Top 10 of 2008

No. 1: Cleburne ISD woes continue



Like a house of cards tumbling inward, Cleburne ISD continued to take hit after hit in a scandal that cost the school district a cool $360,000 in federal funds that Texas Education Agency ordered Cleburne ISD to repay because of financial malfeasance.

Along with money going out the door, a number of CISD employees said their farewells for reasons either related or unrelated. Among them was Superintendent Robert Damron.

TEA sent a preliminary report to the district in March asking it to repay more than $367,000 from federal grant funds awarded between 2003-06.

Damron announced his retirement in January, but after the report’s release, he requested reassignment in the district, ending his tenure as superintendent.

Dr. James Warlick came aboard as interim superintendent, and Dr. Ronny Beard, formerly of Sweetwater, as full-time superintendent. TEA assigned Dr. Monte Geren, a resident of nearby Whitney, as a monitor to help CISD oversee its rehabilitation.

TEA’s 19-month investigation uncovered misspending in eight of 10 cases investigated. The other two cases involved no funds that had to be returned, though the agency did have other recommendations for compliance in those cases. The report also recommended further audits on the district.

The district asked TEA to reconsider $166,000, but TEA only agreed with the documentation for $4,723.33 of the $166,000, leaving the repayment of $362,000.

The investigation arose from a complaint from watchdog group Access Cleburne member Harold Gentry, who sent a letter to the agency in October 2006 questioning the district’s use of federal Title I funds, travel and meal expenses for school board members and furniture purchases at CISD, among other financial uses.

In February 2007, the TEA’s on-site investigation began when TEA auditors went to the district administration building to collect financial records and documents.

The agency’s report addressed $826,951.71 of $5.147 million that was awarded the district for seven grants. The report shed light on only a portion of the district’s funds, and the report recommended the TEA’s Department of Accreditation and the Department of Planning, Grants and Evaluation to conduct further audits on the district.

— Pete Kendall



No. 2: Surprises mark election season



Elections led to change, court cases and local connections throughout Johnson County in 2008.

Newcomers replaced two longtime members of the Johnson County Commissioners Court. Precinct 1 Commissioner R.C. McFall, a 15-year incumbent and the court’s sole Democrat, fell to Republican challenger Rick Bailey in November’s election. Doubts about whether votes were properly counted brought on a recount that confirmed Bailey’s win by a 580-vote margin.

Republican challenger Jerry Stringer unseated Precinct 3 Commissioner Mark Carpenter, an 11-year incumbent, in the March primaries. Stringer went on to defeat Democratic candidate Bobby Goolsby in the general election.

Keene also saw change. Long time councilmen Roger Ackermann and Robert Cooper lost their re-election bids to Justin Hopps and Eddie Kirkpatrick respectively. Keene Councilman Robert Bischoff and Mayor Roy Robinson were successful in their re-election bids.

Marquita “Cookie” Fowler defeated Brenda Hall by one vote to secure a Rio Vista council seat in May. 153rd District Court Judge Ken Curry voided the election in August based on illegal votes and ordered a new election. That election, held in November, resulted in another Fowler victory.

Presidential candidate connections abounded. Republican candidate John McCain’s grandmother, Myrtle Fletcher, born in 1885, hails from Cleburne, and the pastor of the North Phoenix Baptist Church, Dr. Dan Yeary, graduated from Cleburne High School in 1956.

Vice President-elect Joe Biden recently named Elizabeth Alexander, a 1997 CHS grad, as his press secretary.

— Matt Smith



No. 3: Von Tungeln charged with sexual assault



A Cleburne woman stands charged with two counts of sexual assault of a child.

Julie von Tungeln, 43, turned herself in at the Johnson County Corrections Center Aug. 22.

Von Tungeln is accused of having sexual intercourse with two teenage boys, one of whom was her daughter’s boyfriend.

Police began investigating the incidents after the mother of one of the boys discovered text messages on the boy’s phone indicating a sexual relationship with von Tungeln.

The sexually explicit messages involved the boy and someone named “Sexy Jules,” said Cleburne police officer Sean Bagwell in an arrest affidavit.

Von Tungeln told Bagwell she had sex with one of the boys at his house in July, according to the affidavit, but she pleaded not guilty at her November arraignment in Judge John Neill’s 18th District Court.

Johnson County District Attorney Dale Hanna said he expects dispensation of the case to occur early this year.

Von Tungeln owns Friou Floral & Gifts in Cleburne and was a committee member for the Black & White Gala, which benefits Harris Methodist Walls Regional Hospital.

— Matt Smith



No. 4: Fisher-Riza convicted of felony murder



Jurors sentenced Aimee Andrea Fisher-Riza of Keene to 29 years in prison on Feb. 4 for felony murder and injury to a child.

Fisher-Riza, 37, led police on a high-speed chase April 6, 2007, that ended in a crash on U.S. 67 in Alvarado. The 40-minute chase, through Johnson and Somervell counties, ended when Fisher-Riza crashed her sport-utility vehicle into a concrete embankment.

Her 9-month-old daughter, Alexxus, who had been sitting unrestrained in the front passenger seat, was ejected from the car and killed.

Fisher-Riza will serve two sentences concurrently — 28 years for murder and 20 years for injury to a child. Fisher-Riza also received a guilty verdict for criminal negligence with a deadly weapon.

The defense claimed that Fisher-Riza was bipolar the day of the chase, and a video from police car cameras showed Fisher-Riza reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph.

Attorneys for the state also claim she stole $40,000 from the Goody’s department store where she worked in Brownwood.

— Monica Green



No. 5: Alvarado experiences multiple crimes



The July slaying of a store clerk resulted in the arrest of a 16-year-old boy.

