Police News Jan. 07

VOLUME IV, NUMBER 1
GULFCOASTPOLICENEWS.COM
January 2007
Travesty of Justice Till Death Do Us Part
By Marshall Frank
her again, this time gaining a conviction.
Special to The Police News
• The main prosecution witness faced
eet Stephanie Mohr, danger- criminal charges and testified in exchange
ous and hardened criminal, is for a deal.
It happened on September 21, 1995.
now serving a ten year prison
sentence at the Federal Prison Camp in Stephanie had been a cop for two years.
Alderson, West Virginia, thanks to tena- Her short career — serving and protecting
the citizens of Prince George’s County,
cious federal proseMaryland, — had
cutors and a tough
already been dotjudge.
ted with deeds
Stephanie’s
resulting in 25 letcrime? Her dog bit
ters of commendaa man in the leg.
tion and two
This was not just
awards. In one act
any dog. Valk, a
of heroism, a
German Shepherd
group of juvenile
worked for the
drug
dealers
Prince
George’s
a m b u s h e d
County
Police
Stephanie
and
Department
in
fired 40 shots in
Maryland. Police
an assassination
Officer Stephanie
attempt. She surMohr was his K-9
vived, unharmed.
partner.
(The
shooters
The
victim?
were charged with
Ricardo Mendez, an
attempted murder
illegal alien from El
on a police officer,
Salvador, complete
and received eight
with
criminal
Officer Stephanie Mohr
years in jail. They
record, was found
with K-9 partner Valk
were out in 18
with an accomplice
by police at 1 a.m. atop the roof of a com- months.)
Inexperienced as a K-9 handler,
mercial building in the suburb of Takoma
Stephanie was riding with a senior officer,
Park, Maryland.
Prosecutors were able to convince a Anthony Delozier, when they received a
jury, that the dog bite wasn’t necessary, back-up call to the Takoma Park Police
thus violating Ricardo’s civil rights. And Department. Takoma Park cops were on
for that, Stephanie Mohr, age 35, decorat- a stake-out after a rash of roof top burglaed cop, loyal daughter, devoted mother...is ries in the area. It paid off. Two suspects
spending ten years in the prime of her life were found atop a commercial building.
in a prison cell, branded a criminal for life. K-9 was called to assist, along with the helEveryone reading this must be shaking icopter unit.
Prosecutors would later say these were
their heads. Here, in the land of the free,
where we cherish a constitution painstak- just two homeless men looking for a place
ingly designed to protect Americans from to eat and sleep. Well, of course. Illegal
injustice, the justice system creates its aliens often enjoy dining and sleeping on
commercial rooftops. The pattern of
own injustice.
rooftop burglaries in the area and their
There’s more to this incredible story.
• Stephanie Mohr wasn’t charged with extensive records as criminals was appara crime until five years later, one day ently irrelevant.
When they arrived on the scene, with the
before the statute of limitations expired.
• Neither of the two illegals, including police helicopter hovering, Officer Delozier
the man that was bitten, ever filed a com- conferred with the Takoma Park Sergeant,
Dennis Bonn, in the staging area to deterplaint.
• The case took two trials. In the first, mine the nature of the call. In cop lingo,
eleven jurors voted for acquittal, with one he asked, “Is it a bite case?” Translated,
hold-out. But the government went after
continued on page 9 (Travesty)
M
They Died Pursuing Their Daughter’s Killer
By Breck Porter and Kelly Maxwell
n the natural order of things parents went to town shopping for a birthday
would not bury their children. We present. Maria’s boyfriend had a birthbury our parents and our children day that following Thursday.
From town they went to the Holiday
bury us, and that’s the way most of us
Mall. Clerk’s
believe it should
at the Holiday
be. That is not
Mall seen and
the way it haptalked
with
pened for Dee
them.
They
and
Joe
even ate at the
Ackerman
mall. No one
whose daughter
seemed to see
Debbie,
and
anybody else
friend
Maria
with
them.
Johnston, were
They left the
viciously raped,
mall around
murdered and
one o’clock, or
dumped in a
so, and nobody
Texas City bayou
seems to have
in 1971.
seen them.
Volumes have
I
called
been
written
Maria’s house
about the deaths
at four-thirty
of
the
two
that afternoon,
teenagers.
but
nobody
There are endanswered so I
less websites
her
which
still Dee Ackerman with her children, (L to R) Wayne, called
(Family Photo) mother
and
archive the I-45 Debbie, Dee, Glen.
serial killings which began in 1970 and father at work at the American
Employment Agency. She said she had
still remain unsolved and un-prosecuted.
But what about the families of these not heard from the girls all day. She said
murdered girls? It has been thirty-four her and her husband last saw the girls
years since Debbie and Maria were mur- that morning when they left for work.
dered. What could it have possibly been The girl’s was still sleeping.
I keep calling Mrs. Johnson’s house
like for their parents and siblings? Little
has been written about their suffering and until she came home at six that night.
When the girl’s did not come by seven
the trials and tribulations they faced.
Until their own deaths, Joe in 1985 and o’clock, Mrs. Johnson called the police.
The police put out a bulletin to pick up
Dee in 2005, the Ackerman’s continued
their quest for their daughter’s killer. the girl’s. We waited until about 11:30
During all those years, Dee kept meticu- that night and then my husband and I
lous notes about her discoveries and her went out looking for the girls.
The next morning we called the
thoughts. She wrote letters to the various
news media and to law enforcement agen- Johnson’s and they had not had any
cies hoping that something she would words from the girl’s. My husband went
reveal would be the very thing that would
continued on page 18 (Till Death do us Part)
solve the murder of Debbie and Maria.
One of her undated letters, handwritten on
lined, notebook paper read:
I
“Maria lived on Holiday Drive,
just four or five blocks from the
mall. It was an off day that
Monday, Nov. 15, 1971. The
girls got up that morning and
ON THE SCENE with
Gulf Coast Police News
DO IT YOURSELF
DNA SAMPLING
ON THE RUN
Breck Porter Editor/Publisher
[email protected]
Jerald Jamold Bland
Writers
Anthony Jones — Marie Beth Jones
Marshall Frank — Jes Garza
Mark Timmers — Kelly Maxwell
Gary A. Jones
Advertising/Distribution
[email protected]
409-632-0082
Bob McPeak
Graphics Artist
Editor/Art Director
[email protected]
Mirror Publishers, Inc.
Printing
[email protected]
The Police News is publishedmonthly on the first of the month
by Gulf Coast Police News LLC in
Galveston County, Texas. © 2006,
All rights reserved.
Send tips, story ideas or comments
to:[email protected]
Phone: 409-762-NEWS (6397)
Sales: 409-632-0082
Fax: 409-632-0103
Jerald Jamold Bland is a local criminal, well-known to local and area law
enforcement officers. He is an ex-convict having been arrested and convicted for
various offenses involving drugs, burglary, evading arrest and other offenses.
He has been known to be violent.
Bland is currently wanted on fugitive warrants charging him with Robbery,
Possession of Controlled Substances, Deadly Conduct, Possession of Marijuana,
and Criminal Trespass.
Bland uses streets names of “Dog-Boy” - “Lil Jerald” & “Pimp Daddy”. His last
known address was 4312 Avenue M-1/2 in Galveston.
If you have information that may aid in the arrest of this fugitive, you are urged
to contact the following:
Galveston County Sheriff’s Office - (409) 766-2322
Galveston CrimeStoppers (409) 763-TIPS (8477)
CrimesStoppers will pay up to $1,000.00 for information leading to the arrest
and grand jury indictment for this fugitive or others wanted for felony crimes.
TO M E S T E P
Co n ce a l e d
H a n d g u n Tr a i n i n g
Photos & Finge rp rints Included
A m m o Av a i l a b l e
(409) 945-6636
Cell
(281) 455-0846
DNA has been called the fingerprint on the new millennium. One
popular application of DNA technology is sampling for purposes of
identification. To that end, many
companies now offer DNA collection or sampling kits that cost anywhere from $5.00 - $200.00 per
child, depending on whether parents wish to store or process the
DNA. Now, for the first time, parents can sample their children’s
DNA at home, using household
products with the full knowledge
that the integrity of the product
will be maintained.
• Rub a clean (sterile if possible) cotton swab* on inside of
cheek until moist.
• Let air dry for twenty-four
hours.
• Label with child’s name and
sample date.
• When dry, place in Zip-lock
bag, then fold and place that Ziplock bag in another Zip-lock bag.
(double seal)
• Save in freezer until needed.
• Follow same procedure for
blood sample. However, wait until
child scrapes or cuts him/herself
before taking sample.
• Save baby teeth in the same
manner
*You can also use sterile gauze
or a clean piece of filter paper.
INDEX
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10611 FM-1764 – Santa Fe
(409) 927-2570
An Authorized DIRECTV Dealer
Page 2 - Gulf Coast Police News
Do It Yoursekf DNA Sampling
Crossword Puzzle
Fugitives
The Mail Box
Texas City Police Leading The Way On Policy
The Animal Killing Issue
How Tough Are You?
R-House to Open Women’s Treatment Center
Why Cops Shoot Guys With Knives
The Freezer Granny
Schedule Executions
Sex Offenders
Page 2
Page 3
Pages 4&5
Page 6&7
Page 8
Page 11
Page 12
Page 13
Page 14
Page 19
Pages 24, 25 & 26
Pages 28 & 29
Across
1
6
10
14
15
16
17
19
20
21
22
23
24
28
29
30
33
37
38
39
40
41
43
44
46
48
51
53
54
59
60
61
62
63
Maid Marian’s man
Marshal __ of Yugoslavia
“Shucks!”
Way past plump
Bus. school subject
Pizazz
Laterally
Man Friday
Put together
Be wild about
Open a crack
Like indoor plants
Novelist du Maurier
Sport with mallets
Square footage
Dice roll
It springs eternal
Demeanor
Dinghy propeller
Diabolical
Cowpoke’s pal
“Be prepared,” for one
Has a bug
Warty amphibian
Walk like a duck
Roll of papyrus
Shopaholic’s mecca
Islands welcome
Ballfield markings
__ Linda, Cal.
One after the other
Politico Bayh
Suffix for the wealthy
Neon __ (aquarium fish)
64
65
66
Fax or FedEx
Not very busy
Guinness brew
Down
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
18
21
23
24
25
26
27
28
31
32
34
35
36
41
42
45
47
Civil rights icon Parks
Japanese sashes
Four-posters
“That’s clear!”
A doubles tennis partner
Electrical pioneer Nikola
More slippery
Broadway’s “Sweeney __”
White Monopoly bill
In direct competition
Untouchable Ness
Core group
Knock-__
__ d’art
“You’ve got mail” co.
Sock-in-the-jaw sound
Like a wrung-out dishrag
Opera highlight
Jury member, in theory
Like close-quarters combat
Left, at sea
Homeboy’s turf
Lab maze runner
“Amores” poet
Aspirin unit
“So, what __ is new?”
__ de mer (seasickness)
Little hooter
Suffix with schnozz
Parcels out
48
49
50
51
52
54
55
Red-tag events
Garlic unit
Colosseum attendee
PC shortcut
Out of whack
Get-out-of-jail fee
“Yeah, right!”
56
57
58
60
Defense alliance since ‘49
Hosiery shade
Three-handed card game
Some undergrad degs.
solution on page (23)
Gulf Coast Police News - Page 3
BAY AREA
BAIL BONDS
Serving Galveston / Harris and Surronding
Counties for Over 25 Years
FAST
DEPENDABLE
CONFIDENTIAL
COURTEOUS SERVICE
Felony/Misdemeanor/Traffic
Non-Arrest Bonds/JP Bonds
No Standing in Line
WANTED
F
C
—B
UGITIVES
RAZORIA
OUNTY
If you have information on any of these wanted fugitives call the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office (979) 864-2392
or your local Crime Stoppers organization.
Balderas, Martin Belmares
W/M DOB: 1-18-1965, 5’-9”, 165 lbs,
gry/bro
LKA: 219 Prairie Lea, Angleton, Tx.
Charge: Tamper Fabricate Physical
Evidence
Davenport, James Dean
W/M DOB: 2/15/1972 6’02” 175 lbs
brn/brn
LKA: 5908 Dove Ct. Venus TX
Indecency w/ child sexual contact
ESQUIVEL, Reynaldo Ramon Martinez,
W/M, DOB: 06/08/1987, 5’-1”, 140 lbs,
blk/bro
LKA: 1100 Fox Meadow Dr. # 226,
Alvin, Tx. 77511
MRP/Agg. Sexual Assault, Wrt #
49146
Garcia, Jose Roberto
W/M DOB: 01/29/1983 5’09”, 159
lbs, brn/brn
LKA: 1411 W. Adoue #2 Alvin TX
Wrrnt # D-043050 - Burglary of a
Habitation
Isenhower, James Bernard
W/M DOB: 9-24-54 5’05”, 180 lbs
brn/grn
LKA: 2190 Courtney St. Santa
Fe, TX
Wrrnt # 50657 - Alias Capias Surr to Surr/ Sexual assault of a
child
LEWIS, ISA TRUMEK
B/F DOB: 03-07-1972 5’05” 140 LBS
BLK/BRN
LKA: 12803 S. COAST DR. HOUSTON,
TX
WRRNT # A06-1229 - THEFT PROP
Nelson, Dale Conrad Sr.
