Crime Time

Sniper outside jail kills prisoner inside it

Usually prison "hits" are done at close quarters.

You've scene the movies, haven't you, where one inmate does in another with an improvised knife or  a severe beating?

Well, French authorities say an assassin there used a more dramatic script to assassinate a murder suspect inside a French jail who was to be interrogated about a murder case -- a long-range shot from a sniper rifle from a hill near the jail.

You can read the intriguing story in the Times of London here.

-- Lance Murray

Police: Teen wanted mom killed to finance girlfriend's breast enlargement

Colorado police say a teen offered two men $7,000 to kill his mother so he could finance his girlfriend's breast augmentation.

The teen, Nikita Weis, 18, planned to sell his mother's car and empty her bank accounts to finance the plastic surgery for his 21-year-old girlfriend, the The (Colorado Springs) Gazette reported.

Weis' 42-year-old mother foiled the plot, though, when one of the men entered her home Thursday night.

The intruder attacked her with what police described as a miniature baseball bat, but she scared off the intruder by setting off her car's panic alarm, according to the report.

Weis was home at the time and his girlfriend was waiting outside during the break in, police told the newspaper.

The teen and his girlfriend were booked into jail on conspiracy to commit murder, The Gazette reported.

Read the full story here.

-- Andrew Chavez

Woman says man chased her with his pants down

Have you seen this man?

A young mother in Richland Hills had to see too much of him, according to police.

He is suspected exposing himself to the 18-year-old woman who was pushing a stroller, police said.

His pants were pulled down, and he exposed himself, police said. The man told the woman, "Come here," and began chasing her, police said.

Anyone with information should call Richland Hills police at 817-299-1880.

Read the full report by Staff Writer Domingo Ramirez Jr.

-- Bill Miller

Dash cam video: Iowa man, cop car collide

Dramatic dash-cam footage has been released from an incident a week ago in which a man in Iowa is seen jumping atop police cars responding to a report of a man with a knife, and then getting hit by one of the cars.

Eric Peterson remained in critical condition this week after a police officer in the city of Nevada allegedly struck him with his vehicle, The Associated Press reported.

A report from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation stated that Peterson was moving aggressively toward a police car and trying to enter it when he was struck by a police car driven by Kailen Fitzgerald, an officer with the Nevada police.

Peterson's family has issued a statement denying the officers' version of the events. They say Peterson is mentally ill and was not threatening the officers, according to the AP.

Fitzgerald and the other officer involved, Adam Fischel, have been placed on paid administrative leave pending a DCI investigation.

Click here to read a comprehensive report by Nevada Journal.

-- Bill Miller

Pastor sent child porn over Internet, prosecutor says

A Kaufman County pastor has been charged with transporting child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

They say he sent pornographic images -- described as "child porn" and "child erotica" -- using Google's now-defunct Hello software.

Nathaniel Jones has the full report here. You can also check out the pastor's MySpace page here and see the U.S. Attorney's statement here.

-- Andrew Chavez

Human remains found at San Antonio Six Flags

Authorities are trying to figure out a cause of death for skeletal remains found at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio.

The remains were found Wednesday near some cliffs in the park, with clothing nearby, according to an Associated Press report.

“(The remains) weren’t anywhere near the public (area),” Joe Rios, a spokesman for San Antonio Police Department told the San Antonio Express-News.

Rios said the remains appeared to have been there for six to 12 months.

Read the full story here.

-- Andrew Chavez

Wisconsin man accused of drinking with sons, 2 and 4, at county fair

A Wisconsin man was cited with disorderly conduct after buying beer for his sons, ages 2 and 4, at a county fair then getting belligerent with a police officer.

The 38-year-old isn't charged with anything for buying the beer because children in Wisconsin can drink if they're with their parents, according to a newspaper report.

A woman at the fair's beer tent thought the man was joking when he ordered two beers, "one for me and one for my 4-year-old son,” the Fond du Lac Reporter reported.

Read the full story here.

--Andrew Chavez

Couple tried to get revenge, but got arrested

A Bedford couple apparently set out to avenge the rape of the wife when she was 9 years old, but now they face charges of aggravated assault, according to police.

The the husband and wife were arrested Monday morning at their southwest Bedford home, several hours after releasing a 47-year-old relative of the woman; she claimed he sexually assaulted her in 1985.

According to reports, the man on Sunday was tied up, beaten and threatened with a knife. He eventually was released, but he called police and the couple was arrested.

Officers, however, said the woman never filed a report about the crime.

"Even if she had filed a report, the statute of limitations ran out when she turned 28 based on the law that existed back then," Hurst police Sgt. Craig Teague said Tuesday. "Today, there’s no statute of limitation for a child who is sexually assaulted."

Staff Writer Domingo Ramirez Jr. reports.

Dallas police seek serial rapist with unusual M.O.

Police want help from the public to catch a serial rapist who has attacked three women during the past month in the Maple Avenue area northwest of downtown Dallas.

The man, armed with a handgun and covered in tattoos, has a unique modus operandi (M.O.)

He attacks women in broad daylight.

Staff Writer Bill Miller reports.

Readers enthralled with 'Hummer' case

The story about the 72-year-old Southlake man who has confessed to keying a lot of Hummers continues to get a lot of reader attention.

James A. Jeppe told police he was frustrated by family and financial issues, but he also railed against the "carbon footprint" left by the big sports utility vehicles.

An arrest warrant affidavit in the case -- always great reading if you can get your hands on one -- shows how Southlake detectives made their case.

Meanwhile, however, Star-Telegram columnist Bud Kennedy writes that there's plenty "haywire" with this story. Read Bud's complete column here.