Chad’s Morning Brief: Texas Man Won’t Be Charged For Killing Daughter’s Alleged Attacker, Lubbock Police Shoot & Kill Suspect, & More
Here is your Morning Brief for the morning of June 20, 2012. Give us your feedback below and tune in to Lubbock’s First News with Chad Hasty for these and many more topics from 6-9 am.
1. Texas Man Won't Be Charged (link)
The Texas man who heard his 5-year-old daughter's screams and beat to death the man who tried to molest her will not be charged. According to FOX News, the grand jury met on Tuesday and decided not to return an indictment against the 23-year-old father.
Authorities say forensic evidence and witness accounts corroborated the father's story that his daughter was being sexually molested.
Earlier, the Lavaca County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that the death would be treated as a homicide investigation, and the case was sent to the grand jury.
Sheriff Micah Harmon, according to the statement, believes the girl’s father is remorseful, and did not intend to kill Flores. He called the case "traumatizing" for the girl and her entire family.
"He was just protecting his daughter and doing what he thought he had to do to protect his daughter," Harmon said.
The victim was an "acquaintance" of the father who visited the ranch to help care for some horses, according to Harmon, adding he did not know how long the men may have known each other prior to the alleged incident.
A witness told law enforcement that Flores was seen forcibly carrying the girl to a secluded area, the statement said. When the girl’s dad found out, he began calling her name, and when he heard her screams, he moved in.
When emergency medical personnel arrived at the scene, Flores’ pants and underwear were down, and his genitals were exposed, the statement said. All the witnesses' statements corroborated the father’s story, the release said.
Flores had a green card and the sheriff’s office has been working with the Mexican Consulate to locate his family, The Gonzales Inquirer reported.
Excellent decision by the grand jury. A father protecting his little girl. I don't know of any men that wouldn't have done the same thing that this father did. It appears as though the world has one less child predator and I'm just fine with that.
2. Lubbock Police Kill Suspect (link)
A Lubbock Police Officer shot and killed a suspect Monday night and the suspect wouldn't drop his weapon and charged at police. According to KFYO News:
According to a police spokesman, the man who was killed was 32-year-old Anthony Nichols. Police say that 10:08 p.m. Monday, Nichols called LPD dispatch, said he had a gun and was going to use it. When officers arrived, Nichols had a knife, approached officers, and refused to surrender. Police spokesman Sgt. Jonathan Stewart explains what happened next.
“As Nichols closed in on the officers, officer Norris Roberson fired, the male was struck by the rounds, and went down to the ground. Mr. Nichols was transported to UMC and he was pronounced deceased early this morning several hours after the incident.”
The spokesman said that under the circumstances, it was appropriate for Roberson to fire his gun. Roberson has been placed on paid administrative leave while the shooting is being investigated.
I've seen some people on Facebook criticize the officer for shooting and killing this person. If you are in that group, I'll tell you what. Next time someone charges towards you with a knife, you handle it the way you want to. As for me, I have no problem with this guy being shot. He attacked Police Officers with a knife. If you do that, you are going to get shot and most likely die.
In all honesty, I wouldn't be shocked if that was what the suspect was going for. You'd have to be a moron to think that charging the police with a knife would lead to anything but being shot. We've heard of suicide by cop before, could it be that this was another example? We will probably never know for sure, but on this case I will side with LPD.
3. Romney to Speak at NAACP (link)
Next month, Mitt Romney will speak to the NAACP.
Romney, who squares off against President Barack Obama in November's election, will attend the annual convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, set for July 7-12 in Houston, Texas.
Romney was invited to address the convention shortly after he clinched his party's presidential nomination last month, NAACP spokesman Derek Turner said.
The organization is also hoping Obama, the country's first African-American president, will attend the event. Both he and Senator John McCain addressed the NAACP when they were candidates for the presidency in 2008.
Romney's campaign confirmed he accepted the invitation to speak at the annual convention but provided no further details.
Turner told AFP he expects Romney to "address civil rights" during his speech, "as they are in line with our mission."