B/M DOB: 06-12-1965 5’05” 148 lbs,
blk/blk
LKA: 1702 Skinner Apt. # 2201
Freeport TX
Wrrnt # 50281 - Alias Capias - Sexual
Assault of a Child
Reyes, Gerald Edward JR
W/M DOB: 05/15/1986 5’06” 225
lbs, blk/brn
LKA: 1314 Northbrook Angleton TX
Wrrnt # 51146 - Alias Capias - Bond
Forf/ Criminal Mischief
Walker, Brian Jeffrey
W/M DOB: 10/05/1980 6’01”, 165 lbs
blnd/blu
LKA: 307 20th ST. San Leon TX
Wrrnt # 43956 - Alias Capias - MTRP/
Possession Controled Substance
Watley, Gregory Ray
W/M DOB: 6-24-63 5’10” 190 lbs,
brn/brn
LKA: 127 Dagwood, Lake Jackson, TX
Wrrnt # 42572 - Alias Capias - MTAG/
Agg Sexual Assault of Child
CASH, CHECKS OR CHARGE ACCEPTED
ARRANGEMENTS MADE BY PHONE
FREE Consultation
and Bonding Information
Toll Free 1-800-280-8042
STATE
LICENSE
#998801
Galveston Co........(409) 763-3231
Harris Co...............(281) 280-8042
Montgomery Co....(281) 446-6355
Clear Lake............(281) 488-6355
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Tropical Taxi
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(409) 621-4000
Clean, Full Sized Cars and
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Page 4 - Gulf Coast Police News
WANTED
F
—G
C
UGITIVES
ALVESTON
OUNTY
If you have information on any of these wanted fugitives call the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office (409) 766-2322
or your local Crime Stoppers organization
BUTLER,SUSAN DEE
W/F BORN: 05/17/1965
SCAR ON LIP
LKA TEXAS CITY
REVOKE PROBATION – POSSESSION COCAINE
West End
Air-Heat
• Service • Sales • Installation
• Retrofit • New Construction
Randy Allen — Owner/Operator
COSME, VINCENTE YEPES
H/M BORN: 04/05/1957
LKA LEAGUE CITY
BOND JUMPERS – SEXUAL
ASSAULT CHILD
TACL - B024601E
409-737-5701
Cell: 409-682-7565
★Deem Realty
LIMONES, BRANDON WADE
B/M BORN: 12/14/1982
TAT R SHOULDER
TAT UR ARM
TAT LOWER R ARM
LKA GALVESTON
REVOKE PROBATION
FELONY THEFT
HERRIN, RONALD WAYNE
AKA: ALBERSON, RONALD W
AKA: HERRIN, RONNIE
W/M BORN: 04/29/1986
LKA GALVESTON
REVOKE PROBATION
POSS COCAINE
MCWILLIAMS, BARBARA ANNE
AKA HARDWICK, ESSIE
AKA HARDWICK, RENITA
AKA HARRIS, BARBARA ANNE
B/F BORN: 10/22/1957 - SC FOREHEAD - DISC L LEG
SC L CHEEK - SC L ELBOW - SC
UR ARM - SC L THIGH
LKA TEXAS CITY
GRAND JURY INDICTMENT
DELIVERY CONT SUBSTANCE
PEREZ, VANESSA ELAINE
H/F BORN: 09/20/1985
LKA LA MARQUE
ORDER OF THE COURT
AGG ASSAULT DEADLY WEAPON
STEPHENS, WANDA LA FAYE
NICKNAME “SLIM”
B/F BORN: 10/11/1984
LKA GALVESTON
REVOKE PROBATION
FELONY ASSAULT
FAMILY VIOLENCE
TATE, JOSEPH LAMAR
B/M Born: 11/19/1985
TAT R FOREARM
“BE MINE”
TAT R FOREARM OF MAN CARRYING
WOMAN
TAT R FOREARM BRICK WALL WITH
FLAMES
TAT BOTH FOREARMS CHINESE SYMBOLS
** CAUTION GANG MEMBER**
LKA: HOUSTON
BOND JUMPER / AGG ASSAULT DEADLY
WEAPON
WAGER, JEFF
AKA LEBLANC, JEFFREY PAUL
W/M BORN: 09/03/1965
TAT BOTH ARMS
TAT CHEST
TAT ABDOM
LKA LAMARQUE / HOUSTONBOND JUMPER
INDECENT EXPOSURE
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✃
GATES, DANIELLE DENISE
W/F BORN: 10/26/1983
TAT R HAND TAT R LEG (DENISE)
LKA TEXAS CITY
GRAND JURY INDICTMENT
DELIVERY CONTRL SUBSTANCE
*CAUTION ESCAPE RISK & MEDICAL*
409.762.2400
SHOWROOM
1924 - 45th St (Corner of 45th & Ave P1/2)
Galveston, Texas
Gulf Coast Police News - Page 5
The Mailbox
Dear Editor;
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STORE
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The Galveston Housing Authority is accepting applications for the Public Housing Program, Applications can
be picked up at our main office located at 4700
Broadway, or printed on-line by visiting our Web site at
www.Galvestonhousingauthority.org
Public Housing offers many amenities for qualified
applicants such as computer learning centers, on site
laundry facilities, and Flat rents for qualified families.
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Page 6 - Gulf Coast Police News
T
The American Bird Conservancy estimates there are 90 million pet cats in the
USA. Stats from major studies suggest 2
of 3 pet cats are allowed to roam. An
equal number of ferals are thought to
exist.
The combined free roaming cats kill an
estimated 4 million birds a day in the
USA.
The city of Galveston allows these city
employees to maintain a feral colony on
state land in an area where there are
endangered birds who are killed or lose
there nestlings and fledglings to cats each
year.
It is hard for a bird watcher to see cats
run out and kill the hummingbirds and
other migratory birds as they hit the
beach after a trip across the Gulf. It is
harder still to blame someone who has
lost patience with a federal, state, and
local government that ignores the rights of
land owners to be free from free roaming
cats, who ignore the facts about our
endangered wildlife & refuse to give police
officers the tools to deal with owners
unregistered pets.
How many perps could be taken off the
street if they have an unregistered companion animal? One violation often turns
up others.
You can tell alot about people by how
they treat their animals. If officers could
access a database when they get a nuisance animal call the officer could
enforce the laws the city & county policy
so callously disregards.
On top of all this, the dogs owners are
discriminated against since cats are
exempt, at least by policy, from the leash
laws.
What if someone were keeping a feral
colony of 20 to 100 dogs?
Citizens with out permits or expertise
maintain feral cat colonies all over
Galveston. You can bet it isn’t on their own
land.
Lot’s of folks were against the seat belt
law. When they saw officers were serious
the public mind set changed. Let’s change
the law, change policy and let our officers
do their job.
Name Withheld
Dear Editor;
On cars being stolen, why can’t we stop
the CARS-IN-TOW from going to Mexico...
When we go to Brackettville, Texas to
our second home, we see so many cars
IN-TOW going to Del Rio and then to go
into Mexico. Some of those cars...well!
they do not look like old cars and are
newer models.
In the last 2 years there has been more
and more cars traveling to Mexico marked
IN-TOW. In fact, we went to Branson and
Illinois in October. What did we
see?…more CARS and TRUCKS IN-TOW,
headed South! What’s going on?
Is there anyway the Texas Department of
Transportation, Title and Registration system use our finger prints when registering
our vehicles.
I do not like the new system in place
where we do not even get a duplicate title
when we buy a New Car. They told me
they are cutting costs. That’s terrible!
They made it easier for the crooks to take
our cars to Mexico.
Nobody can afford to pay cash for new
cars, and if you are Hispanic like I am … I
was born and raised here in Texas. My
mom came from Mexico but, my dad was
from Texas. I still have my mom’s people
there. So in order for us to go we have to
drive our new vehicles.
Americans like me still go to Mexico. We
have to take our cars with out a Duplicate
title. That’s not good because, I want to
make sure it’s me crossing my car over,
not some thief.
It scares me to think someone else
could steal my new car and take it to
Mexico. The Boarder People know that
you do not get a Duplicate Title anymore
so, now for a few bucks under the table
they allow you to cross your car. The rest
of us, that do not like illegal activity, bring
our purchase agreement with us, buy
Mexican Insurance in the US to cover our
new car (which cost a fortune) in case of
an accident. We make sure everything is
in order. But, what about those that gave
the Mexican Border Patrol money under
the counter to let them cross those cars.
They don’t even care if it was a stolen
vehicle.
For a few bucks those crooks at the border look the other way. It’s been like that
since I was a little girl and my parents
took me there, now I am a grandmother —
I am not giving out my age — I remember
taking my kids and mom to see my grandparents. They would get so mad at me for
not giving them money. I remember one
time telling one Mexican Border Guy, He
should be ashamed asking women for
money. I told him off, and that my mom
(God Bless Her Soul) was so scared that
he was not going to let us go across. And
my grandpa was in his death bed and we
had just lost my dad two weeks earlier.
I do not travel to Mexico much anymore
as both of my Grandparents are gone, and
so is my mother. So I don’t have that
responsibility anymore. Now I visit my
mom’s side of the family every two or
continued next page
continued from previous page
three years now — when I can — I hope we
can do something to stop the Stolen Cars
Ring.
I wish the Mexican side would make it
easier for us Americans to go visit our relatives. But they are horrible. I am just
glad, I do not have go there that often.
Thanks
Maria Calderon-Howard
Dear Editor;
Not to long ago I was at the intersection
of 22nd and Broadway in Galveston. I
found myself looking at several officers
struggling with a suspect. A woman to my
left was making comments to the gathering crowd, “He did nothing wrong” and
“This is Galveston Officers at their best”
and “This is uncalled for”.
I really did try to ignore her but I found
myself overwhelmed and I started to yell
at her, “Is he a wanted murderer, did he
have a weapon, did the officers chase
him”? She stood and just stared at me, so
I continued on “That person most likely
makes more than those officers and is
bettered armed or sells crack to the children in your neighborhood but lets worry
about his safety.” yet still no reply from
the once loud mouth. I continued, “These
men and women are faced by armed criminals everyday and pray they go home at
the end of their shift to see their families
so until you know the facts please stand
their and keep your mouth shut.”
I want to take time out of my day to
thank each and every officer that is out
there fighting against crack dealers, prostitutes and hard core criminals. May God
protect you and keep you safe this Holiday
Season.
Sincerely
JDBP
Dear Editor;
First off I want to say cool section, I
hope it succeeds, next I want to thank the
Galveston Police Department for the great
birthday present they gave me on
12/06/06.
My husband and I were driving around
looking for work, we decided to go check
out Beachtown, the new subdivision being
built on the east end, we came to a stop
at the light on the seawall@ Broadway, a
cop also pulled up to the light to the right
of us, we went on to Beach town looked
around and left.
We turned onto Broadway and maybe a
mile or so down the road there is a cop
behind us, didn’t really think anything
about it till we turned into the Subway
parking lot the cops lights turned on and
pulled us over, next thing I know we are
surrounded! Guns pointed at us from all
around the car, by then we are like wow
what did we do!
They took us out of the car by gunpoint
asked us if we had any weapons, “No” we
said, they got my husband out first and
then they got me out and put me in hand
cuffs, (way to tight) I asked “what is it we
were supposed to have done”, the officers
comment was “ I will let you know in a
minute.” What kind of hogwash is that!
Then one of the officers asked me for
my Id, which was in my back pocket, so
now I got some strange man feeling my
ass! He gets the Id, they asked me about
the car, I told them “it was a rental from
enterprise” they asked, “if it was registered to me”, “yes” I said, they asked,
“how long I have been renting”, I said, “45 months”, then they put me in the back
of a car, separated from my husband of
course, mean time they are searching the
car and running us.
They let us go about 15-20 minutes
later, stated that the car we were driving
was identical to one (with-in 1 letter of the
license plate, this was 1 cops comment to
me) that was stolen and involved in armed
robbery.
I do not know, but this just does not
seem right. I called Kemah’s police
department to find out if how they
approached the situation was the right
way, I should have got his name, but an
officer from there stated “yes” that was
the right way and he stated that, “we
would want them to be that way because
a lot of officers die if they do not.” Wow, I
thought, that’s not right, so I called someone who wasn’t a cop(lawyer) to find out if
it was normal procedure to handle the situation as they did, he stated probably not,
I would still like to know if that is how our
officers are being trained, especially since
they knew the license plate was not a
match. What if one of their guns had went
off, or we would have made the wrong
move somehow, scares me just thinking
about it, now I tense up when I see a cop
now, thinking my God are they going to
think this car is stolen.
Merry Christmas everybody!
TNL Construction
Reply: What if he had actually been an
armed fugitive and what if you had of
killed one of those cops? Sometimes citizens are inconvenienced when cops are
trying to catch crooks. I’m sure they didn’t single you out just to ruin your day.
They did it by the book and everyone went
home safe. That’s the main thing.
Editor
I also believe they may not have heard
the cries right away, especially a new
born, sometimes they are crying so hard it
is almost silent.
I believe people have been quick to
judge, those parents are in jail??? They did
this on purpose?? CPS is way to quick to
take action also, in my opinion anyway.
Another instance I read in your on line
issue is the story of the 2 kids wandering
outside while everyone’s asleep, granted
that is not a good thing, do you think it has
only happened to that parent??? They
march into her house and snatch her
other 2 children, because the house is
dirty and un safe, by whose standards?
Children Protective Services?? If those are
the only reasons, I think someone needs
to investigate CPS.
LK
Dear Breck,
I want to tell you how thankful I am for
the article about Daniel Pyka.
Many people go through everyday life
unknowingly taking our officers for granted. Unintentionally, we drive our roads,
enter convenience stores, use our credit
cards and so on without giving any
thought to those who keep us safe,
secure, and able to return home to our
loved ones each day.
Dan has done this without even blinking
an eye for over 30 years. He truly believes
in what he is doing. He is one of many, but
I want to say how proud I am to know him
and that I think your article was just as he
would want it told. That is, making sure
that anyone that was named was given
credit due.
Thank you for contributing your talent
with words! May God Bless All Those Who
Serve!
S.C.
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A police officer pulled a young
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politely asked to see her license.
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“Yesterday you take my license
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Dear Editor;
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think it was the ferret.
I believe that it is possible. I owned a ferret way back when, and it would go and
bite my son, whom then was about 15
months old.
The ferret did it on more than 1 occasion, we gave it away.
The Kiss That Cures
An old cowhand came riding
into town on a hot, dry, dusty
day.
The local sheriff watched from
his chair in front of the saloon
as the cowboy wearily dismounted and tied his horse to the rail.
The cowboy then moved slowly
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He dropped the horse’s tail,
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”Hold on there, Mister,” said
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”And that cures them?” the
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Texas City Police Leading The Way On Policy
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The Galveston County Daily News
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Page 8 - Gulf Coast Police News
speed
purcases, the
suits,
the
department
department
was going
recently combeyond
pleted a yearwhat was
long project to
required by
meet
stanthe
law.
dards set by
Such was
the associathe case in
tion.
the reportTwo years
ing
of
ago, the assopolice purciation, the Pictured during their recent visit to the Texas City Police s u i t s .
state’s
pri- Department are (L to R) Tom Harrington, Accreditation While
a
mary police Consultant; Police Chief Robert Burby; James McLaughlin, yearly sumd e p a r t m e n t Executive Director, Texas Chiefs of Police Association; mary report
administrative Monty R. Stanly, Assistant Police Chief, Carrollton, Texas; is required,
group, set out Sergeant Curtiss Pope, TCPD Accreditation Manager.
the Texas
(Courtesy Photo)
to create an
City police
accreditation
program. James department provides individual reports on
McLaughlin, its executive director, said each pursuit. Under the revised policy, the
the program set recognized standards.
department will now do both.
