SAGINAW — A 19-year-old man died Friday after his Dodge Ram pickup left the road, went down and embankment and landed upside down on Blue Mound Road.
A woman who was also in the vehicle during the collision was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital with unknown injuries, police said.
Officers responded to the accident call about 10:40 a.m. Friday, said Damon Ing, Saginaw police spokesman.
It appears as though the Dodge was traveling eastbound on Loop 820 and left the road, flipped once and landed upside down on Blue Mound Road, Ing said.
The woman's condition was not available. The incident was still under investigation late Friday, Ing said.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Death Caused by Taser
FORT WORTH — A Fort Worth man's death just moments after he was shot by a Taser stun gun has been ruled a homicide, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner.
Michael Patrick Jacobs Jr., 24, was pronounced dead about noon April 18, two hours after his parents called 911 because he was causing a disturbance at their east Fort Worth home, according to police reports.
Police shot Jacobs twice with the Taser, one for 49 seconds and one for five seconds.
The medical examiner's report says Jacobs died of "sudden death during neuromuscular incapacitation due to application" of the Taser.
There were no drugs found in his system, according to the report.
When officers arrived, Jacobs would not cooperate with them, and one officer shot him with a Taser when he became combative, police have said.
After being shot with the Taser he fell down face first and later become unresponsive.
Family members have said that police used excessive force.
According to documents obtained by the Star-Telegram, a MedStar paramedic had reported that the defibrillator apparently did not work when they were attempting to revive him.
But a MedStar official said that the machine was operational and that the monitor did not register a reading, he said, because Jacobs' heart had stopped and because cellphone and radio transmissions at the scene could have interfered.
Michael Patrick Jacobs Jr., 24, was pronounced dead about noon April 18, two hours after his parents called 911 because he was causing a disturbance at their east Fort Worth home, according to police reports.
Police shot Jacobs twice with the Taser, one for 49 seconds and one for five seconds.
The medical examiner's report says Jacobs died of "sudden death during neuromuscular incapacitation due to application" of the Taser.
There were no drugs found in his system, according to the report.
When officers arrived, Jacobs would not cooperate with them, and one officer shot him with a Taser when he became combative, police have said.
After being shot with the Taser he fell down face first and later become unresponsive.
Family members have said that police used excessive force.
According to documents obtained by the Star-Telegram, a MedStar paramedic had reported that the defibrillator apparently did not work when they were attempting to revive him.
But a MedStar official said that the machine was operational and that the monitor did not register a reading, he said, because Jacobs' heart had stopped and because cellphone and radio transmissions at the scene could have interfered.
Jury Convicts Man of Sexual Assault
FORT WORTH -- A Mineral Wells man was found guilty of sexually assaulting the 12-year-old daughter of his girlfriend.
The Tarrant County jury deliberated about two hours Wednesday night before convicting Kenyon Cox of two counts of aggravated sexual assault and two counts of indecency with a child.
However, the jury did not return the verdict until Thursday morning because Cox’s attorney had to leave while the jury deliberated Wednesday night.
A punishment hearing for Cox began immediately after the verdict was read in Criminal District Court No. 2. If prosecutors prove that he had prior felony convictions, he faces up to life in prison on each of the four counts.
Of nine counts, jurors were asked to decide two counts of aggravated sexual assault alleged to have occurred June 8, 2007, and two counts of indecency with a child alleged to have occurred May 1, 2007 — all in White Settlement.
Prosecutors Amy Collum and Hugo Martinez told jurors there was no question that Cox repeatedly sexually assaulted the girl, although she failed to tell anyone about it and denied it to Child Protective Services.
Collum reminded jurors that the girl, now 14, and her two siblings had testified that Cox beat them with a paddle, held a gun to their mother’s head, burned her private area with a torch, held a razor to the chest of the youngest girl, beat their puppy to death with a baseball bat and threatened to kill the family if the older girl reported the abuse.
“Is it any wonder that she would not tell when she was living in hell with this guy?” Collum asked. “Wouldn’t you be afraid?”
The children said they and their mother began living with Cox in 2005, shortly after their parents separated. They lived with Cox’s father in Weatherford until the older man became upset at a severe beating Cox gave the girls’ brother, the boy testified.
The family was living in a motel when Cox gave the older girl an alcoholic drink, then exposed himself and made her perform a sex act, she said.
The girl said the sex acts and fondling continued and included attempts by Cox to have sex with her in their White Settlement apartment while her mother was at work and her younger siblings were in another room.
The boy, now 12, said he didn’t see Cox abusing his sister but heard her say “ow!” from the other room. He said Cox treated her sister differently, sometimes giving her presents. The girl said Cox told her that “if you want me to do something for you, you have to do something for me.”
Defense attorney Pia Rodriguez told jurors that Cox might be “the most violent man in the world” but that it doesn’t mean he sexually assaulted the girl.
