tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43439473996993385422024-03-05T17:11:15.712-08:00Moments of Luciditydonnakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10247154583660206325noreply@blogger.comBlogger154125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343947399699338542.post-47437859167912609292014-10-12T09:14:00.000-07:002014-10-12T09:14:25.226-07:00<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"> MOMENTS OF LUCIDITY</span></h2>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl4vM1OjK7WtPcNWjIb91TtGSRDoYyn_hnZsX9kMTUDauybjIas-YpECx-AplI3-9T0REqecXSdZRmbrcJc2SpSgElOtMcE_z5Np7yvP36P7GRuGxZyDDjFddGYfMYOxJom1Lmlo-YzfM/s1600/caddy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl4vM1OjK7WtPcNWjIb91TtGSRDoYyn_hnZsX9kMTUDauybjIas-YpECx-AplI3-9T0REqecXSdZRmbrcJc2SpSgElOtMcE_z5Np7yvP36P7GRuGxZyDDjFddGYfMYOxJom1Lmlo-YzfM/s1600/caddy.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;">Big Gold Caddy</span></h3>
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<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">There
may be a warrant out for my arrest. Or a BOLO (Don’t you just love that sexy
cop talk? I owe it all to Rizzoli and Isles.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">If
I’m jailed over this little episode, Sherry had better come and bail me out.
After all, it was her fault. Well, sort of.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">She
told me to follow her and then she didn’t wait for me. Or maybe I couldn’t
catch up with her. Anyway, whose fault is it that I wound up in the middle of a
mobile home community parked in front of some stranger’s house?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We
met at a restaurant off Teasley Lane for dinner. Then we planned to caravan to
her house in Robson Ranch to watch a movie on her maxi-screen TV.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I’m
going to take a back way home,” she said. “You won’t get lost if you follow me.
Oh, and I’m going to stop at the Kroger for gas on the way.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">So
I followed her to the supermarket and waited to one side while she gassed up. A
gaggle of drivers queued up behind me, and I finally realized they thought I
was in line for the pumps. Imagine their chagrin when Sherry pulled away and I
nosed my car behind her back bumper to make the turn back onto Teasley. It’s a
wonder they didn’t all follow. We’d have looked like a funeral procession until
people started running out of gas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">She
pulled out. Then a car sped by. Then a big old honking truck stopped on the
side of the street, blocking my view. I finally made it onto the roadway and
got behind her gold Cadillac as she made her way back up the street. We drove a
few blocks that way, her heading steadily uptown and me wondering exactly where
this back way was taking us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Then
she made a left turn and I let a car go by and then hot-pedaled it after her.
This was a strange way to get to the Ranch, I thought, but I followed dutifully
behind the big gold sedan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
looked around me. We appeared to be traversing the winding streets of a mobile
home park. That ditsy woman, I thought. She’s gotten us lost!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Finally
the Caddy pulled over to the curb. I pulled in behind and waited for her to
walk back to my window to explain how she’d made a bad turn. I couldn’t wait to
see how she tried to get out of this one. She is never wrong, you see. In all
our years of friendship she has never admitted to erring.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I
thought I was wrong once,” she likes to say. “But I was mistaken.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">OK.
She never said that. I made it up. But still, I know an attitude when I see
one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
big gold car sat there in front of that mobile home a bit. She was taking her
time with the excuses, I thought. Finally, the driver’s door opened. Then the
passenger door opened. Then the back passenger door. Three strangers got out
and stared at me!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
sat there stunned, trying to figure out what they had done with Sherry. Then I
realized that the Cadillac crest was not on the trunk of the car. Not only did
they kidnap my friend, they changed her car into a Lincoln, I thought.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">They
stared and I stared. Then I simply put the Infinity in gear and pulled out from
the curb. I drove sedately away, ignoring their puzzled looks and the woman’s
hurried grab for her cell phone. I could see her lips moving as she read my
license plate number to the dispatcher. I imagined I heard sirens in the
distance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
drove all the way to the front of the, yes, mobile home community, before I
slowed. Then I dialed Sherry’s number. She was laughing so hard I could barely
understand her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I
was sitting in the left-turn lane back there at the light when I saw you go
by,” she giggled. Then I saw that you were following that big gold sedan, and I
figured it might be hours before you noticed it wasn’t me, depending on whether
they were going to Oklahoma City.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Anyone
could have made a mistake like that. I hadn’t even had anything to drink,
officer, well…except for that one tiny margarita. And no matter what that
family says, I was not casing their place for a burglary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">If
they put my picture on the wall in the post office, I hope they at least photo
shop away the laugh lines around my eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />donnakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10247154583660206325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343947399699338542.post-30782681210210010332014-10-05T09:12:00.002-07:002014-10-05T09:12:07.040-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaQ15blv_5A8LIONQa9ka_Y85BDco3zfBOtYrhfnKAJP_eSR7Lr6BH-Amsf16nHdfqKhd1Gf9bgzCd3OSWlq9nJeJWwXcCx86OuZrouTOkS83Q1igemKS0xpeXPZD5OmxMuWQIQQQm34c/s1600/100_1397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaQ15blv_5A8LIONQa9ka_Y85BDco3zfBOtYrhfnKAJP_eSR7Lr6BH-Amsf16nHdfqKhd1Gf9bgzCd3OSWlq9nJeJWwXcCx86OuZrouTOkS83Q1igemKS0xpeXPZD5OmxMuWQIQQQm34c/s1600/100_1397.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
Tracy Murphree, Donna Fielder, Christine Metcalf<br />
(Tracy is in the book and Christine is my daughter)<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am completing a book about the Roanoke murder of Susan Bailey by her 17-year-old daughter, Jennifer, her 13-year-old son, David, and 16-year-old Paul, Jennifer's boyfriend. I need a book title and am having trouble. So I'm having a title contest for my Facebook and other friends. Here is the synopsis of the book. Come up with a title and let me know. The winner will get a free book when they are published and a credit in the book for the name. Good luck!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
ABOUT THE BOOK<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Roanoke Police Detective Brian Peterson checked on the meat
he was smoking on his barbecue cooker and then resumed his comfortable seat on
his patio. It was a rare Saturday when he didn’t get called out to investigate
a crime, and the weather was good for a late September day in Texas.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“This has been such a beautiful day,” he told his wife, Ivy.
“It would be just my luck to catch a homicide.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Don’t jinx it,” Ivy said. “Don’t talk about it. You know
that will jinx a day without a callout.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But the jinx was in – had been for days. Before that night
in 2008 was over, Peterson would be called to a house of horrors to find
poisoned pudding, a bathtub set up for an electrocution, a baseball bat on a
bed, a butcher knife in a bloody tub, a hank of chopped-off hair and a mother
stabbed to death by her own teen-aged children.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A subsequent investigation revealed a pact among a
seventeen-year-old girl, her thirteen-year-old brother, her sixteen-year-old
boyfriend and his other girlfriend, fourteen, to kill their parents, steal
their money, cars and credit cards and flee to Canada.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They were dead serious about it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jennifer Bailey, her little brother David, and her boyfriend
Paul Henson swarmed Susan Bailey that night when she got home from work and
stabbed her twenty-six times. They left her bloody body in the upstairs hallway
and fled in her car.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Merrilee White’s mother awoke earlier that week in her Fort
Worth, Texas, home to find her daughter standing over her with a raised butcher
knife. She was able to call 911 and convince her daughter to drop the knife.
Merrilee was in Fort Worth juvenile custody when the rest of the sorry story
played out. She was hysterical because she had planned to go with the others
and she didn’t want to be left behind. Both Jennifer and Merrilee were dating
Paul Henson, who claimed that each girl was dating one of his two
personalities, so he really wasn’t cheating on either one of them. They bought
that. He even convinced them that they should all have sex together.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Paul stole his father’s pistol and planned to use it on his
parents but didn’t get the chance. With him waiting to shoot them at home, they
unknowingly decided to take in a movie after work that night. When they didn’t
return he gave up and went to Jennifer’s house to help her and her little
brother kill their mom.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Susan Bailey, 43, was the unlucky one. She and her daughter
disagreed about Paul. Susan thought her daughter should not date him. Jennifer
thought she was in love and hated her mother for trying to keep them apart. On
September 25, 2008, they took turns stabbing her and slashing her throat and
left her lying in an upstairs hallway on a carpet soggy with her blood.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then the three began the long drive to Canada with no real
plan and not much money. They made it as far as Yankton, South Dakota. There,
an alert police officer spotted a car full of teens pulled up to a closed
gasoline station after the city curfew. They were trying to steal gas. They
were broke. Their stories didn’t make much sense. The car was registered to
Susan Bailey. He took them to the station and called Roanoke, Texas, police.
