Family Corruption In The Big Easy

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2008-11-16T02:26:00.000-06:00

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2008-11-16T01:00:00.000-06:00

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2008-11-16T00:59:00.000-06:00

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2008-11-16T00:58:00.000-06:00

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Inmate Steals Police Truck

2008-07-03T20:07:00.003-05:00

Dumb criminals will try anything in order to escape from justice:

An East Texas inmate made a brief getaway after jumping behind the wheel of the police pickup truck that was transporting him. Authorities say David Lee Sprague was in the backseat of a Van Zandt County vehicle today when the detective who was driving stepped out of the truck to talk with someone.

That’s all the time Sprague apparently needed to hop into the front seat and speed away. Authorities caught up with the vehicle a short time later and returned Sprague to custody. The Tyler Morning Telegraph reports that the truck was equipped with multiple weapons, including an assault rifle.

Missing Rice Student May Have Wanted To Disappear

2008-07-02T19:44:00.003-05:00

Matthew J. Wilson may not want to be found:

The abandoned car of a Rice University student who went missing in December has been found in California, cluttered with books and notes on how to assume a new identity.
The material was discovered mid-June in the car on a residential street in Berkeley, Calif., registered to Matthew J. Wilson, a 21-year-old computer science major from Haworth, Okla.

Other items in the car included a book on how to live cheaply in nearby San Francisco, a can of beans, rice and instant noodle soup. Frankel said he wasn’t going to speculate on what the items mean, but the car is no longer considered evidence.

Joe Horn Testifies Before Grand Jury

2008-06-27T13:14:00.003-05:00

Do you think Mr. Horn will face criminal charges?

Horn maintains that he shot the men – two illegal immigrants police believe were part of an organized home burglary ring – in self defense.

But an autopsy report on the men indicated that they were shot in the back.

What if the burglars would have killed someone during their burglaries? Perhaps Mr. Horn saved a few lives.

Teen Mom Charged With Capital Murder In Infant's Death

2008-06-26T18:19:00.002-05:00

How could anyone be so cruel and evil?

A 14-year-old Baytown girl has been charged with capital murder in the death of an infant found in a junior high bathroom toilet on April 2.

The teenaged mom was arrested at 8 a.m. Thursday. Baytown police say she showed no emotion and did not resist arrest. The eighth grader is being held in a Houston area juvenile detention center.

Mother Of Slain Children To Testify

2008-06-24T10:05:00.003-05:00

Attention has now turned to the mother of the children murdered on Father's Day:

Jerilynn St. Cyr has been issued a subpoena to testify before a Harris County grand jury. While not a suspect in her kids’ murders, law enforcement sources said her various statements to police about Randy Jr. and Denim’s disappearances were “inconsistent” and they are seeking to get her comments on the record.

Father Of Slain Children Denies Committing Crime

2008-06-23T09:31:00.004-05:00

Child murderer, Randy Sylvester, is in denial:

One day after leading authorities to the charred bodies of his two children, 27-year-old Randy Sylvester said Sunday night they were killed because he owed someone money.

He says he wasn't the one to kill the siblings, who were remembered Sunday night in an emotional vigil at the southeast Houston railroad tracks where they were found.

According to Sylvester, someone else killed his children yet he knew where their bodies were dumped.

Let's Give Thanks To The Innocence Project

2008-06-20T19:58:00.002-05:00

Thanks to the Innocence Project, another innocent man has been cleared:

The Innocence Project on Friday asked a Texas court to toss out the convictions that sent an innocent man to prison for 25 years and keeps him on probation today.

DNA testing last year showed Steven Phillips was innocent of a 1982 sexual assault and burglary. In January, additional testing found that DNA evidence from the rape matched another man, Sidney Alvin Goodyear, who died in prison about a dozen years ago.

Phillips, who is on parole and lives in a halfway house as part of his probation, still has an extensive criminal record because he pleaded guilty to nine related sex crimes over fear that he would receive a life sentence if convicted, his lawyer said. Prosecutors now believe those sex crimes were also committed by Goodyear.

Father Of Missing Children Remains Primary Suspect

2008-06-19T17:19:00.003-05:00

Let's hope they get to the truth soon:

As scores of volunteer searchers continued looking today for two Pasadena children who vanished on Sunday, police said they are searching for a wooden trunk and a suitcase that had been seen in the apartment of the youngsters' father.

