walking in public."
The crime, called "upskirting," is part of a growing trend. In fact, typing the word "upskirt" into an Internet search engine can deliver more than 6 million results.
"We've seen everything from cell phone cameras, which are very small, to elaborate setups where a video camera was hid(den) inside a shopping bag," Lopez said.
"The person is looking for a sexual thrill. The perpetrator -- he's looking for attention, and he's probably going to try to use this for his own benefit," clinical psychologist Dr. Swen Helge said. "He may sell pictures to other people. He may put them on the Internet."
The practice is against the law.
Arlington police are using a relatively new law called "Improper Photography or Visual Recording" to prosecute several cases that allegedly took place at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor.
Experts fear many cases go unreported because most women never discover that they have been victimized.
"If you think someone is following you in a store, pay attention. Watch them. Don't just blow it off and think there's nothing to it," Lopez said.
Officials Say Most Cases Likely Go Unreported
ARLINGTON, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Arlington police are issuing a warning about criminals secretly photographing women --- and even young girls -- and then sharing those images on the Internet.
In fact, officials said they are investigating several cases that occurred during the past year.
Investigators said men armed with hidden cameras are preying on victims in public places -- like a shopping mall -- when they least expect it.
"The object of the man is to catch the woman unaware," Detective Ben Lopez said. "The person who does this will follow women around and try to videotape up their skirts or shorts as they're walking in public."
The crime, called "upskirting," is part of a growing trend. In fact, typing the word "upskirt" into an Internet search engine can deliver more than 6 million results.
"We've seen everything from cell phone cameras, which are very small, to elaborate setups where a video camera was hid(den) inside a shopping bag," Lopez said.
"The person is looking for a sexual thrill. The perpetrator -- he's looking for attention, and he's probably going to try to use this for his own benefit," clinical psychologist Dr. Swen Helge said. "He may sell pictures to other people. He may put them on the Internet."
The practice is against the law.
Arlington police are using a relatively new law called "Improper Photography or Visual Recording" to prosecute several cases that allegedly took place at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor.
Experts fear many cases go unreported because most women never discover that they have been victimized.
"If you think someone is following you in a store, pay attention. Watch them. Don't just blow it off and think there's nothing to it," Lopez said.
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TexasStooge
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Suspect In Sanchez Case Talks
DALLAS, Texas (KXAS NBC 5/KXTX Telemundo 39) -- Jose Felix remains jailed on accusations he and alleged accomplice Edgar Acevedo kidnapped and murdered Dallas restaurateur Oscar Sanchez. During an exclusive interview with KXTX-TV (Telemundo 39), NBC 5's sister station, Felix told his side of the story.
Felix (pictured far left with Acevedo) spoke Spanish during the interview, and an interpreter translated for NBC 5. During the interview, Felix and his attorney said Acevedo committed the crime because he wanted to use ransom money to pay for a sex-change operation.
Felix also said he was held hostage at gunpoint and tied up. He said Acevedo could have shot him at any time.
Earlier in the investigation, police said Sanchez likely was killed in Felix's home in Duncanville, Texas. Felix said he was bound and held by Acevedo in a separate room from where Sanchez was held.
According to Felix's interview, Acevedo worked with another accomplice, who Felix said he could not identify. The third accomplice, Felix said, wore a ski mask that covered all of his face but his eyes and nose.
Felix also said music was played at high volumes so he could not hear actions that took place in other sections of the house.
The interviewer asked if Felix might have a message for the surviving Sanchez family members. Felix said he prays for the family. He also said he prays that God would touch the consciences of the true killers, and that they would confront their actions.
Sanchez was kidnapped Jan. 18 from near his home in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas. Felix was arrested in Chicago Jan. 23 before his extradition to Dallas Jan. 26.
Felix was asked why he didn't inform police at that time. Felix said he was even more afraid then because Acevedo had threatened Felix's family in Mexico and demanded money in exchange for the family's safety.
Felix was apprehended at Midway Airport about one hour before he was to board a flight bound for Mexico, where Acevedo is believed to be hiding, possibly disguised as a woman.
"I think if they are going to find him, I bet you he'll be somewhere in Mexico City deep down undercover as a transvestite," John Read, Felix's attorney said. "I'll put my money on that one."