Did they know anything about these kids or the woman the car was registered to?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They did. On the preceding Tuesday, Paul’s father reported
him as a runaway and believed he might be at Jennifer’s house. Officers didn’t
find him there, but they found his packed bags and driver’s license. They
returned later that day when Susan found a loaded magazine for a pistol. They
searched again but didn’t find the gun.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Friday Susan’s mother called from Minnesota to report she
couldn’t reach her daughter and she was worried. Susan had not gone into work
that day, she said. An officer went to the house but no one answered the door
and the car was gone. He returned on Saturday but again no one appeared to be
home.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When Roanoke officers heard the news from South Dakota that
her children and another boy had been detained in Susan’s car, they knew
something was terribly wrong. They entered the house through a window and found
the teens’ awful handiwork. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is the story of four disturbed teens who played
Dungeons and Dragons, who claimed to practice Wicca and read a demonic bible,
who listened to a type of music that encouraged bloodletting and suicide; the
story of a mother who worked two jobs to care for her children and was too busy
and exhausted to realize what was really going on in her house. It is the story
of several police officers who would not rest until they achieved justice for
Susan Bailey. It is a cautionary tale for busy parents everywhere who might
want to take a harder look at what their children are up to.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
donnakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10247154583660206325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343947399699338542.post-31450221513911625662014-10-02T07:11:00.000-07:002014-10-02T07:11:02.613-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijTFfZNfna8Z9-MHagMAbH5KOKJYlaPXhra3g5nsd7Ypr_0KuiRyJrrNiiWYE3r4odX_IyI_5r_agkC0eAN9SKXehQfoEneKFBRmjQDoq5nW57OA1nnmDCQiHBCfEhcpe5afDCODO2nxM/s1600/corndog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijTFfZNfna8Z9-MHagMAbH5KOKJYlaPXhra3g5nsd7Ypr_0KuiRyJrrNiiWYE3r4odX_IyI_5r_agkC0eAN9SKXehQfoEneKFBRmjQDoq5nW57OA1nnmDCQiHBCfEhcpe5afDCODO2nxM/s1600/corndog.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"> NO MORE GORE</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I have been remiss in blogging, I admit it. Retirement, especially with a book to write, has that effect on me. But I promise to do better, and today I need to vent, so my first blog in months is a rant.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Did you see Criminal Minds last night?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I watched the first 15 minutes of it. Then I gave up and swore never to tune in again. It's been one of my favorite shows for years. The cast is great. I love all those folks and root for them to win. The past couple of years, however, it has gotten harder and harder to watch. The writers are obsessed with body parts. Body parts not attached to bodies. And weird perps. Not just killer weird but gross weird.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Now I'm a former police reporter who writes true-crime books. I have seen people ejected from cars in bloody traffic accidents. I have seen (parts of) people hit by trains. I have seen crime scene photos that sicken the mind, not to mention the stomach. But I can't take any more of Criminal Minds.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I gave it up last season when a deranged woman planted her sick daughter and used a wood chipper to turn men into fertilizer for her little one-girl garden. But last night was the opener for this season and I thought maybe the writers had run out of gore.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Nope. People in Bakersfield started finding random legs. Then we see a nice guy who is leaving the legs displayed. Caught too early in the show to be the real villain, he explains that, oh no, he doesn't kill people, he just buys the limbs from another guy who tortures and kills them. And off we go to a scene where the pretty girl is tied down and the real villain is sharpening his knife.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Off went my TV. Not gonna do that anymore. I can't root for my fed friends on Criminal Minds when they are dealing with limb loppers or wood chippers or any of that sickening sludge they are substituting for drama.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">And I wonder, if I can't take it, are those people who used to throw up when I mentioned "skin slippage" still watching?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">What do you think?</span>donnakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10247154583660206325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343947399699338542.post-49949312584473518362014-02-02T12:12:00.002-08:002014-02-02T12:12:41.021-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijTFfZNfna8Z9-MHagMAbH5KOKJYlaPXhra3g5nsd7Ypr_0KuiRyJrrNiiWYE3r4odX_IyI_5r_agkC0eAN9SKXehQfoEneKFBRmjQDoq5nW57OA1nnmDCQiHBCfEhcpe5afDCODO2nxM/s1600/corndog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijTFfZNfna8Z9-MHagMAbH5KOKJYlaPXhra3g5nsd7Ypr_0KuiRyJrrNiiWYE3r4odX_IyI_5r_agkC0eAN9SKXehQfoEneKFBRmjQDoq5nW57OA1nnmDCQiHBCfEhcpe5afDCODO2nxM/s1600/corndog.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"> MOMENTS OF LUCIDITY</span></h2>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"> The Real Story From a Real Victim</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">A few years ago District Attorney Paul Johnson fired four lawyers after the county lost a federal lawsuit filed by a woman who was upset by a thoughtless comment by one of those lawyers. She claimed discrimination despite his apologizing both in writing and face-to-face with the district attorney in the room. Despite the fact that he was disciplined for the comment.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">On Friday, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that, saying there was no factual basis for the suit. The county wins. Paul Johnson is celebrating. Meanwhile, the four he fired remain with besmirched reputations. One of those four is Ryan Calvert. He lost a job he loved because he was the brother-in-law of the man who made the thoughtless comment. Below, please read every word of what he has to say about how that callous action by a boss worried about the political repercussions affected his life.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Leadership requires courage.
Merriam-Webster’s defines courage as “<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">moral
strength to persevere and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.” In its simplest terms, courage is doing the
right thing for the right reasons, even when it’s hard. Leadership also requires loyalty: a belief
in, and support of those who serve with you when they are in the right. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">A District Attorney must be a leader;
someone who has the courage to do what is right even if doing so brings risk. That quality is central to the role of the
District Attorney. It inspires others
and allows them to perform their often difficult jobs with the knowledge that
their elected DA is in their corner. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">I served as a felony prosecutor under
Paul Johnson from the time he took office in January of 2007 until June of 2012
when he fired me, my sister Susan, her husband Cary, and John Rentz following a
judgment in a lawsuit against Denton County by another prosecutor; A judgment
that has now been dismissed entirely because, as Paul Johnson well-knew, the
case lacked any factual basis from the beginning. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">In the nearly six years I served under
Paul Johnson, I never received anything but praise from him and his first assistant,
Jamie Beck. My performance evaluations
were stellar and I was never disciplined.
This is true of the time before the lawsuit, at the time of the lawsuit,
and after the lawsuit was filed. In
fact, the only conversation I ever had with Johnson or Beck regarding my
involvement in the lawsuit was to be told that I had done nothing wrong and
“not to worry about it”. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">In addition, the policy in Paul
Johnson’s office is that nobody talks to the media except Jamie Beck
(including, incidentally, Paul Johnson).
So while the Plaintiff, herself a prosecutor in Paul Johnson’s office,
was free to go on television and in the newspaper with her lawyer, and cast
aspersions upon me and my family, I could not respond. For three years, I refrained from defending myself
because I believed that eventually, I would have the opportunity to do so. In the end, I did not. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">When the lawsuit went to trial in 2012,
I was not given a day in court. I did
not get to testify. Paul Johnson knew
that everything alleged about me in the lawsuit was untrue. In fact, through pretrial discovery, Johnson
knew that the Plaintiff herself had acknowledged under oath that what she said
about me in the lawsuit never happened.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Three days after that trial, despite his
glowing praise and his personal knowledge that I had never done anything wrong,
Johnson fired me. He did so because, in
that moment, he felt it was politically expedient. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">I wasn’t there the day I was fired. I had jury duty in Tarrant County. It fell to my sister, who, herself, had just
been fired along with her husband, to tell me that I was fired from a job to
which I had given so much of myself. As
I write this on February 1, 2014, I still have never heard a word from Paul
Johnson, despite having been in his presence on occasions since. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Which brings me back to courage and
loyalty. Paul Johnson knew I was
right. He knew I had done nothing
wrong. He knew the Plaintiff herself
acknowledged her claims about me were not true.
