Arlington, TX

I missed my news posts a couple of days this week so I’ve got a lot to tell you about today:

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found Friday that the 2006 conviction of Brent Alan McDowell by a Dallas federal jury on a charge of mailing obscene material was based on insufficient evidence. McDowell was convicted for selling a sex torture video, which depicted a bound woman being tortured by needles, over the internet. The appeals court ruled that Mr. McDowell did not necessarily know that the videos would be sent through the U.S. mail. He had served one year of a 2 1/2 year sentence before he was released from a federal prison in Arizona Friday.  

A BMW went out of control and crashed into a house in the 2300 block of Perkins Place, near Perkins Road and West Arkansas Lane about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday morning. Police said the driver was arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated. One person was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries, police said.

The Texas Transportation Commission awarded Arlington Municipal Airport about $600,000 this month toward the design and construction of a new terminal and parking lot. The city must come up with a matching sum, which it will fund out of gas well and bond money. The design process is underway and, depending on what design they settle on, the project could cost between $2 million and $4 million.

Arlington has extended it’s L.E.A.F. free trees program until September 15. Only 2 neighborhoods have taken advantage of the program and the city is hoping to get more neighborhoods to participate. For more information on the program, you can visit the city’s website.

A Mansfield woman, and native Texan, was jailed as an illegal immigrant over the weekend. Alicia Rodriguez, an accountant and mother of 3, was pulled over after her license plate number revealed she had an outstanding traffic warrant in Dalworthington Gardens. Her name and date of birth were the same as another woman who had been deported multiple times to Mexico. Arlington police overlooked fingerprints that could have cleared up the mistake. She was transferred to the Dalworthington Gardens jail but even after her sister presented her birth certificate, they didn’t let her out. Eventually, officers in Dalworthington Gardens noticed that she had a drivers license and a valid social security card and released her.

There was a shooting last night about 11:40 pm in the parking lot of the Maverick Bar & Grill on South Cooper Street, after an attempted robbery. Police said the victim was shot in the leg and was transported to Harris Methodist Hospital. His injuries were not life-threatening. The suspect is described as an Hispanic male, about 20 years old, 5-foot-3 and weighing 200 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black shirt and blue jeans and fleeing in the direction of the Parkway Inn across the street at 703 Benge Drive.

Arlington police officer Rodney Rundles, 41, was injured Wednesday evening when his patrol car went out of control and struck the concrete retaining wall along southbound Texas 360 between Mitchell Boulevard and Park Row. Office Rundles is an 11-year-veteran of the department. He was admitted to Harris Methodist Fort Worth hospital for observation but his injuries were not life-threatening. 

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