“We have committees working on 152
Even the policy on how new officers are
best practices that every department sworn in was revised, Police Chief Robert
should have,” he said. “For example, you Burby said. “What it means is, from the
must have a policy on pursuits or use of bottom up, we have a set of standards
force. We don’t tell you what those poli- that are expected to be followed,” said
cies should be, but provide a guide for an Burby, who first sought to establish an
individual city to make the decision within accreditation process when he arrived at
state and federal laws.”
the department in 2004. “More imporMcLaughlin said his organization was tantly, you make sure everyone who works
called upon regularly by departments here understands and follows those poliseeking guidance on examples of policy cies.”
standards at other police agencies. By
That’s what an onsite review team did
setting up the accreditation program, this week. In addition to reviewing the polthose guidelines will likely gain more uni- icy book, a team of inspectors conducted
formity.
spot quizzes of officers to make sure they
In the case of Texas City, policies for the were aware of the proper procedure as it
required 152 best practices were actually was outlined.
already on the books. That’s why the
The team also was able to observe
department agreed to serve as the associ- whether policies were translated into
ation’s pilot program.
practice.
Even with policies in place, Sgt. Curtiss
McLaughlin said Texas City has one
Pope, who headed Texas City’s initiative, more step to get through before the
found there was plenty of room for minor accreditation is official, but said the
adjustments and revisions. “Most of the department was “ahead of the game,”
stuff involved tweaking the policy by using and that the recommendation had already
specific verbiage,” he said. “We didn’t been made for Texas City to receive the
have to create anything as far as new recognition, which a long list of other
police department actions.”
Texas agencies is seeking.
Along the way, Pope found areas in
Given the size of the staff needed for the
which the department needed to clarify its onsite visits and follow-ups, though, only
policies and be more precise. Even the four cities are slated to apply for the
smallest of adjustments, though, required reviews next year.
detailed background research and verifiReprinted with permission of The
cation.
Galveston County Daily News
Pope also discovered that, in some
two, prosecutors unearthed a couple of
new witnesses — unrelated to the Mendez
bite — who would testify that Stephanie
Mohr was prejudiced toward minorities, as
evidenced by other incidents, post 1995,
when her dog apprehended and/or bit
minority suspects. They excavated the
original illegal alien from a jail cell in El
Salvador to come and testify against her.
The other illegal alien was brought back
from a prison in Texas.
Delozier was acquitted of conspiracy in
the second trial. He’s back on the police
beat, now a lieutenant.
One can only imagine his attitude toward
the law.
In August of 2002, Officer Stephanie
Mohr was hauled away in handcuffs, her
life a shambles. The judge sentenced her
to ten years. The government reveled in
victory, claiming justice had prevailed. Or
did it?
The loser was not just Stephanie Mohr.
In a time when our society laments over
too many one-parent homes, her son,
Adam, age 4, will have to spend his formative years growing up without a mom in
the home. A decorated career cop, who
would have gone on to a stellar career protecting local citizens from criminal predators, has been excoriated and damaged
for life.
Instead of her paying taxes and contributing to our society, she is now relegated to a social dependent, supported by
you and me.
Some truly dangerous criminal will
remain free to commit crimes against
innocent civilians because Stephanie
Mohr occupies that prison bed.
Under the proverbial microscope, police
officers today are no longer proactive
enforcers of the law, but mere reporting
agents who are afraid to make one wrong
move for fear of Monday morning quarterbacks demanding “justice”. Stephanie
Mohr serves as an example why cops
don’t dare do police work any more, lest
they end up in prison instead of the criminals.
I was a thirty-year cop from Miami-Dade,
Florida, where I spent the majority of my
career in Homicide, retiring as a captain.
The last arrests I ever made were five cops
charged with beating an unarmed man to
death.
I have no compunction about enforcing
laws and putting bad cops who commit
crimes in jail.
The travesty of justice in Mohr’s case
was perpetuated by prosecutors out to
pacify an outraged minority community
who had been victimized over two
decades by abusive officers not held in
check by their departments. Stephanie
Mohr was the sacrificial lamb, paying the
price of many before her. They went after
innocent prey, because they could.
I’ve tried to keep an open mind thinking
continued on page 10 (Travesty)
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continued from page 1 (Travesty)
he was asking if this was a felony which, if
necessary, would justify an apprehension
by dog — instead of gun. The two suspects
came down the building on the back side,
next to an alley. Stephanie, Delozier, Bonn
and one other cop waited with guns
drawn. They ordered the suspects to
freeze, hands up. One suspect appeared
jittery, barely raised his hands to waist
level while jabbering in Spanish to his
cohort. According to Stephanie, Delozier,
and the other officer, Mendez made a
move like he might break for it. Stephanie
released the dog who bit the man on the
leg.
Both suspects were sent to jail, and were
later deported from the U.S. Case closed?
In the ensuing five years, and for a
decade prior, a number of questionable
incidents occurred within the Prince
George’s County and Takoma Park police
departments alleging rampant abuse by
police officers toward minorities. Law
suits had been filed against several cops,
including those in K-9. Media ran several
stories. One of the cops under scrutiny for
brutality and facing a number of civil
rights charges was Sergeant Dennis Bonn,
the same Takoma Park supervisor who
was on the scene of the 1995 apprehension by Stephanie’s dog.
The prosecutors also managed to get
support from Takoma Park cop, Keith
Largent who opined that the dog bite was
not really necessary. Sergeant Bonn contradicted Delozier’s testimony saying the
question was asked, “Can the dog have a
bite?” long after the suspects came off the
building and were in custody.
Armed with Bonn’s testimony, federal
prosecutors charged Stephanie Mohr and
Anthony Delozier with conspiracy and violating the civil rights of the illegal alien
under color of law.
Imagine that, a foreigner with a criminal
record breaks the law to enter this country, and he’s automatically awarded civil
rights. And it’s the cop who goes to jail.
Also charged, was Takoma Park Officer,
Brian Rich, who the government said filed
false charges against the men. After a
hung jury, the judge dismissed all charges.
Rich later became an FBI agent.
Mohr and Delozier were nearly acquitted
in the first trial, but for one hold-out on the
jury. Normally, a prosecution office will
not go through the expense and time to
retry a case under such circumstances.
Nor would they defy the spirit of double
jeopardy protections. But, this “crime”
was so detestable, determined prosecutors went after the two of them again, this
time with a new approach. After trial number one, they had the advantage of knowing the defense strategy. Weak government witnesses were not called for trial
number two, including the lead FBI agent
in charge, Marc Savine. For trial number
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Gulf Coast Police News - Page 9
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s cooler weather is now
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Page 10 - Gulf Coast Police News
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continued from page 9 (Travesty)
there must be more to the story. Perhaps
Stephanie Mohr had been over zealous in
her approach toward police work.
Perhaps she should have shown more
restraint. Maybe the release of the dog
wasn’t absolutely necessary. I’ve often
heard those grey areas argued by sofa-sitting second-guessers over my career, but
none of them can know what it feels like in
that moment requiring a split second decision. Even if Stephanie Mohr was completely guilty, she deserved nothing more
than a reprimand, a suspension or perhaps, a transfer to another unit. For certain, she deserves to be home with her
son, and on the job working with prosecutors, not dodging them. She does not
belong in prison.
Stephanie’s lawyers are working on an
appeal, saying she had ineffective counsel
and other legal issues. But we all know
how painfully slow that process goes. It
may be another three or four years before
those legal issues are resolved.
Meanwhile, she wallows as federal inmate
number 36547-037, criminal.
Where is the outrage? Where is the
brotherhood of police organizations?
Where is the voice of 700,000 American
cops who stand just as vulnerable to this
kind of persecution because they carry a
badge. Police officers are the first line of
defense in a nation riddled with crime and
the fear of terror, yet they stand as prime
targets for government officials who occasionally need to grease the squeaky wheel.
Cops must stand up and be counted, and
let the nation know they are just as entitled to protections from injustice as any
American.
The four drug-dealing juveniles who fired
forty shots in an attempt to kill Officer
Stephanie Mohr, served 18 months in jail.
Compare that to Stephanie Mohr’s sentence.
Willie McJones is a career criminal who
has spent his life in and out of prison,
preying upon the innocent, stealing, robbing and breaking into houses. He has
proven to be a dangerous man. He was
arrested for killing a cohort during a drug
deal. McJones served five years of a
seven year manslaughter sentence.
Compare that to Stephanie Mohr’s sentence.
There are thousands of real criminals —
perhaps millions — just like McJones, on
the streets preying upon the innocent, ravaging homes and businesses, stealing
assaulting, pushing narcotics to the
young, habitually breaking laws. They
don’t get half of Stephanie’s punishment.
Many are known criminals — parasites —
who the justice system has protected with
an array of constitutional rights, allowing
them to perpetuate their criminal behavior
right under our noses. Stephanie Mohr
has been a law abiding, tax paying, contributing citizen, yet she wallows in a
prison cell in lieu of real criminals, a
prized trophy for prosecutors hell-bent on
satisfying vocal minorities.
The United States justice system cages
2.1 million human beings at any given
time, by far the largest prison inmate population, per capita, of any nation in the
world. If Stephanie Mohr serves as an
example of success in fighting crime, then
it’s time we start taking a closer look at
the whole system. After all, this is the land
of the free. Or...is it?
In my thirty years on the job, I occasionally saw how zealous cops and prosecutors pursued predetermined theories of a
crime, then turn a blind eye to information
that suggested they were wrong. Winning
was everything. But mistakes are made,
as evidenced by the number of releases
from death row in America over the last
several years, innocent inmates who have
suffered horribly from a justice system
that hinged their cases upon mistaken eye
witness identification or grubby snitches
pandering for a deal.
What greater motive to lie, than to stay
out of jail? Yet, the system validates such
deals because it promotes successful verdicts within the arena of legal combat.
That’s all that really matters. Winning.
That’s what happened to Stephanie
Mohr. Mother. Police officer. Citizen.
Victim. Dennis Bonn cut a deal, and he
gained liberty in exchange for wanted testimony.
It can happen to anyone. It can happen
to me and to you, so long as the politics of
the moment serve the cause. It actually
frightens me to write this article and see it
published. Maybe they’ll come after me
next. How sad, we must fear our own government, while we commit 150,000
troops to free the people of another country 10,000 miles away.
Police officers are our first line of protection. A bad cop here and there must surely be dismissed and even prosecuted.
But...for a dog bite? On an illegal alien
dope-dealing thief? Ten years of a human
being’s life, wasted?
This is beyond wrong. It is abominable.
QUICK WIT
A woman was caught for speeding and told to pull over to the side of the road.
Realizing she didn’t have her seat belt on, as soon as she stopped she quickly buckled up before the officer reached her window.
After lecturing her about speeding, the cop said, “I noticed you are wearing your
seat belt. Do you believe in wearing it at all times?”
”Most definitely, officer,” she replied.”
I see,” said the cop, “and do you always wear it looped through the steering
wheel?”
The Animal Killing Issue:
“Who’s to Blame?
Who’s to Solve It?
By Mark Timmers
Special Correspondent
What is The Fix?”
Here is a challenge which I don’t severely heart worm positive, or there is
expect anyone to take me up on it, but if no hair because the mange is so bad, or
you do, I will make the arrangements for a tumor is bigger than the pet, and so
you to spend at least one day at the forth and so on. Here is a staggering figHouston Humane
Society animal
intake division. I
must warn you
that you will have
nightmares and
walk away wondering what society as a whole did
wrong with the
care of our pets.
You will need to
sign a release
form for any men- Mark Timmers is a Sergeant with the Harris County, Precinct
tal or physical Six Constable’s Office in charge of animal cruelty investigations.
anguish you may
experience during your visit. I am not ure: HHS alone admits on the average
good at sugar coating any issue and 18,000 pets a year through citizen drop
political correctness is not in my corner off, animal control agencies, humane
most of the time because I call it as I see organizations, and animal seizures that
it and to me the care of pets in Houston are conducted by yours truly. What is
and Harris County is exasperating. We the adoption rate of these animals you
as a society make our animal control may ask? It is almost always very low
agencies and humane organizations in because of the terrible physical condiHouston / Harris County kill an average tions that these animals that were
of 30,000 animals a year and then ask received by HHS were in when their
ourselves WHY? These number of ani- owners dropped them off.
mals euthanized is representative of just
Whose problem is this? What can be
Houston / Harris County, imagine the done to correct the high euthanasia
total numbers throughout Texas, and the rate? Is there a solution? Is this an
rest of the United States, and the extent important issue? Does it affect the pubof the problem it is staggering, and lic safety and health of citizens? These
heartbreaking.
are all topics we keep reading about in
HHS is still the only nonprofit organiza- our local periodicals and yes animal
tion in Houston and Harris County that task forces have been formed in both
will accept stray and abandoned ani- the city and county, but no improvemals from citizens at no cost. I cannot ments in our city or county ordinances
spend a whole day at the HHS animal or state laws have been made. Well, I
intake facility without becoming sad- say let’s get this train rolling down the
dened, angered, or frustrated at the right track and make people come into
number of animals that are brought to compliance and update these old and
the facility in such deplorable and neg- antiquated ordinances and state laws by
lected conditions and then immediately petitioning our government officials and
realize that’s the reason why euthanasia request that changes be made for the
rate is so high!
sake of all animals. But then again, here
What angers and saddens me the is a law enforcement official saying
most, which is all to frequent, is when a these things and whose only job is the
family pet is brought to the HHS and the investigation of more that 500 animal
owner releases the animal and immedi- cruelty cases a year and I see the worst
ately puts the responsibility of the “pets of the worst. So let’s all get involved and
life” in the hands of HHS and tells them help make a difference!
