March 2, 2017

Woman tells jury ex-San Antonio officer made her drink alcohol, do push-ups in swimsuit before ...

Woman tells jury ex-San Antonio officer made her drink alcohol, do push-ups in swimsuit before assault

Testimony began in the trial of two former San Antonio police officers who are accused of duping women into a fake undercover police program that involved sexual assault and prostitution.

Alejandro Chapa, 29, and Emmanuel Galindo, 31, were arrested Sept. 24, 2015, and each faces a charge of compelling prostitution, The San Antonio Express-News reports.

They were fired after four women said they were lured into having sex with them as part of a phony sting operation after the two impersonated members of the department's vice unit. The investigation began when one of the women reported to Live Oak police that a San Antonio officer sexually assaulted her, The Express-News reports.

"It was evident something was going on when we started talking to the victims," Live Oak Police Chief Ken Evans said. "In no way did they know they were getting involved in prostitution."

Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2017/03/01/woman-tells-jury-ex-san-antonio-officer-made-drink-alcohol-pushups-swimsuit-assault

March 2, 2017

Austin man accused of filming girls through window says he had feelings that he was unable to contr

Austin man accused of filming girls through window says he had feelings that he was unable to control

An Austin man accused of filming teenage girls through their bathroom window told police he had "feelings that he was unable to control," according to news reports.

The man, 35-year-old Brandon Cutro, put his kids to bed about 9 p.m. Feb. 22 before going outside to record teenage girls in a nearby apartment in northwest Austin, according to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by the Austin American-Statesman.

One of the girls, who is 15, saw a cellphone through the bathroom window and told her mother, KVUE-TV reports. Her father went outside and found Cutro holding his phone up to the window, according to the affidavit filed Monday.

Officers found a recording of at least one of the girls, which Cutro admitted he filmed, the Statesman reported.

He faces a charge of invasive visual recording.

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2017/03/01/austin-man-accused-filming-girls-window-says-feelings-unable-control

March 2, 2017

Dallas man, woman get prison time for 'pill mill' that used homeless to get oxycodone

Two Dallas residents will serve prison time for their roles in a prescription drug-peddling conspiracy.

Taneisha Nickerson, 29, was sentenced last week to two years behind bars, and Adrian Banks, 23, received a 20-month sentence, according to the U.S. attorney's office in Dallas.

Each of them pleaded guilty in August to one count of unlawful use of a communication device because they used their phones to coordinate deliveries of the pain killer oxycodone.

Nickerson and Banks were among 23 people indicted in March 2015 after authorities broke up an illegal "pill mill" scheme to obtain prescription medications and redistribute the pills for profit.

Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2017/03/01/dallas-man-woman-get-prison-time-pill-mill-used-homeless-get-oxy

March 2, 2017

N.C. church urged congregants to 'beat the devils out' of babies, members say

Allegations of "ungodly abuse" inflicted at the behest of a small-town church in North Carolina were brought to light this week after a yearlong investigation by The Associated Press.

Congregants of the Word of Faith Fellowship in tiny Spindale were regularly, severely and violently beaten in an effort to "purify" sinners by beating out devils, 43 former members told AP in separate, exclusive interviews.

Victims included pre-teens and toddlers, which included crying babies, who would be shaken, screamed at and sometimes smacked to banish demons. The church also practiced "blasting," which is an ear-piercing verbal onslaught often conducted in hours-long sessions meant to cast out devils.

Preacher Jane Whaley and other church leaders have denied for years the church ever abused its members. She said she is relying on the First Amendment's freedom of religion tenets.

Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/us-news/2017/03/01/nc-church-urged-congregants-beat-devils-babies-members-say

March 2, 2017

Houston decriminalizes pot; let's hope Dallas is paying attention

After a wave of marijuana referendums passed throughout the nation in November, the U.S. now has 29 states that allow some form of legal marijuana — covering 1 in 5 Americans.

Texas, of course, is not among them. But progress is coming at the local level.

Since 2007, state law has allowed municipalities, if they so choose, to issue written citations — the equivalent of a traffic ticket — for misdemeanor marijuana possession.

Just last year, Dallas tried to embrace this commonsense "cite and release" policy — and failed. Let's hope Houston's new efforts fare better.

Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/2017/03/01/houston-decriminalizes-pot-hope-dallas-paying-attention

March 2, 2017

Texas Rangers open investigation into Baylor after sexual assault scandal

The Texas Rangers have opened a "preliminary investigation" into Baylor University's handling of sexual assault allegations, a Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman confirmed Wednesday, as the fallout from the school's high-profile and winding scandal continues.

The statewide investigative agency launched the investigation Tuesday and is looking into allegations that the university mishandled sexual assault cases.

"The Texas Rangers are working with the local prosecutor to conduct a preliminary investigation to determine if further action is warranted," spokesman Tom Vinger said in a statement.

A spokeswoman from the McLennan County district attorney's Office in Waco, where Baylor is located, declined to comment, citing an open investigation.

Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/baylor/2017/03/01/texas-rangers-open-investigation-baylors-handling-sexual-assault-scandal

March 2, 2017

Johnny Manziel has reportedly re-hired agent, drawing interest from NFL teams at combine

Johnny Manziel's aspirations for an NFL comeback took another step in the right direction Wednesday.

Manziel's former agent, Erik Burkhardt, elected to give the former Cleveland Browns quarterback another chance according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport.

https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/836967231691030528

Rapoport also reports that the former Texas A&M gunslinger is already receiving interest from NFL teams.

https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/836967754016120832

This enough is already quite the turnaround for Manziel. At this time last year, the Heisman Trophy winner was taken to court for a misdemeanor assault charge. Burkhardt, Manziel's first agent, dropped him amid the controversy in February of 2016.

Read more: http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/college-sports/texasamaggies/2017/03/01/report-johnny-manziel-rehires-erik-burkhardt-making-serious-commitments-nfl-agent

March 2, 2017

Texas Senate approves sweeping child welfare reform legislation

The Texas Senate unanimously approved sweeping legislation Wednesday to fix the state’s troubled child welfare system, including a provision to test privatizing key foster care services.

Meanwhile, the House gave initial approval Wednesday to two bills to fix the system, but not before a heated debate over whether unauthorized immigrants should be excluded from a measure that would boost pay for low-income foster families caring for a foster child who is a relative.

“Here we are starting off a program right off the bat and paying monies … to somebody who is not a documented citizen. I have a hard time with that,” said state Rep. Mark Keough, R-The Woodlands, who proposed an amendment to House Bill 4 to exclude people lacking legal immigration status.

Several Democrats accused Keough, a former car dealership sales manager, of being racist and a hypocrite for doing business with at least one person in the country illegally, and for putting politics before vulnerable children.

Read more: http://www.mystatesman.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/texas-senate-approves-sweeping-child-welfare-reform-legislation/swjtRbx2AEYA3y8C1Q595J/

March 2, 2017

Feds: Austin Bergstrom International Airport baggage handler stole guns from bags, traded for pot

A baggage handler at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has been arrested by the FBI after an investigation found he stole guns from baggage, several of which he traded for marijuana, according to the Justice Department.

Arrested was 25-year-old Austin resident Ja’Quan Johnson, who surrendered to federal agents on Wednesday, a Justice Department news release said.

Johnson has been charged with theft from an interstate shipment and possession of stolen firearms. Investigators believe he stole several handguns between Nov. 29 and Feb. 2, the release said.

Austin police participated in the investigation and have recovered several of the firearms they believe Johnson stole from passenger baggage at the Austin airport.

Read more: http://www.statesman.com/news/local/update-more-arrested-connection-with-austin-airport-baggage-handler-who-stole-guns-from-bags/Miwl1ASgnddQM19pQA2klL/

March 2, 2017

Hate-crime victim to defendants: 'Why you crying now?'

When Kayla Norton broke down in court on Monday, Melissa Alford felt a twinge of sympathy.

Norton, the mother of three children younger than 9, was facing so much prison time that her children would be different people when their mother got out. That was not lost on Alford, who works as a children's mental health advocate.

But then Alford thought of the reasons Norton was in court: the convoy of pickup trucks with Confederate flags, the vile racist epithets, the loaded shotgun leveled on her friends and family, the threats to blow children's heads off. Norton had chosen to ride along on that convoy's racist tear across two counties. Alford's sympathy evaporated.

"When that gun was loaded, did you think about your children then?" Alford said in an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday. "So, why you crying now?"

Read more: http://www.statesman.com/news/crime--law/hate-crime-victim-defendants-why-you-crying-now/RdJZaCzi29hSDCeAfINcpN/?ref=cbTopWidget