Pubdate: Tue, 02 Jan 2001 Source: Amarillo Globe-News (TX) Copyright: 2001 Amarillo Globe-News Contact: P.O. Box 2091, Amarillo, TX 79166 Fax: (806) 373-0810 Website: http://amarillonet.com/ Forum: http://208.138.68.214:90/eshare/server?action=4 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/tulia.htm (Tulia, TX clippings) http://www.mapinc.org/lockney.htm (Lockney Drug Testing clippings) AREA HAS ITS SHARE OF MAJOR NEWS From staff reports Tulia had more than its share of major stories last year, including the crash of an F-16, a controversial undercover drug sting and a lawsuit over school drug testing. Although those stories made lots of headlines, one of the biggest stories of the year was the crash of the Lifestar helicopter in March. Other big stories in the region included numerous murders and charges of misconduct among regional sheriffs and their jails. AIRCRAFT CRASH An aircraft crash occurred Aug. 28 near Tulia, when a Fort Worth pilot died after his F-16C crashed during a flyover of his in-laws' house, about four miles north of town. Air Force Reserve pilot Steve Simons, also a Delta Air Lines pilot, was flying the F-16 from Hill Air Force Base in Ogden, Utah, to the Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserves Base at Carswell Field. He called relatives in advance to tell them he would be flying over the house. Family members said Simons fought to keep the aircraft from hitting the house before crashing in the field a couple of hundred feet away. An Air Force crash investigation board concluded in December that pilot error caused the crash when Simons attempted to perform a low-level loop in violation of Air Force regulations. MURDERS Several area towns were rocked by murders in 2000 while another struggled to deal with an unsolved murder from 1999. The family of Imogene French upped the reward to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest of her murderer, hoping to create a break in the year-old case. French was strangled to death June 6, 1999, at the Oasis Truck Stop where she worked. Hemphill County Sheriff Dean Butcher said investigators have a suspect they are trying to link with DNA samples from the crime scene, but the man lives out of state and has eluded them. A murder case in Texola, Okla., ended with a twist when the man suspected of killing Jim Matthews during a March robbery killed himself in an Oklahoma jail before he could go to trial. Jessie Allen McKinney, 40, of Brush Creek, Tenn., was caught and arrested in Carson County and charged in the murder. McKinney hung himself in a Cheyenne, Okla., jail cell shortly after he was arrested, said Beckham County Sheriff Terry Poff. Two months later, a shooting in Liberal, Kan., killed one and injured two, leading to the arrests of three local teens. Anthony "Tony" McCain, 27, was killed May 15 when he was shot while sitting in a vehicle. Shawn Cox, 21, and Ernie Bishop, 16, also were injured, but later recovered. Three Liberal teens - Jonathan Baptista, 18; Keontis Hall, 17; and Horace Bell, 16 - were arrested in connection with the shooting. Baptista pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and was sentenced to 22 years in prison. Hall pleaded guilty to two counts of aiding a felon and was sentenced to 60 months of probation. Bell will go to trial early this year. Moore County residents were shocked by two separate murders in the final months of 2000. The first happened Oct. 2 at Ross's Roost Bait Shop in rural Moore County when Mary Kelsay, 61, was killed during a robbery. John Ashley Griffin, 19, of Stinnett and Michael Noel Beams, 20, of Fritch were arrested in Las Vegas after being stopped in a vehicle reported stolen from Borger. Both were brought back to Texas and Griffin was charged with one count of capital murder while Beams is being held as a material witness. The second Moore County murder happened Nov. 10 when Patricia Norris Hart, 48, was found shot to death at a Cactus liquor store where she worked. Tom Raper Jr., 30, of Minnesota and Hiram Bodry, 46, of Colorado were arrested in Oklahoma after a chase and shootout and charged with capital murder in Moore County. The two also were charged with murder in Randall County in connection with the death of Clifford Espinoza, who was found shot to death in a rural Randall County field. UNIDENTIFIED BODIES Officials in four counties continue to puzzle over the circumstances that led to the discovery of four bodies. While two of the bodies have been identified, two found in 1999 remain a mystery, despite efforts by law enforcement to generate leads. Oklahoma investigators created a reconstruction of a man who was found in May 1999 in an Oklahoma field near Hitchland, Texas, in hopes of finding out who he was. The body belonged to a Hispanic male between 43 and 47 years old, standing between 5 feet 4 inches and 5 feet 6 inches tall. Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Kym Koch said the man was murdered, but no leads have developed as to his identity or who killed him. A second unidentified body was found by a mowing crew near McLean on Aug. 12, 1999. A forensic investigation revealed the body belonged to a woman who was 35-45 years old, 5 feet 2 inches to 5 feet 6 inches tall with a medium build. Gray County Sheriff Don Copeland put out fliers and set up a Web site describing the woman, but has no leads as to her identity. Officials have not determined a cause of death but are treating the case as a homicide. Investigators identified a body found May 3 two miles east of Vega, determining that Allen Marion Caton, 40, of Ada, Okla., died of multiple stab wounds. Two suspects, Billy Wade Key and Ronnie Gerald Wiggins of Norman, Okla., were arrested three weeks later in Ada. Oldham County Sheriff David Medlin said the suspects are being held in Oklahoma on federal charges while the investigation is concluded. A decision on whether to pursue extradition will be made once forensic tests come back, Medlin said. A fourth body was found July 28 in a ditch off Farm-to-Market Road 119 between Sunray and Texhoma. Officials had difficulty determining the identity of the man, who died of multiple gunshots. He was identified about a month later as Moises Valenzuela Ruiz, 29, of Cuauhtemoc Chih, Mexico, after the release of a composite sketch and pictures of children found in his wallet. Texas Ranger Jay Foster said officials have a suspect in the murder, but they believe the suspect is hiding in Mexico. TULIA DRUG CASES The talk of the town in Tulia for a second year was a series of drug busts that had major developments in 2000 and brought a flood of national media to the tiny town. The basis of the controversy is the 1999 arrest of 43 people - 40 of them black - following an 18-month undercover investigation. All but two of the cases have been resolved, either through plea bargains, convictions or dropping the charges, with sentences ranging from probation to several hundred years in prison. The controversy took a new turn in September when Amarillo attorney Jeff Blackburn filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against undercover agent Tom Coleman, Swisher County Sheriff Larry Stewart and 64th District Attorney Terry McEachern, alleging the civil rights of one of the people arrested, Yul Bryant, had been violated. That filing was followed quickly by the opening of an investigation by the Department of Justice, requested by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the American Civil Liberties Union, to determine whether civil rights were violated in the drug busts. That same month, Tulia residents formed a local NAACP chapter to help organize against the arrests. All the action in Tulia brought national attention to the small town, resulting in a December report on the television series 20/20 and a front-page article in The New York Times. SCHOOL DRUG TESTING Tulia made more drug-related news with continued action on a 1997 lawsuit filed in opposition to the school drug-testing policy. Tulia was joined in fighting for drug testing by the Lockney school district, which is contesting a lawsuit of its own. The Tulia lawsuit protested the policy requiring any junior high or high school student wanting to participate in extracurricular activities to submit to random drug testing. The suit was filed on behalf of Hollister Gardner and his cousin Molly Gardner. U.S. District Judge Mary Lou Robinson ruled against the policy in November, stating it "is violative of the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution." A judgment issued in December barred the school district from testing the students named in the suit. Tulia continues to test other students and the school board voted unanimously in December to appeal the ruling to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. Lockney's drug policy, adopted in November 1999, differs in that every student and teacher is required to submit to drug testing or face discipline. Larry Tannahill refused to sign the permission slip for his sixth-grade son Brady to take the drug test, subsequently filing a March lawsuit with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union. A court date has been set for May. CONFLICT IN FRITCH The city of Fritch's personnel problems continued, with the firing of the city manager and a "whistleblower" lawsuit filed by a former police officer who also was terminated. Former City Manager Darrell Neal was fired by the City Council Aug. 29 for an undisclosed reason. That was followed Sept. 7 by the council upholding the termination of former police officer Terry Homan, who was fired for misconduct and insubordination. Homan handed out a statement accusing Neal of improprieties, including the use of public funds for personal reasons. Homan filed a lawsuit Nov. 8 claiming the city violated the state's "whistleblower" laws by terminating him within 90 days of reporting Neal's alleged violations. Neal was arraigned Nov. 29 on a charge of abuse of official capacity by misuse. MESA WATER PLAN Mesa Water Inc. announced a plan to pull groundwater out of the Panhandle and pump it through a multi-billion dollar pipeline to parched cities downstate. By the end of the year Mesa had acquired