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03/12/2010

Grapevine police find DWI suspect passed out in idling car with daughter in back seat
James Phillip Gildenblatt, 44, faces two felony charges: possession of a controlled substance and driving while intoxicated with a child, said Lt. Todd Dearing, a Grapevine police spokesman.

6-year-old Arlington boy dies after falling from car driven by sister, 14
Police said the teen, who didn't have a driver's license, had just had an argument with her parents when she drove off. It’s unclear whether the teen knew her brother was following her.

Richardson police seek third suspect in rapes of teens targeted through social networking
Two cousins have been arrested in connection with the rape of a 14-year-old last month in Richardson, police said. A third man

Dallas man held on murder charge said victim was burglar
Matthew Adams Jweid, 30, was being held at the Dallas County Jail. His bail had not been set.

Denton police arrest sex offender accused of Craigslist stalking
Jeremy Daniel Wicker was jailed because a 21-year-old Denton woman complained to police that he was stalking her after she responded to his online ad seeking a female lead singer for a Christian band, police said.

03/11/2010

Dallas man convicted of murder, gets life in stabbing death of 67-year-old woman
After deliberating for more than a day, a Dallas county jury returned a verdict of guilty of capital murder in the case of Theron Lacey. Lacey, 28, receives an automatic sentence of life without parole because prosecutors did not seek the death penalty.

Plano man arrested in wife's shooting death
36-year-old Minal Bhagat was shot to death by her husband in their Plano home Wednesday night while her two young children and mother were inside.

New sentencing trial produces longer prison term for killer in Dallas murder
Anthony London, 23, received a new sentencing trial after an appellate court determined that his original jury had been given erroneous instructions regarding the need to be unanimous on whether he had been subject to "sudden passion" before killing Kerwin Holmes seven years ago.

Standoff with burglary suspect ends peacefully in Oak Cliff
Three young children were in the home when the suspect fled inside, but all left the home unharmed before the arrest. Police said they were not held hostage.

Officers who fatally shot felon in Oak Cliff identified

Thieves steal trailer containing Mesquite Boy Scouts' camping gear
The trailer was taken from the Mimosa Lane Baptist Church parking lot between 7 and 8:20 a.m. Sunday.

Police fatally shoot man with gun in east Oak Cliff
Dallas police officers fatally shot a man who pointed a rifle at them after a pursuit through east Oak Cliff on Wednesday.

03/10/2010

Man killed in Oak Cliff shootout with Dallas police
The shooting occurred when the driver of GMC Yukon police were following slowed down, opened the driver's door and began firing at officers, Dallas police spokesman Kevin Janse said in a statement.

Lawyer says his client stabbed Cedar Hill woman but didn't mean to kill her
"I'm willing to say, yes, this man did it," defense lawyer Paul Johnson said of his client, Theron Lacey, "but I'm not willing to say he did it with the intent to kill."

Suspect in North Dallas shootings dies
Robert Mustard Jr., 60, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was facing charges of aggravated assault in the Monday's attack.

Shootout at Red Bird apartments leaves 2 injured
The incident started with an argument between a woman and her boyfriend, who is possibly one of the injured men. The woman called her family during the fight, and the argument escalated.

Man shot to death outside Pleasant Grove apartment
The caller reported seeing the victim shot and the shooter fleeing. The gunman was described as a skinny black man wearing a white shirt and red hat.

Dallas police want to question man in death of pregnant woman
Detectives want to talk to Manuel Edgar Perez, 28, regarding the death of Elena P. Reyna. The two are believed to have been dating, police said.

City Hall blog: Dallas poised to settle wrongful death lawsuit stemming from bait-car crash
The bait car stolen by Eddie Robert Ramirez was not shut off quickly enough to prevent the accident, and the DPD changed its procedures as a result.

03/09/2010

Office shooting suspect became reclusive after parents died

In February 1985, while serving as municipal judge in The Colony, Robert Mustard Jr. was arrested after offering a Dallas marshal $400 for security codes to municipal court computers.

