Fallout from DPS crime lab testing problems continues

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- In May we first told you about testing problems at the DPS Houston regional crime lab. Since then, analysts have been busy retesting evidence in hundreds of criminal cases.

This spring, an analyst at the DPS Crime Lab in Houston was found to have substituted evidence using a drug from another case to validate what he was testing. He was no-billed by a grand jury of any criminal misconduct. He resigned in July, but the fallout from that mishandling continues.

"They'll want to have a discussion about what happens to the rest of those samples," said Dr. Sarah Kerrigan.

On Thursday, some of the members of what's called the DPS Houston Crime Lab Disclosure Investigative Panel met to determine what's been affected so far by what they agree was "inexcusable conduct."

Nearly 5,000 cases have now been called into question -- those on which the analyst worked. They involve cases from 36 different counties. So far 473 cases are on the re-test list. Of those, 237 new tests have been completed and the new results are the same.

Harris County has some 450 cases that qualify for the re-tests. The Public Defenders Office is now trying to notify former defendants.

"To see if they can be retested or if not, to see if there's a remedy that's appropriate," said Bob Wicoff with the Public Defender's Office.

Letters will be going out to those defendants, some of whom may be in jail. The big question is whether the evidence that convicted them still exists. After conviction, it is typically held by the arresting agency for a time and then destroyed. Even so...

"It's very hard to show by virtue of the fact the evidence was destroyed that something deserves a new trial," said Wicoff.

The full state investigative panel will be meeting on these cases next month in Austin.

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

local, deborah wrigley

View the original article here

Battle between county and Treasures strip club continues in court

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- We have the latest developments now in a battle between the county and a local strip club accused of being a nuisance.

County and city leaders want Treasures shut down, saying it's a haven for drugs, prostitution, and human trafficking.

We expect a judge to decide soon whether Treasures can be considered a public nuisance and whether it should be shut down. One thing the judge must consider is whether club owners did anything to limit the amount of prostitution and drug sales there.

Located near the Galleria, the Treasures strip club has been in business since 1995. According to court documents, there have been 43 arrests there between 2008 and May of this year. Among them, allegations of prostitution, and delivery of a controlled substance.

The city and county say this proves that some people habitually go to Treasures seeking out sex and drugs.

"They're not doing anything about it. It continues to go on," said Sr. Assistant Harris Co. Attorney Fred Keys Jr.

But an attorney representing Treasures argued in court that the case the city and county have alleged is legally insufficient.

Tanya Garrison, attorney for Treasures, told the judge, "They have failed to put in any evidence that proves habit."

Attorneys for the county and city argued that the cases date back more than three years. That if nothing else, that alone proves the club an ongoing nuisance. Our legal analyst however says that's not enough.

"These statistics over four years show me that the place has problems; it's not a common nuisance," said KTRK Legal Analyst Joel Androphy.

Judge Alexandra Smoot-Hogan ordered us not to show any of the dancers set to testify, saying it could threaten their safety and security.

Treasures Manager George Marino testified Thursday that the club has a zero tolerance policy, and that dancers would be terminated if they even agreed to be involved in drugs or prostitution.

Treasures has filed a federal lawsuit against the city and county, claiming civil rights violations. They say officials are retaliating against the club because Treasures fought and won the right not to be considered a sexually oriented business.

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

local, kevin quinn

View the original article here

Battleship Texas continues to leak

  LA PORTE, TX -- Inspectors are renewing their search for leaks aboard the Battleship Texas after a temporary patch failed to stop leaks in the 100-year-old battlewagon's rusted hull that caused flooding.

Ship manager Andy Smith tells the Houston Chronicle that the rubber patch placed over a two-inch hole Tuesday decreased the leak from more than 1,100 gallons per minute to about 250 gallons. However, he says the continued leak means the patch isn't watertight or that there are other holes in the hull.

The battleship, which fought in World Wars I and II and has been berthed permanently beside the Houston Ship Channel since 1948 as a state-owned memorial and museum, will likely remain closed through Friday as inspections continue.

(Copyright ©2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

local

View the original article here

Collapsing ditch continues to grow

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- With rain in our area, there are a lot of nervous neighbors in one part of Fort Bend County. That's because a ditch along River Forest Drive continues to grow for a second day.

