Crime Time

Woman who died in Fort Worth wreck aspired to be a nurse

The courtesy patrol teams travel with tools to help motorists on Tarrant County roads who have minor trouble, such as flat tires or stalled engines.

Police believe, however, that a member of the team was driving the pickup tha tslammed into the driver's side of a car as it pulled out of a parking lot near movie theaters Saturday evening in north Fort Worth.

The driver of the truck, Alan Michael McKinney, 29, of Fort Worth, is facing a charge of intoxication manslaughter in the death of Amy Anders, 23, of Roanoke who aspired to be a nurse.

Read more about her in this report from Mitch Mitchell.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/01/20/4561810/member-of-tarrant-sheriffs-courtesy.html#storylink=cpy

 

 

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/01/20/4561810/member-of-tarrant-sheriffs-courtesy.html#storylink=cpy

Refusing breath test could result in 'blood draw' during holiday 'No Refusal' effort in Tarrant County

The "No Refusal" campaign against drunk driving has been extended through the holiday season, according to the Tarrant County District Attorney’s office.

From Sunday until Tuesday, participating law enforcement agencies that arrest drivers on suspicion of driving while intoxicated between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. will use search warrants to draw blood specimens from those who refuse to take a breath test, a spokeswoman said in a statement.

This year’s New Year's Eve campaign will run from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. Dec. 31 through Jan. 1, the DA’s office said.

The program up to now has been conducted on Thanksgiving, New Year’s Eve, Super Bowl, Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day, but the district attorney’s office recently received a $300,430 grant to expand the "no refusal" program.

Read more in this report from Alex Branch.

Accounts differ on scene of wreck that killed Dallas Cowboy

As the Dallas Cowboys paid tribute to Jerry Brown (shown here) at a private memorial on Tuesday, differing accounts surfaced about the scene of the fatal wreck early Saturday in Irving.

A woman who arrived moments after the wreck said Brown's teammate Josh Brent didn't try to save his friend's life until she begged him.

"Jerry was alive," Stacee McWilliams of Irving told The Dallas Morning News. "He was hurt. He was calling out, and his own friend walked away."

Brent's attorney, George Milner, told The Associated Press that an investigating officer told him the woman's story didn't match the circumstances surrounding Brown's death. Milner said he was told that Brown "wasn't talking to anyone. He wasn't moaning. He was dead."

Read more about the investigation and Tuesday's memorial service in this account by the AP's Schuyler Dixon.

Waxahachie police officer from Arlington dies in crash

One week after a Lancaster police officer on his way home from work was killed by a suspected drunken driver, an on-duty Waxahachie officer has died after a crash in which alcohol is believed to have been a factor.

Waxahachie officer Josh Williams, an Arlington resident, died early Saturday in a two-vehicle accident that happened as he was responding to a disturbance at a fast food restaurant, the city said in a news release. Williams' patrol car was struck on the passenger side by an SUV that was being driven without its headlights on.

Williams, 44, a 17-year veteran of the department, was transported to Baylor Medical Center at Waxahachie, where he was pronounced dead. The driver of the other vehicle was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas and remained in custody this morning.

The Texas Department of Public Safety is investigating the accident, the city said. 

Williams is survived by his wife and three children.

“Josh was very well known and well liked in our community," Police Chief Chuck Edge said in a statement. "He was a great guy and a great officer. His death is a tremendous loss for the Waxahachie Police Department and the community."

Lancaster police officer Dustin Dodson, 25, died July 21 after a crash on U.S. 67 near Venus. Like Williams, he left behind a wife and three children.

Ricardo Espinoza, 22, of Alvarado was arrested the same day in connection with the crash.

-Patrick M. Walker

Police: drunk New York man drove motorcycle more than 130 mph

A 20-year-old New York man is facing drunken driving charges after police say he reached speeds of more than 130 miles per hour while trying to evade police in western New York.

The Associated Press reports that Greg Smith was driving on Route 63 in Oakfield Thursday morning when a Genessee County Sheriff's deputy tried to stop him.

Police said Smith didn't stop until he sped through Oakfield, Batavia and then back into Oakfield where he crashed into another vehicle at an intersection.

But even then, Smith didn't stop. Smith ran away from the scene on foot and was found in a cornfield where he was finally arrested.

Smith faces charges of DWI, reckless driving, speeding and other traffic violations.

-Chance Welch

DWI court hearing a party for New York man

Court hearings usually lack a party atmosphere but one New York man must have thought he could lighten things up.

NBC New York reports that Keith Gruber showed up to a court hearing for a felony drunk driving charge while he was drunk. Gruber was reported to be visibly drunk and carrying an open can of Busch beer with four more cans in a bag.

Sullivan County Judge Frank LaBuda, who had the pleasure of presiding over Gruber's case that day, asked him if he liked his "liquid lunch."

Gruber affirmed that he enjoyed his drinks and promptly apologized. LaBuda responded by sending him to jail with no bail.

This wasn't Gruber's first brush drunk driving charges. He has had prior DWI convictions before, according to the report.

-Chance Welch

18th time is the charm for Ohio drunk driving suspect

An Ohio man is being investigated for his 18th drunk driving offense after he was seriously injured in a motorcycle crash.

TV news station WTOL reports that Spencer Blatnick, 61, was arrested Wednesday night after driving a motorycle into the back of a car.

Blatnick, who was not wearing a helmet at the time, was thrown from the motorcycle into a ditch, according to the report. He suffered serious head and leg injuries in the crash.

The driver of the car was not injured.

While he was at the hospital after the crash, Blatnik refused a blood alcohol test.

Police obtained a warrant citing that he has had 17 drunk driving offenses and 13 license suspensions in the past.

-Chance Welch

Judge orders arrest of man who drove himself to DWI hearing drunk

A judge in Bartlesville, Okla., noticed that the man standing in front of him on a drunken driving charge smelled of alcohol.

The judge asked if the man had driven himself to court that day. The man replied he had. That prompted the judge to order a breathalyzer test.

To make a long story short, Tommy Joe Thomison, 50, was re-arrested in court during his DWI hearing and charged with public intoxication. He was taken from court in handcuffs, television station KJRH of Tulsa reported.

-- Lance Murray

'Partridge Family' star charged with DUI in Florida

Former teen heart-throb and "Partridge Family" star David Cassidy is facing a charge of driving under the influence after he was stopped by a Florida Highway Patrol officer.

Cassidy's car was stopped at about 6 p.m. Wednesday for weaving and nearly causing an accident, the Associated Press reported.

A half-empty bottle of bourbon was found in the back seat, but Cassidy, 60, told a trooper that he had drunk only a glass of wine at lunch and a pain pill at 3:30 p.m., the AP reported.

-- Lance Murray

Murder: Man convicted in DWI death of California Angels pitcher

A 23-year-old California man has been convicted of murder in the drunken driving death of California Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart and two of his friends last year -- just hours after Adenhart, 22, had pitched six scoreless innings in his Angels debut.

Andrew Gallo faces 50 years to life in state prison on the convictions on three counts of second-degree murder, and one count each of drunken driving, hit-and-run driving and driving under the influence of alchohol and causing great bodily injury, the Associated Press reported.

-- Lance Murray