Police investigators said they doubt the story Felix told Telemundo 39. They said Felix likely is trying to avoid the death penalty by further implicating Acevedo and the third person.
DALLAS, Texas (KXAS NBC 5/KXTX Telemundo 39) -- Jose Felix remains jailed on accusations he and alleged accomplice Edgar Acevedo kidnapped and murdered Dallas restaurateur Oscar Sanchez. During an exclusive interview with KXTX-TV (Telemundo 39), NBC 5's sister station, Felix told his side of the story.
Felix (pictured far left with Acevedo) spoke Spanish during the interview, and an interpreter translated for NBC 5. During the interview, Felix and his attorney said Acevedo committed the crime because he wanted to use ransom money to pay for a sex-change operation.
Felix also said he was held hostage at gunpoint and tied up. He said Acevedo could have shot him at any time.
Earlier in the investigation, police said Sanchez likely was killed in Felix's home in Duncanville, Texas. Felix said he was bound and held by Acevedo in a separate room from where Sanchez was held.
According to Felix's interview, Acevedo worked with another accomplice, who Felix said he could not identify. The third accomplice, Felix said, wore a ski mask that covered all of his face but his eyes and nose.
Felix also said music was played at high volumes so he could not hear actions that took place in other sections of the house.
The interviewer asked if Felix might have a message for the surviving Sanchez family members. Felix said he prays for the family. He also said he prays that God would touch the consciences of the true killers, and that they would confront their actions.
Sanchez was kidnapped Jan. 18 from near his home in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas. Felix was arrested in Chicago Jan. 23 before his extradition to Dallas Jan. 26.
Felix was asked why he didn't inform police at that time. Felix said he was even more afraid then because Acevedo had threatened Felix's family in Mexico and demanded money in exchange for the family's safety.
Felix was apprehended at Midway Airport about one hour before he was to board a flight bound for Mexico, where Acevedo is believed to be hiding, possibly disguised as a woman.
"I think if they are going to find him, I bet you he'll be somewhere in Mexico City deep down undercover as a transvestite," John Read, Felix's attorney said. "I'll put my money on that one."
Police investigators said they doubt the story Felix told Telemundo 39. They said Felix likely is trying to avoid the death penalty by further implicating Acevedo and the third person.
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TexasStooge
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Dangerously dilapidated
By Bill Teeter, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas - It took less than a hour Monday for the bulldozer to flatten the house that had stood at 1601 E. Magnolia Avenue since 1920.
"I am happy, I am so happy," said Thelma Atkins, who lives next door. "If I had one of those machines, I would have done it myself."
In January, Fort Worth code compliance officers began compiling a list of problem structures. The East Magnolia home was tagged "category one," meaning that fire and neglect had left it dangerously dilapidated.
Officials got approval for emergency demolition, City Code Compliance Director Carl Smart said Monday.
By Bill Teeter, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas - It took less than a hour Monday for the bulldozer to flatten the house that had stood at 1601 E. Magnolia Avenue since 1920.
"I am happy, I am so happy," said Thelma Atkins, who lives next door. "If I had one of those machines, I would have done it myself."
In January, Fort Worth code compliance officers began compiling a list of problem structures. The East Magnolia home was tagged "category one," meaning that fire and neglect had left it dangerously dilapidated.
Officials got approval for emergency demolition, City Code Compliance Director Carl Smart said Monday.
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TexasStooge
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FORT WORTH AREA BRIEFS
Man, 25, indicted in deadly wreck
FORT WORTH, Texas (Star-Telegram) -- A 25-year-old driver accused of being intoxicated and causing a crash that killed one passenger and injured another has been indicted by a Tarrant County grand jury. Yanlvovich Levin is awaiting trial on an intoxication-manslaughter charge in the May 18 death of David Smith. He has also been indicted on an intoxication-assault charge in the injuries to Juliya Jones. Police have said Smith, a back-seat passenger, was thrown from the car that Levin was driving after it went out of control on Roaring Springs Road. Levin and Smith were from Naval Air Station Fort Worth, police have said.
