Dog owner claims animal control abused her dog - not the case says Vet

AMARILLO, TEXAS -- An Amarillo dog-owner is breathing a sigh of relief after it was confirmed by a veterinarian that her dog was not abused by Animal Control officials.

Cassie Sims said Amarillo Animal Control picked up her 3-year-old Australian Shepherd, named Auston, on Tuesday because he escaped from her family's backyard.

"I got home from work and there was a note that my dog had been picked up," she said. "The pound had picked up Auston."

When Cassie went to retrieve her four-legged friend, she was surprised to see him covered in blood.

"There was blood dripping everywhere," Cassie said. "It looked like a slaughterhouse."

Cassie said she believed her dog was possibly abused by Animal Control officials because she found wounds on his chest and his nose and mouth were bleeding.

"It's like they had just flung him trying to get him in the cage."

Animal Control said the injuries were not from any sort of abuse, but instead caused from a staff that officers use to restrain animals.

"They got one of the animals (Auston) on the end of a staff and the dog fought the staff, bit the staff, punctured its toungue or lip and probably banged its nose on the end of the staff," said Animal Control Executive Director Mike McGee.

The staff is used to protect both the animals and the Animal Control officers, McGee said.

McGee said Animal Control paid for a vet examination on Auston. He said he specifically asked the vet, Auston's local vet, to check the dog for any signs of abuse.

Results of the examination concluded the dog did not suffer any type of injuries from any sort of abuse, McGee said.

Cassie said she is content with the outcome and glad her dog was not abused.

As for Auston, Cassie said he is doing fine and getting back to normal.

She said her family now plans to ugrade their fence to ensure their pets do not escape again.

Man stabbed by beggar in Amarillo - suspect sought.

On 5-8-12, at 8:00 PM, officers were sent to a home in the 2200 block of SE 21st on a report of a stabbing victim there. Responding officers found a resident of a home there attempting to render first aid to the victim, Abel Delacruz Flores HM age 26 of Amarillo. Flores was still in his vehicle. He was suffering from stab wounds in his stomach, arm, and thigh. The victim was transported to the hospital by ambulance. At the hospital, he reported that he had been in his vehicle in the drive-up line at the Wendy’s at 2000 S. Ross when he was stabbed.

A Hispanic male he described as 5ft. 8, 140 pounds, bald, and clean shaven approached the open window on the driver’s side of the vehicle. The suspect asked him for spare change. The victim didn't have any but told the man that if he would wait until the meal was paid for, he would have change. The suspect stepped away. When the victim drove to the ordering area, the suspect approached the open passenger window again and stabbed him in the forearm. When the victim leaned over to get out of the suspect’s reach, the man stabbed him two more times.

 During this, a second Hispanic male about the same size as the first but wearing a black, derby style hat approached the right side of the car and tried to open the locked door. Flores feared he was being robbed and drove away into the nearby neighborhood. He did not know anyone at the address in SE 21st but said he knew people that lived in the area. Officers returned to the restaurant and obtained other details from a video and a witness. Officers believe that the two suspects had stepped out of what may have been a red four-door vehicle that pulled up beside the victim’s car before the stabbing. 


The victim’s injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. There have been no arrestsOn 5-8-12, at 8:00 PM, officers were sent to a home in the 2200 block of SE 21st on a report of a stabbing victim there. Responding officers found a resident of a home there attempting to render first aid to the victim, Abel Delacruz Flores HM age 26 of Amarillo. Flores was still in his vehicle. He was suffering from stab wounds in his stomach, arm, and thigh. The victim was transported to the hospital by ambulance. At the hospital, he reported that he had been in his vehicle in the drive-up line at the Wendy’s at 2000 S. Ross when he was stabbed.

A Hispanic male he described as 5ft. 8, 140 pounds, bald, and clean shaven approached the open window on the driver’s side of the vehicle. The suspect asked him for spare change. The victim didn't have any but told the man that if he would wait until the meal was paid for, he would have change. The suspect stepped away. When the victim drove to the ordering area, the suspect approached the open passenger window again and stabbed him in the forearm.

 When the victim leaned over to get out of the suspect’s reach, the man stabbed him two more times. During this, a second Hispanic male about the same size as the first but wearing a black, derby style hat approached the right side of the car and tried to open the locked door. Flores feared he was being robbed and drove away into the nearby neighborhood. He did not know anyone at the address in SE 21st but said he knew people that lived in the area. Officers returned to the restaurant and obtained other details from a video and a witness. Officers believe that the two suspects had stepped out of what may have been a red four-door vehicle that pulled up beside the victim’s car before the stabbing. The victim’s injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. There have been no arrests

Oklahoma man arrested after strange police chase in Amarillo

AMARILLO, TEXAS -- An Oklahoma man was arrested by Amarillo police after leading them on a chase Monday evening. 

The suspect, 33-year-old Chad Alon Carpenter of Glenpool, Okla., was booked on preliminary charges of two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, evading in a motor vehicle, resisting arrest, unlawfully carrying a weapon and two counts of assault on a public servant, police said.