“please do not kill my pet, you must
To help make needed changes and for
save it, we love it.” Even though it is more information about helping aniobvious that no required or needed vet- mals,
visit
www.thln.com
and
erinarian care has been given to this pet www.houstonhumane.org.
for such a long time and the pet is either
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The Priest and the Rabbi
A Rabbi and a Priest are driving one day and, by a
freak accident, have a head-on collision with tremendous force. Both cars are totally demolished, but
amazingly, neither of the clerics has a scratch on him.
After they crawl out of their cars, the rabbi sees
the priest’s collar and says, “So you’re a priest. I’m
a rabbi.
Just look at our cars.There is nothing left, yet we
are here, unhurt.
This must be a sign from God!”Pointing to the sky,
he continues, “God must have meant that we should
meet and share our lives in peace and friendship for
the rest of our days on earth.
”The priest replies, “I agree with you
completely.This must surely be a sign from God!
”The rabbi is looking at his car and exclaims, “And
look at this! Here’s another miracle! My car is completely demolished, but this bottle of Mogen David
wine did not break. Surely, God wants us to drink this
wine and to celebrate our good fortune.”
The priest nods in agreement. The rabbi hands the
bottle to the priest, who drinks half the bottle and
hands the bottle back to the rabbi.
The rabbi takes the bottle and immediately puts
the cap on, then hands it back to the priest. The
priest, baffled, asks, “Aren’t you having any, Rabbi?”
The rabbi replies, “Nah... I think I’ll wait for the
police.
Gulf Coast Police News - Page 11
How Tough Are You?
By Jes Garza
ow tough are
you? “It’s a
great life – if you
don’t weaken.” This
is something my Dad
used to say to me
when things weren’t
going so well, the way
we wanted them to
Jes Garza
go. My Dad was an
optimist and the optimism that I practice
today is a big part of what I learned from
working with and observing my Dad as he
worked in the furniture store that he
helped to build. He eventually owned and
operated Triangle Furniture Company in
Alvin, Texas, in the late 1950’s and
1960’s.
It is often said that adversity can build
and strengthen one’s character and it can
also give us the ability to withstand many
types of trials and tribulations. It is my
belief that the men and the women who
came to America in the early 1600’s with
the intent to settle a new land soon
learned that adverse conditions would test
their resolve to follow through with their
dreams and plans. We know from history
books that many of those early settlers did
H
not survive the first harsh winter. There
were many others who did not have the
determination or the vision to stay and
overcome the many obstacles that were
encountered in the northeastern sector of
Colonial America.
If you have thirty or more years of life
experience, you have probably learned
that serious and persistent efforts are the
keys to worthwhile achievements in our
lives and our careers, whatever our chosen field. Some of us learn this truth
much earlier in our lives because of the
adversity that comes upon us at very
young ages. I recall that when I was much
younger than I am now, I was a somewhat
foolish person, and as if that was not
enough, I was also a selfish person.
Perhaps for some of us this is a natural
occurrence.
I knew from my Dad at about twelve
years of age that it was important to set
goals – short term and long range objectives. Think about the teacher who asked
their student what they wanted from the
class they were taking. The student
replied, “Not much.” Whereupon the
teacher responded with, “Then that is
probably what you will get.”
It comes down to what you want. The
next step is what you are willing to do or to
give up in order to achieve your desire or
objective. There will always be a price for
the prize. If you are easily discouraged, or
if you refuse to be persistent in the pursuit
of your dreams and goals, then you will
not accomplish much that is worthwhile in
your life. How long is a growing season for
a particular vegetable or for a harvest of
wheat? How long does it take a college
student to complete their course of study
and receive their diploma or degree?
In Spanish the word “ganas” is one that
indicates will or drive. It matters little how
much talent one has or how much in
resources we have at our disposal. What
matters most in the recipe for success is
the will and the determination one has in
association with the goal that one sets for
himself or herself. It’s funny how often our
friends and sometimes our foes are so
quick to point out why we cannot succeed
or achieve a certain goal that we have set
for ourselves.
We must separate ourselves from those
who will not at least be supportive of our
worthwhile dreams.
There will always be distractions,
detours and obstacles to overcome as you
embark on your life and your career.
Some of these are little irritations and
some are significant obstacles, but they
will test your commitment to your objectives or dreams. There will also be people
who try to steal your dreams or dissuade
you from attempting to realize your hopes
and goals. They’ll make comments like,
“What makes you think…” or “You’ll
never…” or “How can you…” Some folks
will even be offended at the prospect that
you want to leave their company, thinking
that you regard yourself as a high and
mighty individual that cannot possibly
achieve your goals. After all, they know all
of your foibles and they also know about
your scars and warts.
They won’t say it but they envy your
vision for a better way to live. They lack
the courage and discipline to do the work
necessary to prepare themselves for success. In contrast, you are willing to make
the sacrifices so that you can someday do
what you like, and may have also delayed
doing because of other important priorities in your life situation.
Never hesitate to make friends with a
person or persons who are supportive of
your dreams and goals, even if you don’t
know them very well. It is this person or
that small circle of friends and/or family
members that will help to inspire you to
continue your journey to your individual
success. Another important thing to
remember is that you will probably have to
put some major distance between you and
those who will not support you or encourage you to be all that God created you to
be. Don’t be deceived. At times you will
become discouraged, but keep the faith.
In due time you will enjoy the fruits of your
labors.
Once again, how tough are you? Are you
easily discouraged? Do people offend you
and cause you serious consternation? It’s
just a distraction and it will not contribute
to your success. Forget it. The founder of
the famous Wendy’s restaurant chain had
a favorite word that enabled him to
achieve the success of his dreams. That
word is focus. If we are to achieve great
objectives, we must first be able to think
big and if you’re like me, you must read
the book, The Magic of Thinking Big.
Finally, you must focus your belief on your
determination to achieve your goals.
(Jes Garza is a retired Houston Police
Officer now Captain with theHarris County
Precinct One Constable’s Office. He is a
regular contributor to The Police News)
GALVESTON - Associated Terminals, a stevedoring company headquartered in
Reserve, Louisiana presented 92 bicycles to the Galveston Police Department’s
Blue Santa program. Shown in the brown jacket, Associated Terminals President
David Fennelly during the presentation.
(Police News Photo)
Page 12 - Gulf Coast Police News
R-House to Open Women’s Treatment Center
“We have a rate of recovery that’s twice the national average,” said
Jim Baker,who operates R-House. “The national average, they say one
in 10 who comesthrough a place like this will actually stay sober, which
isn’t very good. We have blown that out of the water, literally.
By ANTHONY JONES
It’s been seven years since R-House at adolescent centers or other treatment
opened to offer assisted living and drug facilities, where they had been for quite a
rehabilitation and now, armed with a few years.
501(c)(3) designation, plans to open a
“We were just a little frustrated with the
new women’s facility in Galveston.
results,” Baker said. “You know 30-day
Jim Baker and his wife, Lisa, actually programs – people were going through the
came to the Island to work at another treat- program and we’d see them coming back
ment center. Instead, they converted a con- through six months later.”
demned home at 3216 Avenue S, “it was
“Here we try to go beyond the physical
scheduled for demolition the next day.”
dependency,” he said. “Treatment usually
“We invested everything we had into the deals with the physical chemical depend-
two years and where are they?’
”New candidates are interviewed by residents of the house who vote on whether
or not to admit them as new residents
after about two weeks. While a resident is
in “candidate” status, he cannot go anywhere without being escorted with a Level
1 or higher resident.
“They can pretty much go where they
want but they have to ask one of the guys
to go with them,” Baker said. “Once they
are voted off candidacy-phase, then they
are free to come and go as they please.”
A candidate usually is voted into RHouse anywhere from seven to 10 days. If
not says Baker; “After that we can assume
that they are not going to make it here.”
One candidate had a shopping addiction, which Baker called a compulsive
behavior. He said they treat all addictions
the same – usually the behavior is the
same.
“We had a guy destroy his life literally,”
he added. “He just couldn’t stop buying
stuff. Everything he could get his hands on
– online, E-Bay, at stores and he lost
everything to the point that he was
stressed financially, he sabotaged his
credit.”
Four recent candidates, who have since
graduated, entered the program so they
could join the military. All four could not
pass the military’s drug-screening test for
continued on page 20 (R-House)
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Assistant living facility resident Cody Rabb, a student at Galveston College sits with
Jim Baker, who operates R-House on Avenue S.
partnership,” Baker said. “About six ency. That’s what frustrated us working all
months into it, we started running into those years in that field. We would address
problems with our partner. The bottom line that and they would go back to the same
was we ended up closing it down. We had environment whether it was family or
$37 in the bank, my wife was out of town neighborhood or job. And so they’d come
on a pregnancy leave and we had twelve and get help and go back and do the same
guys there who we were responsible for. thing. So the results were the same.”
We had to get a judge to intervene.”
There was not a lot of long term success
“We looked at this condemned crack- on that end of the business, he explained.
house that the guys said they would help “We wanted something with more of a
remodel,” he added. “They agreed to holistic approach.” An approach that
lease us this property for $1 a month (with looked at the addict’s living problems,
an option to buy) for six months while we their job skills and one that advocated
worked on it.
12-step programs.
”He said the house was days away from
Success is calculated at R-House in
being bulldozed. The only thing that was years rather than 30 days after their
salvageable was the garage apartment in release from a treatment program. Over
the back where he and is wife now live.
1,000 men have successfully graduated
Baker recalled the two-story dilapidated from the R-House program since it opened
house that needed a roof and laughed its doors seven years ago.
about a time he came home and found his
“We try to look at how they can change
wife in the crawl space removing black their whole lifestyle,” Baker said. “All in
garbage bags full of beer bottles and all, treatment is a good thing but here we
syringes.
calculate our success on where they are
Rewind a few years back before 2000 five years after they got here not 30 days
when the Bakers came to Galveston and after they left here. So, we go back and
you would find them in Houston, working look and see: ‘OK what have they done at
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Page 14 - Gulf Coast Police News
Why Cops Shoot Guys With Knives
To all the idiots out there who always
say, “Why did the cops have to shoot him?
He only had a knife, he didn’t have to be
shot. To that, I respond, “tough shit …
shoot’em”.
If an officer tells you to drop your
weapon, just drop it.
If you’re retarded, stupid, on crack, mentally deficient or just “scared”… too bad.
No one deserves what this cop got for
just doing his job. If you’ve got a knife,
and you attempt to use it on a peace officer, then you should die … period.
This is vivid proof of how deadly people
who are “only armed with a knife” can be.
Some of the public think that officers
should try to disarm someone armed with
a knife but anyone who has had training in
knife fighting will tell you – even if you win
you are going to get cut.
Keep this in the back of your mind when
confronting someone armed with an
edged weapon.
Your attitude should be that if your
aggressor is so stupid as to bring a knife
to a gun fight, then gun him down!
(This message was sent by a police officer in an email to the officer’s in his
department. He is a friend of the officer in
the photo’s.)
3 COPS
Three highly decorated police
officers die in a wild shoot out with
narcotics dealers and go to heaven.
God greets them and asks, “When
you are laid out in your casket, and
your fellow officers and family are
mourning you, what would you like to
hear them say about you?
The first cop says, “I would like to
hear them say, that I was the
bravest cop on the force.”
The second police officer says, “I
would like to hear that I was a terrific cop who died in the line of
duty.”
The last cop replies, “I would like
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”How long have you been driving
without a tail light, buddy?”
demanded the policeman.
The driver jumped out, ran to the
rear of his car, and gave a low
moan. His distress was so great
that the cop was moved to ease up
on him a bit.
”Aw, come now,” he said, “you
don’t have to take it so hard. It
isn’t that serious.”
”It isn’t?” cried the motorist.
“What happened to my boat and
trailer?”
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Gulf Coast Police News - Page 15
Galveston County CrimeStoppers Groups to Merge
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ing a delay in getting the information to
Breck Porter / The Police News
LA MARQUE — Following a joint meeting the proper authorities. Under a single
in November of La Marque and Galveston organization tips would be received at a
central location for all law
CrimeStoppers directors,
enforcement agencies in
La Marque President Bim
the county.
Crowder announced the
Another advantage of the
two groups will soon merge
proposed merger would be
into a single organization
the funding source. Much
to be known as Galveston
of the monetary support of
County CrimeStoppers.
CrimeStoppers is provided
The two organizations
by the Galveston County
met at Queen of Peace
Probation Department.
Church where Crowder
Persons serving probated
made the announcement
during the regular monthly La Marque CrimeStoppers sentences pay a fee to the
President Bim Crowder
probation
department
meeting and luncheon of
CrimeStoppers members and volunteers. which is used to fund CrimeStoppers.
Crowder said the new group will invite Under current operations the funds are
CrimeStopper
groups
throughout divided between the various CrimeStopper
Galveston County to join the new organiza- groups within the county. Under the new
tion which will provide a much improved system, all the funding will go to a single
service to law enforcement and the public organization. This would permit the offeras well. Police chief’s from several area ing of larger rewards when needed.
A spokesperson for Galveston
departments were present and are expected to support the formation of the com- CrimeStoppers announced later that it’s
directors had also voted approval of the
bined organization.
During discussions of the merger, board merger. It is expected that a new board
members related several instances in of directors will be elected within the comwhich persons with information regarding bined organization and that a new charter
criminal cases or fugitives called the will be applied for under the new banner,
wrong CrimeStoppers group thereby caus- Galveston County CrimeStoppers.
Police Group Brings Christmas to Crime Victim, Family
GALVESTON - When a young man ran
into a local taqueria in November looking
for the police officer whose patrol car was
parked outside, he found Galveston
police officer Doug Balli. It was just
before 3 o’clock in the afternoon, in
broad daylight, and the man excitedly
related to Balli that he had just been
robbed by a man outside the restaurant.
“The young man approached me and
said he had been jumped and some guy
had stolen the Christmas presents he had
just bought for his children,” said Balli. “I
asked him to go with me in my patrol car
and we drove around looking for the suspect but were unable to locate him”.
The victim related to Officer Balli that
he had been shopping at a nearby Target
store and was riding his bicycle home
with over $100 in clothes and toys for his
two children’s Christmas. As he neared
his apartment a man ran up behind him
and hit him in the back of his head,
knocking him from his bicycle and scattering the Christmas gifts on the ground.
