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March 2010
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Exonerees Scott and Simmons cleared by Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Dallas Crime Watch: Wednesday, March 3, 2010 Houston Chronicle: Many police officers killed in on-duty car crashes weren't wearing seat belts Dallas police commanders among candidates to replace retiring Chief David Kunkle Update: Final Dallas County constable election results Dallas County justice of the peace trailing by handful of votes Former Dallas constable helped by judge's pardon loses bid for county clerk Democratic voters choose candidates to challenge GOP constables in fall Dallas County constable trailing in close GOP race Early voting results show incumbents leading in felony court judge races Recent Comments
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March 3, 2010
Chris Scott and Claude Simmons, who were freed from prison in October, after students at the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Texas at Austin, looked into their case, were officially cleared by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Wednesday. Scott and Simmons spent 12 years in prison for a murder they did not commit. Their exonerations are unusual because they did not involve DNA evidence. Another man was charged in the murder and another has been implicated.  Comments (0) Leave comment
|  E-mail entryThe entry "Exonerees Scott and Simmons cleared by Texas Court of Criminal Appeals" is tagged: Chris Scott , Claude Simmons , Diane Jennings , UTA innocence Network
•Dallas Fire-Rescue officials continue to investigate Tuesday's stunning fire along Lower Greenville Avenue that destroyed four popular eateries and watering holes. DFR spokesman Jason Evans issued a release this morning that estimated damage to the building and contents at more than $1.6 million. Fire investigators still have not determined the cause of the massive blaze, but they do believe that it started inside Terilli's Restaurant, shot up into a common attic and spread to three other well-known businesses.
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| E-mail entryThe entry "Dallas Crime Watch: Wednesday, March 3, 2010" has no entry tags.
Houston Chronicle reporter Moises Mendoza reports this week on an interesting police safety issue you probably haven't heard very much about: There's an open secret about seat belts at police departments. Many officers killed in line-of-duty car crashes aren't wearing them. You can read the full Chronicle report here. I wondered how the Dallas police leadership views this issue, so I asked Assistant Chief Floyd Simpson, commander of the patrol bureau. Simpson said DPD's official policy is that officers must wear their seat belts at all times. He said he is confident the department does not have a problem with officers not buckling up, in part because sergeants generally keep an eye on their troops as they leave the patrol stations. But he admits that is not always a realistic policy. Comments (3) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Houston Chronicle: Many police officers killed in on-duty car crashes weren't wearing seat belts" is tagged: Floyd Simpson , Houston Chronicle , Moises Mendoza , seat belts
City Hall has so far released the names of 17 candidates for the job in response to records requests from The Dallas Morning News, Bush reports. Watson is the first current DPD commander on that list. Assistant Chief Floyd Simpson also tells me he recently submitted an application for the job and WFAA-TV reported that First Assistant Chief David Brown and Assistant Chief Danny Garcia have applied. Look for more on them in the coming weeks. (DMN File Photo: May 2009) Comments (0) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Dallas police commanders among candidates to replace retiring Chief David Kunkle" is tagged: Danny Garcia , David Brown , David Kunkle , Floyd Simpson , police chief , Rick Watson
Here are the unofficial results with 100 percent of precincts reporting: PRECINCT 1 CONSTABLE PRECINCT 2 CONSTABLE PRECINCT 4 CONSTABLE PRECINCT 5 CONSTABLE Original post: 6:50 PM Tue, Mar 02, 2010 Evans of Precinct 1 garnered almost 60 percent of the vote against three opponents. It seems almost a sure thing he'll be re-elected. Cortes of Precinct 5 jumped out to an early lead with 44 percent of the vote. Barring any surge of Cortes voters on Election Day, it looks like Cortes will be facing Italy police officer Beth Villarreal in a runoff. Original post: 6:50 PM Tue, Mar 02, 2010 Controversy has followed them since early last year over towing, firings, heavily-armed tactical units, traffic tickets, canine units, high-speed chases, campaigning techniques, background checks, off-duty work and even allegations of corruption and other crimes. County commissioners have been brainstorming over how to reign them in with new regulations to avoid growing liability. Now it's your turn. You, the voters, have had a chance to pick who you want to be in charge of this important job. This year, there's a crowded field. Three constables have one or more opponents in their primary. In about 30 minutes, we'll see the early vote totals, which should give some idea of what's going to happen. Updates will be posted here throughout the night. Stay tuned. Comments (0) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Update: Final Dallas County constable election results" has no entry tags. March 2, 2010
Luis Sepulveda, a Dallas County justice of the peace, is trailing Carlos Medrano by 42 votes in the Democratic primary with 80 percent of the vote counted. Sepulveda has complained about possible fraud involving mail-in ballots, which are a big part of voting in his precinct that includes parts of Dallas and Oak Cliff. During early voting, more than a third of all absentee ballots cast in the county came from Sepulveda's precinct, the county elections office said. There are five precincts. Sepulveda is offering $500 for the conviction of election cheats. With a race this close, Sepulveda is likely hoping to be able to pay several rewards. Comments (2) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Dallas County justice of the peace trailing by handful of votes" is tagged: Carlos Medrano , justice of the peace , Luis Sepulveda
Aurelio Castillo, a disgraced former constable, got on the Democratic ballot when a Dallas County criminal court judge wiped away his felony conviction. But his good luck came to an end tonight when he lost his bid for county clerk in the Democratic primary. Incumbent John Warren sailed to victory and will face Republican Beverly Martell-Dingess in November. Ernest White, the judge who pardoned Castillo, was unopposed today and will face Republican David Lewis in the fall general election. Comments (0) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Former Dallas constable helped by judge's pardon loses bid for county clerk" has no entry tags.
Republican Constables Roma Skinner and Ben Adamcik now know who they will face in November. Early voting results show that Skinner, of Precinct 4, will most likely face Roy Williams Jr., a sheriff's deputy who is creaming his two rivals in the Democratic primary. Williams is not related to noted Dallas activist Roy Williams, but I'm sure the name helped him win votes in southern Dallas County. Williams easily dispatched two deputy constables, Charles Woertendyke and James D. Edwards. Adamcik will face Terry Braziel, a deputy constable, in November. Braziel ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. He will have an uphill battle unseating Adamcik in this very Republican precinct. Comments (0) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Democratic voters choose candidates to challenge GOP constables in fall" has no entry tags.
Precinct 2 Constable Michael Gothard may be the first casualty of a growing constable controversy. After early voting, he is losing to opponent Ray Nichols by a little over 200 votes. Nichols is a Dallas lawyer who successfully sued Dallas County on behalf of a former Gothard deputy. The deputy, Michael Rollins, sued over overtime he said Gothard owed him. A jury agreed. Rollins, who is now with Precinct 3, also accused Gothard of caring more about ticket revenue than public safety when he dismantled his canine unit. But this one is too close to call. Gothard could still pull out a narrow victory. Comments (2) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Dallas County constable trailing in close GOP race" is tagged: Michael Gothard , Ray Nichols
Here are the early voting primary election results for the contested state district judge races in felony courts: 203rd District Court: This race could be headed for a runoff if no candidate earns 50 percent plus one vote. 265th District Court: 291st District Court: 363rd District Court Criminal District Court 7 Mike Snipes* 54% *Incumbant Comments (0) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Early voting results show incumbents leading in felony court judge races" is tagged: Dallas County , elections
Early vote totals show Jones easily defeating mediator Sylvia Rhodes-Bradley. Jones is headed for another term despite a history of disciplinary sanctions from the state, including another sanction handed down just last year. He does not face a Republican opponent in November. Jones was publicly sanctioned by state judicial regulators in September for failing to fix clerical errors and other serious problems that wrought havoc with cases in his busy and chaotic southern Dallas court. The state Commission on Judicial Conduct issued its public admonition of Jones after ruling that he exhibited "incompetence in performing the duties of his office." It was the fourth state sanction issued against Jones, who's been in office since 1991. Comments (0) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Controversial Dallas County justice of the peace crushing Democratic opponent" is tagged: election , justice of the peace , Thomas Jones
Constable towing operations have been in the limelight since July when we analyzed the number of vehicles impounded by Constables Derick Evans and Jaime Cortes. Both constables, who are being investigated by the county for alleged improper employment actions, ran aggressive towing operations without supervising what happened to impounded vehicles. It turned out Evans and Cortes had exclusive agreements with one towing company -- Dowdy Ferry Auto Services. But Dowdy Ferry had not been reporting abandoned vehicles to the constables or paying a required $10 administrative fee, according to state investigators. Instead, Evans and Cortes had been getting $25 kickbacks from Dowdy Ferry, which runs Evans' and Cortes' impound lot in southern Dallas County, according to a 92-page investigative report the county released last month. Comments (1) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Dallas County close to choosing new towing contracts for constables" is tagged: Dallas County commissioners , Derick Evans , Dowdy Ferry Auto Services , impounded vehicles , Jaime Cortes , Roma Skinner , towing
Some have reportedly been using them to pull over motorists while working off-duty security jobs, including Lt. Howard Watson of Precinct 5. WFAA reporter Brett Shipp caught Watson in the act recently. County Judge Jim Foster said the county doesn't need that kind of liability. He and the commissioners discussed a new policy in closed session this morning that would require deputy constables to obtain their permission before installing lights and sirens in their personal vehicles. Foster said the proposed policy also would require deputies to get special insurance for their cars so they can be used as emergency vehicles. Such insurance would be difficult and costly to obtain, Foster acknowledges. Foster and the commissioners have already regulated deputy constables' county patrol cars. In 2008, they required that GPS devices be placed in them so they could track them to make sure they weren't using them while off-duty. The move was taken because several deputies, including Watson, were caught driving their patrol cars while off duty. Watson lost his take-come car privilege when he was busted in 2007. Shortly afterward, he began repeatedly renewing paper tags (30-day temporary registrations) on several mysterious vehicles, arousing the suspicions of workers in a county tax office. Comments (2) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Dallas County commissioners to regulate constables' personal vehicles" is tagged: Dallas County commissioners , Howard Watson , Jim Foster , Maurine Dickey , take-home cars