 At about 8:30 p.m., police said it was reported to them that a man in a white truck with Oklahoma pointed a handgun at a person on a motorcycle near the area of 45th and Western. The caller was able to supply police with a tag number and description of the vehicle.

 About an hour later, police said they received a report about a white 2000 Ford Explorer. According to police, the driver of the Explorer was seen pulling in front of another driver, stopping suddenly and nearly causing a collision near the area of 45th and Western. Police said two people in a black 1995 Honda coupe pulled up next to the Explorer and exchanged words. The driver then, according to police, fired a shot into the Honda's right fender.

 The Explorer fled and the two people inside the Honda followed it to a convenience store at 45th and Maverick, police said. Police arrived and attempted to take the suspect into custody but he reached toward his waistband, got in the vehicle and fled south on Western. Officers said they lost sight of the vehicle near Catalpa and South Western. The vehicle was then sighted near Interstate 27 and Georgia a short time later.

Police said they tried to stop the vehicle again but the driver sped away. Police said the pursuit continued south and west but was discontinued as the suspect approached the area of 45th and Bell.

 "At one point, officers had discontinued pursuit as he was approaching 45th and Bell at a high rate of speed so they pulled out of the chase," explained Amarillo Police Department's Sgt. Brent Barbee. "He was sited a few minutes later and again the officers tried to stop him."

 The pursuit continued when the suspect was seen turning westbound on Arden from Bell. The vehicle then continued to Coulter and then south of the Loop, police said. Tire spikes were set up near Hillside and Soncy. The spokes punctured three of the suspect's tires, police said.

He continued north to Interstate 40 where police blocked traffic. According to police, the suspect was driving on three rims and turned on the frontal road. Police said he drove over a curb and stopped just west of Bell Street. Police said the suspect then got out and ignored officer's commands to stop and started to walk away. He was tackled by office and resisted arrest, police said.

Officers used a taser to gain control of the suspect, police said. "He continued to resist pretty violently and had to be transported to the hospital and be medically cleared and then he was booked in jail with a number of charges," added Sgt. Barbee. 

A loaded .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol was located in the front of the suspect's pants. "It's always a balancing act between the risk to the public versus the risk of allowing this person to continue," said Sgt. Barbee.

 "This was an uncommonly high-risk situation where we had a guy we knew was involved in a shooting and we had to stick pretty close with him a little longer than we would for the average chase." Texas Department of Public Safety and Randall County deputies assisted the Amarillo Police Department with the chase.


Update: ****UPDATED 5-5-12******The Randall County District Attorney’s Office has accepted four felony charges against Chad Alon Carpenter. The first three are aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Two charges stem from the shot fired that struck the vehicle containing two people. The third charge was filed on behalf of the motorcyclist that had been the victim of the earlier assault. That man, a WM 40 of Amarillo, reported that he had been southbound in the 3200 block of S. Western when the suspect vehicle was behind him and nearly struck him.

 The victim changed lanes to get out of the man’s way. Both stopped at the light at 34th and S. Western. After an exchange of words, the suspect produced a handgun and pointed it at him. The victim drove away and later contacted police about the incident. Prosecutors also accepted one charge of evading in a motor vehicle. Prosecutors in Potter County are reviewing the reports of events at the arrest scene to decide if additional charges are appropriate.
STEN TO SCANNER AUDIO OF THE CHASE HERE

Helicopter crashes at Rick Husband/Amarillo International Airport

Connect Amarillo/KVII TV

AMARILLO, TEXAS -- No serious injuries were reported Thursday evening as a helicopter reportedly had a hard landing at Amarillo Rick Husband International Airport, officials said.

Two people were on board and one was taken to the hospital with injuries not considered serious, Patt Rhodes, Aviation Director, said.

The chopper, which was a Bell Ranger 3 helicopter, went down unexpectedly just before 5:00 p.m.

According to sources, the helicopter was owned by Chesapeake Bay Helicopters Inc.

ALl photos (C) Steve Douglass/ webbfeat@gmail.com 

Photo of the same helicopter at Rick Husband two weeks before today's crash. 

Jet Blue pilot using insanity defense

Reuters - A JetBlue pilot whose midair meltdown prompted a cross-country flight to make an emergency landing in west Texas last month will plead he was insane at the time of the incident, his lawyer said in a federal court filing on Wednesday.

Attorney Dean Roper filed the notice in U.S. District Court in Amarillo, Texas, saying pilot Clayton Osbon would use an insanity defense.

Osbon, 49, was charged earlier this month with interfering in the operations of a flight crew after he allegedly screamed and pounded on the cockpit door, forcing a March 27 flight from New York to Las Vegas to land in Amarillo.

Osbon was undergoing court-ordered psychiatric examination to determine if he could stand trial. The outcome of those examinations has not been disclosed.

A federal indictment described a harrowing flight during which Osbon had to be subdued and forcibly restrained from re-entering the cockpit.

The FBI said Osbon began saying, "Things just don't matter" while he was at the controls of the Airbus A320 about halfway into the five-hour flight, and that he told the flight's first officer, "We're not going to Vegas."

