GALVESTON — Landry’s employees and their families put Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier workers to the test Sunday as they prepare for the official opening.
Texas City police had already conducted the initial search for the siblings who went missing from their grandparents house in the 2500 block of 37th Avenue at 6:30 p.m.
A call to residents through the city's Blackboard Connect alert system did more than alert people to the missing kids, it prompted a flood of volunteers.
TEXAS CITY — One man was shot and a gunman was on the run following a shooting outside a Texas City convenience store. Marion Glenn Hines, 50, was killed in a shooting outside the store. Police said Hines was apparently an innocent bystander.
TEXAS CITY — A morning fire damaged the Salvation Army building located at 4210 FM 1765 on Monday. Firefighters knocked the blaze down in less than 10 minutes once they arrived, Fire Chief Brud Gorman said.
Texas City Police Department SWAT officers will be training all day at the old high school building at 1800 Ninth Avenue North.
Due to size and since it is an empty building, the location allows officers to practice building searching techniques, the city released in a statement. Training days are held in various locations each month depending on the course and availability of suitable locations.
Police vehicles will be seen in and around the building during the training.
GALVESTON — A jury sentenced Cheretta Smith, 20, to 84 years in prison on Friday. Smith pleaded guilty to murder in the Feb. 12, 2010, slaying of her grandmother, Theretta Gayden Miller, 57, who was found dead in the Texas City home she shared with Smith.
Smith admitted to stabbing her grandmother twice, although prosecutors say she hit her grandmother on the head with a candleholder three times and stabbed her four times in the stomach.
TEXAS CITY — A roof collapse at Mall of the Mainland from tornado and water damage forced the mall's closure Monday. No injuries were reported in the incident, which occurred at about 1 p.m. It was unclear how long the mall would remain closed. Nearly 2 inches of water accumulated on the mall floor near the theater, possibly from the weight of rainwater forcing the ceiling to collapse, a city official said.
Three people were hurt, two seriously, and a woman was taken into custody on the suspicion of driving drunk after a head-on collision in Texas City on Thursday night.
A 5-year-old Houston boy drowned after he fell off an inflatable float Wednesday at Texas City Dike Beach. The boy was under the water for 4 to 6 minutes, emergency officials said.
Judge Susan Criss, of Galveston's 212th District Court, ordered a jury to acquit Joshua Dwayne Bledsoe, 23, of Texas City on Friday. Criss ordered the directive verdict, saying evidence in the case was "secreted" from the defense. Prosecutors disagreed with Criss' characterization that evidence was withheld.
Texas City police investigate the fatal shooting at a shrimp boat dock on Friday. A "tussle" between two shrimp boat captains left one man dead and another suffering a leg wound, police said. The shooting happened at a dock behind Hillmans Seafood on Dickinson Bayou near the state Highway 146 bridge.
Texas City police received a call about a shooting at the Bourbon Street Bar in the 300 block of Texas Avenue near downtown Monday. Initially reported as three people having been shot, police found one man who was shot multiple times. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
TEXAS CITY — The body of a man was found in Galveston Bay on Monday near an inlet at the Texas City Dike. The man wasn't a fisherman and wore no swimming attire. Police believe he could have drowned. There were no initial signs of external trauma, police said.
SAN ANTONIO — A Bexar County jury on Tuesday sentenced Christopher Allgood to 75 years in prison for murdering his girlfriend, Courtney Gass. Allgood, 32, was convicted last week of killing Gass, who was one of three people shot in the head July 5, 2009 in a San Antonio apartment.
Allgood was not charged with killing his and Gass' 2-year-old daughter, Anika, or in the death of Kevin Bones, a friend who was visiting Allgood and Gass for the Independence Day weekend.
SAN ANTONIO — The punishment phase in the murder trial of Christopher Allgood got under way on Monday in the 290th District Court in Bexar County.
The first part of the day was spent hearing testimony from ex-girlfriends and Allgood's ex-wife about what the women claim was a ongoing pattern of violence by Allgood, including threats against each of their lives.
Mrs. Allgood sparred with prosecutor Chris DiMartino much of the afternoon over her son's past criminal history. Even as the prosecutor presented police reports and court judgements she insisted that each of the cases had been overblown by the victims.
"I don't want to try this case again," Allgood said when he tried to review the 15-year old stabbing case. When the judge and DiMartino insisted Allgood only answer questions asked of her she barked back, "if you are going to bring stuff up about my son..."
Even after testimony ended for the day, Allgood let her frustrations known.
"I think this whole case has been decided on assumptions," she said before leaving the courthouse. "The physical evidence doesn't support (a guilty verdict)."
"I feel great, elated and wonderful," Courtney's father Dale Gass said not long after the jury read its verdict.
Allgood was never charged in the deaths of the couple's 2-year-old daughter Anika or Kevin Bones, 35, also a Texas City native, who was staying at their San Antonio apartment during Independence Day weekend of 2009. They also were shot in the head with a semi-automatic rifle, authorities said.