For three years after the lawsuit was filed, Paul Johnson was quite happy
to have me in the DA’s Office representing him every day, and trying cases on
his behalf. But after the civil trial in
which I was not allowed to participate, having me there became hard. So he abandoned me in the most public way
possible and allowed me to be branded a racist when he knew I was not, because
he felt he stood to gain from doing so. That
speaks loudly and clearly as to who Paul Johnson is as a man, and who he is <i>not</i>, as a leader. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Interestingly, on Paul Johnson’s
re-election website, he has listed ten cases under the heading “Keeping the
Community Safe”. Of all the cases
prosecuted in Denton County, he has chosen those ten to tout as achievements of
his administration; as reasons why he should be re-elected. Three of those cases (Barton, Logan, Gower),
were tried by me. So now, nearly two
years after publicly abandoning me for political gain, Paul Johnson has no
problem taking credit for things that I achieved while there. Because today, doing so is politically
expedient. Again, that speaks volumes
about who Paul Johnson is as a man, and who he is <i>not</i> as a leader. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Now, over four years after it began, the
lawsuit has been thrown out in its entirety by the United States 5<sup>th</sup>
Circuit Court of Appeals. In making its
ruling, the Court said that the Plaintiff had “no factual support” for
allegations she made against me in the case, and no basis for any legal claim
against Denton County whatsoever. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">That baseless lawsuit cost the taxpayers
of Denton County upwards of $300,000. It
also cost me my job, along with three others, despite the fact that I had done
nothing wrong. The initial trial of that
lawsuit, in which I was not given an opportunity to participate, had enormous
consequences for me and for my family.
Yet Paul Johnson, the person who was at the center of that trial, had no
consequences. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">And what of the person who filed the
lawsuit in the first place? What of the
person who sued me in Federal Court based on claims she later admitted never
happened? She remains in Paul Johnson’s
office and has been promoted several times since. Will there be any accountability for her
actions? Will she have to repay the
taxpayers the costs of bringing a lawsuit based, in large part, on things that
were not true? <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">I grew up in Denton County. My family still lives there. So while I have no desire to work as a
prosecutor in Denton County again, I care about the people that make up that
community. The people of Denton County
deserve a leader in a position as important as District Attorney. They deserve someone who will do the right
things for the right reasons, even when doing so is difficult. Because that’s what courage is. And courage is not too much to ask from
someone charged with protecting the community.
But courage is something with which Paul Johnson is not familiar. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="ssens"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ryan Calvert </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</div>
donnakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10247154583660206325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343947399699338542.post-38030541414866764412014-02-01T12:04:00.001-08:002014-02-01T12:04:33.130-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDxlBgWvsY16zJ7EDfeffjUmUAZl8CDN0h5TxW2lX34K0coOw-QPzyUI9ssD1PnscwftBgkSkNu3J7Tp-N891XXrkiwMJqWA9GPdP2wer2QF9alPctwX1skWRgIe8zqNuuE2kke_izk2Hc/s1600/flowersme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDxlBgWvsY16zJ7EDfeffjUmUAZl8CDN0h5TxW2lX34K0coOw-QPzyUI9ssD1PnscwftBgkSkNu3J7Tp-N891XXrkiwMJqWA9GPdP2wer2QF9alPctwX1skWRgIe8zqNuuE2kke_izk2Hc/s1600/flowersme.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"> Moments of Lucidity</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> I have Chicken Dance Elbow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> My daughter told me not to talk about it,
but I feel that full disclosure is the right thing to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">She was been staying
with at the time and she already had hung a few of those sentiment signs around
the house. You know the ones: “No matter where I serve my guests, they always
like my kitchen best,” and “Live, laugh, love.” Like that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Hers say “Remember, as far as the rest of
the world knows, we’re a normal family,” and,
“What happens in the house stays in the house.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> But I told her that if I kept this to
myself you would all lose faith in me. She just rolled her eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> It happened one night when I was surfing
the web. You know how that goes – you start out Googling for a sour cream
enchilada recipe and up pop dozens of possibilities from the definition of sour
grapes to the location of the nearest store that sells crème de cacao. And when
you click on that one you get all kinds of interesting liquors you never tried
before but want to experiment with right then. So you drive to a liquor store
and come home with a box full of pretty bottles holding liquids in jewel colors
that just beg to be sipped. And the next thing you know, you’re doing the
chicken dance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> That is not what happened to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> No, really.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> I happened across the clip quite
innocently as I was looking at movie trailers on my computer. The catchy music
started, and some cartoon chickens began the dance. Now, nobody doesn’t do the
chicken dance when the music plays. You can’t help yourself. It’s like trying
not to dance when Brave Combo is playing. You can’t not dance when Brave Combo
is playing anything. And if it’s the chicken dance, well…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Of course you know the steps. Everyone
knows the steps because there actually are no steps. It’s all in the arms and
the hips. <i>Da ta da ta da ta da…. </i>Put your
hands in the air in front of you and form beaks with your thumbs and fingers.
Open and close your beaks four times. <i>Da
ta da ta da ta da…. </i>Hook your fingers under your armpits and flap your
wings four times. <i>Da ta da ta da ta da….</i>
Bend your knees and wiggle your tail feathers four times. And finish with a
clap, clap, clap, clap. Then you dance around in a circle until you get dizzy
and then you start over. It was the wing flapping that got me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> I was sitting at my desk in my home office
at the time and the chair has wooden arms. So when I flapped, I cracked my left
elbow on the left arm of the chair. Sounded kind of like <i>da ta da ta da</i> <i>ta da…</i>. “#
**&!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Christi came running in from the living
room to see what all the “#**&”ing was about. I explained amid moans and
curses and rubbing my elbow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> “You cracked your elbow while doing the
chicken dance while sitting in a desk chair,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> “Right.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> “Nobody ever did anything that stupid,”
she muttered under her breath as she stalked out of the room.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> “Remember the time you turned over in bed
and a bed spring impaled itself in your butt?” I called out. “Remember you had
to call 911 and half the fire department turned out to watch the extraction?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> “That was different,” she said
indignantly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> “Of course it was. There was no music to
go with the bed spring.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> At one time I had a stuffed chicken that
danced and played the song. I loved that stuffed chicken and played with it
often at my office before I retired. It disappeared one night after I went home
and I never saw it again. Soon, though, I had a four-foot-tall stuffed giraffe
that someone lost beside the building (seriously? How do you lose a giraffe?)
and it was quiet, so nobody took it away from me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Christi moved out after that. It had
nothing to do with the chicken dance, I’m sure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">But, admit it. At some
point while you were reading this column you flapped your wings. Yeah, you did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> OK, maybe you didn’t. But you’re dying to
do it now<a href="" name="_GoBack"></a>. So go ahead, I won’t tell. <i>Da ta da ta da ta da….<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
donnakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10247154583660206325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343947399699338542.post-38290056002243207172014-01-07T13:04:00.000-08:002014-01-07T13:15:26.277-08:00<h2>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"> Of Dinosaurs and Fishing Worms</span></h2>
<br /><br />
<br /><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I’ve
been thinking about dinosaurs.</span></div>
<br /><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I’m
one, right down to the big sharp teeth and long spiky tail. And my friend Mike
Trimble is right there beside me waiting to become a lump of coal.</span></div>
<br /><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I
was a newspaper reporter longer than I would prefer to admit having been alive.