After the pilot suddenly left the cockpit and started running up and down the aisle, banging on a restroom door, and attempted to force his way back into the locked cockpit, several passengers restrained him until the plane landed.

The FBI said that while he was being restrained, Osbon yelled, "Pray now for Jesus Christ," started yelling about Iraq, Iran and terrorists, and shouted at one point toward the cockpit, "Guys, push it to full throttle!"

Neither Osbon's lawyer nor prosecutors could immediately be reached for comment on the insanity defense.

Nationwide closing Amarillo office.

By RUSSELL ANGLIN
russell.anglin@amarillo.com
Nationwide Insurance announced plans Wednesday to cut 325 jobs and close its Amarillo call center in July 2013, a company spokeswoman said.

“This is really part of our effort to enhance our productivity and efficiency, increase our competitiveness and cut operating costs,” spokeswoman Nancy Smeltzer said. “By no means does this reflect on the performance of the associates on this site.”

Call center employees, who primarily provide customer service for existing policyholders, will meet individually with Nationwide personnel who will help the employees pursue jobs within the company or offer “career transition services” including severance packages, Smeltzer said.

The closure will affect neither Nationwide customers nor the operations of local Nationwide agents, the company said.

The Amarillo call center at 4320 S. Western St. will carry out normal operations until July 2013.

At that time, employees at Nationwide call centers in Lynchburg, Va.; San Antonio; Des Moines, Iowa; and Columbus, Ohio, will take over the calls, she said.

In July, Nationwide eliminated 64 jobs at the call center and gave employees a 60-day notice their positions were being phased out, spokesman Mike Switzer said.

Nationwide came to Amarillo in August 1997 after the Amarillo Economic Development Corp. approved a $6.2-million incentive package that included renovations to the former Best Products store on Western Street.

AEDC President Buzz David said Wednesday in an email his organization will work to find a new company to fill the void left by Nationwide’s closure.

“We are certainly disappointed to hear of Nationwide’s departure from Amarillo next summer,” David said.

“The company has been a terrific corporation citizen and valued employer.

“The business and financial services sector is important to our community, and we will keep working to bring more of these jobs to our region.”

AEDC owns the property where the call center is located, and the building has an appraised value of $2.7 million, Potter-Randall Appraisal District records show.

Raw video: Amarillo Warehouse Fire 4-18-2012

KVII: CONNECT AMARILLO, TEXAS -- Billows of smoke dominated the Amarillo skyline on Tuesday evening as a massive structure fire burned, destroying a warehouse.

The building, locating at 3007 S. Pierce Street, was home to a sign company, known as Courtesy Sign Company.

Fire officials said the blaze started around 7:00 p.m. and was under control by about 8:30 p.m. Fortunately no injuries were reported.

At least two explosions were reported.

Traffic in the immediate area was stopped by officials and a house near the building was evacuated as a precaution.

The Amarillo Office of Emergency Management requested that citizens avoid the area. The fire burned extremely hot and quick, fire officials said.

Several people in the area taking photos and spectating caused a problem for emergency officials and made traffic congested.

Rotating supercell thunderstorm North of Amarillo 4-9-2012

(C) Steve Douglass

Domestic dispute results in SWAT standoff in North Amarillo

On 4-9-12, at about 2:00 AM, officers were dispatched to 716 N. Houston on a domestic dispute. When they made contact with a female resident in the front yard, a HM that also lives there came out on the front porch.

The female told officers that the man, later identified as Rodrigo Ramon Rodriguez HM 29, had assaulted her and had a gun. Officers ordered the man to stop, but he turned, went back inside the house, and closed the door. The man refused to come out. Officers called for SWAT to respond to the barricaded suspect situation.

At one point, officers saw the man trying to leave through a side window. He went back into the home when he saw officers. The suspect called the AECC and made threats to kill officers that approached.

He said that he had a gun and he would make the police kill him. At about 4:45 AM, officers used the bomb team robot’s arm to break a window and try to establish communication with the man through the robot’s public address system. The robot’s arm was extended into the home. The suspect struck the robot’s arm and video camera with a small hatchet. At about 5:10 AM, APD SWAT introduced chemical agents into the house.

A few minutes later, the suspect stepped out of the home and was taken into custody. He was transported to a local hospital for medical clearance and then booked into the Potter Co. Correctional Center on a charge of criminal mischief over $1500 for the damage to the robot. Officers located no firearm in the home.

Amarillo Cruise Night Photos 4-7-2012

"Cruise Night" - Region 16 Amarillo, Texas.
Click to enlarge photos. All photos (
C) Steve Douglass photography
Sponsored by Panhandle Council of Car Clubs

Shelly & her rat rod "Karma."




Sweet T-Bird:



Fuzzy Dice:


When fins were in:






Gold Corvette - detail:



Michel Wilhelm - proud owner of a 1988 Lincoln Towncar - in mint condition:


1931 Model A owners Ken Hanson & E.J. Dennis apparently called each other and said "wear plaid" at Cruise Night.


Dodge Charger 500 - sweet MOPAR: