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Criminal justice reporters, editors and invited guests provide news and analysis impacting Dallas-area police, courts, fire and other public safety issues and entities. Readers are encouraged to join the conversation. March 2010
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Dallas Crime Watch: Friday, March 12, 2010 Dallas County sheriff tows illegally parked cars in courthouse lot Government wants heightened monitoring of some Holy Land defendants Final words of death row inmates analyzed Dallas man faces murder charge in shooting of his step-father Man faces murder charge in fatal shooting at his northeast Dallas apartment Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo turns down that city's offer Woman slain in her Plano home; husband arrested outside Houston Dallas Crime Watch: Thursday, March 11, 2010 Another irony in the Dallas Police Department's crime reporting practices Recent Comments
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March 12, 2010
• A 32-year-old car dealer is suing Carrollton, alleging a police officer used excessive force against him as he tried to deliver a car. And there's video. • A Dallas County deputy constable arrested the wrong girl at Oak Cliff high school. The 15-year-old cheerleader was taken from the school in handcuffs. • Theron Lacey, who killed a 67-year-old woman as she took a walk, is going to jail for life. • A Plano man is being held after police said he shot and killed his 36-year-old wife. • Anthony London is going to prison for 35 years -- not 20 as he originally was told. That's because the sentence was much tougher when a second jury reheard the punishment phase of his trial. London, who killed 16-year-old Kerwin Holmes, asked for that second jury in an appeal. Facebook CrimeBlog DallasNews! Tweet with DallasCrime on Twitter. Have a crime news tip? E-mail us.  Comments (0) Leave comment
|  E-mail entryThe entry "Dallas Crime Watch: Friday, March 12, 2010 " is tagged: Crime watch , Dallas crime watch
However, a number of courthouse lawyers and others have continued to park there without recourse for years -- until now. In January, the Sheriff's Department announced it would start towing vehicles. And that's exactly what they did today. As I was arriving for a big press conference about the jail's annual inspection, I noticed a 2005 Jaguar being pulled away by a tow truck. I've seen that same Jag parked there before. Turns out it belongs to Dallas criminal defense lawyer Scottie Allen (shown above). A tip-off: if it's a luxury car, it most likely doesn't belong to a news reporter. Comments (0) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Dallas County sheriff tows illegally parked cars in courthouse lot" is tagged: Frank Crowley courthouse , Scottie Allen , towing
In 2008, Ghassan Elashi, Shukri Abu Baker, Mohammad El-Mezain, Mufid Abdulqader and Abdulrahman Odeh all were convicted of using what was once the largest Muslim charity in the U.S. to funnel millions of dollars to Hamas and families of Palestinian suicide bombers. Elashi and Abu Baker received 65 years in prison each, with the others getting 15 to 20 years each. Comments (0) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Government wants heightened monitoring of some Holy Land defendants" is tagged: Abdulrahman Odeh , Communications Management Unit , Ghassan Elashi , Holy Land Foundation , Marion , Mohamed El-Mezain , Mufid Abdulqader , Shukri Abu Baker , Terre Haute
No one knows what a death row inmate will say in that final moment before the lethal drugs start flowing. Sometimes it's startling, as when an inmate spit out a handcuff key, sometimes it's poignant like the man who started singing "Silent Night" and died mid-song. Occasionally, someone is defiant, and often they say nothing at all. Now a group of criminologists has analyzed the last words of death row inmates in Texas and determined that the content of final statements changed after victims' relatives and friends were permitted to attend the execution. According to a new article, Of Guilt, Defiance, and Repentance: Evidence from the Texas Death Chamber published in Justice Quarterly, before January 12, 1996, 36 percent of last statements admitted responsibility and 32 percent expressed sorrow or asked forgiveness from the victim's family. After victim family members and friends were allowed to be present, 43 percent of inmates admitted guilt during their last statements and 41 percent expressed repentance and a desire for forgiveness. I always wonder if victim's family members believe those apologies and if they do, if they help ease their pain. . Comments (0) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Final words of death row inmates analyzed" is tagged: Diane Jennings , final words , Justice Quarterly , Texas death row
Wayne Slater died two days later, on March 5, from his injuries, according to police documents. Homicide detectives believe it all started with an argument between Frazier, 34, and his mother at the home in the 1200 block of West Illinois Avenue near South Hampton Road on the night of March 3. Slater intervened because he felt his step-son was disrespecting his mother, police said. Comments (2) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Dallas man faces murder charge in shooting of his step-father" is tagged: Wayne Frazier Jr. , Wayne Slater March 11, 2010
Matthew Adams Jweid (right), 30, was being held at the Dallas County Jail. His bail had not yet been set. The victim, thought to be 30 years old, was not identified Thursday night. Jweid initially told police he shot a man who was burglarizing his apartment in the 7100 block of Fair Oaks Avenue near Park Lane and North Central Expressway about 12:15 p.m. But that story conflicted with other witness accounts, police said. Investigators believe there may have been a prior conflict between the two men, but there was no sign of forced entry Thursday and police don't think the victim was committing a burglary when he was shot multiple times. Comments (0) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Man faces murder charge in fatal shooting at his northeast Dallas apartment" is tagged: Fair Oaks Avenue , Matthew Adams Jweid , Northeast Dallas
My colleague, Rudy Bush, writes over on City Hall Blog about Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo's decision to turn down his city's offer of more money to stay put. Acevedo is one of six finalists to replace outgoing Police Chief David Kunkle, who has led the department since 2004. Read below the statement that Acevedo issued this afternoon: Comments (0) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo turns down that city's offer" is tagged: Art Acevedo , Austin police , City Hall , Dallas police , David Kunkle , Rudy Bush
11:15 a.m. UPDATE from Staff Writer Jessica Meyers: A Plano woman was shot to death in her home Wednesday night while her two young children and a grandparent were inside. Her husband was arrested several hours later outside Houston. According to police, Minal Bhagat, 36, was found dead near the front door of her home in the 4300 block of Lansbury Lane, near Spring Creek Parkway and Coit Road. Neighbors called 911 around 9 p.m. after hearing an argument and gunfire, said Plano Police Department spokesman Rick McDonald. The dead woman's husband, 47-year-old Barinder Singh, was arrested around 3 a.m. in Montgomery County. Investigators have not revealed a possible motive for the shooting. The two children who were home at the time of the shooting are both under 10. Initially, police weren't sure if Bhagat's killer had fled on foot or in a car. They asked neighbors to stay in their homes as they canvassed the streets with dogs. They also searched with a helicopter.