Cortes, of Precinct 5, has been under investigation by the county since September for allegedly abusing his employees. Last week, the county released a report by its special investigator, Danny Defenbaugh, that accuses Cortes of accepting bribes and running an office rife with corruption. Under Texas' local government code, county commissioners can require an elected county official to post a higher bond if they find the current amount is insufficient. The bond -- required of all elected officials -- is like an insurance policy that protects the county from liability as a result of the officeholder's official actions. The maximum bond required by law for constables is $1,500. I'm waiting to hear back from the county human resources department about how much Cortes posted when he took office. County Judge Jim Foster, who spearheaded the county investigation, said the new bond amount must be determined by at least two factors: What percentage of Defenbaugh's fees were attributable to Cortes? And what are the potential damages from a lawsuit filed against the county last year by several current and former Cortes deputies? Comments (0) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Dallas County commissioners discuss raising constable's surety bond" is tagged: Dallas County commissioners , Jaime Cortes , Mike Dupree , surety bond
• Two more defendants were sentenced in the Dallas City Hall corruption scandal. • A McKinney woman was given a 10-year prison sentence after being found guilty of murder for injecting a friend with heroin at the friend's request. • A Dallas man jailed for the stabbing death of his ex-wife was prohibited from contacting her under the terms of his probation in an assault case. • Michael Sigala, who was convicted of killing a Plano man and charged with slaying the man's wife in 2000 is scheduled to die by lethal injection Tuesday night. • Gov. Rick Perry signed a posthumous pardon for Tim Cole, a man who died in a Texas prison after being wrongfully convicted of aggravated sexual assault in 1985. Facebook CrimeBlog DallasNews! Tweet with DallasCrime on Twitter. Have a crime news tip? Email us. Comments (0) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Dallas Crime Watch: Tuesday, March 2, 2010" is tagged: Dallas Crime Watch March 1, 2010
Dallas police continue to work a case in which thieves stole from numerous out-of-state teenage cheerleaders who were competing at the Convention Center last month. DPD released this bulletin earlier today. Comments (3) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Dallas police need public assistance to catch thieves who stole from out-of-state cheerleaders" is tagged: cheerleaders , Dallas Convention Center
The Explorer is one of several vehicles Watson was driving with paper tags. He and other Precinct 5 deputies aroused the suspicions of Dallas County officials back in 2007 for constantly renewing 30-day registrations for mysterious vehicles, raising questions about where they got them. This latest information doesn't shed light on where Watson got the Explorer. Recently, Ford Motor Company had a repo man grab Watson's Explorer due to a loan default. The registered owner is dead, sources say. And two constable uniforms as well as a two-way radio belonging to Dallas County were found inside. Comments (2) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Paper tag SUV belonging to jailed Dallas County constable seized by repo man" is tagged: Ford Motor Company , Howard Watson , paper tags , repossession
Johnson, 35, is now at the Dallas County Jail on a murder charge in Lane's death. Police say the 22-year-old mother of three was stabbed multiple times at her Red Bird apartment. Her young children were home at the time of her brutal killing. At least one of them, a 3-year-old child, witnessed the attack. Below is the affidavit for arrest warrant and the terms of probation in Johnson's prior family violence case involving Lane. You can also view the affidavit for arrest warrant in the murder case here. Comments (2) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Man accused of killing ex-wife was barred from contacting her after prior assault" is tagged: Marcus Deon Johnson , Shawana Lane
• Dallas ISD teachers' misconduct with students was kept quiet. Police have no record of allegations against these educators. • A paperwork mistake led to the accidental pardone of Dallas County felons. The pardons include a former Dallas County constable now running for Dallas County clerk. Comments (0) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Dallas Crime Watch: Monday, March 1, 2010" is tagged: Dallas Crime Watch
Update @ 10:09 a.m., Monday Dallas police say patrol officers arrested Marcus Deon Johnson without incident this morning. He is being held in the Lew Sterrett jail. Johnson, a convicted felon, was wanted for the Sunday morning murder of his 22-year-old ex-wife, whose young children may have witnessed her killing, police said. Police were called to the home about 8:20 a.m. Another man and Lane's three young children were there when Lane was attacked, police said. Lane died at Methodist Dallas Medical Center. If you have any information on Johnson's whereabouts, call the numbers listed in this bulletin. Comments (3) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Update: Dallas police arrest Marcus Deon Johnson for murder of his ex-wife" is tagged: Marcus Deon Johnson , police bulletin , Red Bird , warrant |
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Bio
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I believe that all Dallas Police Office
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So was it Rollins or Nichols who were
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It's about time something made sense in
Pct 4 needs investigating. Oh wait...Wa