Corbett said witnesses told police they saw Sylvester carrying the suitcase from the area of his apartment to his car Sunday afternoon at the Sandridge Apartment Homes, 4025 Burke. They said the wooden trunk that was in his apartment as late as noon Sunday was not there about 4:30 p.m.

No Amber Alert Issued For Missing Children

2008-06-17T10:38:00.003-05:00

In order for an amber alert to be issued, there must be a reasonable belief that an abduction has occurred. No amber alert was issued in this case, you figure out the rest:

Investigators are continuing their search today, with help from the FBI, for two children who were last seen at a Pasadena apartment complex two days ago.

Police and others persisted through the night in the search for the 7-year-old boy and his 3-year-old sister, but no new leads were uncovered, a Pasadena police spokesman said.

The children's mother pleaded Monday for their return as police scoured the area around the Sandridge Apartment Homes, 4025 Burke Road, with search dogs and helicopters.

He Regrets His Decision

2008-06-16T19:58:00.003-05:00

If he could do it all over again:

Joe Horn, the Pasadena man who shot and killed two burglars after they emerged from his neighbor's home last year, regrets that decision.

A Harris County grand jury has begun hearing evidence as it considers whether the 61-year-old retired grandfather should be indicted and face criminal charges, or be no-billed and have the case dismissed.

Student Arrested In Murder For Hire Plot

2008-06-05T18:31:00.003-05:00

When a relationship ends, get over it:

A 17-year-old Pasadena student has been arrested and charged with plotting to have a 15-year-old classmate killed. Pasadena police arrested the Sam Rayburn High School student Wednesday after he met with a law enforcement officer posing as a hitman.

Police said Thomas Moses Ramirez wanted the girl dead because he believed she was instrumental in his breakup with a former girlfriend. The investigation revealed that Ramirez wanted the intended victim to be shot, stabbed or strangled in exchange for $150 and a small amount of drugs.

Houston Firefighter Charged With Sexual Assault

2008-06-04T18:09:00.002-05:00

There is a sick pervert in the Houston fire department.

A Houston firefighter was arrested and charged with sexual assault of a child after a routine traffic stop by Friendswood police early Wednesday. Sean E. Caruthers, 38, was pulled over at 1:36 a.m. in the 2600 block of South Friendswood Drive, police said.

Investigators said Caruthers had no proof of financial responsibility and was detained while officers interviewed a passenger in the car, a 14-year-old boy. The boy told officers he had been sexually assaulted by an older man. Caruthers was then taken into custody.

Police learned Caruthers and the boy had become acquainted on the Internet and had subsequently met in person several times. Investigators said Caruthers, who joined the Houston Fire Department in 1999, and the teen had been involved in at least four incidents of sexual activity.

Harris County Killer Gets Stay Of Execution

2008-06-03T19:26:00.003-05:00

Boo hoo hoo; his death drug cocktail may be a little too strong. Do they expect us to shed any tears for this killer?

Two last-minute appeals filed today halted Texas' first planned execution after a nine-month hiatus.

The Court of Criminal Appeals granted the stay after attorneys for the Texas Defender Service took up Derrick Juan Sonnier's case in the last few days. The length of the stay has not been determined.

The 40-year-old was sentenced to die for the 1991 stabbing deaths of Melody Flowers, 27, and her 2-year-old son, Patrick.

The Texas Defender Service submitted an appeal arguing that the state recently made changes to its three-drug cocktail protocol. The changes have not been reviewed by any court. The second appeal also contends the lethal injection protocol violates the constitutional prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. That contention has not been addressed by Texas courts after a Kentucky decision.

Polygamy Sect To Get Kids Back

2008-06-02T10:26:00.003-05:00

Mothers to bear the brunt when no restrictions are placed on fathers:

A judge today ordered the immediate return of the more than 400 children taken from a polygamist sect's ranch, bringing a sudden end to one of the largest custody cases in U.S. history.

The order requires the parents to stay in Texas, to attend parenting classes and to allow the children to be examined as part of any ongoing child abuse investigation. But it does not put restrictions on the children's fathers, require that polygamy is renounced or that parents live away from the Yearning For Zion Ranch.

