AREA HAS ITS SHARE OF MAJOR NEWS

From staff reports

Tulia had more than its share of major stories last year, including the
crash of an F-16, a controversial undercover drug sting and a lawsuit over
school drug testing.

Although those stories made lots of headlines, one of the biggest stories
of the year was the crash of the Lifestar helicopter in March.

Other big stories in the region included numerous murders and charges of
misconduct among regional sheriffs and their jails.

AIRCRAFT CRASH

An aircraft crash occurred Aug. 28 near Tulia, when a Fort Worth pilot died
after his F-16C crashed during a flyover of his in-laws' house, about four
miles north of town.

Air Force Reserve pilot Steve Simons, also a Delta Air Lines pilot, was
flying the F-16 from Hill Air Force Base in Ogden, Utah, to the Naval Air
Station Fort Worth Joint Reserves Base at Carswell Field. He called
relatives in advance to tell them he would be flying over the house.

Family members said Simons fought to keep the aircraft from hitting the
house before crashing in the field a couple of hundred feet away.

An Air Force crash investigation board concluded in December that pilot
error caused the crash when Simons attempted to perform a low-level loop in
violation of Air Force regulations.

MURDERS

Several area towns were rocked by murders in 2000 while another struggled
to deal with an unsolved murder from 1999.

The family of Imogene French upped the reward to $25,000 for information
leading to the arrest of her murderer, hoping to create a break in the
year-old case.

French was strangled to death June 6, 1999, at the Oasis Truck Stop where
she worked. Hemphill County Sheriff Dean Butcher said investigators have a
suspect they are trying to link with DNA samples from the crime scene, but
the man lives out of state and has eluded them.

A murder case in Texola, Okla., ended with a twist when the man suspected
of killing Jim Matthews during a March robbery killed himself in an
Oklahoma jail before he could go to trial.

Jessie Allen McKinney, 40, of Brush Creek, Tenn., was caught and arrested
in Carson County and charged in the murder. McKinney hung himself in a
Cheyenne, Okla., jail cell shortly after he was arrested, said Beckham
County Sheriff Terry Poff.

Two months later, a shooting in Liberal, Kan., killed one and injured two,
leading to the arrests of three local teens. Anthony "Tony" McCain, 27, was
killed May 15 when he was shot while sitting in a vehicle. Shawn Cox, 21,
and Ernie Bishop, 16, also were injured, but later recovered.

Three Liberal teens - Jonathan Baptista, 18; Keontis Hall, 17; and Horace
Bell, 16 - were arrested in connection with the shooting. Baptista pleaded
guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and was sentenced to 22 years
in prison. Hall pleaded guilty to two counts of aiding a felon and was
sentenced to 60 months of probation. Bell will go to trial early this year.

Moore County residents were shocked by two separate murders in the final
months of 2000.

The first happened Oct. 2 at Ross's Roost Bait Shop in rural Moore County
when Mary Kelsay, 61, was killed during a robbery.

John Ashley Griffin, 19, of Stinnett and Michael Noel Beams, 20, of Fritch
were arrested in Las Vegas after being stopped in a vehicle reported stolen
from Borger. Both were brought back to Texas and Griffin was charged with
one count of capital murder while Beams is being held as a material witness.

The second Moore County murder happened Nov. 10 when Patricia Norris Hart,
48, was found shot to death at a Cactus liquor store where she worked.

Tom Raper Jr., 30, of Minnesota and Hiram Bodry, 46, of Colorado were
arrested in Oklahoma after a chase and shootout and charged with capital
murder in Moore County. The two also were charged with murder in Randall
County in connection with the death of Clifford Espinoza, who was found
shot to death in a rural Randall County field.

UNIDENTIFIED BODIES

Officials in four counties continue to puzzle over the circumstances that
led to the discovery of four bodies. While two of the bodies have been
identified, two found in 1999 remain a mystery, despite efforts by law
enforcement to generate leads.

Oklahoma investigators created a reconstruction of a man who was found in
May 1999 in an Oklahoma field near Hitchland, Texas, in hopes of finding
out who he was.

The body belonged to a Hispanic male between 43 and 47 years old, standing
between 5 feet 4 inches and 5 feet 6 inches tall. Oklahoma State Bureau of
Investigation spokeswoman Kym Koch said the man was murdered, but no leads
have developed as to his identity or who killed him.