Ted Streinke/Dallas County

Robert Mustard Jr.'s decline may have started with a 1985 bribery arrest.
Documents: State Bar of Texas v. Robert Randall Mustard
Police search for motive
Blog: Crime

Defense in plot to blow up Dallas skyscraper to depose Jordanians in Amman
The defense team for Hosam "Sam" Smadi, the Jordanian national accused of trying to blow up a Dallas skyscraper last year, is expected to travel to Jordan at the end of the month to depose as many as 16 witnesses.

Assault charges pending in North Dallas office shootings
Dallas police said Tuesday that charges on two counts of aggravated assault are pending against a former Dallas assistant city attorney with in connection with Monday’s shooting of father-and-son financial advisers.

Ex-Rockwall district attorney Ray Sumrow paroled 20 months into 15-year sentence
"Good time" and "work time" made Ray Sumrow eligible for parole, state officials said. He's believed to be living quietly in Hunt County, where he grew up.

Dallas church cleaning up after hate crime by vandals
Pastor David Wilson said he originally planned to wait for officials to assess the damage, which he discovered Monday. But today he decided the sight of the crime was too much.

Wrong-way driver killed, 2 others injured in I-30 crash in Mesquite
A woman driving the wrong way on Interstate 30 in Mesquite caused an accident that killed her and injured two others early Monday, police said.

Dallas County commissioners open to sheriff's latest request to allow TV documentary crew inside jails
Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez wants to allow National Geographic to film a TV show about the prominent role women play in her department.

03/08/2010

Dallas official urges pullback on police hires through '11
Dallas wants to scale back plans to hire 191 additional police officers this year in an effort to curb costs in a time of slumping revenue.

Blogs: City Hall | Crime

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03/09/2010

Family violence up in Dallas as overall crime declines, mayor tells Conference on Crimes Against Women
Family violence has risen 5 percent in Dallas even as overall crime has dropped, Mayor Tom Leppert said Monday at the opening of the Conference on Crimes Against Women being held downtown through Wednesday.

03/08/2010

Six finalists aim to be Dallas' next police chief
The finalists include three internal candidates and the current police chief in Austin.

LInk: Dallas City Hall

Link: Dallas Police Department

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Man killed in Commerce shootout had prior arrests for drugs
Authorities Monday identified the shooter as 29-year-old Artenio Rodriguez of Commerce.

Dallas County expects another failing grade as jail inspectors return
Commissioner John Wiley Price says he expects a passing grade in August, after one tower has a smoke-removal system installed.

Jails fail inspection for 7th time

Link: Texas Commission on Jail Standards

Blog: Crime

City Hall blog: Dallas wants to hire fewer cops
City Manager Mary Suhm told the council's budget committee Monday morning that she recommends the city hire about 120 new police officers this year, or 71 fewer than the 191 City Hall budgeted for back in September.

Police search for motive in North Dallas office shootings

Dallas police officers and Dallas Fire-Rescue personnel confer Monday morning outside the North Dallas office tower where a man shot father-son financial advisers before turning the gun on himself.

JIM MAHONEY/DMN

The gunman was identified as Robert Randall Mustard, 60, of Dallas, an SMU law school graduate and former Dallas assistant city attorney.
Video: Police discuss shootings
Blog: Crime

No charges expected in drowning of Pleasant Grove boy
Police say the death of 5-year-old Sebastian Rodriguez appears to have been an accident.

Police kill gunman at Walmart in Commerce
COMMERCE – An off-duty sheriff's deputy was lauded as a hero Sunday for shooting a man who burst into a Walmart during a gunfight with police near the campus of Texas A&M-Commerce.

03/07/2010

Dallas seeks to control St. Patrick's Day party scene on Greenville Avenue

The atmosphere on Lowest Greenville around 1 a.m. Feb. 28.

