Texans fan injured at Reliant Stadium speaks out

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- For the first time, we're hearing from a Texans fan who was smacked in the head by a falling piece of equipment during Sunday's game at Reliant Stadium.

It turns out he was badly injured and has hired an attorney.

Marcie Van Matre says she was sitting with her boyfriend, Scott Woodard, in Section 115.

"We were all excited. We were in our white jerseys for White Out Day," Van Matre said.

At that point, the Texans were losing 3-0 but there was also trouble in the stands when a metal object came flying from above.

"It hit my neighbor and I looked at him first, because I saw it hit him first and he got a knot on his head. Then when I looked over at Scott, it hit his scalp and he had blood gushing down," Van Matre said.

Cell phone photos show Woodard after a long section of a metal frame that had been attached to one of the scoreboard signs dislodged and fell on him.

"I didn't know what was going on. I thought someone had hit me over the head with a beer bottle," Woodard told us in a phone interview Monday.

Compounding Woodard's issues, he claims that medical attention was slow in coming.

"I was injured in the first quarter and they didn't have an ambulance for me until the final hour," he said.

"It was just scary being in an emergency situation and it taken that long for help," Van Matre said.

Woodard says he now has seven staples in his scalp and has slept little since going to a game he saw little of.

As engineer for NASA, Woodard is concerned over the design and construction issues associated with the equipment which fell on his head.

He's hired Brent Coon to handle the case.

"We are obtaining a temporary restraining order to preserve the evidence and allow us the opportunity to further inspect the equipment involved, the pieces that fell, why they fell, and whatever else the investigation draws to our attention," Coon said in a statement released Monday. "Maybe they should have given out helmets instead of 'terrible towels' for fan appreciation day."

Reliant Park released a statement Monday as well, blaming the incident on "mischief":

"First and foremost our concern is for the well being of the two guests that were injured as well as the safety of all of the Reliant Park guests. At approximately 12:40 p.m. CT September 9, 2012 at Reliant Stadium an aluminum cover for one of the North end zone LED display boards dislodged and fell approximately 15 ft. to 18 ft. onto the guests seated below. One guest was treated at the scene by event medical staff and transported to an area hospital at approximately 1:35 p.m. for additional medical treatment. The other guest was treated and returned to the event. At the conclusion of the game, the manufacturer (Daktronics) reinspected all of the panels. We are continuing to work with the manufacturer to determine what caused the panel to fall, but at this time it appears that the cause may have been mischief."

Stay with Eyewitness News and abc13.com for the latest as we continue following this story.

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

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Teen mom speaks out about deadly crash

DEER PARK, TX (KTRK) -- A teenage mom accused of manslaughter in a car crash that killed her friend speaks out about the charges against her. She's being prosecuted now, more than a year after the crash, after what the Deer Park Police Department called an incomplete investigation.

For the first time the suspect in the deadly Deer Park wreck is speaking publicly about that night, her own injuries and about the charges against her.

"Honestly, that night... I don't remember anything from that night," Taylar Braden said. "Literally almost nothing."

This is the Taylar Braden you likely don't know.

"I'm a single mother of a two and a half year old son," she said.

The candid 19-year-old is still recovering from her own injuries in the wreck 12 months ago that killed her 18-year-old friend Andreaka Bell and has her charged with manslaughter.

"Andreaka is gone. I can't even put it into words or even begin to describe how I feel," Taylar said. "Regardless of how the family feels toward me, I still pray that they'll come to peace with this, because it is hard. I can't even begin to explain how they feel, because I don't know."

Taylar says she sustained brain injuries that have left her with a poor memory. Prosecutors say she was drunk and behind the wheel after leaving a party with two friends. Now she's worried about going to jail for something she doesn't remember.

"I don't even know if what they're saying is even true," she said.

The case against her is somewhat unusual in that Deer Park police admittedly failed to investigate the wreck properly when it happened in August 2011. The community cried foul, saying that police didn't value Andreaka Bell's life.

Officer Thomas Goodwin resigned from the force after his superiors determined he never completed the initial investigation. Her family, who did not want to respond to our interview with Taylar, called for justice and wants Taylar behind bars.