She reminded jurors that the girl had repeatedly denied being sexually abused when questioned by CPS workers.
Rodriguez contended that the girl and her brother only made the allegations after CPS officials turned them over to their father, who acknowledged disliking Cox.
Collum said Cox’s multiple escape attempts were evidence that “he knew he did it.”
Two years ago, as police and child-abuse investigators knocked on his door, Cox climbed out a bedroom window with his girlfriend’s three children, including the 12-year-old girl he was sexually assaulting.
A week later, Cox fled from a White Settlement detective who was trying to arrest him on a warrant for aggravated sexual assault based on the girl’s allegations, the detective testified.
And last year, the 32-year-old Mineral Wells man eluded police for two days after he cut off his ankle monitor after being bailed out of the Tarrant County Jail by two former inmates who used proceeds from bank robberies, authorities said.
The two men who bailed Cox out of jail, Thomas Jochum and Donald Mark Scott, are serving time for federal bank robbery convictions. Jochum was sentenced to 20 years in prison for two robberies and Scott to more than nine years for one robbery, Collum said.
The Tarrant County jury deliberated about two hours Wednesday night before convicting Kenyon Cox of two counts of aggravated sexual assault and two counts of indecency with a child.
However, the jury did not return the verdict until Thursday morning because Cox’s attorney had to leave while the jury deliberated Wednesday night.
A punishment hearing for Cox began immediately after the verdict was read in Criminal District Court No. 2. If prosecutors prove that he had prior felony convictions, he faces up to life in prison on each of the four counts.
Of nine counts, jurors were asked to decide two counts of aggravated sexual assault alleged to have occurred June 8, 2007, and two counts of indecency with a child alleged to have occurred May 1, 2007 — all in White Settlement.
Prosecutors Amy Collum and Hugo Martinez told jurors there was no question that Cox repeatedly sexually assaulted the girl, although she failed to tell anyone about it and denied it to Child Protective Services.
Collum reminded jurors that the girl, now 14, and her two siblings had testified that Cox beat them with a paddle, held a gun to their mother’s head, burned her private area with a torch, held a razor to the chest of the youngest girl, beat their puppy to death with a baseball bat and threatened to kill the family if the older girl reported the abuse.
“Is it any wonder that she would not tell when she was living in hell with this guy?” Collum asked. “Wouldn’t you be afraid?”
The children said they and their mother began living with Cox in 2005, shortly after their parents separated. They lived with Cox’s father in Weatherford until the older man became upset at a severe beating Cox gave the girls’ brother, the boy testified.
The family was living in a motel when Cox gave the older girl an alcoholic drink, then exposed himself and made her perform a sex act, she said.
The girl said the sex acts and fondling continued and included attempts by Cox to have sex with her in their White Settlement apartment while her mother was at work and her younger siblings were in another room.
The boy, now 12, said he didn’t see Cox abusing his sister but heard her say “ow!” from the other room. He said Cox treated her sister differently, sometimes giving her presents. The girl said Cox told her that “if you want me to do something for you, you have to do something for me.”
Defense attorney Pia Rodriguez told jurors that Cox might be “the most violent man in the world” but that it doesn’t mean he sexually assaulted the girl.
She reminded jurors that the girl had repeatedly denied being sexually abused when questioned by CPS workers.
Rodriguez contended that the girl and her brother only made the allegations after CPS officials turned them over to their father, who acknowledged disliking Cox.
Collum said Cox’s multiple escape attempts were evidence that “he knew he did it.”
Two years ago, as police and child-abuse investigators knocked on his door, Cox climbed out a bedroom window with his girlfriend’s three children, including the 12-year-old girl he was sexually assaulting.
A week later, Cox fled from a White Settlement detective who was trying to arrest him on a warrant for aggravated sexual assault based on the girl’s allegations, the detective testified.
And last year, the 32-year-old Mineral Wells man eluded police for two days after he cut off his ankle monitor after being bailed out of the Tarrant County Jail by two former inmates who used proceeds from bank robberies, authorities said.
The two men who bailed Cox out of jail, Thomas Jochum and Donald Mark Scott, are serving time for federal bank robbery convictions. Jochum was sentenced to 20 years in prison for two robberies and Scott to more than nine years for one robbery, Collum said.
Bridgeport Teen to be Remembered at Game
When Bridgeport opens its football season Friday night, the pompoms and megaphones of Leslie Denison and Becca Logan will be on the sidelines, a tribute to the two teens.
Denison, 17, a cheerleader and cross-country runner at Bridgeport High School, was killed Tuesday afternoon after an awning collapsed on her and Logan as they ran by a downtown gym.
A preliminary engineer’s report indicates that structural fatigue caused the awning to collapse.
Logan, 17, also a cheerleader and cross-country runner, suffered facial cuts and was treated at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth. She returned home early Wednesday.