According to Plano police, a woman who lived near Coit Road and Spring Creek Parkway was found shot to death around 9 p.m.. A suspect was arrested this morning in Houston. Neither the victim nor the suspect has been publicly identified. Police have not offered any possible motive for the shooting, nor have they said what the relationship is, if any, between the woman who was killed and the man who was arrested. Matt will update on the Plano blog as more information becomes available. Comments (2) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Woman slain in her Plano home; husband arrested outside Houston" is tagged: arrest , coit , home , homicide , houston , killed , murder , plano , shooting , spring creek parkway , suspect , woman
• Three top-ranking Dallas County Sheriff's Department officers, inlcuding Sheriff Lupe Valdez's No. 2 guy, don't have required jailer's licenses. • Dallas police fatally shot a man who pointed a rifle at them after a chase through Oak Cliff. • An off-duty Texas state trooper wounded Tuesday apparently shot himself. • Thieves stole a trailer containing all the camping equipment belonging to a Mesquite Boy Scout troop from a church parking lot. Facebook CrimeBlog DallasNews! Tweet with DallasCrime on Twitter. Have a crime news tip? E-mail us. Comments (0) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Dallas Crime Watch: Thursday, March 11, 2010" is tagged: crime watch , Dallas crime watch March 10, 2010
There are times when something strikes me as so ironic that I can't help but bring it up. The DPD policy, adopted several years ago, is that generally only when assaults involving weapons such as bottles, bricks, pipes and other objects actually caused serious injury would be they considered aggravated. Instead, they would be recorded as simple assaults, which are not counted in the city's violent crime numbers. This brings me back to my point. Through open records, I obtained a copy of a report of the June 2008 death of Joseph Rushing, who was fatally shot while allegedly trying to steal property from another man. The records state that Rushing was killed in the "commission of (an) aggravated assault felony" when he "threatened the suspect with a large hammer. The suspect shot the complaintant in fear for his safety." So let me get this straight: It's not an aggravated assault if someone hits me with a hammer and doesn't seriously hurt me. But if someone raises a hammer at another and gets shot over it, then the department feels free to call that an aggravated assault. Interesting. By the way, Rushing's death did not count in the city's murder tally that year because authorities found the killing to be a justifiable homicide. To look out the prior stories we've done on DPD's crime reporting methods, check this link out. Comments (3) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Another irony in the Dallas Police Department's crime reporting practices" is tagged: aggravated assault , Dallas police , David Kunkle , FBI guildelines , Joseph Rushing , Steve Thompson , Tanya Eiserer , UCR
Congratulations to Police Officer Craig Bennight who is the Dallas Police Department's Office of the Month for March. Bennight who is assigned to the city's northeast patrol station, was nominated for his work as an outstanding beat officer. Comments (1) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Dallas Police Officer of the Month " is tagged: Craig Bennight , Dallas police , Robert Harmon , Tanya Eiserer
•Dallas police are still keeping an eye on hospitalized North Dallas shooter Robert R. Mustard. He remains in intensive care at Baylor University Medical Center but police spokesman Kevin Janse said Tuesday that Mustard is not expected to survive his self-inflicted gunshot wound, but his status hadn't changed as of this morning. As a result, aggravated assault charges against Mustard are pending and won't be filed unless he survives, Janse said. Mustard, 60, is accused of critically wounding father and son financial advising team of Richard Smith, 66, and Christopher Smith, 39. The two, who are both listed in stable condition at Parkland Memorial Hospital, were shot Monday morning at their financial services office in North Dallas. Authorities have said Mustard, a longtime client of Richard Smith's, was upset with him over some financial dealings.
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| E-mail entryThe entry "Dallas Crime Watch: Wednesday, March 10, 2010" has no entry tags.
