Here's a daily list of recent activities drawing the attention of North Texas law enforcement. List compiled on Oct. 15, 2009.
TEEN PLEADS GUILTY TO SETTING DOGS ON FIRE
A teenager pleaded guilty Thursday to setting fire to two pit bull terriers in April, the Dallas Morning News reported. Lefferreio Sudds was charged with two counts of felony animal cruelty and torture and will serve a four-year sentence. The two dogs set on fire were euthanized because they were so severely burned. Jucorey Davis, another teenager, was also charged with two counts of animal cruelty. Police found six other pit bulls at the teenagers' home. Read this story at The Dallas Morning News.
FEDS ARREST HUNDREDS IN SIX-MONTH GANG PROBE
Immigration agents arrested 280 people in Texas during a six-month national roundup of gang members and criminals. The sweep ended Sept. 30. and focused on gangs with foreign-born members. U.S. citizens also were arrested in the crackdown. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Thursday that 126 people were arrested in North Texas. Officials say the 89-city operation led to 1,785 arrests nationwide of people suspected of gang and criminal activity or immigration violations.
POLICE INVESTIGATE FATAL SHOOTING
Dallas police are investigating the death of a man found dead in a vehicle on the freeway. Officers found the man slumped over in the driver's seat of his car Thursday morning in the 700 block of South R.L. Thornton Freeway at Marsalis Avenue near the Dallas Zoo. The rear window of the car was shattered and homicide detectives have determined that Rickey D. Hunt, who turned 30 on Wednesday night, was shot by someone he knew. There have been no arrests in the case.
FORT WORTH MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING WIFE'S CHIHUAHUA
A Fort Worth man faces animal cruelty charges after he is accused of killing his wife's chihuahua. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports Zachary Don Phillips, 18, was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty but posted $3,00 bond. The police report said officers were called to an apartment in the 6400 block of Hulen Bend Boulevard at about 1 a.m. Wednesday. When officers arrived Phillips' wife told officers the couple had been arguing in their bedroom when Phillips grabbed her chihuahua out of her arms and threw it against the wall. The dog died instantly, according to the newspaper. Phillips denies killing the dog. Officers said they smelled a strong odor of alcohol on Phillips, and the newspaper reported he was cited for public intoxication and consumption of alcohol by a minor. Read more in the Star-Telegram.
STREET RACING CRASH LEAVES ONE DEAD
The Dallas Sheriff's department arrested the driver of a motorcycle that crashed, killing his passenger just after midnight. Deputies were called to southbound Interstate 35 just south of Colorado Boulevard for a motorcycle wreck. Witnesses tell officers two motorcycles were traveling at a high rate of speed and appeared to be racing, and as one of the bikes came around a curve the driver lost control and hit a guardrail. The woman riding on the back of the motorcycle was thrown and landed on the entry ramp to the freeway, where she died. Deputies said the driver, Erik Delgado, was also thrown but did not suffer life-threatening injuries. Delgado was taken to the hospital, the sheriff's department said he has been charged with intoxication manslaughter. The woman's identity has not been released pending notification of next of kin. The other motorcycle left the area.
ONE DEAD IN WRECK ON BONNIE VIEW ROAD
Dallas police are trying to determine if slick roads contributed to a deadly accident in the 2100 block of Bonnie View Rd. just before 7 a.m. Police say a car northbound on Bonnie View Rd. likely lost control on the slick pavement, left the roadway, splintered a utility pole, then crashed into a group of trees in front of a home. When officers arrived they found the heavily damaged car with two people trapped inside. A woman was taken to the hospital in serious condition, the man inside the car had died at the scene.
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The latest news from around North Texas.
KAHN ELEMENTARY ROOF COLLAPSE
Water trapped on top of the roof of Kahn Elementary School in Dallas is believed to be the cause of a roof collapse and fire caused by an electrical short Wednesday. No one was inside the building at the time of the collapse. Parents were told to drop their children off and pick them up at Kahn Elementary, the students were bussed to Rosemont Elementary for classes Thursday.
TRUCK STOP ARSONIST ARRESTED
Undercover Dallas police officers said they caught an arsonist in the act as he set fire to a tractor-trailer last week. Dallas police said Thomas Carr is responsible for several fires at the Pilot Truck Stop in the 8700 block of south Lancaster Road. Police said Carr, who is a truck stop employee, gave a full confession during questioning. Carr is charged with two counts of second-degree felony arson.
GPS E-MAIL WARNING
North Texas police departments say an e-mail warning about thieves stealing GPS units from cars for personal information hasn't really been an issue in the area. The e-mail warns recipients that thieves finding out where people live from the personalized settings on the unit. Police said leaving paperwork with information information inside vehicles is a bigger threat.