"Taylar is being prosecuted and to some extent she is being persecuted by the community," said defense attorney Paul Houston LaValle. "People are hating on her. They're sending her death threats. This is a very remorseful, very scared, very spiritual person."

Taylar said, "I pray about it, that maybe it'll just get better, people will see my side and they'll understand more."

Taylar Braden tells us she has apologized to Andreaka Bell's family. The family tells us they're not interested in anything other than Taylar being punished. If convicted, she faces up to 20 years behind bars. But her attorney believes prosecutors will have a difficult time convincing a jury that Taylar is guilty of any wrongdoing.

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

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ABC13 Exclusive: Southwest CEO speaks out about proposed Hobby Aiport expansion

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- United Airlines CEO Jeff Smisek exclusively told Eyewitness News reporter Ted Oberg the politicians celebrating Wednesday will be to blame for hundreds of lost jobs in the future. And now a one-on-one with the man at the head of Southwest, as his airline tentatively claims victory in the battle over international travel.

Southwest Airlines says it will take 15-20 years to make back its $100 million investment at Hobby Airport. We started our conversation asking why it's worth waiting so long and why it's so valuable to do international business here in Houston.

Gary Kelly: You know what the best opportunity is? Right here in Houston. And you know why? Because the fares are so high. Why is that? Because there is no competition. It is a high fare market, that is monopolized by United out of Intercontinental Airport. Those are the kind of opportunities we look for around the country.

Ted Oberg: How long do you expect fares to stay low? Can I come back to you in two years, compare apples to apples and you're confident your flight will still be cheaper?

Gary Kelly: Absolutely, absolutely.

It is a promise that won't come true for years. If Southwest really does drive international fares down, they won't start until 2015. In the meantime, United Airlines says it will mean hundreds of job losses.

Ted Oberg: Do you think United is scared of you?

Gary Kelly: You know I can't really say what motivates any of our competitors. Clearly this is an attempt to keep us from growing.

Ted Oberg: Will it hurt United?

Gary Kelly: That's for them to assess, but clearly it should not be the policy of a city or government to protect one company.

The $100 million deal is not done -- not yet -- and while Kelly and his co-workers were celebrating Wednesday morning, he knows he's not even close to selling his first international ticket out of town.

Ted Oberg: It appears you have the votes, next week, week after, whenever council passes it on. You have a worthy adversary in United Airlines is probably a nice way of saying it. How tough do you expect this fight to be in Washington?

Gary Kelly: Well, I can't speculate about what might happen in the future. We're used to this. We've had opposition from legacy carriers from the very beginning, before we even started flying. So it wouldn't shock me if we continue to see resistance going forward. But we're on the side of right here and the administration is I know for a fact is concerned with creating jobs. This is a great way to create jobs.

Ted Oberg: Do you believe 10,000 jobs can be created as a result of this deal in Houston?

Gary Kelly: I believe it's more than 10,000 jobs. No one can guarantee what the jobs are, but opportunities to grow are hard to come by and this is a wonderful opportunity to grow, not just at Hobby but also at Bush.

That 10,000 job figure comes from a city report. It's been widely criticized as outlandish, but Southwest embraces it despite the fact they don't anticipate hiring any more than 50 to 100 additional Southwest employees at Hobby.

Our entire conversations with the CEOs of United and Southwest are in the video player at the top of this page.

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

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

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Acquitted officer speaks out about verdict

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- "Not guilty," those two words unleashed an immense amount of raw emotion Wednesday. The trial of Andrew Blomberg may be over, but the reaction is still boiling over.

The case centers around video first shown on Eyewitness News. Blomberg's is the first of trials related to the beating of Chad Holley, and now we have a one-on-one interview with the former HPD officer.

It was a verdict that split many people. On one side, there was relief, on the other, harsh criticism.

Blomberg and his attorney, Dick Degeurin, sat together at the 100 Club's Annual Heroes Awards Banquet, which honors area law enforcement officers and firefighters.

Hours earlier, the two stood in a Harris County courtroom awaiting his fate on an official oppression charge.

"I was happy. I don't know what else to say about it, happy," Blomberg told us.

The former HPD officer says, for two years, he has thought about the actions he took in a few seconds.