And I and my way of doing business are pretty much extinct. Journalism as I
knew it when I started at the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Denton
Record-Chronicle</i> is tottering along supported by flashy new methods that don’t
have a thing to do with informing the public.</span></div>
<br /><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Now
I never worked with anyone who wore a press card in his hatband or kept a pint
of bourbon in his desk drawer. But for years after I started, the newsroom air
was thick with curses and smoke, and nobody took a 15-minute break. Ever.</span></div>
<br /><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">An
Associated Press machine ticked away by the copy desk and spit out the news on
long strips of paper. Occasionally it chimed one or two bells, and the news
editor would check to see what was going on to excite the machine. If it ever
chimed more than four times the entire newsroom jumped up and rushed over to
find out what major national catastrophe the machine was regurgitating.</span></div>
<br /><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Huge
rumbling presses occupied the back half of the building and in front you could
literally feel them start to line newspapers off the roller with the ink still
damp. When you handled the paper back then, your fingers got smudged. That’s
where my fellow dinosaur, former opinion page editor Mike Trimble, got the term
“inky wretch” that he sometimes threw into his national prize winning editorials.</span></div>
<br /><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Lord,
how I loved all that!</span></div>
<br /><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
newsroom was in a much smaller area in that same building on East Hickory
Street, but at first the eastern half contained the Russell Newman pantie
factory. When it closed, we expanded into part of their area, producing news
stories instead of underwear. </span></div>
<br /><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Weldon
Burgoon sold saddles and western wear across the street. Still does I guess.
Jimmy Normile sold auto parts next door to him, and I used to love to sit on a
bench seat from a junked car in front and watch traffic go by with Jimmy.
Lawyers hung out there and sometimes cops, and I got some of my best news tips
at Barneys. There hadn’t been a Barney there for years, even back then, but
Jimmy left the name to save money on buying a new sign. Recently the city condemned
his building, and I think they plan to put a fern bar there.</span></div>
<br /><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Back
in the newsroom, all our desks were pushed up together in two or three long
lines. There were no secrets among newsies. We used electric typewriters and
threw our copy in a basket on the news desk for the slot man to hand out to
copyeditors.</span></div>
<br /><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
ambiance was punctuated with quips and shouts and curses. Nobody took offense.
We’re all so much more civil now. Nobody curses much and if they did they
probably would be filed on for some non-politically-correct infraction.</span></div>
<br /><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">A
small intimate theater shares the DRC building now – a much tonier neighbor, I
suppose. The garage door store further up the street has been replaced by loft
apartments, and restaurants are all around. A California-style taco joint has replaced
the feed store. There’s even a wine and cigar bar across the street.</span></div>
<br /><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Inside,
everyone works in cubicles and the news creeps in silently through the copy
editor’s computers. The big press is gone. The news goes silently back out
through those computers to a press in Plano.</span></div>
<br /><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I
used to bang heads with Lafayette Newland over page layout in the backshop. He
always had a chaw of tobacco in his mouth. I’d just keep arguing until his
mouth filled with juice and threatened to drown him, and then he’d throw up his
hands and head for the back door to spit. It was a crude way to win, but
effective.</span></div>
<br /><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I
once met a confidential source at a sporting goods store/soda fountain on the
square. He was late. The clerks were suspicious about why I was hanging around
the ammunition aisle. Finally I bought five jelly-worm fishing lures to stave
them off. The story from that source helped get a corrupt politician out of
office. I kept the lures for years but they finally melted to the bottom of my
top desk drawer and I threw them away.</span></div>
<br /><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Later
I met my sources in a coffee shop but it’s gone now too. </span></div>
<br /><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">But
I realize, thinking back, that no matter whether I got my tips along with car
parts or fishing lures or café mocha, it was still the news. No matter whether
I pecked it out on a typewriter or a computer that corrected my typos; no matter
if they someday turn Barneys into a fern bar and the DRC into a venue for
ballet – there’s still the news, people. There’s still the story. </span></div>
<br /><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Trimble
and I, dinosaurs that we are, fell from grace at the DRC. He was fired for
standing his ground in an ethical impasse and I couldn’t bear it there without
him. That grit we had, the wit, the nose forever sniffing out the story,
doesn’t seem welcome within those walls anymore. He and I meet once a week for
lunch, and we hash over the old times and the old stories, like the time he
wouldn’t let me use the term “plumber’s crack” in a column. And the time the
school superintendent picketed the office wearing a sandwich board. And the
time my car fell through a bridge while I was covering a flood.</span></div>
<br /><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Everyone
believes their times were the good old days. Everyone remembers high-jinks and
triumphs and where they were when the twin towers went down.</span></div>
<br /><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
news is still the news, but it seems more sterile now. The stories seem to be
all happy tales, careful not to make anybody mad.</span></div>
<br /><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Someone
else pounds out editorials and police reports in the old pantie factory now.
Someone else has the bylines and the deadlines and the eternally ringing
phones.</span></div>
<br /><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">As
for Trimble and I, we’re OK.</span></div>
<br /><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
<br />donnakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10247154583660206325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343947399699338542.post-4958530754363256612013-09-30T07:04:00.002-07:002013-09-30T07:04:16.280-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOqs7-Jriig0mFR1YzQJM3cKae9WGmAUhuWlwaYAHIh5LQI8rFw2irH_1cjHDQOW2Z05-I04XQWwNWzuz-cey6hLNEkT1CHP3TVPyK3v_xu6S7Itusc8c50hVaQJyQvMy5hl-HskrAtlA/s1600/cuffs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOqs7-Jriig0mFR1YzQJM3cKae9WGmAUhuWlwaYAHIh5LQI8rFw2irH_1cjHDQOW2Z05-I04XQWwNWzuz-cey6hLNEkT1CHP3TVPyK3v_xu6S7Itusc8c50hVaQJyQvMy5hl-HskrAtlA/s320/cuffs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">THE COP SHOP</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Suspect, victim arrested after he tries to throw her out of car</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Police responded to reports of a man hitting a woman and trying to throw her out of a car in the 2300 block of South Loop 288 about 1:20 p.m. Sunday. They spotted the moving car on I35 near the University Drive exit and made a traffic stop.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">They found the woman had injuries and took the 33-year-old man to jail on charges of family violence assault. But a computer check showed the 24-year-old woman had a outstanding warrant from Carrollton police for alcohol violations, so she was also taken to jail as well.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Other reports</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">3600 block of Marianne Street - A woman called for help about 10 p.m. Sunday. Arriving officers found the 42-year-old man had hit the 39-year-old woman in the face with a metal spatula, causing a cut to her eye. The man also had punched her in the jaw and kept her from leaving the house, according to the report. They charged him with family violence assault.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">1700 block of McKinney Street - Officers arrived at Mack Park about 5:45 p.m. Sunday in response to a report that a man was choking a woman. They found the couple, and she said she had nearly fainted because of her impeded breath. Two witnesses backed up the 45-year-old woman's story of the attack. The 60-year-old man was charged with family violence assault/impeding breath. One of the witnesses had an outstanding warrant, and he also went to jail.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<br />donnakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10247154583660206325noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343947399699338542.post-636886541815105802013-09-29T06:37:00.004-07:002013-09-29T06:37:23.072-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbrRIkwYUyc8JpHTezkhWn7iqiSWgRgHyuwVrRVuElRN1Q_Cx_oXVCAOEyXjgaLg26GHBvVRldtJdvybTZ8KwUVk8FXNk8lNt87P_C1eybywnRH6CuiPfKv_hKI_axL5nuiZALOoWThOU/s1600/13507003-drawing-of-a-police-man-with-dog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbrRIkwYUyc8JpHTezkhWn7iqiSWgRgHyuwVrRVuElRN1Q_Cx_oXVCAOEyXjgaLg26GHBvVRldtJdvybTZ8KwUVk8FXNk8lNt87P_C1eybywnRH6CuiPfKv_hKI_axL5nuiZALOoWThOU/s320/13507003-drawing-of-a-police-man-with-dog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"> THE COP SHOP</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Driver missing after accident</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Denton police, a University of North Texas search dog and Denton County deputies looked for the missing driver of a silver pickup truck early Saturday after he walked away from an accident with a head injury.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">A caller reported about 2:55 a.m. that the truck left the roadway at the corner of Shady Shores Road and Lakeview and struck a tree. The caller said he found the man standing outside the truck with bleeding injuries to his head. He told the man he had called 911 and the man began walking away from the scene.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Denton police asked for help from a UNT search dog and handler but they found no sign of the driver. They asked county deputies to go to the man's house and see if he was there, but the deputies were unsuccessful in locating the man. An investigation is continuing.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Other reports</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">2200 block of Yorkshire - A 48-year-old disabled man told police Saturday morning that the person he lives with has been assaulting him for a long time. The man said the latest assault - from the person who was not identified as male or female - was carried out with a cane. He said he also has been struck in the back of the head with a frying pan and punched in the nose. Detectives are investigating.</span><br />