ANDY JACOBSOHN/Staff Photographer

The Greenville Avenue St. Patrick's Day parade and party are well-orchestrated, but organizers can't control the after-party on Lowest Greenville, where many of the all-day revelers migrate.
Photos: Lowest Greenville
GuideLive: Things to do around Greenville Avenue
Link: Greenville Avenue St. Patrick's Day Parade

Dallas-Fort Worth area police reports
The police blotter summarizes selected crimes. Information is provided by city police departments. Incidents are listed by street name and block.

03/06/2010

Pleasant Grove man shot, killed outside home
Carlos Galaviz was talking to a group of people on the street outside his home in the 3200 block of James Street near Lawnview Park when he was shot about 12:30 a.m., police said.

Mesquite man charged with attempted kidnapping
A Mesquite man has been arrested on charges of attempted kidnapping after allegedly slipping into Dorothy Smith Pullen Elementary in the Rockwall school district Thursday and mingling with students, authorities said.

Dallas County man says former law partner killed ex-wife to 'lash out' at him

Staci Michelle Montgomery, 25, was shot to death on last December in Addison. Scott Matthew Marshall faces a murder charge in her death

Scott Matthew Marshall is in the Dallas County Jail on a murder charge in the Dec. 20 slaying of Staci Michelle Montgomery (above).
Audio: Hear Marshall’s 911 call reporting the shooting
Blog: Crime

Dozens arrested on outstanding warrants in Dallas
Area police officers rounded up scores of residents with outstanding warrants Saturday, part of a statewide focus on reducing the backlog of misdemeanor citations that will continue for a week.

Dallas police looking for man who lived in garage of elderly victim's Swiss Avenue home
Dallas police homicide Sgt. Eddie Douglas didn’t call the man a suspect in the slaying of James Crowell but said he’s somebody detectives need to interview.

Ex-Detroit mayor facing probation violation hearing
DETROIT – Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, desperate to stop a judge from forcing him to come up with $320,000 in special restitution payments, struck out Friday with a higher court and now faces a hearing on whether he violated his probation.

03/05/2010

Alleged gang members from West Dallas held on drug charges
Federal prosecutors on Friday unsealed drug trafficking charges against five suspected West Dallas gang members who were arrested as part of a joint investigation.

Police seeking clues, details in shooting death of widow in Far East Dallas
Dallas homicide detectives on Friday continued to hunt for clues in the death of a widow gunned down in front of her Far East Dallas home after dropping her daughter off at high school on Thursday.

Crime blog: Video shows officer cursing Dallas drunken driving suspect after chase
A video shot by KDFW-TV (Channel 4) shows the unidentified officer demanding to know whether the suspect is armed.

Dallas plans Saturday roundup of ticket scofflaws
The effort is part of a statewide initiative to nab people who are the subjects of outstanding warrants.

UT Southwestern warns patients that hospital worker stole records
Only a few patient records were involved, but 12,000 letters are sent out in "an abundance of caution," hospital spokeman says.

'Scarecrow Bandit' who cooperated gets 10 years
Darobie Stenline, 32, was also ordered to share in the repayment of more than $300,000 in restitution.

03/04/2010

Dallas officials agree to restore public access to online crime data
As a result of inquiries from The Dallas Morning News, police and city communications and information services officials met Thursday afternoon and decided to restore the missing categories to the drop-down menu.

Arrest warrant issued in slaying of man found at Grand Prairie park
Luis Manuel Gonzalez is wanted in connection with the slaying of Gerardo Castanon-Banuelos, whose body was found Jan. 23 at McFalls Park near Carrier Parkway.

Woman shot to death outside Far East Dallas home
The woman, who had just dropped off her children at school, was entering her house in the 8300 block of Londonderry Lane about 8:30 a.m. when two men drove up and opened fire.

Four runoffs ahead for Dallas County Democrats running for judgeships
Four Dallas County Democratic primary judicial races are headed for runoffs after no candidate captured a majority of the votes in Tuesday's election.

03/03/2010

Report: Dallas County constable may have broken law
Derick Evans may have abused his office by requiring his deputies to buy or sell raffle tickets and provide free security at events.

Foster vows to continue investigation