Daily Police Blotter: N. Dallas Apt. Fire

Here's a daily list of recent activities drawing the attention of North Texas law enforcement. List compiled on Feb. 11, 2010.

NORTH DALLAS APARTMENT COMPLEX CATCHES FIRE
At least eight apartments were destroyed in a three-alarm fire Wednesday night. Residents of the Preston Park Apartments in the 5700 block of Preston View Boulevard reported smoke at about 8:20 p.m. By the time firefighters arrived at 8:35 p.m., flames were shooting through the roof. Firefighters said all 12 people who lived in the destroyed units escaped the fire. Two people were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation but were not taken to a hospital. Firefighters said an unspecified electrical short in the attic space caused the blaze.

MAN IN RING THEFT MAY BE INVOLVED IN OTHER ROBBERIES: POLICE
Police said a man accused of stealing a $90,000 ring from a woman at a Whole Foods may be involved in other crimes. Police said Bryan Fuller could be responsible for robberies in Highland Park in 2006 and 2007. Fuller is accused of attacking and robbing a Dallas woman in the parking lot of a Whole Foods. Her six-carat diamond ring has not been recovered.

TWO MEN ARRESTED IN ROBBERY OF MAN IN WHEELCHAIR
Two men accused of robbing an Azle man in a wheelchair and killing his guide dog, have been arrested, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. Patrick Cox, 27, and Jonathan Flournay, 21, face aggravated assault charges in connection with the home invasion. Authorities said the men broke into the victim's home, pistol-whipped him, stole cash and shot and killed the man's guide dog. Read more at the Star-Telegram.

2 LATEST EAST TEXAS CHURCH FIRES DEEMED ARSON
Investigators have determined that two rural church fires on the same night this week near Tyler were the acts of an arsonist. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced the findings Wednesday night on the fires that damaged the Dover Baptist Church and Clear Spring Missionary Baptist Church. The two Monday night fires happened within an hour and three miles of each other. ATF Dallas spokesman Thomas Crowley says the fires bring to nine the number of deliberately set church fires in the Tyler-Athens area of eastern Texas since Jan. 1. The ATF has said another 2010 church fire, in Temple in central Texas, also was set deliberately. No injuries have been reported, but agents suspect the work of a serial arsonist or group of arsonists.

AGENTS FIND MARIJUANA IN FRAMED PORTRAIT OF JESUS
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said agents found a stash of marijuana coming across the border in El Paso inside framed portraits of Jesus. The agency said the bust was made Tuesday afternoon at the Bridge of the Americas in El Paso. A drug-sniffing dog led agents to the marijuana, Customs said. The agency said it turned the woman to El Paso police for prosecution. Read more on NBCDFW.com.

FLAT-SCREEN TVS STOLEN ACROSS METROPLEX
Thieves stealing flat-screen TVs from businesses have hit in at least nine North Texas cities. In Duncanville, two thieves were caught on camera stealing flat-screen televisions just hours before the Super Bowl. Duncanville police said the thieves often sell the TVs on the streets. The department is talking to officers in Grand Prairie, Lewisville, Colleyville, Dallas, Mesquite, Irving, DeSoto and Grapevine about similar crimes. Read more on NBCDFW.com.