Staff Writer Selwyn Crawford reports: Life at the Frank Crowley Criminal Courts Building in downtown Dallas is off to a not-so-uplifting start this morning. The six main elevators serving the building are out of order, forcing hundreds of court staffers, attorneys, visitors -- even a judge -- to have to hoof it on the stairs. There is one break: there are escalators for the first four floors. But even those electronic stairs are not working on one floor. Said one exasperated staffer after reaching the seventh floor: "Everything is in chaos right now and nobody knows anything."
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| E-mail entryThe entry "In the halls of justice, we're taking the stairs " is tagged: broken , building , court , crowley , dallas , downtown , elevators , frank , stairs March 9, 2010
Detectives want to talk to Manuel Edgar Perez (right), 28, regarding the death of Elena P. Reyna. The two are believed to have been dating, police said. Reyna was found seriously injured in the 7800 block of Elam Road near South Buckner Boulevard in Pleasant Grove last Tuesday morning. Investigators believe she was hit by a vehicle. A witness told police she saw a red pickup truck leaving the scene. Comments (1) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Dallas police seeking person of interest in Pleasant Grove murder of pregnant woman" is tagged: Elena P. Reyna , Manuel Edgar Perez , murder
Michael Orozco, who lost his bid for the Dallas County constable Precinct 5 nomination during last week's Democratic primary, has said he will not endorse either candidate in the upcoming runoff. Constable Jaime Cortes was the top vote getter in last Tuesday's primary but only barely. He faces Italy police officer Beth Villarreal in the April 13 runoff. Villarreal was hoping that Orozco, a deputy constable with another precinct, would ask his supporters to get behind her. Orozco won 27 percent of the vote. But Orozco released a statement on Saturday saying he decided to remain neutral for the runoff after "much consideration, discussion with my advisers, talking to the two candidates." Orozco is the one who is behind a Web site that is highly critical of Cortes and his administration. The site appears to be down. Orozco said in his statement that he won't make any more comments about the election, the runoff or the candidates. Comments (29) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Losing Dallas County constable candidate declines to endorse for Precinct 5 runoff" is tagged: Beth Villarreal , Jaime Cortes , Michael Orozco , runoff election
•An angry former client wounded two financial advisers and shot himself at a north Dallas office building Monday. •A driver headed the wrong way caused an accident that killed herself and injured two others in Mesquite early Moday morning. •State jail inspectors are conducting a week-long inspection of the Dallas County facility. The jail has not been in compliance with state regulations for seven years,. • A man who shot at police before being shot himself inside a Walmart in Hunt Coounty had prior arrests for drugs and evading arrest. • The city of Dallas hopes to cut costs by hiring fewer new police officers than originally planned, •Six finalists for the job of Dallas police chief have been named. 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 9, 2010" is tagged: Dallas crime watch
Mansfield police are asking for help identifying two purse snatchers who are targeting local churches. The women, possibly a mother-daughter pair, are believed to have used credit cards from the stolen purses, police said. Among the churches that were hit is First United Methodist Church of Mansfield, reports KDFW-TV (Channel 4). That's where they were caught on camera. Comments (3) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Purse snatchers target Mansfield churches, day cares, nursing homes" is tagged: First United Methodist Church , Mansfield , purse snatchers March 8, 2010
Students looking for something different over the upcoming spring break will descend on Austin next week for the Anti Death Penatly Alternative Spring Break. The 5-day program includes everything from a" telephone call from a person on death row" to a panel discussion with a half dozen death row exonerees. One of the speakers at the event is Bill Pelke, author of "Journey of Hope...From Violence to Healing", about the murder of his grandmother by a group of teenaged girls, and his subsequent decision to campaign against the death penalty. Comments (5) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Death penalty opponents to head for Austin for alternative spring break" is tagged: Austin , death penalty , Diane Jennings , spring break March 7, 2010
Pages 1-2: Affidavit for arrest warrant for Marshall on a murder charge. Pages 3-4: Affidavit for arrest warrant for Sarah Durand on a charge of failure to report a felony. This charge was later dropped and Durand is now a state's witness. Pages 5-7: Warrant and affidavit for the search of Marshall's Addison apartment after the Dec. 20 fatal shooting of Staci Michelle Montgomery. Pages 8-9: September Addison police report regarding incident in which Marshall threatened to kill his ex-girlfriend and himself. Comments (0) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Addison police documents on murder suspect Scott Matthew Marshall" is tagged: documents , Sarah Durand , Scott Marshall , Staci Montgomery March 6, 2010
Marshall was arrested on a murder charge and is being held at the Dallas County Jail on $700,000 bail. He also faces four felony drug charges. Comments (1) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Hear Scott Marshall's chilling 911 call reporting Addison shooting" is tagged: 911 call , Scott Marshall , Staci Montgomery |
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Bio
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Stupid americans. This would never happ
Hope you're okay Sam. This is Freddy Pa
this so called "officer" thinks he did
Let's hope he's still smiling when they
He just murdered someone and he's laugh
Playpuck, I fully agree with you. You
good for you officer, good for you!!
she was my cousin
That's just sad that you came on here t
Have you all heard anything further abo