Man to be tried on child-injury charge
Man, 25, indicted in deadly wreck
FORT WORTH, Texas (Star-Telegram) -- A 25-year-old driver accused of being intoxicated and causing a crash that killed one passenger and injured another has been indicted by a Tarrant County grand jury. Yanlvovich Levin is awaiting trial on an intoxication-manslaughter charge in the May 18 death of David Smith. He has also been indicted on an intoxication-assault charge in the injuries to Juliya Jones. Police have said Smith, a back-seat passenger, was thrown from the car that Levin was driving after it went out of control on Roaring Springs Road. Levin and Smith were from Naval Air Station Fort Worth, police have said.
Man to be tried on child-injury charge
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TexasStooge
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Lane to retire from council
By Anna M. Tinsley, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas - Jim Lane promised to take on City Hall.
In the 12 years since he was elected to the Fort Worth City Council, the north side defense lawyer has fought for a variety of issues, including light-duty work for injured police officers and creating the Fort Worth Herd of longhorns for the historic Stockyards.
Now, Lane says he won't hang his trademark cowboy hat at City Hall after his term is up this year.
"I'm pooped," said Lane, 60, who said he consulted his wife, Janet, and council staffer, Patsy Steele, before making his decision. "I have mixed emotions. I really love Fort Worth and think the world of District 2.
By Anna M. Tinsley, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas - Jim Lane promised to take on City Hall.
In the 12 years since he was elected to the Fort Worth City Council, the north side defense lawyer has fought for a variety of issues, including light-duty work for injured police officers and creating the Fort Worth Herd of longhorns for the historic Stockyards.
Now, Lane says he won't hang his trademark cowboy hat at City Hall after his term is up this year.
"I'm pooped," said Lane, 60, who said he consulted his wife, Janet, and council staffer, Patsy Steele, before making his decision. "I have mixed emotions. I really love Fort Worth and think the world of District 2.
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TexasStooge
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PROSECUTORS INVESTIGATE CATHOLIC CHURCH
DALLAS COUNTY, Texas (KDFW Fox 4) -- Dallas County prosecutors are investigating charges of a coverup by the Catholic Church. The district attorney is looking into the Diocese.
Last week, a Grand Prairie priest was arrested on child pornography charges. This week, a pastor in Rockwall resigned. Some parishoners, according to a Dallas Morning News report, suspect him of improper conduct.
DALLAS COUNTY, Texas (KDFW Fox 4) -- Dallas County prosecutors are investigating charges of a coverup by the Catholic Church. The district attorney is looking into the Diocese.
Last week, a Grand Prairie priest was arrested on child pornography charges. This week, a pastor in Rockwall resigned. Some parishoners, according to a Dallas Morning News report, suspect him of improper conduct.
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TexasStooge
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Homeowners fight HOA foreclosures
By GARY REAVES / WFAA ABC 8
CARROLLTON, Texas - Every year, thousands of Texans buy homes in neighborhoods where they are required to join a homeowners' association.
What many don't know is some of those associations are so powerful, they can seize a home without so much as a single hearing in court.
Unpaid taxes and mortgages usually land a house on the sheriff's auction block, but not one particular home in Carrollton. Attorney Ben Chapelle is selling a house that's being seized and sold by the homeowners' association of a development called The Country Place, because the home's owner owes $3,000 in dues and late fees.
Just like that, a $140,000 home sold for $10,000. The owner didn't even know until News 8 told him.
"There's no way," the owner said. "There's just no way someone could sell my house from underneath me ... there's just no way."
The owner, Bob, is a plumber. He was too embarrassed to reveal his entire name, his face or the outside of his house. He learned the hard way that in Texas all an association has to do to foreclose is file a lien and send proper notice.
Bob didn't understand the legal language of his contract.
"We thought they were gonna try to take our TV or our stereo ... maybe take some of my tools or something," he said.
He also didn't understand that documents thousands of Texans sign at closing allow homeowners' associations to take the house for unpaid dues.
"There's a whole stack of papers here," he said. "How am I supposed to know that any one is more dangerous than the other?"
Meg Rohrt's company Alternative Management handles management duties for home and condominium owner's associations. She said they need to have the right to foreclose, because they have serious responsibilities.
"The worst words in this business are 'but I thought'," said Rohrt. "You have utilities, insurance, landscaping, the pool, reserves to pay for painting, roof replacement ... everyone has to do their fair share."