A second unidentified body was found by a mowing crew near McLean on Aug.
12, 1999. A forensic investigation revealed the body belonged to a woman
who was 35-45 years old, 5 feet 2 inches to 5 feet 6 inches tall with a
medium build.

Gray County Sheriff Don Copeland put out fliers and set up a Web site
describing the woman, but has no leads as to her identity. Officials have
not determined a cause of death but are treating the case as a homicide.

Investigators identified a body found May 3 two miles east of Vega,
determining that Allen Marion Caton, 40, of Ada, Okla., died of multiple
stab wounds.

Two suspects, Billy Wade Key and Ronnie Gerald Wiggins of Norman, Okla.,
were arrested three weeks later in Ada. Oldham County Sheriff David Medlin
said the suspects are being held in Oklahoma on federal charges while the
investigation is concluded. A decision on whether to pursue extradition
will be made once forensic tests come back, Medlin said.

A fourth body was found July 28 in a ditch off Farm-to-Market Road 119
between Sunray and Texhoma. Officials had difficulty determining the
identity of the man, who died of multiple gunshots.

He was identified about a month later as Moises Valenzuela Ruiz, 29, of
Cuauhtemoc Chih, Mexico, after the release of a composite sketch and
pictures of children found in his wallet. Texas Ranger Jay Foster said
officials have a suspect in the murder, but they believe the suspect is
hiding in Mexico.

TULIA DRUG CASES

The talk of the town in Tulia for a second year was a series of drug busts
that had major developments in 2000 and brought a flood of national media
to the tiny town.

The basis of the controversy is the 1999 arrest of 43 people - 40 of them
black - following an 18-month undercover investigation. All but two of the
cases have been resolved, either through plea bargains, convictions or
dropping the charges, with sentences ranging from probation to several
hundred years in prison. The controversy took a new turn in September when
Amarillo attorney Jeff Blackburn filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit
against undercover agent Tom Coleman, Swisher County Sheriff Larry Stewart
and 64th District Attorney Terry McEachern, alleging the civil rights of
one of the people arrested, Yul Bryant, had been violated.

That filing was followed quickly by the opening of an investigation by the
Department of Justice, requested by the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People and the American Civil Liberties Union, to
determine whether civil rights were violated in the drug busts. That same
month, Tulia residents formed a local NAACP chapter to help organize
against the arrests.

All the action in Tulia brought national attention to the small town,
resulting in a December report on the television series 20/20 and a
front-page article in The New York Times.

SCHOOL DRUG TESTING

Tulia made more drug-related news with continued action on a 1997 lawsuit
filed in opposition to the school drug-testing policy. Tulia was joined in
fighting for drug testing by the Lockney school district, which is
contesting a lawsuit of its own.

The Tulia lawsuit protested the policy requiring any junior high or high
school student wanting to participate in extracurricular activities to
submit to random drug testing.

The suit was filed on behalf of Hollister Gardner and his cousin Molly Gardner.

U.S. District Judge Mary Lou Robinson ruled against the policy in November,
stating it "is violative of the Fourth Amendment to the United States
Constitution." A judgment issued in December barred the school district
from testing the students named in the suit.

Tulia continues to test other students and the school board voted
unanimously in December to appeal the ruling to the Fifth Circuit Court of
Appeals in New Orleans.

Lockney's drug policy, adopted in November 1999, differs in that every
student and teacher is required to submit to drug testing or face discipline.

Larry Tannahill refused to sign the permission slip for his sixth-grade son
Brady to take the drug test, subsequently filing a March lawsuit with the
help of the American Civil Liberties Union. A court date has been set for May.

CONFLICT IN FRITCH

The city of Fritch's personnel problems continued, with the firing of the
city manager and a "whistleblower" lawsuit filed by a former police officer
who also was terminated.

Former City Manager Darrell Neal was fired by the City Council Aug. 29 for
an undisclosed reason. That was followed Sept. 7 by the council upholding
the termination of former police officer Terry Homan, who was fired for
misconduct and insubordination. Homan handed out a statement accusing Neal
of improprieties, including the use of public funds for personal reasons.

Homan filed a lawsuit Nov. 8 claiming the city violated the state's
"whistleblower" laws by terminating him within 90 days of reporting Neal's
alleged violations.

Neal was arraigned Nov. 29 on a charge of abuse of official capacity by misuse.

MESA WATER PLAN

Mesa Water Inc. announced a plan to pull groundwater out of the Panhandle
and pump it through a multi-billion dollar pipeline to parched cities
downstate.