<br />donnakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10247154583660206325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343947399699338542.post-21079698355197290972013-09-28T06:45:00.002-07:002013-09-28T06:45:20.835-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6xfeAxpxp2LZ1O0v9K8fzXJHSBKdN4MXPT0q6CwwaspsWfLLmNFtsBw4FQIc92-xcGmgbX-nD7O4nnNwvE6o2k9ab2irrlSFWoNfyJKdbQIGfx3Xt_JMGDTvnrPemwByJICmM4JdaG4/s1600/13620573-illustration-of-a-security-guard-policeman-with-police-guard-dog-and-flashlight-facing-front-set-ins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6xfeAxpxp2LZ1O0v9K8fzXJHSBKdN4MXPT0q6CwwaspsWfLLmNFtsBw4FQIc92-xcGmgbX-nD7O4nnNwvE6o2k9ab2irrlSFWoNfyJKdbQIGfx3Xt_JMGDTvnrPemwByJICmM4JdaG4/s1600/13620573-illustration-of-a-security-guard-policeman-with-police-guard-dog-and-flashlight-facing-front-set-ins.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"> THE COP SHOP</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Wrong way driver arrested for car theft</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">An officer noticed a car driving the wrong way down Elm Street, which is a one-way street, about 4:40 a.m. Friday. The officer made a computer check and saw that the car had been reported stolen to Lewisville police.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The officer made a traffic stop on Mulberry Street at Carroll Boulevard. He arrested the 26-year-old female driver for theft over $1,500. A search of the car turned up four pipes used to smoke methamphetamines between the passenger seat and the center console. The officer arrested the 46-year-old male passenger for possession of drug paraphernalia.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Other reports</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">3500 block of East McKinney Street - A woman called police about 9:30 a.m. Friday to report that she was walking down the stairs from her apartment and a man standing below pulled down his pants and exposed himself to her. She said this is the second time the man has done this. She reported that the apartment complex maintenance man was chasing the suspect. The report did not reveal whether the maintenance man actually caught the suspect, but no arrests were made.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">200 block of Bluebird Circle - A 27-year-old woman reported Friday that her husband had been assaulting her physically and sexually for the past year. One of the assaults put her in the hospital, she said. She now has left him and wants to press charges for the past crimes.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">400 block of Foxwood Circle - A woman reported that her former boyfriend came to her home and stole her car. She told police a location where she believed her car might be found. Officers went to the location and the car was there. They retrieved some personal items belonging to the victim and returned them to her. They called a wrecker and had the car towed to an impound site. They told the woman where her car could be retrieved.</span><br />
<br />donnakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10247154583660206325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343947399699338542.post-43071901343177269262013-09-24T07:04:00.001-07:002013-09-24T07:04:17.579-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbrRIkwYUyc8JpHTezkhWn7iqiSWgRgHyuwVrRVuElRN1Q_Cx_oXVCAOEyXjgaLg26GHBvVRldtJdvybTZ8KwUVk8FXNk8lNt87P_C1eybywnRH6CuiPfKv_hKI_axL5nuiZALOoWThOU/s1600/13507003-drawing-of-a-police-man-with-dog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbrRIkwYUyc8JpHTezkhWn7iqiSWgRgHyuwVrRVuElRN1Q_Cx_oXVCAOEyXjgaLg26GHBvVRldtJdvybTZ8KwUVk8FXNk8lNt87P_C1eybywnRH6CuiPfKv_hKI_axL5nuiZALOoWThOU/s320/13507003-drawing-of-a-police-man-with-dog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"> THE COP SHOP</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Elementary schooler attacks parents in parking lot</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">An elementary school official called police about 8:30 a.m. Monday to report that a student was attacking his parents in the school parking lot. The boy's mother asked the principal to call because she wanted to press charges, according to the report.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Other reports</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">200 block of Inman Street - A 19-year-old woman called for help about 2 p.m. Sunday, saying she was being assaulted by her former boyfriend in her apartment. The report did not give specifics, but the 19-year-old man was charged with unlawful restraint, assault that impeded breathing and interfering with an emergency call.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">1100 block of Chapel Drive - A 79-year-old woman reported about 10:30 a.m. Sunday that someone had used information from her Facebook account to try to perpetrate a scam on some of her friends.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />donnakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10247154583660206325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343947399699338542.post-65231785421103681902013-09-23T12:52:00.001-07:002013-09-23T12:52:16.346-07:00<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Horn blasts Burch for being over budget</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Denton County Judge Mary Horn has fired another missile at Constable Precinct 4 Tim Burch - this time because he is over budget in nearly every area of his area of responsibility, and she has threatened to haul him in front of commissioners court for a public accounting if he doesn't keep his operating funds under control.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Messages between public officials are subject to open records. The following is a reprint of the message she sent to him.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
September 18, 2013<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Timothy Burch, <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Constable Precinct #4<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
217 N. Oak Street<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Roanoke, TX<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>76262-6615<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Dear Constable Burch,<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Please review the attached information regarding budgeted
amounts and expenditures for your office to date for Fiscal Year 2013.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each Constable Office receives a budget for a
specific amount for these line items at the beginning of the fiscal year, with
the expectation that if the amount expended over the course of the year exceeds
the budgeted amount for any line item, your office will request fund transfers
to cover the shortfall from within your own budget.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
As of September 18, 2013, you exceeded the budgeted amounts
for line items 4230 Postage, 5010 Training and Education, 6270 Remote Access,
6610 Vehicle Repairs, and 6620 Tires and Tubes by $84.40, $87.12, $99.41,
$1027.29, and $1847.70 respectively; and, you had no funds remaining in
appropriate line items to transfer within your budget to cover your
shortfall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition, at $33,000 your
office is budgeted the most funds for line item 4410 Gasoline among all six of
the Constables offices and has come close to exceeding that amount as well as
of this date.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, your office has
spent more in gasoline than any other Constable Office in FY2013 and over $8500
more than the average of all constable offices together.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
This must stop.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
The Commissioners Court approves the budget for all county
offices, both elected and non-elected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Through a lengthy budget process, we provide an adequate budget for all
constables to perform their statutorily mandated duties, which are to “execute
and return as provided by law each process, warrant, and precept that is
directed to the constable and is delivered by a lawful officer.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are not obligated, however, to pay for any
duties beyond those statutorily mandated, particularly if those other duties do
not conform to a legally authorized <u>county purpose</u>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
The attached statistical data summarized by the Budget
Office for all six Constables Offices, listing Civil Cases, Warrants Received,
Warrants Cleared, Recalls, Bailiff Hours, and Traffic Citations per deputy does
not indicate that your officers perform at a higher rate of service than
officers across the county.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, the
actual data for FY2012 indicates that your office of 5 deputies completed
service for warrants received, warrants cleared, and traffic citations issued
per deputy at a significantly lower rate than any other constable’s office,
while also performing below the average case load per deputy among all six
constable offices for civil cases and recalls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The statistical data available for actual numbers for FY2013 through
today’s date corresponds to this same analysis.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Perhaps your office will be able to stay within the FY 2014
budget, which begins on October 1, 2013, if you strictly concentrate on
performing the mandated duties within your own precinct.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Commissioners Court has an obligation to the county
taxpayers to be fiscally responsible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
office will continue to monitor the budgets and statistical data for all Denton
