Did police go too far in undercover Occupy mission?

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- When Occupy protesters chained themselves together with PVC pipes outside the Port of Houston in December, they might have expected to get arrested and perhaps even charged with misdemeanors for disturbing the peace, but they did not imagine getting felony charges.

That protest and those arrests led to an investigation involving Austin police officers who infiltrated the Occupy movement. They are accused of being part of the action that led to the charges.

The key question here: did Austin police officers go too far when they went undercover during the local protest?

Defense attorney Greg Gladden says they did, and the resulting charges are wrong.

"There is no probable cause to be charging these people with felonies for this free speech demonstrations," Gladden said.

Gladden represents Ronnie Garza, one of the protestors arrested that day and charged with an obscure law -- unlawful use of a criminal instrument. The law makes it a felony for someone to manufacture something for the sole purpose of committing a crime. The instruments in this case were "lockboxes" made of large PVC pipes and other materials.

After a little digging, Gladden discovered the alleged source of the human chains.

Three officers from Austin PD apparently went undercover during the Occupy the Port protest at the Port of Houston in December. Gladden says one of those officers -- Detective Shannon Dowell -- came up with the idea to have protestors chain themselves together using lockboxes.

"The police officers went and bought the material, manufactured what they're calling "sleeping dragons," also known as lockboxes."

When Garza and others agreed to chain themselves together in the street, they were arrested and charged. Now, Gladden is trying to get the charges dropped.

"I think the case needs to be dismissed for police misconduct because they were the ones that broke the law, and they entrapped all these young, idealistic kids," Gladden said.

We asked Austin police why undercover officers were at the protests.

"The primary mission of these officers was to protect the free speech activities of those engaged in lawful protest as well as initiating police response and action with regard to criminal activity," Austin PD Assistant Chief Sean Mannix said. "Plain clothes officers blending with the surroundings were necessary for the safety of the participants and the community as a whole."

Judge Joan Campbell dismissed charges against Garza once due to lack of evidence, but the case was sent back after a grand jury indicted him.

In a hearing last week, Det. Dowell, a narcotics officer, went before a Harris County judge and confirmed he was an embedded police officer during the Occupy movement. He also testified he had no interactions with local police or deputies while they were embedded with the Occupy protestors. The extent of his involvement in the lockbox plan is still up in the air.

Gladden thinks Austin police need to re-think their roles and duties on the streets.

"I think they ought to be out protecting the citizenry and preserving law and order," he said.

Austin police won't comment on the specifics of the ongoing criminal trial, but they say there's no internal investigation into the actions of the undercover officers.

The next court hearing is set for Wednesday.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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NASA employees training for Atlantis mission

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- We are just weeks ago from NASA'S final shuttle mission. Atlantis is getting ready to blast off for the international space station.

We're getting a look behind the scenes in mission control and the training for those who are set to jump into action if things go wrong. When you see a launch in person in Florida or even on TV, the shuttle's engine roar is so loud. So we figured on the floor of mission control it would, for some reason, be the same. It's not. It is really quiet in there. For the trip to space, there are 15 people in this room. Mostly, but not all, are men, and even when things are going well, they are tied keyed into the job they're doing. But when things go wrong, it's hard to tell. We were there for a simulation. The mission control team is at their normal seats. The crew was a few buildings over at Johnson Space Center in a simulator that twists and tilts and shakes with the crew inside. In this training session, the shuttle developed a simulated Freon leak. It knocked out the shuttle's ability to cool itself down and that could've been dangerous. The team decided to bring the shuttle home after just one orbit. It's never been done in real life. But on this day, in this room, it was done successfully. "It was a very important practicing. We have a very small crew this time, we don't have anyone in the mid-dock," shuttle commander Chris Ferguson said. "I think it was a great script. It gave us an opportunity and the mission control team an opportunity to see just what our capabilities are." They will practice this just one more time, and then it's launch day and then mission control is done. Once Atlantis lands, mission control will turn into a new room for some unnamed program. A lot of these people will get new jobs and the shuttles will stop flying, but this crew doesn't think it's the end. "The space shuttle won't stop inspiring people, they're going to park Atlantis down at the Kennedy Space Center and kids are going to go real close for the first time to see the Atlantis and say, wow that's amazing we can launch those into space, and hopefully they'll get the same reaction and say let's do it again, let's do it again," astronaut Rex Walheim said. Technicians will begin making high-tech X-ray scans of the shuttle's fuel tank's support beams to look for any cracks that could delay launch. Atlantis' final launch is scheduled for July 8 and we'll be in Florida to bring it to you. Send us pictures of your NASA experience through iWitness.abc13.com. (Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Astronauts talk about Endeavour mission

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Crowds gathered at Ellington Field Thursday afternoon to welcome back the crew of space shuttle Endeavour. The shuttle returned to Florida Wednesday, making it the next to last mission in the program.