"Becca is doing much better," her father, Brad Logan, said Wednesday. "They did surgery on her face last night. She will be fine, but it’ll take a little while."
The community has been very supportive and gifts, cards and calls have been pouring in, he said.
At the high school, students and staffers created a makeshift memorial of flowers, pictures, teddy bears and messages. "Both of the young ladies are just absolute model students — outgoing individuals in everything, National Honor Society, cheerleading, basketball, cross country; just unbelievable young ladies," Bridgeport Superintendent Eddie Bland said.
Grief counselors and clergy members were at Bridgeport schools in case students and faculty members needed to talk, Bland said.
Denison’s mother, Marcie Cox, is a second-grade teacher at Bridgeport Elementary School, Bland said.
"There’s a lot of heartache, not just on that campus, but through the rest of the district and the community," he said.
School started this week, and Friday’s football game against Breckenridge is the season opener for the Wise County school about 40 miles northwest of Fort Worth.
Friday’s planned pep rally has been canceled, said Jaime Sturdivant, principal at Bridgeport High.
"Having a pep rally just didn’t feel right," she said.
But she said officials decided to play the game because "it’s what Leslie would have wanted them to do."
Sturdivant described Denison as an all-American girl, the one you would want your daughter to emulate and your son to date. Logan was her best friend.
"They were always together," Sturdivant said. "That’s what makes this accident really a tragedy because she has to deal with surviving and her best friend being killed."
Denison and Logan were running past Club Barbell, a private gym in the 1100 block of Halsell Street, about 4 p.m. Tuesday when the building’s awning gave way, authorities said.
Engineers’ preliminary report suggests that structural fatigue may have caused the awning to fall, said Amber Fogelman, the city’s spokeswoman. Age may have also been a factor, she said. The building has been in downtown since the 1960s. City officials are looking at other buildings downtown to make sure there are no other hazards, Fogelman said.
"It still appears to be a freak accident," Fogelman said.
Denison’s was the second unexpected death to affect the community this year. In April, police Sgt. Randy White, 32, was killed when his parked patrol car was rear-ended by a sport utility vehicle during a high-speed chase.
"The community was just starting to bounce back and get into a regular routine," Fogelman said.
Denison, 17, a cheerleader and cross-country runner at Bridgeport High School, was killed Tuesday afternoon after an awning collapsed on her and Logan as they ran by a downtown gym.
A preliminary engineer’s report indicates that structural fatigue caused the awning to collapse.
Logan, 17, also a cheerleader and cross-country runner, suffered facial cuts and was treated at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth. She returned home early Wednesday.
"Becca is doing much better," her father, Brad Logan, said Wednesday. "They did surgery on her face last night. She will be fine, but it’ll take a little while."
The community has been very supportive and gifts, cards and calls have been pouring in, he said.
At the high school, students and staffers created a makeshift memorial of flowers, pictures, teddy bears and messages. "Both of the young ladies are just absolute model students — outgoing individuals in everything, National Honor Society, cheerleading, basketball, cross country; just unbelievable young ladies," Bridgeport Superintendent Eddie Bland said.
Grief counselors and clergy members were at Bridgeport schools in case students and faculty members needed to talk, Bland said.
Denison’s mother, Marcie Cox, is a second-grade teacher at Bridgeport Elementary School, Bland said.
"There’s a lot of heartache, not just on that campus, but through the rest of the district and the community," he said.
School started this week, and Friday’s football game against Breckenridge is the season opener for the Wise County school about 40 miles northwest of Fort Worth.
Friday’s planned pep rally has been canceled, said Jaime Sturdivant, principal at Bridgeport High.
"Having a pep rally just didn’t feel right," she said.
But she said officials decided to play the game because "it’s what Leslie would have wanted them to do."
Sturdivant described Denison as an all-American girl, the one you would want your daughter to emulate and your son to date. Logan was her best friend.
"They were always together," Sturdivant said. "That’s what makes this accident really a tragedy because she has to deal with surviving and her best friend being killed."
Denison and Logan were running past Club Barbell, a private gym in the 1100 block of Halsell Street, about 4 p.m. Tuesday when the building’s awning gave way, authorities said.
Engineers’ preliminary report suggests that structural fatigue may have caused the awning to fall, said Amber Fogelman, the city’s spokeswoman. Age may have also been a factor, she said. The building has been in downtown since the 1960s. City officials are looking at other buildings downtown to make sure there are no other hazards, Fogelman said.
"It still appears to be a freak accident," Fogelman said.
Denison’s was the second unexpected death to affect the community this year. In April, police Sgt. Randy White, 32, was killed when his parked patrol car was rear-ended by a sport utility vehicle during a high-speed chase.