The NAACP will be eager to hear Romney's solutions to speed up the sluggish American economic recovery as well. The unemployment rate among blacks stood at 13.6 percent in May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than five points higher than the national average of 8.2 percent.
Blacks also disproportionately fill the ranks of the poor and the uninsured, two groups which critics say would be severely impacted by Republican efforts to slash federal programs like food stamps in order to curb runaway government spending.
African-Americans are seen as benefiting more from Obama's landmark health care reform law, which aims to provide health insurance to 32 million Americans -- and which Romney has vowed to repeal if he is elected.
According to a Gallup poll in January, 20.9 percent of blacks are uninsured, compared to 11.8 percent of whites. Hispanics topped the chart with 40.7 percent uninsured.
Polls show a tight race between Obama and Romney down the stretch to November, and while Obama is seen as having the black vote comfortably in hand, appealing to African-Americans is important for the Republican challenger.
4. Gun Sales Up, Crime Down (link)
Last week the FBI announced that violent crime was down for the fifth straight year. In fact, violent crime across the country is down 4% compared to 2010. And how about this, gun sales have been up the last few years. Wonder if that has anything to do with it?
“This is not a one-year anomaly, but a steady decline in the FBI’s violent-crime rates,” said Andrew Arulanandam, spokesman for the National Rifle Association. “It would be disingenuous for anyone to not credit increased self-defense laws to account for this decline.”
Mr. Arulanandam pointed out that only a handful of states had concealed-carry programs 25 years ago, when the violent-crime rate peaked. Today, 41 states either allow carrying without a permit or have “shall issue” laws that make it easy for just about any noncriminal to get a permit. Illinois and Washington, D.C., are the only places that refuse to recognize the right to bear arms. …
5. Dumb Story of the Morning (link)
Do people really think the bank won't notice?
A Detroit man is facing 15 months in prison after he was able to withdraw unlimited ATM cash from his Bank of America account that only held a few dollars.
Ronald Page, 55, took advantage of a bank mistake that placed his account into a "pay all' status that allowed him to withdraw unlimited overdrafts, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Detroit said. And withdraw he allegedly did: From August 1 to 18 in 2009, Page hit the ATMs, mostly at casinos, and cashiers --for $1,543,104.
Page, a retired worker after 30 years at General Motors, had maintained an average balance of about $100 in his account from Dec. 1, 2008 to May 31, 2009, according to his indictment.
Page pled guilty on March 7 to theft of bank funds. His sentencing will take place on June 27.
6. Good Brews Good News of the Day (link)
Fighting sex trafficking here in Lubbock.
Since more sex trafficking cases in Lubbock have surfaced, more people have stepped up to help.
Whether it's Legislators like Rep. John Frullo, state programs like the Rape Crisis Center or just concerned individuals, many want to learn more about the world's 2nd largest criminal industry.
When Kale York went overseas on a mission trip with YWAM "Youth With a Mission", he attended a Muy Thai kickboxing fight. What he witnessed changed his life forever.
"They brought two women up to be auctioned out to the highest bidder," said York. "It's wrong and it's terrible."
Many concerned locals have banned together for a weekly workshop on sex trafficking. Members of the group are going over a course that includes the handbook "Hands that Heal." The workshop differentiates between human trafficking and human smuggling, among other misconceptions surrounded by the industry which generates $12 million annually.
"We can do something about this, we can work towards the change of laws and just work towards the best way of dealing with this," said Sex Trafficking Abolitionist, Peggy Galanos. Galanos is just one concerned citizen attending the workshop. She hopes to be better equipped to help educate others about the modern day slavery.
Everyday, Good Brews Coffee & Tea Lounge brings you the Good News of the Day!
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These and many more topics coming up on today’s edition of Lubbock’s First News with Chad Hasty. Tune in mornings 6-9am on News/Talk 790 KFYO, streaming online at kfyo.com, and now on your iPhone and Android device with the radioPup App. All guest interviews can be heard online in our podcast section after the show at kfyo.com.
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