TEXAS BRIEFS

Published 2:50 am Wednesday, November 28, 2018

FW man pleads guilty to sale of owl in Van Zandt County

A Fort Worth man pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing and selling an Eastern screech owl to another person in Van Zandt County, according to a news release from U.S. Eastern District of Texas.

The court said Jorge Fernando Mercado, 46, pleaded guilty Monday to information charging him with unlawful possession of a migratory bird before U.S. Magistrate Judge John D. Love.

The Eastern screech owl is a migratory bird that is protected by federal statute and international conventions, according to the court.

The court said Mercado admitted he knowingly possessed and sold the owl without a valid permit or authorization.

Mercado had the bird in his possession and sold it to another person for $200 on Sept. 30, 2017, according to the court.

Mercado was arrested July 23 and taken to the Tarrant County Jail, where he was held for the U.S. Marshal’s Service, according to Tarrant County Jail records.

The case was committed to the Eastern District of Texas from the Northern District, according to court documents.

Mercado was transferred to the Gregg County Jail on Aug. 9 where he has remained in custody on a U.S. Marshal’s Office detainer, according to Gregg County Jail records.

Mercado faces up to six months in federal prison at sentencing, according to the court.

The court said a sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.

Texas Parks and Wildlife and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Noble prosecuted, according to the court.

The court said the owl was released back into the wild after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service helped it recover and rehabilitate.

—LouAnna Campbell

Missing Whitehouse woman has been found safe

An Whitehouse woman was found safe Tuesday after being reported missing for almost 24 hours.

A Silver Alert was issued for 83-year-old Mildred Hightower shortly after 6 a.m. Tuesday.

She was located about 1 p.m. Tuesday in Carthage with her daughter, according to Lt. Scott Bradley of the Whitehouse Police Department.

The Texas Department of Public Safety alert said Hightower was last seen Monday at 3 p.m. in the 400 block of Lakeview Street in Whitehouse.

Bradley said the women were unharmed and were in touch with other family members.

—LouAnna Campbell

Whitehouse student accused of threat on social media

A Whitehouse Junior High School student was arrested Tuesday after allegedly posting a threat on social media Monday evening.

The student will face charges of making a terrorist threat. The school also suspended the student for further discipline.

“Mr. Ripley (junior high principal William Ripley) and his staff are committed to providing a safe and caring environment for everyone at Whitehouse Junior High,” Superintendent Dr. Chris Moran said.

As a precaution, additional law enforcement personnel were stationed at the school on Tuesday.

—KYTX CBS19

Henderson man dies in one-vehicle weekend wreck

A Henderson man died Saturday as a result of injuries sustained in a one-vehicle crash on Texas Highway 64 in Rusk County, according to a Texas Department of Public Safety news release.

A preliminary crash investigation revealed Stephen Vanlandingham, 51, was eastbound on Highway 64 in a 2005 Chevrolet 1500 pickup, according to the DPS.

The DPS said Vanlandingham failed to drive in a single lane, crossed into the westbound lane and continued that direction until he left the roadway and struck a culvert embankment.

The DPS said it did not know why Vanlandingham failed to maintain his lane of travel.

He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the DPS.

Vanlandingham was pronounced dead at the scene.

The crash occurred about 7:17 p.m. 5 miles east of Henderson, according to the DPS.

—LouAnna Campbell

3 firefighters treated after Dallas apartment fire

DALLAS (AP) — Three Dallas firefighters are being treated for injuries after they became trapped in a burning apartment complex when a floor collapsed.

Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans says a team of specially trained firefighters went into the structure Tuesday in northeast Dallas and pulled the three to safety.

Their injuries are not considered life-threatening. One resident of the three-story complex was treated for smoke inhalation.