Endeavour's crew spoke individually and each called it both historic and successful. They and a large crowd at Ellington Field admit it was really an emotional time watching the orbiter land, especially since there's only one more mission to go. After landing space shuttle Endeavour for the final time, Commander Mark Kelly says he's glad to be home. "Endeavour performed as if it was brand new," he said. He calls the 16-day, 6.5 million-mile mission a success. It was the shuttle's 25th and final flight. It will now be given a new mission. Endeavour is to sit in California for all to see. "To continue to inspire young people to pursue careers in science and engineering and math, and it's going to do that for a very long time," Kelly said. Kelly's wife, wounded Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, did not attend on Wednesday but his daughters did. Kelly says he couldn't have completed this mission without their support or that of his crew. Several hundred attended the welcome-home celebration. "Very bittersweet," NASA employee Don Walker said. Bittersweet, Walker says, because he witnessed the maiden voyage of Endeavour and knows how much life is left in the orbiter. "I'm also looking forward to what's next," Walker said. Also among the crowd was Gene Horton, who worked for NASA years ago. Seeing the shuttle program come to an end, he says, could be an exciting time. "We're really just at the beginning of understanding the universe and understanding the consequences of exploring," he said. End of shuttle program affecting fans, employees The crew of the space shuttle Endeavour is back in Houston, just one day after their spectacular nighttime landing in Florida. There's just one more flight left, and for the hundreds that work in the shuttle program, that means things will soon be changing. It's a huge 'welcome home' for the crew of Endeavour. It's also bittersweet, as this means there is but one more shuttle mission ever. In its 25 trips into orbit, space shuttle Endeavour logged nearly 123 million miles. It came to a stop at Kennedy Space Center Wednesday one last time. "I teared up. I just teared up," said Pat Reho, a fan of the shuttle program. Reho watched the landing at 1:30am. She says because she knows it is the second to last return of an orbiter -- ever. "It's, you know, the beginning of the end. It saddens me," Reho said. On Thursday, we found Reho among many snapping up souvenirs. Those who run one souvenir store say business is up at least 20 percent. "People are realizing this is it!" said Toni Heath with Space City Souvenirs. For many the return of Endeavour makes the reality that there is only one more shuttle mission left that much more real. Also increasing is the push for jobs. Two-thousand people associated with the shuttle program who live near JSC have already lost their jobs. Two-thousand more are expected once the final mission is completed. Many have turned to the aerospace transition center for help in finding jobs. Looking, this woman says, has been a challenge. "The Corporations are able to be more selective because there really are so many of us available," job seeker Yvonne Vogue-Rodi said. There will actually be an aerospace job fair on June 15 Clear Falls High School. (Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Mission Control named for 1st NASA flight director

  HOUSTON -- NASA has honored its first flight director by naming Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center in Houston after him.

Space program officials spoke Thursday at a ceremony at the newly-named Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center.

The 87-year-old Kraft attended the event. He was NASA's first director for human spaceflight and helped create Mission Control.

He also directed the Mercury and Gemini flights and helped put men on the moon during the Apollo program. He went on to serve as director of Johnson Space Center from 1972 to 1982.

"How can anybody not like a day like today when they named a mission control center after you," said Dr. Kraft. "It's a great building, full of great people and symbolic of a great organization here at the Johnson Space Center."

Dr. Kraft called the decision not to bring a retired space shuttle to the area as 'insignificant.' Although, he did say it seems to be in his opinion, a slap in the face. He says we need to look forward to what we can continue to do -- NASA's continued exploration of space.

It's a sentiment also echoed here today by legendary director Gene Kranz who said, 'We need to find the courage to continue the work that Dr. Kraft and so many began here at mission control over 50 years ago.'

Kraft detailed his time at NASA in his 2001 book, "Flight: My Life in Mission Control."

(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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