"I am very happy with how it's gone so far," Gass said as he drove back to Texas City from the courthouse in San Antonio.
Asked if he felt a sense of justice in his daughter's death, Gass said: "A little bit. It's a step in the right direction."
Christopher Allgood is escorted from San Antonio police headquarters in 2009. Allgood was charged in the death of Courtney Gass. Photo by Shaminder Dulai/San Antonio Express-News
SAN ANTONIO — The prosecution ended its case and the defense presented only a few witnesses on Thursday in the murder trial of Texas City native Christopher Allgood, 32, who is charged in the murder of his girlfriend Courtney Gass, 26, also a native of Texas City. The murder trial started last week.
Closing arguments are scheduled for Friday in a San Antonio courtroom.
The jury could begin deliberations as early as this afternoon. Should Allgood be found guilty, Texas City police confirmed they have been asked to testify during the punishment phase of the trial.
Allgood was not charged in the murders of his and Gass' daughter Anika Allgood, 2, and friend Kevin Bones, 35, who is also a Texas City native. Gass, Anika and Bones were killed July 5, 2009 in a San Antonio apartment that Gass and Allgood shared. Bones was visiting the couple for the Independence Day holiday weekend.
Christopher Allgood is escorted from San Antonio police headquarters in 2009. Allgood was charged in the death of Courtney Gass. Photo by Shaminder Dulai/San Antonio Express-News
SAN ANTONIO — The murder trial of former Texas City resident Christopher Allgood started Wednesday in San Antonio. Allgood, 32, is charged with the murder of his girlfriend Courtney Gass, 26, who is also a Texas City native.
Allgood was not charged in the murders of his and Gass' daughter Anika Allgood, 2, and friend Kevin Bones, 26, who is also a Texas City native. Gass, Anika and Bones were killed July 5, 2009 in a San Antonio apartment that Gass and Allgood shared. Bones was visiting the couple for the Independence Day holiday weekend.
Christopher Allgood is escorted from San Antonio police headquarters in 2009. Allgood was charged in the death of Courtney Gass. Photo by Shaminder Dulai/San Antonio Express-News
SAN ANTONIO — The murder trial of former Texas City resident Christopher Allgood started Wednesday in San Antonio. Allgood, 32, is charged with the murder of his girlfriend Courtney Gass, 26, who is also a Texas City native.
Allgood was not charged in the murders of his and Gass' daughter Anika Allgood, 2, and friend Kevin Bones, 26, who is also a Texas City native. Gass, Anika and Bones were killed July 5, 2009 in a San Antonio apartment that Gass and Allgood shared. Bones was visiting the couple for the holiday weekend.
Christopher Allgood is escorted from San Antonio police headquarters in 2009. Allgood was charged in the death of Courtney Gass. Photo by Shaminder Dulai/San Antonio Express-News
Gass' mother Judy Bradley, her brother Cody Gass are attending the trial in San Antonio. Gass' father Dale Gass remained in Texas City. According to San Antonio media accounts, Allgood's family is also attending the trial.
The first day of the trial included photos from the apartment, including photos of Anika's room with toys strewed around and blood splatter at the head of the little girl's bed. The San Antonio Express-News has agreed to provide coverage of the trial for The Daily News.
TEXAS CITY — Four people were injured Tuesday in a three-vehicle crash at FM 517 and state Highway 146. The driver of a 2010 Ferrari California took the brunt of the impact and was admitted in good condition to the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. The driver of a Chevrolet Suburban, his wife and one of their two children were also taken to the hospital as a precaution. His older child was uninjured, police say.
No one was hurt when a storage room at a downtown area motel caught fire Tuesday morning in Texas City, Texas, officials said. The cause of the fire was under investigation, but a contributing factor could have been paint supplies and other combustibles that were stored in the downstairs room, investigators said. Click here to read more.
A Texas City man was taken to the University of Texas Medical Branch with a head injury after he fell out of a tree in his backyard on Thursday. Click here to read more.
A lockdown that lasted about an hour at some Texas City schools has been lifted, Texas City Police Chief Robert Burby said. The campuses were on lockdown following a home invasion that happened not far from the Texas City High School campus, Burby said.
Some Texas City schools were in lockdown following a home invasion that happened not far from the Texas City High School campus, Burby said.
At about 11 a.m., four men busted into a house on 15th Street. Police captured three of the suspects, but the fourth got away, Burby said.
As police and K-9 units searched the area, the police department requested that nearby TCISD schools be put on lockdown. That included Kohfeldt Elementary and Texas City High School.
Burby said police only asked for the lockdown as a precaution. Calls to a spokeswoman for the school district have not yet been returned.
It does not appear that the school district sent out notification about the lockdowns.
Chambers County Sheriff Joe LaRive, and Sgt. Bradley Moon discuss with Monetta Jeanie Escamilla the arrest of a suspect in the 1996 cold case killing of her daughter, Krystal Jean Baker of Texas City. Baker was 13 when her body was found March 5, 1996, beneath the Trinity River bridge spanning Interstate 10. Read more here.