When the victim regained his footing he
confronted the robber who reached into
the waistband of his pants as if reaching
for a gun. “He got scared, picked up his
bicycle and hit the man with it, then started running,” Balli reported. He told the
officer that as he was running he looked
back to see if the man were chasing him
Page 16 - Gulf Coast Police News
but saw him running in the opposite
direction with all the bags containing his
Christmas gifts.
Upon further investigation officers
learned that the assailant had allegedly
stolen the victims bicycle on
Thanksgiving Day. A few days later he
came to the victims apartment and
returned the bicycle asking for money for
it’s return. When the victim told him that
he had no money at that time the man
continued to return to his apartment
wanting money. The victim told police
that he believed the man attacked him
and stole his packages in retaliation for
not paying him the money.
Balli, along with officers Josh Allred and
Daniel Erickson, later identified and located 32-year old Harold Joseph Norwood,
arrested and charged him with Robbery.
His bond was set at $40,000.
Officer Doug Balli is a big man, probably the biggest officer on the Galveston
Police Department, and inside his massive body, behind the bullet proof vest
and the shined silver badge, beats an
equally big heart. Balli was instantly
moved by the fact that the two children, a
4-year old little girl and 6-year old boy,
would be without presents at Christmas.
Los Carnales / La Familia is a nationwide motorcycle organization whose
continued next page
continued from previous page
members are active and retired law
enforcement officers. Membership also
includes the officers family members and
there is a chapter headquartered in nearby South Houston. Doug Balli belongs to
Los Carnales / La Familia and he sought
their help in bringing Christmas to this
crime victim and his family.
A few days before ten members of the
Los Carnales / La Familia paid a visit to
the family and delivered an assortment of
Christmas gifts including new bicycles
and clothes and toys for each child. The
joy of Christmas lit up the faces of the
parents and the children when the group
bearing gifts filed into the apartment with
bags and bags of Christmas goodies.
(L to R) “Country” National Sergeant At Arms; Debbie Wisner, Owner of 13 1/2 Tattoo Shop,
League City; “Simbad”, Sergeant At Arms, South Houston Chapter; Heather Herron, See
Verhey, Ken Garcia, “Guerro”, Road Captain, South Houston Chapter; Kathy Wisner, Jeremi
Smart, Galveston Police Officer’ “Biggun’s”, Officer Doug Balli.
(Police News Photo)
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Gulf Coast Police News - Page 17
Five boys were called in and given polygraph tests.
Maria’s mother had called her boyfriend
Bubba that Monday night. He claimed he
had not seen or talked with her. He
claimed he went to Freeport with his
friend at ten o’clock that morning and
came back after dinner.
One of his Bubba’s friends said he was
taking the girls to Doc’s (nickname) boat
which was parked at the yacht basin.
The yacht basin is just below the Holiday
Mall.
We questioned if the boat had gone out
that day. It had and the time it left out
was about 2 p.m. and came back early
Tuesday morning.
The watchman
claimed they had put down the wrong
time they left and the wrong time they
came back.
Mrs. Johnson said later on that Monday
night she called back to Bubba’s house
to speak to him and his mother said he
went to bed because he was so tired.
Mrs. Johnson thinks she heard his car go
by her house and go down to the yacht
basin.
The boat that Doc owned that was
parked at the yacht basin was sunk
about 10 days later. The police said they
had gone on the boat, but I don’t believe
it. The boat is now at Sea Arama but no
one can go on it. It is just for looks.
They gave Doc a polygraph and he
admitted to smoking marijuana and lik-
0
2
to the beach and walked it and talked
with people to see if anyone had seen the
girl’s.
After dinner that day we went to town
and went into every store and found out
the girls had been in about five or six
stores. Then we went out to the Holiday
Mall and found out that they had been
there too.
That Wednesday we went down to the
police station and they questioned us
about the girl’s and we gave pictures and
descriptions of what the girl’s were wearing. We also was fingerprinted and photos were taken. We were told that two
young people had called and said that the
girls were runaways. The Chief of Police
said that there is one in every family.
That night we got a call from the police
asking us again what color hair did my
daughter have and what she was wearing. They did not tell us anything else.
The next morning we found out that a
fisherman was fishing at Turner’s Bayou
in Texas City and seen a white object in
the water. He told some of the men that
was working there at Humble Refinery
and they got a boat and they went out to
see what it was. It was Maria.
“The Texas City Police did not know
that two girls were missing. They went
up with a helicopter and they spotted
her. She (Debbie) was about 100 yards
from where Maria was found.
ing girls under 18-years old. Doc would
get the boy working for him to invite
young girls to the pizza place for free
pizza. He would have young boys and
girls on the boat at nights for drinking
and smoking marijuana. The watchman
at the yacht basin said he saw young girls
coming from his boat with only underwear and a top on.
At Sea Arama Doc has a lot of young
girls and boys working for him. He also
has a lot of crummy men working for
him. I hear from a good source that Doc
has a good lawyer that gets these dopers
off that are caught. Some lawyer in town
has a beach house that these dopers that
want to hide out can stay at the beach
house. Bubba and a lot of other people
worked for Doc.
“I was told by a high official that Sgt.
Joe Standley of the Crime Squad did not
look up any information we gave him.
One of my daughter’s friends was a Girl
Friday to Doc. She stayed more with him
than she did at home. I begged the
police to give this girl a polygraph but
they wouldn’t do it. She has been in
Boston, Mass. as a model. That is what
her mother told me. Every time Jami
would come back to Galveston she would
recruit young girls. The last girl she took
up there, Eileen, either was pushed or
jumped over a balcony. I still think Jami
had something to do with our case and
also something to do with Eileen’s case.
One girl that came back from Boston told
someone that she (Jami) was the manager over these girls. She bragged that she
had five fur coats. She gave her mother
a mink and her grandmother a fur coat,
her daddy a suit and her brother a
Honda. She claimed she made $5,000 a
month.”
Whatever may or may not have been relevant to the murder of her daughter, Dee
Ackerman made notes about it. Much of it
may have been rumor or gossip, but it
never slipped by her, it was written down
and stored in boxes and suitcases which
The Police News has recently been given
access to.
We do not know to whom this letter or
any of the other letters and notes were
sent to, or if they were actually sent to anyone. We do not know if police investigators have seen these articles and if they
have what value they were in the investigation of Debbie and Maria’s deaths. But we
do know from reading the large collection
left behind by Dee and Joe Ackerman, written over the span of thirty four years, that
the death of their daughter and the discovery of her killer, remained the highest priority of their lives until death did them
part.
Read more about the lifetime pursuit of a
killer, by these parents, in future issues of
the Gulf Coast Police News.
0
continued from page 1 (Till Death do us Part)
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409-949-4421
The Freezer Granny
By Vonn Auld Kopp
Sara Lee Stannard was a frail old
widow woman who lived in a downstairs
efficiency apartment in northwest
Houston. She had one child, a worthless ex-con lesbian daughter named
Cynthia Ruth. Her only offspring would
make most professional male wrestlers
appear effeminate by comparison.
Though the lady did not have the words
“Love and Hate” tattooed across her
knuckles, they would not have detracted
from her over all appearance. Sara
Stannard’s charitable behavior toward
her substance abusing Bull Dyke offspring was likely her only character flaw.
As Cleopatra of ancient days learned
only too well, if you take a viper to your
breast – you’re gonna get bit. So it
came to pass.
Miss Sara had lived in the same apartment for over fifteen years. She visited
with the office staff regularly and knew
almost everyone in the complex by
name. The office staff and most everyone else in the complex knew that her
daughter was allowed to come and visit,
but was not allowed to either spend the
night or use Miss Sara’s car. “Cindy’s
had some troubles in her past you
know.” When the grieving daughter
showed up on the complex telling of her
mother’s sudden death, suspicions were
immediately raised. The story told was
that Miss Sara had been visiting relatives in Kansas and
died of a massive
heart attack. The
tale continued that it
had been the wish of her
mother to be cremated
and have her ashes
scattered about
the old family
homestead. The
drug addict daughter appeared to
either not know
about or to have
forgotten about the
paid for funeral
plot beside her late
father. The apartment manager Iris
Crutcher became immediately suspicious. Miss Sara once told Iris
(several years before) about buying a
pre-paid funeral policy so that she would
not burden anyone.
Cindy had a cash and carry estate sale
and sold off everything except a chest
freezer. The manager noted the grieving
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daughter told everyone the moment they
walked into the apartment that the freezer was not for sale. Iris also keyed on
the fact that the freezer’s top was sealed
with multiple raps of duct tape. At the
end of the sale Cindy told Iris that she
would be back in two days with a truck
for the freezer. Iris’ brother lived in the
complex also. He was retired from
the Homicide Division
of the San Antonio
Police Department
and
he
now
worked part time
at the complex as
a handyman.
The story laid
down at trial time
by the retired cop
was that he had
been trying to run
down an electrical
problem plaguing
several of the
apartments the
day after Cindy’s
estate sale. He testified that he had tested electrical circuits
in two adjoining apartments before
entering the apartment of the late Sara
Stannard. Once inside he tested several
circuits, and then lifted the lid on the
chest freezer to see if it was still running.
Therein he found the frozen remains of
Sara Lee Stannard. He was steadfast in
his statement of facts. He also testified
that there had been no duct tape around
the lid of the freezer, and that the freezer’s door had been unlocked. He did not
testify to the fact that he was also
trained as a locksmith, nor was he
asked.
Haskell and Jenkins were the pair of
detectives next up on the rotation when
the “Frozen Granny in the Freezer” case
came in. Knowing that everyone and his
dog would read their report and armchair quarterback it at some later date,
they obtained a search warrant to
process the scene. The scene investigation was limited to photos and fingerprinting of the chest freezer. The apartment was clean and cleared of any trash
or refuse. Cindy had seen to that, as she
had need of her mother’s security
deposit.
The pair of detectives was called
Heckle and Jeckle by their co-workers
(after the cartoon characters) and the
nicknames were well deserved. The
investigators gave a somber statement
to the news cameras that had gathered
about the scene like blowflies on a dead
cow. When the body was rolled out of
the apartment to the awaiting meat
wagon (morgue transport vehicle) they
walked behind the gurney singing
“Everybody doesn’t like something, but
continued on page 23 (Freezer Granny)
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Gulf Coast Police News - Page 19
continued from page 13 (R-House)
marijuana and alcohol. They entered RHouse and stayed away from the weed
and drink.
“Marijuana was their drug of choice,”
Baker said. “Although it had not driven
them to the point of dereliction, it prevented them from doing what they wanted to
do with their lives. So, they came here for
help. They stayed here for four to six
months.”
“They got regular jobs, cleared up the
wreckage of their past and applied to the
military,” he added. “Two are in Iraq right
now and the other two are on their way.
One of them will be coming home for
Christmas. He calls this home because he
was actually an orphan at the Children’s
Center. When he turned 18 they put him
out and he came here. One graduates
boot camp on the 15th (January) and
leaves for Iraq.
”While some residents took the option of
the R-House rather than going to jail,
Baker explained that residents are not
court-ordered into the program – it’s
strictly voluntary. If residents are courtordered it would make it difficult to boot
them out in the event of a relapse.
“We have a rate of recovery that’s twice
the national average,” Baker said. “The
national average, they say one in 10 who
comes through a place like this will actually stay sober, which isn’t very good. We
have blown that out of the water, literally.
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Page 20 - Gulf Coast Police News
We only hold 12 guys at a time. When we
first moved into the house, we only had
eight people here. Four of them are still
sober and clean.”
One of the four started a car dealership,
one works for the AIDS Coalition and two
who own their businesses hire R-House
residents.
As of this year, R-House was designated
as a non-profit 501(c)(3) but they have not
received any outside funding – it’s all been
supported by the residents. The facility is
for men only. On Jan. 1, Baker said they
will be opening a facility for women only,
“and we are going to need a lot of support
from the community to get that rolling
because we had to purchase the property.”
“It’s been sheer grace of God,” he said.
“We go through times when it’s a real
struggle. There are a few times when the
Jesse Tree has gotten some churches
together to help pay our electric bill for the
month. But other than that we want the
guys to fund it themselves.”
People donate usable items to the RHouse and they have garage sales and car
washes. They also pick up and deliver food
for Gleaning for the Harvest.
“The rewards keep us going, especially
when we see a young person graduate,”
he said. “We have another lease with an
option to buy for the women’s facility.”
“We haven’t taken any contributions prior
to this year but now that we are moving forward – we just finished our ADA ramps and
ADA requirements,” said Baker. “Now we
are able to receive contributions from individuals and organizations.”
With the experience of alumni who train
residents, donations of cars or boats
would be accepted, which can be repaired
and used by residents. The center has
operated on a $60,000 annual budget
since it opened but with the women’s facility opening, Baker anticipates a need for
$200,000 to purchase the property and
meet fire requirements.
The city was helpful when they first got
started as well as the Galveston Police
Department and some city council members have supported R-House. Baker said RHouse has been supported but not monetarily by just about everybody on the Island.
“I have sent some clients over there,”
said Norman Burch, a chemical-depend-
❝
ency counselor. “A lot of the clients I work
with are homeless and have mental health
problems — they are allowed to stay there
for a period of time.”
Speaking about the success rate of RHouse, Burch said: “If they get a job and
work and get their own place and they are
not on the street using drugs, then that
would be called success.”
Most residents at R-House have gone
through detoxification, and Burch
explained their next step toward sobriety
would be consistent shelter.
“It helps being off the street,” he added.
“If you’re sleeping in an alley somewhere,
you’re not going to stay sober very long. It
provides a positive atmosphere. People I
have sent over there have done pretty well.”
“Where we come in,” says Baker. “We
take everyone that doesn’t have insurance.
Most of them come from the streets but
they go through a treatment program first.”
R-House residents – 150 per year on average, are referred by MHMR, Jesse Tree,
Salvation Army, Gulf Coast Centers, Our
Daily Bread and other agencies. R-House
usually asks them to go to a 14-to 28-day
treatment program at the very minimum
the University of Texas Medical Branch at
Galveston detoxification program.
Detoxification is different depending on
the type of drugs being abused. Some
require regular supervision while others
involve clinical medical detoxification
because there is a possibility that a person
could die.
“That’s why we don’t do it here,” said
Baker. “We let professionals take care of
that.”
For heroin and other opiates medical
professionals sometimes induce a coma,
which is different in duration for different
people. It completely counteracts the opiates in the user’s body, “it’s actually
depleting the opiates from their body,”
said Baker.
“The pain that they go through (in the
cold turkey process) and the misery they
go through kind of sometimes helps them
not to want to go back to using,” he
added. “The other one, they go to sleep
and they wake up and they’re detoxed. It’s
a lot easier now for them to go and get
high again. They’re completely detoxed so
there’s a Catch-22 there.”
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The coma induced detoxification
process does remove the immediate cravings but Baker explained that “addiction is
a long-term illness.”
“We address the things that once they
are physically detoxed, we address the
issues that bring them back to that,” he
added, “their living environment or their
working environment.”
When the Bakers were in the process of
buying the house the residents helped
bring it up to code. The roof had seven layers of shingles and the interior of the
house needed a massive amount of work.
One resident had been a lifelong shrimper
– that wasn’t very conducive for him to
become sober because of the people he
knew and the boat where he worked.
“We didn’t want him going back to that
environment,” Baker said. “Well, he got up
on this roof and it was the first time in his
life that he had ever used a hammer seven
years ago and now he owns a construction
company and he builds houses on the
West End.”
“We completely changed his job and his
lifestyle,” he added. “We’ve had several
that have done the same thing. We’ve had
guys who were bartenders who couldn’t
bar tend and not drink. Now Jesse, who is
one of them, did the same thing owns a
home remodeling business.”
Seven years ago the entire block of
Avenue S was condemned properties.
Baker and recovering residents did not
stop with R-House – they remodeled and
improved the whole block.
“We’ve had 28 people in the last seven
years who have accumulated a lot of success as far as clean time, changing their
life style, their job,” Baker said. “Six of our
graduates have their own businesses.
Many of them work for local companies
and have been gainfully employed for
quite a long time. That’s what we look at.”
The R-House program is a 90-day to sixmonth program. Baker suggests that they
stay six months – the minimum is 90 days.
Residents are required to save a minimum
of 30 percent of what they are paid.
“It’s all self paid here,” he said. “We
don’t take insurance. They’ve got to go out
and earn it themselves and pay for it themselves — $100 per week includes room,
board, food and laundry.”
Also the residents are required to apply
for and get a job in the house. Jobs
include house manager, kitchen manager,
ramrod, yard person and others. When
they come in they are a guest. They are
required to go to 12-step meetings such as
Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics
Anonymous. Residents must document
their attendance at the meetings, some
three meeting per day.
“When they have been here for a while
they become the guy that works with the
new candidates,” Baker said, explaining
that the program is setup in steps which
continued on page 27 (R-House)
Deputies Presence Deterrent to School Violence
By Anthony Jones
D
angerous six-shooters and ten-gallon hats do not define the
Galveston
County
Sheriff
Department but a proactive staff of about
493 employees with their hands on technology help to keep the future in focus and safe
for communities throughout the county.
The Galveston County Sheriff’s office
has remained in the forefront of law
enforcement. School Liaison Officers
Program Capt. Mary Johnson explained
how the program provides a safe learning
environment for students.
Johnson said crime is not increasing at
Galveston area schools. She says sometimes when a child is found to be “destined to end up in serious trouble,” it’s
great to see an officer redirect that child.
“They are going to try to help them,”
said Johnson, who was at Clear Lake High
School for 20 years. “They can really turn
a kid around. You need to be consistent
with each child.”
Johnson is a certified peace officer and
she has an associate’s degree in criminology. She is the recipient of numerous
awards, including several from the
Houston Police Department as well as two
commendations. Johnson also recently
received recognition from LINKS, an
African-American Women’s organization
for outstanding service to the youth.
There are 21 officers assigned to the
Clear Creek Independent School District
and five officers assigned to the Texas City
Independent School District, Johnson
explained.
Clear Creek ISD presents a particular
problem with jurisdiction, which Johnson
said is alleviated by cooperation.
“We have a great relationship with all of
the agencies in Harris County,” she said.
“All of our officers work with designated
juvenile detention centers. The officers are
tied into the Harris County Justice
Information Management System (JIMS).”
“We provide police services to those districts,” Johnson added. “We try to always
provide a safe learning environment. And
we try to be sensitive to the students
needs, to the parents’ needs and the community’s needs.”
“Our job is not only as a law enforcement person, we’re also there as a mentor
and someone who a child in need might
need to come to talk to for advice or men-
Capt. Mary Johnson
torship.”
Galveston County Sheriff Gean Leonard
explained that overall his office operates
about 100 vehicles but in the School
Liaison Officers program, “the vehicles
look like ours but they are actually owned
by the Clear Creek Independent School
District.”
“We have contractual arrangements with
the Clear Creek and Texas City ISDs,”
Leonard said. “It’s another one of our
gems. We’ve actually been with the Clear
Creek ISD more than 20 years.”
The school districts do not have a police
department and instead they contract with
the Galveston County government.
“We now have more than 20 officers in
that program – it started with one,” said
Leonard. “The school districts actually
have a contract with county government
and the districts reimburse the county for
expenditures. We have one with Texas City
and one with Clear Creek.”
At one time two other districts had contracts with the county. The sheriff
explained that the county has at least two
other districts right now who are negotiating school district contracts.
“We don’t market it we don’t solicit but
we have a product that has been longstanding,” he added. Leonard said the
Galveston County program predates the
terminology of the School Resource
Officers.
“We didn’t know what to call it – when
the program began, it had one officer,”
said Leonard who is keen on acronyms. “I
jokingly said let’s call it the School Liaison
Officer Program.”
Although it spelled SLOP, it became the
School Liaison Officer Program in
Galveston County well before the popular
nomenclature, SRO, evolved in other
school districts in Texas.
Capt. Johnson explained that officers in
her division have different outside programs to which they can refer students
and families.
“We do this through the courts and the
family intervention program,” Johnson
added. “Say a child is involved in a Class
C criminal act, a JP Judge, Precinct 8-1
Justice of the Peace Kathleen McCumber
or Precinct 7 Justice of the Peace Mark A.
Foster, can sentence that child and the
parents to attend a class.”
“In that program, we touch on all laws
that might affect juvenile offenders,” she
said. “Long-term effects if they are
processed through the court system. It
gives parents a broad knowledge of things
to look for – sometimes they notice that a
child’s behavior has changed but they
don’t know what to do or who to call.”
Johnson explained that it gives the parents and the child a wide-ranging view, “it
gives them explanations and opportunities
as far as different programs that they can
get involved in.” She said some students
continued on page 22 (Program)
P*A*M*S
Precinct 7 Constables office has established
the
P*A*M*S,
Predator
Apprehension Monitoring Squad. The
purpose of P*A*M*S is to make contact
with every registered SEX OFFENDER
within precinct 7. This would include
Bacliff, San Leon, Bayview, Kemah, Clear
Lake Shores, League City and Dickinson.
Making contact would include verification of home address, work address and
conditions of offender registry and monitoring there compliance to any and all
conditions
and
laws. Constable
Matrangas office will also maintain a file
on every registered Sex offender in
precinct 7 to be updated and monitored
weekly to monthly. Any offender found
not to be incompliance will subject to
charges and arrest.
The point of this squad is not to harass
but to see that compliance is in place. We
are working in connection with the
Sheriffs department as the “eyes” in the
community to monitor these offenders
closely. Our goal is to work with every
agency in this precinct and throughout the
county to insure the safety of our children
and the families that choose Galveston
County as their home.
The P*A*M*S will also monitor the predators who prey on our seniors with scams,
identity theft and other crimes against our
super seniors.
We at precinct 7 are taking steps to
bring our community closer and safer.
We offer a HOT LINE that citizens may
call confidentially and leave a message if
they suspect a senior is being preyed on
or if they have a concern about a registered Sex Offender.
HOT LINE – 281-316-8813.
We do ask that citizens do not attempt
to make contact with any registered Sex
offender themselves and allow us to deal
with those issues.
For information on P*A*M*S please contact this office 281-316-8806.
It is my honor to serve as your
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Gulf Coast Police News - Page 21
continued from page 21 (Program)
are charged with assault, fighting, smoking, truancy, disorderly conduct, disruptive
behavior, and disruption of an educational
process. However, truancy is handled by
truancy officers.
“In other words, if a teacher is teaching
a class and this child is so disruptive and
takes away from a teacher trying to teach,
then we can actually file a criminal charge
on a child and make them appear before a
judge,” Johnson said. “Out of all of the
children that were involved in the Family
Intervention Program, we’ve only had one
or two repeat offenders.”
The Judges would look at repeat offenders in a different light and may sentence
the offender to a harsher sentence,
according to Capt. Johnson. When there is
a disturbance in a classroom and an officer is dispatched, the student is brought to
the principal’s office where they hold a
conference.
“A lot of times the student is cited,” she
added. “They also might issue school discipline.”
As far as on campus violence, Johnson
said that is one of the reasons they are
there “and it’s a great deterrent.”
“We determine if there was a disruption,
has it endangered anybody,” she added.
“All of that stuff is looked at – we don’t just
say you did this and this is what you’re
going to get.”
“We have to have a complainant – the
teacher would be a complainant,” Johnson
said. “If a student is cussing in the hallway
or whatever – if they are a complainant,
they have to testify. All of those people
have to go to court to testify on that case.
These are like traffic tickets.”
While Johnson explained that Class C
misdemeanors are handled through that
process, Class B misdemeanors and
above as well as felonies go to a district
court, county court or juvenile court.
“That’s a whole different thing,” she
added. “Then you get into felonies. It
depends on the crime.”
Johnson explained that in the case of
drugs found on students, “it’s an automatic up” because it’s on school property or
within 500-feet of a public school.
Although there may be school disciplinary
actions taken if an officer finds a child with
prescription drugs that were prescribed to
them, the District Attorney probably would
not file charges in the case.
“They have school policy and rules,” she
added. “Parents need to deliver medicine
with the proper dosage. They don’t need to
hand it to a child. It’s not the kids’ responsibility.”
“The officers assigned to the School
Liaison Division have a lot of experience,”
Johnson said. “They are highly trained.
Quiet a few of us have a master peace officer’s license.”
For the past five years the division hosted “Alert Training” that is sponsored by
Texas Tech University. The active shooting
training program is open to law enforcement professionals from Harris County,
Galveston County and other counties. All
first responders attending are trained to
act on school emergencies. Johnson said
Texas City ISD schools are working closely
with Texas City Police.
“All officers in the Galveston area are
trained so we’re on the same page,”
Johnson said. “We do at-risk screenings
and there is a policy for that in place.”
A school district can take measures to
remove a child who they determine is a
danger to himself or others. All principals
at Clear Creek ISD’s 38 campuses are
trained in lockdown procedures - “this is
what you do, evacuation, lockdown
depends on the situation.”
“If there is a child with a gun, the principals and staff know what to do,” Johnson
added. “That’s why we go over these drills.
If there is an armed suspect in the area of
a school, the school must be locked down.”
Teachers would most likely be involved
with a child who has done something that
may indicate an at-risk student. A school
counselor determines if the child is a danger to himself or others.
“We might have to work with MHMR,
depends on the circumstances,” said
Johnson. “Little Johnny may have wrote,
‘he’s going to hurt someone.’ Years ago,
before Columbine, they use to blow that
off – they don’t blow that off anymore.
Everybody has to work together.”
Johnson mentioned the success of the
Clear Lake ISD Student Crime Stopper program, which falls under the Clear Lake
Crime Stoppers umbrella. Students have a
hotline that they can call, those students
participating are given a number that they
can take to a bank to receive rewards for
the information they provide.
Funding for the crime stoppers reward
program use to originate from the Bay
Area Crime Stoppers which joined recently with Mainland Crime Stoppers in Texas
City. Rewards vary depending on the circumstances of the crime being reported.
Johnson said last year the program awarded about $10,000 for tips.
Johnson explained that like everywhere
else, marijuana and prescription drug
abuse is an issue in area schools. But a
big concern she said is the sharp rise in
prescription drug abuse such as Xanax
and OxyContin.
“That’s real popular right now among
the youth,” she said. “But it’s very dangerous. If the child is in such shape that the
child can be taken home by a parent that
would happen but in many cases we would
have to bring them to a hospital.”
She said most students know that what
they do today will effect the rest of their
lives.
Sheriff Leonard has made law enforcement his life’s work. He was invited to
continued on next page (Program)
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Page 22 - Gulf Coast Police News
Galveston Sheriff Debuts New
Child Protection System
GALVESTON - Galveston County Sheriff Gean
Leonard introduced a new system in December
that will identify and locate missing children and
adults through the use of Iris Recognition
Biometric Technology.
At a press conference in the Joe Max Taylor
Criminal Justice Center, Leonard demonstrated
and officially launched The Children’s
Identification and Location Database (CHILD)
Project. His office is the first in Texas to install
the CHILD project System.
The CHILD Project is a secure nationwide network and registry that enables law enforcement
and social service agencies to locate and positively identify missing children and adults with iris
biometric recognition technology. Through this
network, the CHILD Project will compare the
unique features contained in the iris against a
database of individuals who voluntarily enroll
throughout the country to determine identity.
Participation is entirely voluntary, just as it is now
with fingerprint and photo ID card programs.
The CHILD Project database will be hosted by
The Nation’s Missing Children Organization and
National Center for Missing Adults (NMCO) www.theyaremissed.org a non-profit agency
providing nationwide assistance to law enforcement and families of missing persons. The
agency, headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, was
founded in 1994 and provides a variety of services including advocacy, search assistance, national distribution of information related to missing
persons and various programs addressing child
safety.
“This is a unique and innovative program that
will fill an important gap in our ability to quickly,
and positively identify missing children and
adults,” said
Leonard.
According
to
U.S.
Department
of
Justice
studies, on
average,
more than
2,000 children
are
r e p o r t e d Sheriff Gean Leonard
missing every Introduces CHILD Project
day across to Media)
continued from previous page (Program)
attend the FBI National Academy, graduating with the 168th Session – only one out
of every 17,000 police officers in the world
is selected. He has also been selected for
specialized training by the US Secret
Service and has attended training at the
National Center for Missing and Exploited
Children.
Leonard’s call to sheriff office staff has
been one of preparedness, dedication,
progress and accomplishment. His 31
years of service and experience, all here in
Galveston County are complemented by
Master Peace Officer certification and a
Masters degree in criminology and corrections.
“Its a complex organization divided into
three distinct bureaus,” Leonard said,
referring to the sheriff’s office. “Under
each of those bureau commands there are
various functional components called divisions, varying in size and varying in function. Each is important to serving the community including other law enforcement
agencies.”
“We are a $22 million business, operating within the framework of government,”
Leonard added. “Strictly speaking, we are
‘not for profit;’ yet, we remain cognizant of
revenues generated by our efforts in that
those numbers are helpful in our continuing efforts to work more efficiently. Well
over half our expenses are related to jail
operations, with several million dollars
directly attributable to unfunded mandates
from state government.”
“In round numbers we were probably in
excess of $18 million last year,” said
Leonard. “We changed through the year.
The growth area which is the jail, how that
impacted our budget – it impacts us every
year but most notably this past year.”
“We’re obviously (a) 24 hours a day 365
days a year operation, we have currently
493 staff, — that’s everybody, full-time,
part-time, correctional officers, peace officers, and so on.”
Of that number, the department employs
25 full-time civilians, 135 full-time sworn
officers (with peace officer status), 67
part-time sworn, 10 non-paid reserves,
and 256 corrections officers.
Leonard explained that there are really
only two things constitutionally that a sheriff in Texas must do: One is operate and
maintain the county jail; The other is serv-
the country and there are currently over 47,000
active missing adult cases.
Leonard said the cost of the first two machines
will be covered by private donations. The Port of
Texas City has already contributed $5,000
towards the initial $35,000 initial startup cost.
He will be meeting with other potential donors
soon.
The Sheriff told the media group, meeting in
the new training room facility at the Justice
Center, that he is hopeful that he will have all
sheriff’s patrol cars equipped with one of the
computers one day.
continued from page 19 (Freezer Granny)
nobody doesn’t like Sara Lee.” The
Chief Investigator at the county morgue
would later report that Jenkins called
him from the scene asking how to
defrost a ninety pound turkey.
Big breaks in murder cases often
come about from what is sometimes
called a Magic phone Call. They occur
more often than many investigators
would like to admit. Such was the clearance of the murder of Miss Sara. The
Frozen Granny case got a lot of play
from the television people, and that
exposure brought out a witness. Early
in the morning following the discovery of
the body, Galveston Police detectives
were calling Houston Homicide with
information. A local street bum type in
Galveston had supposedly made an
admission to a group of bar patrons that
he had been present when Miss Sara
was strangled. The fact that she had
been strangled had not yet been
released to anyone. The supposed witness was a transient type that was well
known to the street officers, and was
called “E.T.” by everyone.
The Galveston cops said that they
were quite sure they could find E.T. without any real difficulty, and they were
positive he would become civic minded
and “volunteer” to come in for an interview. The Houston detectives headed
south and in an hour and a half were
interviewing Eugene T. Wilson a.k.a. E.T.
Eugene was truthful and admitted to
knowing the suspect in this case. He
went on to say that he had been present
continued on page 31 (Freezer Granny)
ing all of those processes that emanate
form the courts.
“That would include subpoenas, summons, writs of attachment and on and on,”
Leonard added. The Galveston County
Sheriff office is divided into three distinct
bureaus and those are made up of divisions, including the Criminal Enforcement
side with Patrol, the Criminal
Investigations Division (CID), Warrants,
the School Program, the Marine Division,
the Counter Terrorism Intelligence Group
(CTIG), and Safe Streets program (FBI
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Schedule Execution – January 25, 2007
Ronald Chambers
Born: January 11, 1055 in Dallas
County
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Ronald Chambers arrived on death row
when Gerald Ford was president and
George W. Bush was still in business
school. Since then, 380 of his fellow prisoners have been executed in the nation’s
most active capital punishment state.
Now time may finally be running out for
Chambers, who is scheduled to die this
month after becoming the longest-serving
death row inmate in Texas.
Chambers’ longevity gets him the designation “Old School” by younger inmates.
His encounters with other inmates are
infrequent since death row inmates are
kept isolated. They spend only one hour a
day outside their cells, exercising alone in
a small concrete enclosure.
Chambers’ tenure makes him one of the
longest-serving death row inmates in the
nation. The longest-serving death row prisoner is Gary Alvord, a convicted murderer
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January 8, 1976, three days before his
21st birthday.
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Page 24 - Gulf Coast Police News
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
overturned Chambers’ conviction eight
years later, ruling that a state-appointed
psychiatrist who questioned him failed to
warn Chambers his responses would be
used against him.
He was convicted again in 1985, but the
Supreme Court threw out that conviction
four years later, ruling that prosecutors
improperly excluded three black people
from his jury. Chambers is black.
He was convicted for a third time in
1992 and sentenced again to die.
Chambers’ accomplice in the attacks,
Clarence Ray Williams, pleaded guilty to
aggravated robbery and murder and is
serving two life sentences.
Their victims, Mike McMahan and Deia
Sutton, had been with friends at a Dallas
club on April 11, 1975. As the two students left, Chambers and Williams confronted the pair at gunpoint and forced
their way into the students’ car.
Williams drove to a levee south of downtown Dallas where the captors pushed the
couple down an embankment. Chambers
ordered them to stop near the bottom,
then fired five shots at them. As the
attackers walked back up the hill,
McMahan called to Sutton to see if she
was OK.
That’s when the killers heard him and
returned.
Chambers pummeled McMahan in the
back of the head 10 to 20 times with a
shotgun. Williams choked Sutton and tried
to drown her in the muddy water.
Chambers also pounded her three times
with the shotgun. Then they left.
Sutton told police she counted 15 times
to 60 before moving, saw McMahan dead
nearby, then managed to walk a half-mile
to a hotel to summon police.
Scheduled Execution – January 24, 2007
Larry Ray Swearingen
Born: May 21, 1971 in Montgomery
County, Texas
Occupation: Electrician, Mechanic,
Laborer
Education Level: 11
Larry Ray Swearingen was convicted of
killing Melissa Trotter in the course of
either an aggravated kidnapping or aggravated sexual assault in his Montgomery
County trailer home. According to the
prosecution, Swearingen became angry
that Trotter rejected his sexual advances.
He strangled her with pantyhose, and
dumped her body in the nearby National
Forest where she remained until about 25
days after the crime was committed.
Trotter was found lying on her back,
clothing pulled up under her arms, and
one shoe off. Her jeans were on and the fly
was closed, but one pocket was torn
continued on next page (Executions)
continued from previous page (Executions)
exposing her red underwear. No scratches
were found on her skin, and no soil was on
her shoes. Evidence showed the pantyhose came from Swearingen’s home, and
that Trotter also had an injury on her neck
that could have been caused by a knife.
She had no injuries that indicated she had
struggled with her assailant, but did have
a bruise on her face, and a discoloration in
her vagina that could have been a bruise,
though there was no evidence of penetration.
Swearingen wrote a letter to his mother
in Spanish purporting to be from a female
who implicated her boyfriend was the murderer. At trial, the state proved the letter
was written in Swearingen’s handwriting.
Scheduled Execution – January 10, 2007
Garlos Granados
Born: September 18,
Manhattan, N.Y.
Occupation: Laborer
Education Level: 11
1970
in
Carlos Granados is on death row for
stabbing his girlfriend and killing her 3year old son in Georgetown in 1998.
On Texas Death Row: Carlos Granados,
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Number 999307, was received at TDCJ on
May 6, 1999. Originally scheduled for exe-
cution on July 18, 2003 he received a stay
of execution.
Carlos Granados was born in 1970, it
was just days before his 28th birthday
when he stabbed his girlfriend, Katherine
Jiminez, and killed her 3-year old son,
Anthony.
Originally from New York, Granados had
dated Katherine Jiminez prior to her marriage and the birth of her son and
remained in contact after they broke up.
After the breakup of the Jiminez marriage,
Granados again began seeing Jiminez and
he moved back to Texas from New York. In
August 1998 he moved into Jiminez’
apartment in Georgetown, Williamson
County.
Anthony Jiminez was born June 13,
1995 to Anthony and Katherine Jiminez.
In January 1998 after his parents separated, Anthony (son) and his mother moved
into an apartment in Georgetown. Later
that year, Carlos Granados moved into the
same apartment.
On September 13, 1998 Katherine
Jiminez and Carlos Granados got into an
argument and Jiminez told Granados she
wanted him to leave. Jiminez and
Granados were in the bedroom while 3
year old Anthony was watching television
in the living room. There was a brief period where the argument had subsided and
Jiminez spoke briefly on the phone to her
sister, Elizabeth. Granados left the room
then returned with a knife and began stabbing Jiminez and slashing her throat. After
an unsuccessful attempt to call the police,
Granados dragged Jiminez to the kitchen
and stabbed her again. He then left the
kitchen and stabbed Anthony Jiminez
once in the chest. He died moments later.
Meanwhile family members became
worried about Jiminez and her son
because Anthony had not been dropped
off at his grandmother’s house for regularly scheduled child care and Jiminez had
not showed up for work. Calls and visits to
the apartment went unanswered. After
police and firefighters arrived at the apartment on September 14, 1998 and broke
down the door they found Katherine
Jiminez alive but with multiple stab
wounds, Anthony dead, and Carlos
Granados holding a bloody knife.
Katherine Jiminez told officers “He killed
my baby, and I have been waiting for you
to come.”
Grenados began shouting at the officers,
“Shoot me, just shoot me.” He had a
gaping wound to his throat, both wrists
and the isnide of both elbows that had
been self inflicted. He continued to beg
the officers to shoot him.
Scheduled Execution - January 17, 2007
Jonathan Bryant Moore
Born: April 4, 1974 in Bexar County,
Texas
Occupation: Telemarketing
Education Level: 12
On January 15, 1995, at approximately
5:00 a.m., San Antonio police officer
Fabian Dominguez went off duty and
began driving home in his personal vehicle. Officer Dominguez lived in San
Antonio with his wife and infant twin
continued on page 26 (Executions)
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continued from page 25 (Executions)
daughters. He was a few blocks from
home when he noticed suspicious activity
at the William Braden residence. Based on
what he observed, he took action to investigate what appeared to be a burglary in
progress. When he pulled into the driveway, blocking in the suspects’ vehicle,
Paul Cameron, Pete Dowdle, and
Johnathan Moore were concluding their
second trip to burglarize the home.
In his voluntary written statement,
Moore described the sequence of events
leading up to the murder of Officer
Dominguez. “For some dumb reason we
decided to go back to the house on
Country Flower. We went in Pete’s grandmother’s car … Pete drove. I was in the
front passenger side of the car and Paul
was in the backseat. Pete backed the car
into the driveway. Pete stayed out in the
car. We had accidentally left the front door
wide open the first time. Me and Paul went
in through the front door. We didn’t have
any problem with the dog. All three of us
were wearing gloves again. Some guns
and a compound bow were left from the
first time. We got those things. Me and
Paul decided to split from the inside. We
walked outside and we saw a car passing
by. The car stopped and I saw the reverse
lights come on. We all got into the car.
Pete was behind the wheel. I was in the
front passenger seat and Paul was in the
backseat.
The car pulled into the driveway and
pretty much blocked us in. The police officer got out of the car and had his gun
pointing at Pete. I could see that this guy
was wearing a police uniform. The officer
said get out of the car now. I had my window rolled down. The officer kept repeating “get out of the car”… I kept telling Pete
let’s split but he would not do it. By that
time the officer walked up to the car and
had the gun pointed at my head.
The officer was on the passenger side of
Pete’s car. The officer told Pete to give him
the car keys and Pete gave it to him. I
scooted the officer’s pistol away and I
pulled out my gun and shot at him. I
believe I shot at him three times. The offi-
Scheduled Execution – January 30, 2007
Christopher Jay Swift
Born: February 12, 1975 in Dallas
Occupation: Laborer
Education Level: 10
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cer fell to the ground. I already had my
gun in my hand when the officer walked
up. My gun is a .25 caliber automatic. It’s
plated and it’s a Lorcin brand.
After I shot the officer his gun fell into
the front seat of Pete’s car. I got out of the
car and I got the car keys and gave them
to Pete. I got the officer’s gun and shot the
officer three times in the head. I got back
in the car and we split. Paul was in the
backseat during the whole time.
Pete didn’t want to get into trouble after
I shot the cop so he drove away.”
Neighbors across the street heard gunfire coming from the Braden home. Upon
receiving a 911 call, police and emergency
personnel were immediately dispatched.
Officer Dominguez was dead by the time
firemen arrived on the scene. The coroner
later determined that Officer Dominguez
died from multiple gunshot wounds to the
head.
Ballistics established that the wounds
were inflicted by one shot from appellant’s
.25 caliber handgun, and three shots from
Officer Dominguez’s .40 caliber service
weapon.
After leaving the scene of the crime,
Moore, Cameron, Dowdle, and Moore’s
girlfriend, Meredith Nichols, traveled to a
plot of land near Pipe Creek, Texas, where
they disposed of both murder weapons
and the items stolen from the Braden residence.
The following day Moore was developed
as a suspect in the burglary. He was subsequently located and seen driving a vehicle that belonged to Nichols. Nichols was
a passenger in the vehicle. While under
police surveillance, Moore committed
numerous traffic violations. When police
officers signaled him to pull to the side of
the road, a high speed chase ensued.
Twenty miles later, Moore and Nichols
were captured after Moore careened to
the side of the road. After a brief struggle,
San Antonio police officers arrested Moore
and took him into custody. In his voluntary
statement Moore explained his flight from
authorities, stating, “I figured pretty much
that the cops knew that I was the one that
shot the cop.”
Swift was originally indicted on individ-
ual murder charges out of Dallas and
Denton counties because his wife Amy
Sabeh-Swift’s body was found in Irving
and her mother, Sandra Stevens Sabeh,
61, was found in Lake Dallas.
But the cases were combined, and Swift
was reindicted for capitol murder which is
allowed in Texas when multiple murders
are committed as a single act.
Amy Sabeh-Swift, who was eight months
pregnant, was found dead in her home at
Irving View RV Park in Irving on April 30,
2003. Her mother’s body was found the
continued on next page (Executions)
Traffic-Related Law Officer Deaths Jump Pilgrim Cleaners
WASHINGTON (AP) — Police officers who
can ticket you for not wearing a seat belt
sometimes ditch their own restraints, a
factor that may have contributed to a double-digit jump this year in law enforcement
traffic fatalities, according to a new study.