DNA Sample Taken From Sect Leader Warren Jeffs

2008-05-30T14:49:00.003-05:00

Can the sample be used to find out how many of the children, that are in state custody, are Warren Jeffs? It would be ashame for the state to release those kids without knowing how many children he fathered by underaged girls.

Texas investigators collected DNA samples from jailed polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs, accusing him of sexual assault of a child stemming from so-called "spiritual" marriages with girls as young as 12 years old.

The samples were taken as part of an investigation into whether Jeffs sexually assaulted four girls at the Yearning For Zion Ranch in west Texas in January 2004 and July 2006. Placed on the FBI's most-wanted list in May 2006, he was arrested outside Las Vegas that August.

Sheriff Tommy Thomas Should Resign

2008-05-29T19:00:00.002-05:00

How much more should we have to tolerate?

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office was slapped with a big civil rights lawsuit on Thursday. The five plaintiffs include the Ibarra brothers, a local business owner and a judge.

Business owner Loyd Henderson is one of the plaintiffs. His company’s own security camera captured an exchange between him and a Harris County sheriff’s deputy. The video shows Henderson behind the counter, reaching for his license when – without warning – the deputy grabs Henderson and shoves him against the counter and then onto the ground before handcuffing him.

Illegal Immigrants Are Welcome

2008-05-28T19:24:00.003-05:00

We need help with dealing with illegal immigrants. The question is, will we get it?

A federal judge has denied a Dallas suburb's request to have its latest rule banning home and apartment rentals to illegal immigrants declared constitutional.

The decision issued Wednesday focused on a Farmers Branch ordinance that would require prospective tenants to get a rental license from the city. Farmers Branch would ask the federal government for the applicant's legal status before approving the rental license. It was set to take effect 15 days after a ruling on a similar ordinance currently being contested in court.

What's in a title: Newborn Sect Child

2008-05-27T19:36:00.004-05:00

State to retain custody of newborn sect child

By now everyone knows when they see the word "sect", it is more news about the polygamy compound that was raided by federal authorities. Newborn now becomes the latest headline:

The state will retain custody of a newborn born to members of a West Texas polygamous sect, attorneys for two sides in the biggest custody battle in state history agreed today.

The baby, Richard Daniel Jessop, who was born on May 12, more than a month after authorities raided the ranch outside Eldorado where his parents lived, will remain in state protective custody along with his two older siblings. Their mother, Louisa Bradshaw Jessop, 22, will be permitted to live with her children, under state supervision, at a soon-to-be-chosen residence.

Outrage Over Quintero Sentence

2008-05-23T18:15:00.003-05:00

We all should be expressing public outrage over Juan Leonardo Quintero not receiving a death sentence for killing officer Rodney Johnson. I am glad that one of the jury members has decided to speak out:

A juror who advocated executing Juan Leonardo Quintero for murdering a Houston policeman blasted her fellow jurors who sentenced the Mexican national to life without parole.

In an emotional telephone interview today, Cypress secretary Cindy Bradford, 44, called for a change in state law that requires only 10 jurors to agree to a life-without-parole sentence.

We should be ashamed of ourselves for sitting quietly by while this brutal, vicious cop killer's life is spared.

Polygamist Sect Kids May Soon Go Home

2008-05-22T14:15:00.003-05:00

Thou hath no right to take the children may be the words the polygamist sect members could be singing right now:

A Texas appeals court ruled today that a San Angelo judge exceeded her discretion when she ordered the state to take custody of children from a polygamist sect.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether the decision means the children will be returned right away to the custody of their parents, followers of a breakaway Mormon sect called the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Maybe one day the criminal justice system will recognize that we all should be concerned with children's mental/emotional safety as well.

Joe Horn Case Goes Before Grand Jury

2008-05-21T19:27:00.003-05:00

The case of Joe Horn has been a touchy subject for most Texans who believe that Joe Horn was well within his right to shoot two burglars who were burglarizing his neighbor's home. There are also others who believe that Mr. Horn overstepped his boundaries when he shot and killed the burglars. This controversy may once and for all be resolved:

Grand jurors next month will hear the case of a Pasadena man accused of fatally shooting two burglary suspects as they ran near his property.

Investigators have said Joe Horn admitted to killing Diego Ortiz and Hernando Riascos Torres after he reported seeing them break into a neighbor's home. Both were shot in the back with a 12-gauge shotgun, Pasadena police said.