water rights to about 150,000 of the 200,000 acres needed to make the pipeline to cities such as El Paso, San Antonio or Dallas / Fort Worth financially feasible. Mesa President T. Boone Pickens said the company can service about 2 million people a year with the 200,000 acres of water rights. Many Panhandle residents expressed displeasure, saying the water should be kept here. A public hearing was held concerning permits requested by eight landowners working with Mesa. The permits are expected to be considered early this year. Jailer improprieties Trouble landed on the doorsteps of several area sheriffs and their jail personnel in 2000, with charges ranging from having sex with inmates to misappropriation of funds. Parmer County Sheriff Walt Yerger resigned after being slapped with a Jan. 7 lawsuit alleging he violated the civil rights of 14 men when he forced them to kneel facing a wall while handcuffed. The lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial Jan. 9. Former Bailey County Sheriff Coy Plott turned in his resignation after he was accused of misapplying $967 earmarked to develop a Teen Court. Plott resigned in July and was killed in a September crop-dusting plane crash. Long-time Hartley County Sheriff Johnny Williams resigned his post after he pleaded no contest in July to having sex with an inmate. Hale County led the area in the number of jailers charged with improprieties. Jailers Ricky Sanchez, 21; Scott Crawford, 21; and Ricky Hinajosa, 26, were fired in June and charged with improper sexual activity with a person in custody. Sanchez also was charged with selling marijuana to inmates. Earl Scarborough, 41, was fired in December after he told Sheriff David Mull he allowed an inmate to perform a striptease for him. Scarborough received a year probation and the loss of his peace officer and jailer licenses. Lamb County shared in the jailer problems when two guards were charged with engaging in sexual activity with an inmate. Pandy Aleman pleaded guilty and was sentenced to probation after she was charged in February with having sex with an inmate. Teresa Chavez pleaded no contest to the same charge in July and was sentenced to probation as well. THE LONGEST RACE The race for 31st District Attorney bore an eerie resemblance to the presidential race in Florida, with recounts, accusations of illegalities and even a demand for a re-election. The controversy started in May when Judge John T. Forbis voided the Republican primary runoff between incumbent John Mann and Roberts County Attorney Rick Roach. Roach won the primary by six votes. Mann contested, citing illegal voters and other irregularities. Mann lost the rematch by almost 300 votes. In the general election, Democrat Charles Kessie asked for a recount in four counties after he lost the election by 222 votes. The recount was completed in only three counties when Kessie called for it to stop because Roach had gained votes in all three. Roach was certified the winner by the governor's office. BANK ROBBERIES Two bank robberies so far have baffled investigators, despite best efforts from local law enforcement, the Texas Rangers and the FBI. The first robber struck in Dalhart on Aug. 27. The man kidnapped the supervisor of the Citizens Banking Center with what later turned out to be a BB gun. He forced the supervisor to open the bank, but another employee had to be summoned to bring the vault keys. The robber locked the supervisor, the employee and her husband in the vault, then drove back to the supervisor's house. Police officers went to the house and the robber fled, leaving the majority of the money. The robber is described as a white male, 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall with a medium build, brown hair and dark eyes. A second robbery also is yet to be solved in Bovina. A masked man entered the Bovina branch of First Bank of Muleshoe on Nov. 27 with a shotgun and robbed the bank. Only one customer and the bank employees were inside at the time, and no one was injured. The man left the bank in a blue or black van with tinted windows driven by an accomplice. SCHOOL BOMB THREATS Two schools were the targets of bomb threats in January, forcing the evacuation of students and costing the districts a day of school. The first threat happened in Shamrock on Jan. 22 when a janitor at the high school found a threatening note referring to the shootings at Columbine High School. Administrators dismissed classes for the day, but bomb-sniffing dogs found no explosives. Three 17-year-olds - Shane Marshall, John Andrew Garza and Dustin Tollison - - were arrested and charged in connection with the threats. John Mann, outgoing 31st District Attorney, said the charges against Tollison were dropped for lack of evidence and the cases against the other two are still pending. Three days after the first bomb scare, five separate threats were called in to the Childress Independent School District, forcing the evacuation of the district. A bomb squad from Altus Air Force Base in Altus, Okla., swept the schools but found no explosives. - --- MAP posted-by: Thunder