"The community was just starting to bounce back and get into a regular routine," Fogelman said.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Motorcycle Death in Fort Worth
FORT WORTH -- A man died Saturday after he struck the rear of a car and was thrown from his silver Kawasaki motorcycle.
Police said the man, who has not been identified, was going eastbound at a high rate of speed on Interstate 20 about 11:30 a.m.
Then, the motorcycle rider crossed from the outside lane to the exit lane to get off the freeway at Wichita Street. The motorcyclist may have touched or struck the front of an 18-wheeler’s cab before continuing down the exit ramp, police said.
The motorcycle struck the rear of a black Ford Focus ahead of him on the exit ramp, according to police. The collision caused the Ford’s driver to lose control and strike the guardrail, but neither the driver nor her three-year-old son were injured, police said.
Detectives would like to speak with the driver of the 18-wheeler that may have been struck by the motorcycle.
Police said the man, who has not been identified, was going eastbound at a high rate of speed on Interstate 20 about 11:30 a.m.
Then, the motorcycle rider crossed from the outside lane to the exit lane to get off the freeway at Wichita Street. The motorcyclist may have touched or struck the front of an 18-wheeler’s cab before continuing down the exit ramp, police said.
The motorcycle struck the rear of a black Ford Focus ahead of him on the exit ramp, according to police. The collision caused the Ford’s driver to lose control and strike the guardrail, but neither the driver nor her three-year-old son were injured, police said.
Detectives would like to speak with the driver of the 18-wheeler that may have been struck by the motorcycle.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Cause of Fire and Injuries Discovered
Investigators believe spontaneous combustion caused the fire Monday that consumed a pickup truck in rural northeast Johnson County, killing its driver and severely burning his teenage daughter.
Jessie Pack, 34, of Venus was driving a 1994 Ford pickup about 4 p.m. Monday on County Road 213 east of Alvarado. That's when a fire erupted in the pickup bed and spread to the cab, according to earlier reports.
Both Pack and his 14-year-old daughter, Anastaza, were taken by helicopter ambulance to Parkland Memorial Hospital where he died of his injuries.
The girl was listed in critical condition Thursday, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Johnson County fire investigators reported that the blaze appeared to have started in tightly compacted trash bags that were in the back of the truck, Lt. Tim Jones, sheriff's spokesman, said Thursday.
Some of the bags contained pet manure, Jones said. There also was at least one small propane bottle that appeared to have contributed fuel to the blaze, he said.
The combustion may have occurred as heat bore down on the contents of the pickup bed, and the flames were probably fanned as the truck traveled down the road, Jones said.
After the fire spread to the cab, the truck went off the roadway, went through a fence and struck a tree, authorities said.
Jones noted, however, that the fire was still under investigation Thursday.
Members of the Venus community have been organizing a blood drive for the girl, but details were unavailable Thursday morning.
Jessie Pack, 34, of Venus was driving a 1994 Ford pickup about 4 p.m. Monday on County Road 213 east of Alvarado. That's when a fire erupted in the pickup bed and spread to the cab, according to earlier reports.
Both Pack and his 14-year-old daughter, Anastaza, were taken by helicopter ambulance to Parkland Memorial Hospital where he died of his injuries.
The girl was listed in critical condition Thursday, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Johnson County fire investigators reported that the blaze appeared to have started in tightly compacted trash bags that were in the back of the truck, Lt. Tim Jones, sheriff's spokesman, said Thursday.
Some of the bags contained pet manure, Jones said. There also was at least one small propane bottle that appeared to have contributed fuel to the blaze, he said.
The combustion may have occurred as heat bore down on the contents of the pickup bed, and the flames were probably fanned as the truck traveled down the road, Jones said.
After the fire spread to the cab, the truck went off the roadway, went through a fence and struck a tree, authorities said.
Jones noted, however, that the fire was still under investigation Thursday.
Members of the Venus community have been organizing a blood drive for the girl, but details were unavailable Thursday morning.
Death in Accident in Austin on I35
One person was killed another was injured in a head-on collision last night in the 13200 block of southbound Interstate 35 South, police said.
About 9:50 p.m., a silver sport-utility vehicle was traveling north in the southbound lanes of I-35 near Onion Creek Parkway when it slammed head-on into a green pickup, Cpl. Scott Perry with the Austin Police Department said today.
The driver of the SUV was pronounced dead at the scene, Perry said, and the driver of the pickup was taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge by STARflight with critical injuries.
Perry did not know if anybody else was injured in the collision.
About 9:50 p.m., a silver sport-utility vehicle was traveling north in the southbound lanes of I-35 near Onion Creek Parkway when it slammed head-on into a green pickup, Cpl. Scott Perry with the Austin Police Department said today.
The driver of the SUV was pronounced dead at the scene, Perry said, and the driver of the pickup was taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge by STARflight with critical injuries.
Perry did not know if anybody else was injured in the collision.
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