County Constables Offices as we wind down FY2013 and commence FY2014.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If this same disturbing trend as noted above
continues in the new fiscal year, you will be asked to appear before
Commissioners Court for a thorough public discussion of the problem.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoHeader" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .5in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 2in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 2in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<st1:personname w:st="on"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Mary Horn</span></st1:personname><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 2in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Denton County Judge<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Attachments<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoHeader" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: .5in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />donnakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10247154583660206325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343947399699338542.post-34580305658066512862013-09-19T07:42:00.003-07:002013-09-19T07:42:39.263-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOqs7-Jriig0mFR1YzQJM3cKae9WGmAUhuWlwaYAHIh5LQI8rFw2irH_1cjHDQOW2Z05-I04XQWwNWzuz-cey6hLNEkT1CHP3TVPyK3v_xu6S7Itusc8c50hVaQJyQvMy5hl-HskrAtlA/s1600/cuffs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOqs7-Jriig0mFR1YzQJM3cKae9WGmAUhuWlwaYAHIh5LQI8rFw2irH_1cjHDQOW2Z05-I04XQWwNWzuz-cey6hLNEkT1CHP3TVPyK3v_xu6S7Itusc8c50hVaQJyQvMy5hl-HskrAtlA/s320/cuffs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"> THE COP SHOP</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Denton police arrested a woman early Wednesday on several drug charges after catching her running away from cars parked on the street.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">A caller phoned 911 about 3:30 a.m. to report seeing a man and woman trying the doors on cars in the 1800 block of Westminster. They ran toward a nearby motel when they saw the caller, according to the report.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Officers found a woman on Mesa Street matching the description and she appeared to be intoxicated on something other than alcohol. They found illegal drugs and K2 synthetic drugs in her clothing.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The arrested the woman on charges of public intoxication other than alcohol, possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana and possession of a deadly drug. She also is being held on an outstanding warrant.</span><br />
<br />donnakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10247154583660206325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343947399699338542.post-32649430764826612912013-09-18T09:07:00.002-07:002013-09-18T09:07:21.081-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA97QVPFzdNKV69WjdwKsbwxb22OXdDP_AcrY18mNhqiYhK5c13CUFk07tfFfYbVoOGN4JcnI4Syl1roHVQ1Vo3ReSxyTdhzWY5xhwJa_XGeqliJFci1AkfSyabxuWZoZH_GWa4g9Fe3w/s1600/19259221-police-car-with-full-array-of-lights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA97QVPFzdNKV69WjdwKsbwxb22OXdDP_AcrY18mNhqiYhK5c13CUFk07tfFfYbVoOGN4JcnI4Syl1roHVQ1Vo3ReSxyTdhzWY5xhwJa_XGeqliJFci1AkfSyabxuWZoZH_GWa4g9Fe3w/s1600/19259221-police-car-with-full-array-of-lights.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"> THE COP SHOP</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Couple fight over custody of pets</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">A woman called Denton police just after 11 p.m. Tuesday from the 600 block of Collins Street to report that her former boyfriend had assaulted her.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The victim said she had allowed him to come into the house while she was away to collect his belongings. But he was still in the house when she returned. He wanted to take their pets with him and she refused. During a heated argument over the pets, the man began beating her. Then he left. No word on whether he took the pets.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Other reports</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">5800 block of Eagle Mountain Drive - A woman reported Tuesday that for some time a stranger has been calling her from different telephone numbers harassing her and talking about sex. She said she told the man she doesn't know him and that he has a wrong number. The man told her he would stop calling if she game him money.</span><br />
<br />donnakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10247154583660206325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343947399699338542.post-9205046710945893732013-09-16T08:33:00.002-07:002013-09-16T08:33:25.309-07:00<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Constable Burch did not produce time sheet for off-duty work the night he wrecked the county car</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">A few weeks ago I printed information from an accident report made in Tarrant County on a night when Precinct 4 Constable Tim Burch was involved in an accident near Grapevine while working an off-duty job there in a county car. The car was destroyed and so far the insurance has not paid off on it.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Burch went on a rant against me and a couple of other people on a Facebook post, calling this blog "Moments of Stupidity," and my work "creative journalism."</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">He suggested that I should have done some research. So I did.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I made open records requests for a number of public documents out of Burch's office. Here's what I have learned so far:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I asked for time sheets for all his off-duty work since January 1. I received copies from county offices of time sheets he turned in. They begin with one 9.5 hour stint on February 16. He shows no further off-duty work until June 1. The accident took place February 21. Was he working that night or not? I want to emphasize that the accident was not his fault. The report states that he was blocking an intersection for a construction crew, so it seems that he was working the off-duty job. So why did he not turn in a time sheet for it?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The time sheets are on report forms from Hall Investigations in Arlington. Owner is Brenda Hall. Coincidentally, records show Brenda Hall also is a county employee, working in Tim Burch's office. In accordance with the open records request for off-duty time sheets of all Precinct 4 employees, Burch turned in time sheets for himself and Deputy Barry Minoff. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Under "job" the time sheets show TXDOT Hiway 75, McKinney. It's possible that is the physical address of the TXDOT office there. I asked for a work contract between Precinct 4 and TXDOT and didn't receive one. I looked at the Hall Investigations site and it appears that Hall has the contract and the officers work using it.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Burch's time sheets show that he worked 130.5 hours from February 16 to August 15. Most of those hours were during the night. Must have been hard to get up and go to his county job after an overnighter like that.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I also made an open records request for gasoline receipts that showed Burch and Minoff paid for their own gas to work these jobs. Five of Burch's slips, scattered throughout the 8 months time I asked for, were not legible. The others showed varying amounts of gas purchased, each with hand-written notes that he personally paid for gas, began March 18 and ended August 25. So apparently he did not pay for gas the night in February when the car was wrecked.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">But the gas receipts, minus the five I couldn't read, totaled $2,909,11.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Most of the gas was purchased either from a convenience store in Roanoke or Grapevine. Some of his usage appears to have been high. On May 4 he bought $60.01 worth of gas in Roanake. The next day he bought $40.01 of gas in Grapevine. On May16, he bought $40 worth of gas in Lake Dallas. And on May 18 he bought $29 gas in Grapevine and $45 gas in Roanoke. Bear in mind the county buys the gasoline for on-duty work.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The really interesting part about that is that Burch turned in absolutely no time sheets for off-duty work in May.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I am not sure what all this means. But it is puzzling.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I have not finished going through the documents I was furnished in reply to my open records requests. I will keep you posted. And I do hope that Mr. Burch is satisfied that I am not using creative journalism but am doing research as he said I should.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span>donnakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10247154583660206325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343947399699338542.post-76953985188926623142013-09-15T07:18:00.003-07:002013-09-15T07:18:43.395-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2wV2-RU8u6EZtLOmxe8rFUX7uTLKFzOOTUpMfZk1uipMO6azJvBMsumkX1SAhHfGvt8gRF0GXyPSyTw-YD4ztcx9G1VjcobVmHEQqy25sihyGIhB0u6cV7zySrvZoITsZnPH0YOjbff4/s1600/TOTDY_cover_proof+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2wV2-RU8u6EZtLOmxe8rFUX7uTLKFzOOTUpMfZk1uipMO6azJvBMsumkX1SAhHfGvt8gRF0GXyPSyTw-YD4ztcx9G1VjcobVmHEQqy25sihyGIhB0u6cV7zySrvZoITsZnPH0YOjbff4/s320/TOTDY_cover_proof+(1).jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"> COMING SOON</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">My new book, <em>Too Old To Die Young, Confessions of a Baby Boomer, </em>will be available for download from Amazon.com one day this week.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Anyone who was born shortly after their fathers returned from World War II will understand this book and will laugh at the adventures of a Baby Boomer in a youth-obsessed world.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The chapters range from rearing children to wrinkles to finding yourself alone in a strange world and learning to cope with elder dating, all written with tongue in cheek.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The book is funny and insightful and I hope you will read it. It will cost $5.95 and I will let you know when it is available.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Donna</span><br />