There are houses in the area and a bridge. The River Forest subdivision is north of Rosenberg and Richmond. And just like the rest of Fort Bend County, it got hammered by Friday night's heavy rain. Now the neighbors are watching the collapsing Briscoe drainage ditch carefully.

In the River Forest subdivision, the homes are big and custom made. The yards are expansive and filled with trees. But the usual quiet is shattered by heavy trucks carrying dirt to a dramatically collapsing Briscoe drainage ditch.

Resident Amy Sopchak said, "That's our house over there, so I'm just hoping it stays on that side of the bridge."

It all started Friday night when heavy rains swept away something called a drop structure.

Fort Bend County Commissioner Richard Morrison explained, "It's a concrete structure with a concrete pipe that helps the water slow down when it drops off into the river."

Morrison says when the rain swept the drop structure away, all the rushing water ate away at the banks of the ditch. Now county workers are working to stabilize the ditch, first with concrete chunks and now with dirt. The whole thing is a spectacle in a normally quiet neighborhood.

"This is just crazy," said neighbor Scott Cruickshank. "I mean, it looks like this one minute, looks like that the next."

The good news is that the collapse hasn't come close to any homes, nor has it come close to the bridge, and that it appears to have stopped. But it's still a dangerous situation -- one county leaders hope people will leave alone.

"The sides are steep, someone goes in to peer over it, the ground is saturated -- it could cave off or slough down in," Morrison said.

This could take six weeks to fix and cost the county less than $100,000. It may involve temporarily detouring the water through another ditch to get it done.

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

richmond, local, adela uchida
// perform JavaScript after the document is scriptable.OTV.common.modules.promoCarousel.promoCarouselInit("/ktrk/xml?id=5758258&ptnr=promoCarousel");

(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");

View the original article here

Lockdown lifted at four Klein ISD schools; search continues for murder suspect

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Four Klein ISD schools were put on lockdown Wednesday afternoon as authorities searched for an armed murder suspect.

The lockdown was in effect for about two hours and was finally lifted shortly after 4pm, Klein ISD says. The schools affected were Klein High School, Klein Annex, Kleb Intermediate and Mittelstadt Elementary.

The Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office says the search for the murder suspect, who was believed to have a gun, began near York Minster and Wimbledon Estates after investigators say a tip led them to the area. The suspect was spotted getting into a vehicle. A Precinct 4 deputy constable tried to stop him and that's when the suspect got out of the vehicle and fled on foot.

The suspect, Zumbotha Newsome, is wanted in connection with a fatal road rage case from April 15 in northwest Houston. That crime happened in the area of 34th Street and Bella Vista.

Newsome, 36, is described as a black male about 5-foot-9, 200 pounds, with a scar on his forehead. He also sports tattoos on his left and right arms. Newsome also goes by the alias Michael Ray Bunn.

"We're asking anybody if they've seen anybody about 5'9", 200 pounds, black male wearing black T-shirt and black shorts to go ahead and either call Crime Stoppers or call 911," said Alfredo Perez with the U.S. Marshals.

Perez says Newsome is considered armed and dangerous.

Stay with Eyewitness News and abc13.com for the latest on this developing story.

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

local

View the original article here

No Refusal program continues for New Year's weekend

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Police will be back out New Year's Eve weekend, looking for drunk drivers as part of the No Refusal program.

They were out over Christmas weekend as well. The Harris County District Attorney's website shows there were more than 230 DWI charges between December 24 and Monday.

Under the no refusal rules, drivers who are suspected of being intoxicated and refuse to give a breath tests will have blood drawn.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

local

View the original article here

Search continues for men missing in Trinity River

  LIBERTY, TX (KTRK) -- Officials continued the search Sunday for two Liberty men missing in the Trinity River.

Liberty police received a 9-1-1 call around 6:40pm Saturday from the area of the Trinity River Bridge. Officials said the caller reported that a man was having trouble swimming in the river.

Officers arrived and learned that Ruben Rivera, 43, and 29-year-old Manuel De Jesus Aguilar were under water and had not come up.

The Liberty Fire Department along with Texas Parks and Wildlife, Tarkington Volunteer Fire Department and the Cleveland Volunteer Fire Department responded to the scene and began rescue operations.

Witnesses said Rivera and De Jesus Aguilar were trying to swim across the Trinity River, and they went under the water somewhere in the middle.

Officials searched for more than two hours Saturday night and resumed their search at sunrise Sunday.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) 

View the original article here