News You Ought to Know
Aunt of child found dead in landfill charged
DALLAS (AP) — A child-endangerment charge has been filed against the aunt of an 18-month-old boy found dead in a Dallas-area landfill a day after she had reported him missing.
Cedrick Jackson had been the subject of a statewide Amber alert issued July 10. That was after his 27-year-old aunt, Chrystal Jackson, who had custody of the child, reported him missing and possibly abducted.
The aunt was booked into the Dallas County jail Thursday with bond set at $35,000. No attorney is listed on her online jail report.
Still jailed in lieu of a $500,000 bond is Jackson’s boyfriend, 27-year-old Sedrick Johnson. He’s charged with serious injury to a child. Police say he had placed the child in a dumpster that was later emptied at at a landfill in nearby Rowlett. NEWS
Passengers on Southwest flight get Nintendo Switch
DALLAS (AP) — Passengers on a Southwest Airlines flight got more than a small bottle of water when they boarded their plane.
They received a Nintendo Switch system and a download code for the digital version of the “Super Mario Maker 2” game to enjoy as Flight 2246 traveled from Dallas to San Diego on Wednesday. Many of the passengers were headed to Comic Con in the California city.
Mario was on hand to greet the passengers when the flight arrived.
The gaming-themed flight highlighted Southwest’s partnership with Nintendo in the Let’s Play Getaway sweepstakes that awards a daily winner a Nintendo Switch system and a download code for the digital version.
The sweepstakes ends Aug. 31 with a grand prize winner and three guests receiving roundtrip air travel.
Former Texas cop who shot unarmed man acquitted of assault
DALLAS (AP) — A former suburban Dallas police officer was found not guilty of aggravated assault for shooting an unarmed man twice in the back.
Jurors reached their decision Monday in the retrial of Derick Wiley, who was fired by the Mesquite Police Department after the 2017 shooting that wounded Lyndo Jones.
Wiley, 37, fought back tears after the verdict was read in court and was embraced by his family and supporters. He told the Dallas Morning Newsthat he plans to return to law enforcement as soon as possible because police work is “just in my blood.”
The jury’s decision followed emotional testimony from both men and arguments from opposing lawyers, who both framed the case as one that would set a standard for police in North Texas.
Wiley shot Jones while responding to a report of someone breaking into a vehicle. Authorities have said the officer mistook Jones for a burglar while Jones was trying to unlock his own truck. Body camera video showed Jones, then 31, pleading with Wiley not to shoot just before the gunfire.
At trial, prosecutors portrayed Wiley as reckless and “hellbent on violence” on the night of the shooting. But Wiley’s attorney, Rafael Sierra, argued that the officer did not know Jones was unarmed and that he had to make a split-second decision. Wiley testified last week that he feared for his life in the moments before he opened fire.
Jones’ civil attorney, Justin Moore, said his client is devastated by the verdict but does not expect it to affect a separate lawsuit he’s brought against Mesquite, according to the Morning News.
In September, a judge declared a mistrial after the jury deadlocked in Wiley’s first trial after 10 hours of deliberations.
Lawsuit: Man linked to 19 deaths killed another woman
DALLAS (AP) — A lawsuit alleges a 90-year-old woman is another victim of a Dallas man who has been linked to 19 deaths.
The suit was filed Monday in Dallas County against The Tradition-Prestonwood, an independent living facility in Dallas, by the woman’s children. It alleges the facility failed to keep residents safe.
According to the lawsuit, police told the woman’s family that tracking data confirmed Billy Chemirmir was at the facility on the day of her 2017 death.
Chemirmir has been in custody since March 2018. He’s charged in the deaths of 12 women, including two other residents of The Tradition. Police have said Chemirmir posed as a maintenance worker or health care provider.
Separate lawsuits filed last month claim there were six additional victims at the facility.
The Tradition says it has cooperated with authorities and will continue to do so.
FILE – This undated photo provided by the Dallas County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office shows Billy Chemirmir. A lawsuit alleges a 90-year-old woman is another victim of Chemirmir, a Dallas man who has been linked to 19 deaths. The suit was filed Monday, July 22, 2019, in Dallas County against The Tradition-Prestonwood, an independent living facility in Dallas, by the woman’s children. It alleges the facility failed to keep residents safe. (Dallas County Sheriff’s Office via AP, File)
Lawmaker insists that slavery came from economics not racism
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A Republican lawmaker in New Hampshire is standing by comments made on social media that slavery was motivated by economics rather than racism, even as he was criticized by his own party.
In a Facebook exchange with a former lawmaker, state Rep. Werner Horn wrote that owning slaves didn’t necessarily make someone a racist. He was responding to the former lawmaker’s comment questioning how President Donald Trump could be the most racist president when other presidents owned slaves.
Horn on Saturday defended his comments that slavery was a business decision but said he was referring to the 17th and 18th centuries. By the 19th century, he said, racism was used to maintain slavery.
Republican Gov. Chris Sununu called Horn’s comments racist and said the “legislature would be better off without” him.
The Latest: Another Democrat enters 2020 Texas Senate race
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Latest on Democrats jumping into big 2020 races in Texas (all times local):
A longtime Texas Democratic lawmaker is joining the growing field of U.S. Senate challengers against Republican incumbent John Cornyn.
State Sen. Royce West launched his campaign Monday during a busy morning of Texas Democrats jumping into big 2020 races.
Wendy Davis also announced she’s running for Congress , five years after a failed run for governor that was propelled by a 13-hour filibuster of an anti-abortion bill in the Texas Capitol.
West has been a Dallas state senator since the early 1990s. He enters a Texas primary race that has no clear frontrunner after former Rep. Beto O’Rourke passed on another U.S. Senate bid and is now struggling in his White House run.