<br />donnakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10247154583660206325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343947399699338542.post-22293886604891362342013-09-13T06:58:00.001-07:002013-09-13T06:58:23.920-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA97QVPFzdNKV69WjdwKsbwxb22OXdDP_AcrY18mNhqiYhK5c13CUFk07tfFfYbVoOGN4JcnI4Syl1roHVQ1Vo3ReSxyTdhzWY5xhwJa_XGeqliJFci1AkfSyabxuWZoZH_GWa4g9Fe3w/s1600/19259221-police-car-with-full-array-of-lights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA97QVPFzdNKV69WjdwKsbwxb22OXdDP_AcrY18mNhqiYhK5c13CUFk07tfFfYbVoOGN4JcnI4Syl1roHVQ1Vo3ReSxyTdhzWY5xhwJa_XGeqliJFci1AkfSyabxuWZoZH_GWa4g9Fe3w/s1600/19259221-police-car-with-full-array-of-lights.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"> THE COP SHOP</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Police find crack lab</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Officers responding to a domestic disturbance Thursday could not determine whether the man or the woman was the aggressor. While they were talking to the pair they noticed a number of clues that crack cocaine was being cooked in the apartment. The woman decided to leave for the night. The officers asked the man for permission to search the apartment and he agreed. They found crack, the ingredients to cook it and other paraphernalia. They seized the evidence but made no arrest at that time. An investigation is ongoing.</span><br />
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<br />donnakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10247154583660206325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343947399699338542.post-89258807100327818682013-09-12T07:19:00.003-07:002013-09-12T07:19:49.731-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6xfeAxpxp2LZ1O0v9K8fzXJHSBKdN4MXPT0q6CwwaspsWfLLmNFtsBw4FQIc92-xcGmgbX-nD7O4nnNwvE6o2k9ab2irrlSFWoNfyJKdbQIGfx3Xt_JMGDTvnrPemwByJICmM4JdaG4/s1600/13620573-illustration-of-a-security-guard-policeman-with-police-guard-dog-and-flashlight-facing-front-set-ins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6xfeAxpxp2LZ1O0v9K8fzXJHSBKdN4MXPT0q6CwwaspsWfLLmNFtsBw4FQIc92-xcGmgbX-nD7O4nnNwvE6o2k9ab2irrlSFWoNfyJKdbQIGfx3Xt_JMGDTvnrPemwByJICmM4JdaG4/s1600/13620573-illustration-of-a-security-guard-policeman-with-police-guard-dog-and-flashlight-facing-front-set-ins.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"> THE COP SHOP</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Woman promised $2.5 million, loses $3,200</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">A 61-year-old woman reported to police Wednesday that she believes she was the victim of a scam. She said she recently received a telephone call from someone who congratulated her on winning $2.5 million and a new car. In order to retrieve her prize she needed to buy $3,200 worth of prepaid cards and then call back with the numbers on the cards. The woman did as she was instructed. But she has not heard back from the caller and has not received her money or her card, according to the report.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Other reports</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">600 block of Boardwalk - Someone slipped in a woman's back door while she was sitting out front Wednesday evening and stole from her. The 79-year-old woman said she was sitting in her carport about 7:40 p.m. and decided to go back inside her home. When she was back inside she realized that her back door had been unlocked and she was missing a debit card, her drivers license and some cash.</span><br />
<br />donnakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10247154583660206325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343947399699338542.post-82667996886181098102013-09-11T07:36:00.004-07:002013-09-11T07:36:34.356-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWeUll5clYggmeZhP7ZbaYVwF-wcIJJAtth7LebpasiwMqRFVV2MZ3kHoMSyQ-5Jqif10wJUn7RG08ScMomu6YOwrciv5KGxXVkEgT8TkMm4NBR44FEEpdEx8vQ8waiU_ELNhYWXTl1WA/s1600/police1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWeUll5clYggmeZhP7ZbaYVwF-wcIJJAtth7LebpasiwMqRFVV2MZ3kHoMSyQ-5Jqif10wJUn7RG08ScMomu6YOwrciv5KGxXVkEgT8TkMm4NBR44FEEpdEx8vQ8waiU_ELNhYWXTl1WA/s1600/police1.gif" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"> THE COP SHOP</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Information sparse on crime reports</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This was one of those days when reporting officers did not write enough information on the reports made available to the press to actually figure out what happened. I hate to complain about the hard-working officers who do this tough job, but I don't want you to think that I am just being lazy.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Here is what I was able to tell from the reports:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">An officer responded to a hospital emergency room about 9 p.m. Tuesday and took a report about a 2-year-old boy who was being treated for some sort of injuries, allegedly inflicted by a babysitter.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">An officer responded about 9 p.m. Tuesday to the 300 block of Ruth Street where a woman was pushed from a moving car. She was taken to a hospital emergency room.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">An officer responded to a bar in the 1700 block of Teasley Lane about 4 p.m. Tuesday where a woman made a report. The report alleged, in different places, attempted sexual assault and aggravated assault.</span>donnakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10247154583660206325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343947399699338542.post-69421490421220662722013-09-10T06:17:00.002-07:002013-09-10T06:17:48.992-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA97QVPFzdNKV69WjdwKsbwxb22OXdDP_AcrY18mNhqiYhK5c13CUFk07tfFfYbVoOGN4JcnI4Syl1roHVQ1Vo3ReSxyTdhzWY5xhwJa_XGeqliJFci1AkfSyabxuWZoZH_GWa4g9Fe3w/s1600/19259221-police-car-with-full-array-of-lights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA97QVPFzdNKV69WjdwKsbwxb22OXdDP_AcrY18mNhqiYhK5c13CUFk07tfFfYbVoOGN4JcnI4Syl1roHVQ1Vo3ReSxyTdhzWY5xhwJa_XGeqliJFci1AkfSyabxuWZoZH_GWa4g9Fe3w/s1600/19259221-police-car-with-full-array-of-lights.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"> THE COP SHOP</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Lug nuts removed from car</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">A 35-year-old woman reported to police about 4 a.m. Monday that someone apparently removed the lug nuts from all the wheels of her car. She said she began driving the car and one of the wheels rolled completely away, disabling the car. She discovered that all the lug nuts were missing. She found them on the pavement near where her car had been parked in the 700 block of Frame Street. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Other reports</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">2400 block of West University Drive - Police are investigating a report Monday morning that someone in Jamaica has been defrauding an 86-year-old woman. The officers learned that the woman had received several telephone calls from Jamaica informing her that she had won a car. She had been instructed to send money to pay various fees. So far, the woman had lost $975 in the scam.</span><br />
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<br />donnakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10247154583660206325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343947399699338542.post-74299226471514936142013-09-09T05:29:00.002-07:002013-09-09T05:29:50.049-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"> THE COP SHOP</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Suspect confronts cop, complies at sight of Taser</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">An officer who was sent to a family violence call in the 700 block of Fort Worth Drive Sunday night was greeted by a number of upset people who shouted at him, "He's trying to kill her!" The witnesses directed the officer to the third floor of an apartment building where he saw a man who had two women cornered. The suspect balled his fists, screamed obscenities and challenged the officer to fight. The officer pointed his Taser at the man and told him to turn around, put his hands behind his back and drop to his knees. The suspect did as he was told. After an investigation, the suspect was charged with assault causes injury/family violence, assault and burglary.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Other reports</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">2400 block of Tahoe - A man called police about 1 p.m. Sunday to report that his wife and 6-year-old daughter were being held hostage by the wife's employer. The employer believes the wife stole $30,000 from him, the husband said. He refuses to release the wife until her parents give him the money.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">9100 block of Teasley Lane - Police responded to a call for help about 10:30 p.m. Friday and found a bruised and upset 68-year-old woman. The woman said that she and her husband were in a car with him at the wheel. He was highly intoxicated and they were arguing. He stopped the car in the street and pulled her out of the car, she said. Then he drove away leaving her lying in the street. She wants to press charges.</span><br />