By the end of the year Mesa had acquired water rights to about 150,000 of
the 200,000 acres needed to make the pipeline to cities such as El Paso,
San Antonio or Dallas / Fort Worth financially feasible.

Mesa President T. Boone Pickens said the company can service about 2
million people a year with the 200,000 acres of water rights.

Many Panhandle residents expressed displeasure, saying the water should be
kept here. A public hearing was held concerning permits requested by eight
landowners working with Mesa. The permits are expected to be considered
early this year.

Jailer improprieties

Trouble landed on the doorsteps of several area sheriffs and their jail
personnel in 2000, with charges ranging from having sex with inmates to
misappropriation of funds.

Parmer County Sheriff Walt Yerger resigned after being slapped with a Jan.
7 lawsuit alleging he violated the civil rights of 14 men when he forced
them to kneel facing a wall while handcuffed. The lawsuit is scheduled to
go to trial Jan. 9.

Former Bailey County Sheriff Coy Plott turned in his resignation after he
was accused of misapplying $967 earmarked to develop a Teen Court. Plott
resigned in July and was killed in a September crop-dusting plane crash.

Long-time Hartley County Sheriff Johnny Williams resigned his post after he
pleaded no contest in July to having sex with an inmate.

Hale County led the area in the number of jailers charged with
improprieties. Jailers Ricky Sanchez, 21; Scott Crawford, 21; and Ricky
Hinajosa, 26, were fired in June and charged with improper sexual activity
with a person in custody. Sanchez also was charged with selling marijuana
to inmates.

Earl Scarborough, 41, was fired in December after he told Sheriff David
Mull he allowed an inmate to perform a striptease for him. Scarborough
received a year probation and the loss of his peace officer and jailer
licenses.

Lamb County shared in the jailer problems when two guards were charged with
engaging in sexual activity with an inmate. Pandy Aleman pleaded guilty and
was sentenced to probation after she was charged in February with having
sex with an inmate. Teresa Chavez pleaded no contest to the same charge in
July and was sentenced to probation as well.

THE LONGEST RACE

The race for 31st District Attorney bore an eerie resemblance to the
presidential race in Florida, with recounts, accusations of illegalities
and even a demand for a re-election.

The controversy started in May when Judge John T. Forbis voided the
Republican primary runoff between incumbent John Mann and Roberts County
Attorney Rick Roach. Roach won the primary by six votes. Mann contested,
citing illegal voters and other irregularities. Mann lost the rematch by
almost 300 votes.

In the general election, Democrat Charles Kessie asked for a recount in
four counties after he lost the election by 222 votes. The recount was
completed in only three counties when Kessie called for it to stop because
Roach had gained votes in all three. Roach was certified the winner by the
governor's office.

BANK ROBBERIES

Two bank robberies so far have baffled investigators, despite best efforts
from local law enforcement, the Texas Rangers and the FBI.

The first robber struck in Dalhart on Aug. 27. The man kidnapped the
supervisor of the Citizens Banking Center with what later turned out to be
a BB gun. He forced the supervisor to open the bank, but another employee
had to be summoned to bring the vault keys.

The robber locked the supervisor, the employee and her husband in the
vault, then drove back to the supervisor's house. Police officers went to
the house and the robber fled, leaving the majority of the money.

The robber is described as a white male, 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall
with a medium build, brown hair and dark eyes.

A second robbery also is yet to be solved in Bovina. A masked man entered
the Bovina branch of First Bank of Muleshoe on Nov. 27 with a shotgun and
robbed the bank. Only one customer and the bank employees were inside at
the time, and no one was injured.

The man left the bank in a blue or black van with tinted windows driven by
an accomplice.

SCHOOL BOMB THREATS

Two schools were the targets of bomb threats in January, forcing the
evacuation of students and costing the districts a day of school.

The first threat happened in Shamrock on Jan. 22 when a janitor at the high
school found a threatening note referring to the shootings at Columbine
High School. Administrators dismissed classes for the day, but
bomb-sniffing dogs found no explosives.

Three 17-year-olds - Shane Marshall, John Andrew Garza and Dustin Tollison
- - were arrested and charged in connection with the threats. John Mann,
outgoing 31st District Attorney, said the charges against Tollison were
dropped for lack of evidence and the cases against the other two are still
pending.

Three days after the first bomb scare, five separate threats were called in
to the Childress Independent School District, forcing the evacuation of the
district. A bomb squad from Altus Air Force Base in Altus, Okla., swept the
schools but found no explosives.