TEXAS CITY — It took emergency crews more than five hours and the coordination of six city, state and federal agencies, two utility companies and an environmental clean up crew to pull an 18-wheeler from a bayou Wednesday. Click here to read more and see photos of the submerged truck.
LA MARQUE — Police evacuated residents from a neighborhood during the hunt for a man who is the primary suspect in several armed robberies. Click here to read more.
Victor Ramirez was hit by a car while riding his bicycle at Fourth Avenue South and 14th Street about 6:30 p.m. June 7, police said. Ramirez, 79, was riding his bike south on 14th Street when he entered the intersection and was struck by a car that was turning onto 14th Street from Fourth Avenue. A security camera from the BP refinery captured the accident. This video is not clear enough to show the impact and is shot from a distance. Click here to read more.
TEXAS CITY — The body of an 83-year-old Texas City woman was found under a mattress in her house Monday afternoon in what police confirmed is a homicide investigation. Police said the woman’s car was also missing from the driveway and issued a bulletin to area police agencies to be on the look out for the car. Click here to read more.
Police described the missing car as a 4-door Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, teal green color. The photo below is similar in style and color to the missing car. Car has Texas license plates: Z84-HDM.
The Texas City Police Department held its annual Police Week Golf Tournament on Thursday. Tournament organizers hoped to raised $20,000 for the United Way of Galveston County Mainland.
More than 280 golfers played in the two flights. Among those at the tournament was former Houston Astros outfielder Kevin Bass and the Houston Texans Cheerleaders.
Three men are charged with running a series of scams, including convincing people to give them money in exchange for a promised larger sum of cash in whats called a pigeon-drop or trust scam. Police allege the men used a series of scams, including one involving a claim of settlement money from a lawsuit against BP. Click here to read more.
A Kemah man was killed after his pickup slid sideways across the state Highway 146 feeder road and slammed into a pole on Sunday, May 2. Click here to read more.
Santos Delgado, who testified in the punishment hearing of a drunken driver who killed his pregnant daughter, was unhappy with the 10-year sentence for Mariano Torres.
Torres' blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit of .08 when he ran a red light in Texas City and killed Tylara Leigh Delgado, 19, and her unborn daughter Rosalynn.
Torres pleaded guilty to two counts of intoxication manslaughter in November, stemming from the Dec. 23, 2008, fatal crash at FM 1765 and state Highway 146. Click here to read more.
Lots of county residents noticed a large plume of black smoke over Texas City early Tuesday afternoon. No fear, it is a controlled burn at the Texas City Prairie Preserve near state Highway 146.
The 2,300-acre preserve, run by the Nature Conservancy, regularly has controlled burns to burn out underbrush that grows on the preserve.
At the turn of the century, there were approximately 1 million Attwater's prairie chickens along the Texas coast. However, loss of coastal prairie habitat over the years devastated the population, and less than 50 remain in the wild today, making the bird one of the most endangered in North America.
TEXAS CITY — A 36-year-old Galveston man was in critical condition Monday after he was shot in the head outside a Texas City apartment. Police said the shooting came at the end of an argument between the victim and another man who was still on the loose Monday night, police said. Read more by clicking here.
Fire crews from Texas City and six area fire departments battled the blaze into the late night at St. John’s United Methodist Church on Thursday. Read more by clicking here.
Interview with St. John's UMC Pastor Rev. Tom Crow
A ship docked at one of BP's berths at the Port of Texas City caught fire this afternoon. The blaze was small and contained within a few minutes, emergency management officials said.
Texas City Director of Homeland Security Bruce Clawson said, the fire "was out almost as quickly as they reported it." He said he could not confirm where the fire broke out. The fire was reported at about 2:30 p.m. on a ship at Dock 32 in the Port of Texas City.
BP spokesman Michael Marr said that some trash on the ship caught fire, but was snuffed out by the ship's crew in less than 10 minutes.
Fires aboard ships are already a serious matter for any sailor, but in Texas City history has shown even the smallest fire can turn into a great disaster. So, extra care is given when these type of blazes spark.
TEXAS CITY – A man accused of shooting his neighbor’s miniature dog with a BB gun was charged with animal cruelty after admitting to authorities he just didn’t want the dog in his yard, police said.
Texas City police were called to Linton Lane on Monday, after the miniature pincher dog’s owner saw a chunk of flesh missing from the animal’s rib cage, police said.
After speaking with the dog’s owner, police questioned the neighbor, asking if the dog was being aggressive. The man said, “I shot the dog because he was in my yard,” authorities said.
Police arrested the man on a misdemeanor charge of cruelty to animals and set his bond at $1,000.
About TJ Aulds
T.J. Aulds is mainland editor for The Daily News. He is a former producer with Channel 11's KHOU.com in Houston and a former editor of the Texas City Sun. Aulds was a 2007 recipient of the Jim Lehrer Award for Journalism.