<br />donnakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10247154583660206325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343947399699338542.post-55828273234484053792013-09-06T10:12:00.001-07:002013-09-06T10:12:09.405-07:00<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">County Judge Mary Horn sent a letter to Constable Precinct 4 Tim Burch on September 4 regarding his use of county vehicles to perform off duty jobs in other counties.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This letter is subject to open records laws and I made an open records request. The following is the letter in its entirety: </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Dear Constable Burch:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Article III, 52(e) of the Texas Constitution prohibits a county from granting things of value for private use. Officers who perform off-duty work receive a private benefit. Thus, when a county patrol vehicle is used in the performance of off-duty work, it is put to a private use. Such private use is permissible <em>so long as the predominant purpose of the work is to accomplish an authorized public purpose.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Reports have been received that you have been using your county patrol vehicle to perform off-duty work outside of Denton County. This letter is to inform you that I consider this to be a misuse of Denton County property.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The Attorney General has specifically held that county patrol vehicles may be used for off-duty work only if the predominant purpose is to conserve the peace <em>within the county</em>, the elected official retains control over the vehicles in a manner that ensures the peace will be conserved, and the county actually receives this public benefit. Tex. Atty. Gen. Op. No. GA-0480 (2006).</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Off-duty work performed outside of Denton County does not conserve the peace within Denton County or serve any other legally authorized <em>county purpose</em>. Therefore, I consider your use of a county patrol vehicle for this purpose to be a misuse of county property for your own private benefit. I request that you discontinue this practice immediately, and inform your deputies that you lack the authority to grant them the use of their county vehicles while working off-duty in other counties.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In using county property for your sole private benefit, you place the taxpayers of Denton County at risk for personal loss. Please understand that any officer who engages in this practice could be held personally responsible.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Sincerely</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Mary Horn</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">County Judge</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This letter was written after a traffic accident Burch was involved in earlier this year that destroyed a county-owned patrol car. He was in Tarrant County working an off-duty job with TXDOT. So far the insurance company has not paid off on the car or the $9,000 worth of special police add-ons.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Burch told the commissioners court on Tuesday that an individual was donating a fully-police-equipped Tahoe to his department.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Burch has called this blog "Moments of Stupidity" and accused this writer of being a "creative journalist." This stuff is not my creativity at work, folks. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I will report further facts as I find them.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Donna</span>donnakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10247154583660206325noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343947399699338542.post-44348091243360446022013-09-05T04:55:00.002-07:002013-09-05T04:55:34.902-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"> THE COP SHOP</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Man exposes himself to woman and child</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Denton police are looking for a man who exposed himself to a 24-year-old woman and her 2-year-old girl Wednesday night in the parking lot of a big-box store in the 1800 block of South Loop 288. The woman was able to give a good description of the suspect and she also remembered the license number of the car he left in. Police are seeking surveillance video from the store to further aid in their investigation.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Other reports</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">3900 block of East McKinney Street - A female clerk in a convenience store reported about 6:30 a.m. Wednesday that a man came into the store, told her he had a gun and demanded cash and cigarettes. No further information was provided in the report.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">3500 block of Hudsonwood - A woman called for help about 3:25 a.m. Wednesday, saying two men were trying to remove a wheel and tire from her car in front of her house. She described the men. Officers chased and caught one man running away and found the second suspect nearby. They were charged with attempted theft. One of the men also was being held on outstanding warrants.</span><br />
<br />donnakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10247154583660206325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343947399699338542.post-41833962063305244292013-09-04T08:08:00.003-07:002013-09-04T08:08:37.895-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA97QVPFzdNKV69WjdwKsbwxb22OXdDP_AcrY18mNhqiYhK5c13CUFk07tfFfYbVoOGN4JcnI4Syl1roHVQ1Vo3ReSxyTdhzWY5xhwJa_XGeqliJFci1AkfSyabxuWZoZH_GWa4g9Fe3w/s1600/19259221-police-car-with-full-array-of-lights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA97QVPFzdNKV69WjdwKsbwxb22OXdDP_AcrY18mNhqiYhK5c13CUFk07tfFfYbVoOGN4JcnI4Syl1roHVQ1Vo3ReSxyTdhzWY5xhwJa_XGeqliJFci1AkfSyabxuWZoZH_GWa4g9Fe3w/s1600/19259221-police-car-with-full-array-of-lights.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"> THE COP SHOP</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Woman assaults jailer</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A Denton police officer reported Tuesday that he was looking for a woman with outstanding warrants on Saturday and the female he questioned denied being that woman and gave another name and date of birth. He checked on her information and found it to be a lie. He returned Tuesday about 12:45 a.m. and took her into custody. She admitted she had given him false information during his first visit. But once they got to the jail, she became violent. She began banging her head on a wall and hitting a brick wall with her fist. A female jailer tried to restrain her for her own safety and the prisoner attacked the jailer. She hit her in the face with her fist, according to the police report, opening a three-inch cut under the jailer's eye. The 30-year-old woman was charged with assault on a public servant, resisting arrest, giving false information to a police officer and was also being held on two outstanding warrants.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Other reports</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">1800 block of West University Drive - A man came into a pawn shop about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday and reached over the counter, taking about $7,500 worth of rings. Later the man was arrested after trying to sell the rings. No further information was available.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">North Loop 288 at Elm Street - A 14-year-old girl jumped from a moving car about 4:15 p.m. and was taken by CareFlight emergency helicopter to a Metroplex hospital for treatment. No further information was available.</span><br />
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<br />donnakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10247154583660206325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343947399699338542.post-64285865651036625112013-09-02T07:04:00.002-07:002013-09-02T07:04:14.837-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOqs7-Jriig0mFR1YzQJM3cKae9WGmAUhuWlwaYAHIh5LQI8rFw2irH_1cjHDQOW2Z05-I04XQWwNWzuz-cey6hLNEkT1CHP3TVPyK3v_xu6S7Itusc8c50hVaQJyQvMy5hl-HskrAtlA/s1600/cuffs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOqs7-Jriig0mFR1YzQJM3cKae9WGmAUhuWlwaYAHIh5LQI8rFw2irH_1cjHDQOW2Z05-I04XQWwNWzuz-cey6hLNEkT1CHP3TVPyK3v_xu6S7Itusc8c50hVaQJyQvMy5hl-HskrAtlA/s320/cuffs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"> THE COP SHOP</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Stranger steals rings from elderly man</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">A 71-year-old man told police Saturday that he allowed a stranger into his house in the 800 block of Mack Drive about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. He only realized on Saturday that while he was distracted the stranger entered his bedroom, went through a closet and took four gold rings. No further information was available about the incident.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Other reports</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">3000 block of North Elm Street - A man reported Saturday that he was driving when someone in another vehicle threw something out the window that struck his car. He gave chase and the two cars pulled over in a parking lot. The other driver threw an aerosol can at him, hitting him in the head, he said, and then left the scene.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">800 block of West University Drive - A woman reported Sunday about 9:30 a.m. that someone broke into her office and took an electronic tablet and the keys to her car. Then the suspect left in the car, according to the report.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">900 block of Dixon Street - Officers contacted a woman being treated in a hospital emergency room about 3 p.m. Sunday. She had a concussion and reported that her stepson shoved a door at her, striking her in the head.</span><br />
<br />donnakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10247154583660206325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4343947399699338542.post-51874279987006342652013-08-31T07:21:00.002-07:002013-08-31T07:21:50.885-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA97QVPFzdNKV69WjdwKsbwxb22OXdDP_AcrY18mNhqiYhK5c13CUFk07tfFfYbVoOGN4JcnI4Syl1roHVQ1Vo3ReSxyTdhzWY5xhwJa_XGeqliJFci1AkfSyabxuWZoZH_GWa4g9Fe3w/s1600/19259221-police-car-with-full-array-of-lights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA97QVPFzdNKV69WjdwKsbwxb22OXdDP_AcrY18mNhqiYhK5c13CUFk07tfFfYbVoOGN4JcnI4Syl1roHVQ1Vo3ReSxyTdhzWY5xhwJa_XGeqliJFci1AkfSyabxuWZoZH_GWa4g9Fe3w/s1600/19259221-police-car-with-full-array-of-lights.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"> THE COP SHOP</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Couple dies of gunshot wounds</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Denton police have not released the names of a man and woman who died of gunshot wounds about 9 p.m. Friday in a house in the 1800 block of Locksley Lane.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">According to information from the police department, the dead are believed to be a married couple and the case is being investigated as a murder/suicide.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">No further information was available Saturday morning.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Other reports</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">4900 block of South Interstate 35E - An employee of a car dealership reported about 5 p.m. Friday that someone cut the fence protecting the back lot of the business to gain entry. Then the suspect cut a catalytic converter from a 2013 Dodge Ram pickup truck and escaped with it. An investigation is continuing.</span><br />
<br />donnakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10247154583660206325noreply@blogger.com0