"This had nothing to do with race. It was a fleeing burglary suspect -- that's all he was," Blomberg said.

But the attorney for Holley, Benjamin Hall, doesn't agree, saying "The verdict exposes a shortcoming in our judicial system when an out-of-control police officer is permitted to escape criminal consequences for his actions."

And says he believes what happened in the courtroom on Wednesday does not rectify a wrong, adding "Justice is clearly not blind in Houston, Texas. She appears to wear a badge and blue uniform while peeping behind her blindfold."

The case began March 23, 2010 after then 15-year-old Holley burglarized a home and ran from police. When officers caught up with him video shows them beating Holley as he surrenders. About a year later, Eyewitness News was the first to make the video from a nearby surveillance camera public. Several officers were then reprimanded and four were criminally charged.

"The verdict rendered today in Harris County Court 174 declares to all African Americans and others that your life is no more valuable than that of an insect," said Bishop James Dixon with the Community of Faith Church.

Community leaders stood outside the NAACP on Wednesday afternoon calling for the justice department to get involved.

"Justice is not black and justice is not white. Justice has no color," Dixon said.

"The jury's verdict is not the last word on Blomberg's conduct toward Chad Holley!" Hall said.

Blomberg still faces a civil trial and says he still hopes to work in law enforcement someday, even though it will not be for HPD.

"That's all I've ever wanted to do is be a police officer. Unfortunately, I can't do it in the city of Houston anymore," he said.

Blomberg isn't done going to court. Holley has filed a civil lawsuit against him and three other officers. That case is expected to be heard later this year.

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

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Family speaks out about fatal shooting of 11-year-old boy

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A family is dealing with the heartbreak of losing a little boy after a tragedy over the weekend.

An 11-year-old was accidentally shot and killed Sunday when he and a group of children got hold of a gun.

Alex Whitfield had a smile that could light up a room. At 11 years old, relatives say he was full of life -- and boy, could he dance.

Twelve days ago, Alex's loved ones were celebrating his birthday. Now, they are mourning his death.

"I didn't believe it. I didn't believe that he was dead. I still can't," said the boy's grandfather, Mark Wenzel.

The shooting happened at LaVerne and Hammerly while Alex was visiting his father for the weekend.

"The last time I saw him," Christina Wenzel said. "Oh, dear God."

So far, police are calling the shooting accidental. Investigators say Alex was playing with four kids under age 16 when they found a loaded gun in a closet in someone's apartment.

One of the boys started playing with it and it went off, officials said. The bullet ricocheted off a door and hit Alex.

A neighbor performed CPR, but couldn't save him.

"This not something I ever want anyone to go through. Wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy," Christina Wenzel said.

Alex's mother tells us her son is gone because of someone's negligence. She wants the adult who owns the gun to be held accountable for what happened.

"Yes, I'm mad. People say you can't blame anybody. Yes I can. Yes I can, and I plan to," she said. "It's just not fair."

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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First Asst. DA speaks out on grand jury investigation into BAT vans

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The BAT van grand jury probe Thursday hit the top floor in the Harris County District Attorney's Office, taking hours of testimony from DA Pat Lykos' right-hand man. First Assistant District Attorney Jim Leitner admits the BAT vans are still a problem and the controversy has hurt the office, but told Eyewitness News that no laws were broken.

This grand jury really is the Energizer bunny. They keep going and going and it's unclear if they will stop before subpoenaing the District Attorney herself. Either way, grand jurors are taking a holiday break next week and the DA's Office admitted on Thursday they need to take steps to solve lingering public perception problems with those DWI testing vans.

Jim Leitner, Harris Co. DA Pat Lykos' top assistant, headed in to testify to a grand jury Thursday morning. Three and a half hours later he emerged, hoping he convinced grand jurors there was nothing wrong inside the DA's Office when it comes to the mobile DWI testing BAT vans.

Grand jurors have been digging into it for more than two months after a judge hinted there was possible criminal activity by the DA's team.

"That sounded horrible and, you know, a lot of people when they read that headline, that's all it takes. They think, well it's got to be true," said Leitner. "Months later, I hope soon this whole thing ends and everybody sees that's not true, that the DA's Office didn't do any criminal activity."