Many patrol car seat belts tangle with
gun belts worn by officers, causing some
of them to choose access to a firearm over
seat belt safety, said Craig W. Floyd, chairman of the National Law Enforcement
Officers Memorial Fund.
“There are times, I’m afraid, where
some officers think it’s to their benefit to
not have their seat belt on,” Floyd said in
an interview. “They’re worried that if someone were to start shooting at them and
they have to jump out of their car quickly,
it might get tangled.”
The choice may explain the 16 percent
increase in officer fatalities in traffic-related crashes this year over 2005, according
to the report Wednesday by the Memorial
Fund and the Concerns of Police
Survivors.
According to preliminary statistics compiled through Monday, traffic fatalities
claimed the lives of 73 of the 151 officers
killed in 2006. This compares to 63 officers killed in traffic accidents in 2005, the
groups said.
Of those 73 fatalities, 47 involved vehicles, the report found. It’s unclear how
many of those officers killed were not
wearing seat belts, Floyd said.
Inappropriate safety equipment and a
lack of defensive driver training have con-
tributed to the jump in traffic fatalities,
Floyd said. Besides specially-designed seat
belts, the groups say patrol cars should
have standard fire suppression equipment
and front and side air bags.
Simple odds factor into the increase, too,
the groups said. There are more patrol officers on the roads now than ever - 900,000
sworn officers patrolling the roads compared to 693,127 in 1997, according to
federal statistics cited by the report.
The traffic deaths outpaced gun-related
fatalties as they have in past years.
Officers shot to death in 2006 declined 9
percent, from 59 last year to 54, the
report said.
Over the past 30 years, the number of
officers killed in automobile crashes has
jumped by 40 percent while the number
shot to death during that period has
declined by about the same amount.
Other causes of officer deaths in 2006
were widespread, ranging from job-related
illnesses to aircraft crashes, beatings and
stabbings.
One officer, was killed by a roadside
bomb in Iraq: Daniel. J. Kuhlmeier, 30, a
special agent of the Air Force’s Office of
Special Investigations in Washington.
The most deadly state for officers this
year was California, where 17 died in the
line of duty. Virginia took second place
with 10 officer fatalities. New York and
Texas lost nine officers, while Florida and
Illinois suffered eight officer deaths each,
the report said.
continued from previous page (Executions)
same day at Kingswood Mobile Home
Park in Lake Dallas.
Sabeh-Swift, an aide at the Denton State
School, had been strangled and stabbed
in her Dallas County home. Swift’s motherin-law had been strangled.
Police arrested Swift, on a warrant alleging murder, in Dallas hours after the bodies were found.
Sabeh-Swift’s unborn child also died, but
charges are not being pursued in that
death, police said.
Swift’s son Zachery, who was 5 years old
at the time, is believed to have witnessed
the slayings.
After the 2 women were killed, Swift
checked into a motel in Farmers Branch,
where he abandoned Zachery after the
youngster fell asleep, authorities said.
Zachery called police after he woke up
later that day.
continued from page 20 (R-House)
residents progress through during the
duration of their stay. Each elevation in
progress carries a little more responsibility. But their peers rank as the top reason
for not regressing to drug abuse.
“That’s the biggest asset we have is that
its peer supported,” he added. “My wife
and I are both counselors but our best way
to handle things is send them to their fellow 12-step members for help.”
There are house meetings where grievances are aired. The group meetings allow
residents to talk about any problems that
they are having in an “open environment,”
says Baker.
“We don’t want them dependent on us to
solve their problems,” he added. “When
they are here, they are building a support
group.”
Residents usually have a job within the
first month and upon receipt of their first
check, they owe R-House for a month of
room and board. He explained that they
have a choice “to either go back to using
or stay at the home.”
Baker said when someone starts sacrificing their family, their friends, or their life
for anything it’s an addiction, regardless of
what chemical they use. Residents have
the choice of which course they will take.
The only thing they require is a sponsor
and a support group in a 12-step program.
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737-2414
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At The Traffic Light in Jamaica Beach
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Gulf Coast Police News - Page 27
SEX OFFENDERS — BRAZORIA COUNTY
Galveston Health & Racquet Club
Galveston’s Finest & Only
Family Fitness Center
Offering
POLICE FAMILY
MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT
www.galvestonfitness.com
(409) 744-3651
2318 83rd Street
LOAN
COMPANY
2327 Broadway
Galveston, Tx 77550
(409) 765-8410
815 W. Main St.
League City, Tx 77573
(281) 338-4060
3307 Palmer Highway
Texas City, Tx
409-941-9403
Page 28 - Gulf Coast Police News
Convicted Sex Offenders are required by Texas law to
register with law enforcement in the city in which they reside.
These Sex Offenders are not wanted by the law…
they are published for Community Awareness in cooperation with local law enforcement agencies.
If you have information that any of these offenders are residing at an address other than the one shown, please contact the listed police agency.
AMBROSE, ROBERT LEE
White male, Born: 09/23/1978
1200 Gifford Ln., Angleton
Aggravated Sexual Assault
of a Child2-Counts:
Victims ages 13 & 14
Angleton Police Dept.
BERRY, JAMES MALCOM
White male, Born 01/15/1947
1301 S. Hood St., #14, Alvin
Indecency with a child
(3 counts)Victims Ages 13 & 14
Alvin Police Dept.
Risk Level – Not Available
BYARS, TOMMY EUGENE
Black Male, Born 11/18/1978
801 Wade, Clute
Indecent Exposure (2 Offenses)
Clute Police Dept.
Risk Level – NOT AVAILABLE
ANDERSON, MICHAEL L..
White male, Born 03/01/1946
4610 Cedar Hill Dr. Pearland
Lewd Lacivious Acts with a Child
Victim Female Age 7
Pearland Police Dept
Risk Level – Not Available
BOWLING, WINFRED J
White Male, Born 04/07/1968
107 Center Way, Lake Jackson
Sexual Assault
Victim: Female Age 26
Lake Jackson Police Department
Risk Level – MODERATE
CAMACHORAMIREZ, JOSE
ESTAVAN
Hispanice male, Born 09/04/1969
51 Melanie, Alvin
Indecency with a Child (3 counts)
Victims, Females ages 12-13-16
Alvin Police Dept.
Risk Level – Not Available
Nick Name – Dollar
CAMINITI, CURTIS ALLEN
White male, Born 03/13/1957
284 Cattle Trail Dr. Angleton
Indecency with a child/Sexual
Contact
Victim: Female Age 12
Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office
Risk Level – not available
CAMPOS, JACOB
Hispanic Male, Born 09/25/1977
1904 Lazy Hollow, Pearland
Sexual Assault of a Child
Victim: Male Age 15
Pearland Police Dept
Risk Level – Moderate
COX, FLOYD BARRET JR.
Black Male Born 07/16/1981
1040 CR 769, Royal Ridge,
Brazoria
Indecency w/a Child by
Sexual Contact
Victim: Female Age 13
Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office
Risk Level — HIGH
GUERRA, PAUL CANELES
Hispanic Male, Born 08/13/1938
6293 CR 3, West Columbia
Aggravated Sexual Asslt of a Child
Victim: Male Age 6
Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office
Risk Level — NOT AVAILABLE
SEX OFFENDERS — GALVESTON COUNTY
Convicted Sex Offenders are required by Texas law to
register with law enforcement in the city in which they reside.
VISIT US ON the WEB at
www.gcpolicenews.com
These Sex Offenders are not wanted by the law…
they are published for Community Awareness in cooperation with local law enforcement agencies.
If you have information that any of these offenders are residing at an address other than the one shown, please contact the listed police agency.
ALEXANDER, THOMAS LEE III
White Male, Born 04/06/1963
507 1/2 Houston, League City
Sexual Assault of a Child (2
Counts)
Victim Male Age 15
League City Police Dept.
Risk Level – MODERATE
BRANDON, BILLY RAY JR
White Male, Born 11/05/1979
534 4th St. Bacliff
Indecency w/a Child Sexual Contact
Victim Female Age 4
Galveston County Sheriffs Office
Risk Level – NOT AVAILABLE
BRELAND, STEVEN RALPH
White Male, Born 02/28/1986
1520 Newman Rd., La Marque
Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child
(2 Counts) Victim Female Age 13
La Marque Police Dept.
Risk Level – MODERATE
CAULEY, RICKY LEE
Black Male, Born 1953 or 1957
2308 Oregon, League City
Parole Board Ordered Registration
League City Police Dept
Risk Level – HIGH
ALEXANDER, HOWARD WAYNE
Black Male, Born 10/02/1960
7514 Hummingbird, Texas City
Parole Board Ordered Registration
Texas City Police Dept.
Risk Level – HIGH
Carnes Brothers
FUNERAL HOME
Where the family name
on the outside is the
same family on the inside.
(409) 765-8080
1201 Tremont
Galveston
BRANDON, LEONARD
Black Male, Born 09/23/1975
202 Cole St., Apt 15, Webster
Aggravated Sexual Asslt of a Child
Victim Female Age 5
Webster Police Dept
Risk Level – MODERATE
BYRD, TAMMY LYNN
White Female, Born 05/02/1967
12735 Brigham Ln., Santa Fe
Indecency w/a Child - Sexual Exposure
Victims: Females Ages 2 and 3
Galveston County Sheriffs Office
Risk Level – MODERATE
CULBREATH, DENNIS
White Male, Born 10/12/1959
5301 Ghinaudo, Apt B, Hitchcock
Indecency w/a Child Sexual Contact
Sexual Assault of a Child
Victims Females Ages 3 and 13
Hitchcock Police Dept
Risk Level – HIGH
SOUTHERN KEYS
LOCKSMITH
Quality Professional
Service
• Commercial
• Residential
• A u to
Dennis Fitzgerald
409-741-5397
License # C12249
Fine Steaks
and Seafood
Telephone:
(409) 744-0881
Fax: (409) 744-9623
11126 F.M. 3005
Galveston, Tx. 77554
Lube & Tune
Featuring
KELLY,MATTHEW EVERETT
White Male, Born 11/13/1978
2105 Ketch Ct., Seabrook
Sexual Assault of a Child
Victim Female Age 15
Seabrook Police Dept
Risk Level – MODERATE
NICHOLS,TIMOTHY
White Male, Born 09/14/1976
2407 31st St., Galveston
Indecency w/a Child - Sexual Contact
Victim Female Age 8
Galveston Police Dept
Risk Level – HIGH
Jim Enloe
281-554-8044
281-554-8878 Fax
2102 W. Main League City, Tx 77574
Gulf Coast Police News - Page 29
stick your elbow
❝ Don’t Out
so far
It might go home
in another car
❞
The Gulf Coast
Police News
Visit us on the Web
www.gcpolicenews.com
FRIENDSWOOD - Officer Lisa Price and Sgt. Dennis Senter with members of Daisy
Troop 26023 who donated Christmas gifts to the Blue Santa program.
(Courtesy Photo)
The Lopez
invites yo family
u to dine
at
the Gem o
f Mexican
Restaura
nts.
Friendswood - Officers of the Friendswood Police Department shown with students
of Kleinwood Elementary School who collected toys for the police department’s
Blue Santa program.
(Courtesy Photo)
Government & UTMB Employee’s 10% Off
Monday thru Sunday 7 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Carryout and Delivery Available
$15.00 minimum on delivery
☛ Breakfast Burritos — $2.75
☛ Weekly Breakfast Specials — $3.99
☛ Weekly Lunch Special w/Tea — $5.75
Enchiladas, Tacos, Tamales & More
3714 Broadway – Galveston, TX
409-763-0410
Page 30 - Gulf Coast Police News
LEAGUE CITY - When two children were discovered wandering the streets nude,
they were rescued by League City police who made a public appeal for toys and
clothing for them. These items began coming into police headquarters the next day
from all across America.
(Courtesy Photo)
Jeff’s Cab Co.
Service to all
Houston
Airports
We accept most
major
credit cards
409-621- JEFF (5333)
LA MARQUE - La Marque Police Chief Richard Price receives a donation of $500
from La Marque CrimeStoppers President Bim Crowder. The money will help purchase a drug detection canine for the police department.
(Police News Photo)
continued from page 23 (Freezer Granny)
when the victim was strangled with a
bath towel. A phone call to the Harris
County District Attorney’s office provided a material witness warrant so E.T.
could be detained for a polygraph examination and a sworn affidavit. He passed
his lie detector test and his statement
proved to be factual and entertaining as
well.
Cindy Stannard was subsequently
arrested and charged with her mother’s
murder. E.T. got to live in a hotel for five
days at the county’s expense during the
trail. He never wavered in his testimony.
When the defense tried to discredit him
with his past he flatly stated, “I’m a
drunk, and an ex-con. A liar I’m not.”
Eugene did five years for the only felony
he was ever arrested for. All of his other
arrests were for minor infractions like
drunkenness or disorderly conduct.
Two rather startling things came out
during the testimony of a doctor named
Ted Roberts. He was the Medical
Examiner that performed the autopsy
upon the remains. The first was that
Sara was not dead when she was put
into the freezer. The second was that
someone had come back after the body
was frozen and snapped off the ring finger from Miss Sara’s left hand. Cynthia
Ruth was found to have pawned her
mother’s wedding rings two days before
the estate auction. The dead woman’s
initials and wedding date were found
engraved inside the wedding band. The
jury had no difficulty sending Miss
Sara’s baby girl down the river for a very
long stay.
This and other street stories, statements, confessions and quotes are
included in a book entitled Homicidal
Humor, South Texas Style, by Vonn Auld
Kopp, published by Black Dog, Swamp
Publishing Co., P.O. Box 474, Rosharon,
Texas 77583.
It is available at
Amazon.Com or on the authors website
HomicidalHumor.Com
DITV SATELLITES
409-741-DITV (3488)
(3488)
2308 Hollywood Ave.
800-816-DITV
Galveston,Tx AN AUTHORIZED DIRECTV DEALER
”A policeman stops a lady and asks for her license. He says “Lady, it says here
that you should be wearing glasses.”The woman answered “Well, I have contacts.”The policeman replied “I don’t care who you know! You’re getting a ticket!”
Gulf Coast Police News - Page 31