Rohrt said she advises associations to work with people who fall behind on their dues. But, some complain the associations are inflexible.
In East Dallas, Quenton Chambers faces hundreds in disputed fines on his deceased mother's condominium.
Rebecca Lopez owed no mortgage on her White Rock Lake condo, but it was seized and sold while she was trying to make a partial payment on her maintenance fees.
Lopez recalled, "I had a three-year-old kid at the time crying to me, saying, 'Mommy, where is our house, why can't we move back into our house?'"
In Houston's suburbs, homeowners have been fighting their associations over these issues for nearly a decade. The courts have ruled the foreclosures are legal, but advocates argue they're unconstitutional.
"The Constitution has only five exceptions to the foreclosures: your mortgage money, your vendor's lien, that type of thing," said Harvella Jones of Stop Texas HOA Foreclosures, which she formed after she lost her home in 1999.
The Texas Legislature passed a law several years ago that may save Bob's home. It gives him 120 days to pay off the bills and get his home back.
"Somebody told me the other day that homeowners' associations have more power than God," Bob said. "I believe them now."
To curtail that power, the Homeowners Advocate Group has a new bill pending in the State Legislature to let buyers deny their homeowners' associations the right to foreclose. The group believes the battle to pass it is mainly uphill, however; similar bills in the past have met stiff opposition.
By GARY REAVES / WFAA ABC 8
CARROLLTON, Texas - Every year, thousands of Texans buy homes in neighborhoods where they are required to join a homeowners' association.
What many don't know is some of those associations are so powerful, they can seize a home without so much as a single hearing in court.
Unpaid taxes and mortgages usually land a house on the sheriff's auction block, but not one particular home in Carrollton. Attorney Ben Chapelle is selling a house that's being seized and sold by the homeowners' association of a development called The Country Place, because the home's owner owes $3,000 in dues and late fees.
Just like that, a $140,000 home sold for $10,000. The owner didn't even know until News 8 told him.
"There's no way," the owner said. "There's just no way someone could sell my house from underneath me ... there's just no way."
The owner, Bob, is a plumber. He was too embarrassed to reveal his entire name, his face or the outside of his house. He learned the hard way that in Texas all an association has to do to foreclose is file a lien and send proper notice.
Bob didn't understand the legal language of his contract.
"We thought they were gonna try to take our TV or our stereo ... maybe take some of my tools or something," he said.
He also didn't understand that documents thousands of Texans sign at closing allow homeowners' associations to take the house for unpaid dues.
"There's a whole stack of papers here," he said. "How am I supposed to know that any one is more dangerous than the other?"
Meg Rohrt's company Alternative Management handles management duties for home and condominium owner's associations. She said they need to have the right to foreclose, because they have serious responsibilities.
"The worst words in this business are 'but I thought'," said Rohrt. "You have utilities, insurance, landscaping, the pool, reserves to pay for painting, roof replacement ... everyone has to do their fair share."
Rohrt said she advises associations to work with people who fall behind on their dues. But, some complain the associations are inflexible.
In East Dallas, Quenton Chambers faces hundreds in disputed fines on his deceased mother's condominium.
Rebecca Lopez owed no mortgage on her White Rock Lake condo, but it was seized and sold while she was trying to make a partial payment on her maintenance fees.
Lopez recalled, "I had a three-year-old kid at the time crying to me, saying, 'Mommy, where is our house, why can't we move back into our house?'"
In Houston's suburbs, homeowners have been fighting their associations over these issues for nearly a decade. The courts have ruled the foreclosures are legal, but advocates argue they're unconstitutional.
"The Constitution has only five exceptions to the foreclosures: your mortgage money, your vendor's lien, that type of thing," said Harvella Jones of Stop Texas HOA Foreclosures, which she formed after she lost her home in 1999.
The Texas Legislature passed a law several years ago that may save Bob's home. It gives him 120 days to pay off the bills and get his home back.
"Somebody told me the other day that homeowners' associations have more power than God," Bob said. "I believe them now."
To curtail that power, the Homeowners Advocate Group has a new bill pending in the State Legislature to let buyers deny their homeowners' associations the right to foreclose. The group believes the battle to pass it is mainly uphill, however; similar bills in the past have met stiff opposition.
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