He admits the investigation has damaged the image of the DA's Office, but insists he acted as soon as he could to protect DWI suspects' rights. That's a point the grand jury is certainly examining as it continues its work into next year.

In the meantime, the DA's Office knows BAT vans may still be a dirty word in Houston.

"It's obvious to me though that BAT vans are a problem because what I thought would've answered the question, obviously for the public and the media and everybody else, it hasn't answered the question," said Leitner.

The DA and Houston Police Department have come up with a plan to reduce the use of the pricey but controversial BAT vans by this summer, replacing them with fixed units at HPD substations.

"In the meantime, if they need to use the BAT vans, because of problems within the city, they should use them. But they better make sure they are maintained by the book," Leitner said.

On investigation specifics, Leitner was less specific. The DA's Office won't discipline Asst. District Attorney Rachel Palmer for taking the Fifth earlier this week. She's still on the job.

"I would be hard pressed to punish anyone because they exercised their constitutional rights," Leitner said.

And he denies the DA's Office retaliated against whistle blower Amanda Culbertson who brought these problems to light in the first place. He will have to wait until some time next year to find out if the grand jury takes his word for it.

"We're going to continue to work for as long as the grand jury wants to, and as long as we think it is productive," said special prosecutor Jim Mount.

On Thursday, the attorneys helping the grand jury said they will be back meeting after the first of the year. Their term expires at the end of July.

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

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Mom of boy mauled by pit bulls speaks out

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- We are learning more about the serious injuries a young Crosby boy suffered after being attacked by two pit bulls near his home one week ago. His mother says he may be in the hospital until the end of summer.

Mario Lopez will undergo a fourth surgery on Friday at Memorial Hermann Hospital. The 10-year-old is alert and his mother says he remembers practically every detail about that frightening dog attack. The picture of Mario Lopez in his football uniform is a stark contrast to the image of the boy wrapped in hospital bandages after two neighborhood pit bull mixes got loose and viciously attacked him last week. The boy from Crosby is no stranger to pit bulls -- he has two of his own. "He's bored. He's very depressed, but he's doing a lot better and I keep telling him he will get back to normal," said his mother DeAnn Lopez. The bites all over his body are so bad, Lopez isn't convinced her son will ever play football again. "He's got huge chunks missing all over his arms and legs," she said. Doctors at Memorial Hermann Hospital have operated on Mario three times and managed to reattach his ear. His mother calls them miracle workers. "Everything is really healing well. They took their time with that and his head looks really good," she said. The two dogs dug their way out from a newly constructed fenced-in enclosure and attacked Mario as he rode his bicycle through the neighborhood. The owners are facing criminal charges for failing to properly secure their pets. DeAnn says her son recalls almost everything about the incident. He knows two women saved his life by pulling the dogs off of him, but he can't remember what they look like. She and her son are eternally grateful. "I mean, I'll be there for them the rest of their lives... for what they've done," she said. She plans to personally thank those two neighbors. The two dogs who attacked Mario remain under quarantine until Sunday night. They can be returned back to the owners after that unless a court order is issued. At this point, it's unclear if the owners plan to reclaim them. (Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Victim speaks out on cousin's shooting

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Houston police have arrested a man in the pre-dawn shooting death of an 11-year-old boy.

Gboweh Dickson George, 32, was taken into custody shortly after the shooting which began over what he claimed was the burglary of his car.

Jaleah Carter, the cousin of 11-year-old Rodney Palmer, told us George accused her of the burglary. Police questioned her about it and left. Minutes later she says George returned with a shotgun.

She says she and a friend ran into the family's apartment. Moments later the shots were fired into the apartment. Carter and a nine-year-old cousin were struck, even as she was trying to get the children in a back room.

Rodney Palmer was asleep on a living room couch, Carter said. He was awakened by the shooting and raised his head.

"I kept telling him to get down," she said. "He was a good kid who didn't deserve to die."

The family moved out of the apartment even as the suspect was booked into the county jail, all, Carter says, over mistaken identity.

Carter has shotgun pellets lodged in her arm and leg. Her nine-year-old cousin remains hospitalized with shrapnel wounds.

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

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