Originally charged as a juvenile, Scottie Forcey of Alvarado was later certified to stand trial as an adult. Forcey faces capital murder charges in the shooting death of Karen Burke, 52, a clerk at the Shell Travel Center in Alvarado.

Forcey allegedly entered the store late at night, shot Burke in the head, and unsuccessfully attempted to open the cash register before leaving the scene.

Forcey is expected to be tried later this year.

A second Alvarado slaying in November led to two arrests.

Responding to a shots-fired call Nov. 3, Alvarado police discovered Marshall James Gray, 25, of Alvarado dead in his backyard from a gunshot wound to the face. The shooting apparently occurred because of a previous argument, said Alvarado Police Chief John Allen.

Suspects Raymond Eugene Spencer Jr., 30, of Alvarado and Wesley Ryan Moore, 19, of Alvarado were subsequently arrested.

A grand jury indicted both on charges of murder in December. No trial date has been set.

Alvarado police also arrested Fort Worth Criminal District Court No. 3 Judge Elizabeth Berry on an driving while intoxicated charge. An officer stopped Berry on Interstate 35W in November for allegedly driving 92 mph in a 65 mph zone. Berry has not yet been tried.

— Matt Smith



No. 6: Alcohol measures in county fail



On Nov. 4, for the fourth time in three years, Rio Vista voters were asked to weigh in on a measure to legalize liquor sales for off-premises consumption within the city.

The measure, which failed twice, passed by a 118-116 vote May 10.

Rio Vista resident Pamela West filed suit against Johnson County Judge Roger Harmon in June about the election. West claimed, in her filing, that three people voted illegally in the election.

Judge Ken Curry of the 153rd District Court accepted and signed a proposed judgment from attorneys on both sides that voided the May election and called for a new one in November.

Curry heard the case because 249th District Judge Wayne Bridewell recused himself from the matter in accordance with the rules of the Texas Election Code.

Rio Vista resident Brenda Hall, who was not a party in the case, led the three petition drives for the alcohol elections. Hall formerly owned the Beer Hall, a barbecue restaurant in Rio Vista. After May’s election, she converted the restaurant into a liquor store.

The November election overturned the May decision, but Hall is exploring her options with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.

Curry ordered another new election in Rio Vista, one involving May’s city council election for the Place 4 seat for the same reason as the liquor election, improper votes having been cast, and the second election took place Nov. 4

In May Marquita “Cookie” Fowler defeated Hall by a 114-113 vote. Fowler won the second election as well.

In Keene, supporters of beer and wines sales in the city managed to obtain enough signatures to force an election on the issue. They said the sales would improve revenues and attract new businesses to town, but voters disagreed, turning down the measure 1,062 to 404.

— From staff reports



No. 7: Cody wins No. 800, retires



Former Cleburne head basketball coach Jeff Cody reached several milestones in his final year with the Yellow Jackets.

Cody earned the 800th win of his 45-year coaching career when the Jackets posted a 40-34 victory at Stephenville on Jan. 8.

He reached the 700-win plateau at Cleburne a month earlier with a 63-47 home victory over Everman on Dec. 18, 2007.

Cody announced his retirement in April after guiding Cleburne to the postseason, where the Jackets lost to O.D. Wyatt in the first round.

Cody finished his career with a record of 808-506, a .632 winning percentage. In 36 years at Cleburne, Cody compiled a record of 710-427, which was good for a .604 percentage.

At a recent Cleburne home game, Cody was recognized for working with the Cleburne Little Dribblers program for more than 35 years in addition to his work with the high school basketball team.

“The thing I’ll miss most is relationships,” Cody said after annoucing his retirement. “It’s great to see young boys become young men. They become productive citizens, husbands and business people. Those are the rewards of teaching and coaching.”

— Matt Tasler



No. 8: ME Raines retires



In April, Johnson County’s second longest tenured employee, medical examiner Arthur L. Raines, announced his intention to retire.

Johnson County commissioners in June approved an interlocal contract with Tarrant, Denton and Parker counties to share their medical examiner services by hiring Dr. Nizam Peerwani.

Raines was hired Jan. 1, 1976.

Raines’ responsibilities for the county included serving as the American with Disabilities Act coordinator, the disaster medical consultant for medical disasters, the county coordinator for federal health privacy laws and the examiner in sexual assault cases.

As the consultant for mass gatherings and the health authority, Raines signed quarantine orders and made sure large public gatherings complied with state safety requirements. He signed tuberculosis quarantine orders weekly and reports to the county judge on safety requirements in public hearings.

Raines also consulted with district and county attorneys and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office on drug screens and physical exams for juveniles and employees.

“I have 10 areas of responsibilities with the county; I’ve been at it for 30 years now, and it’s time to let someone else have some of those responsibilities,” Raines said in his announcement.

Raines said he enjoyed serving the county but looks forward to retiring.

“It’d be nice to not get calls all the time in the middle of the night,” he said.

“Dr. Raines will definitely be missed,” said County Judge Roger Harmon said. “He’s just been invaluable to this county. He has always been an excellent witness for the district attorney’s office. He was very professional, very calculated and very planned in all of his procedures, and that’s always important in a medical examiner.”

— Pete Kendall



No. 9: Assistant principal dies in accident



In March, hundreds of students, teachers, friends and family members packed the Don Smith Performing Arts Center at Cleburne High School to remember assistant principal Krista Findley, who died in a car wreck on her way to CHS.

Administrators and friends from around the district spoke about Findley, reading written thoughts submitted by others about Findley and recalling cherished personal memories. Several speakers had to choke back tears and found it hard to convey their thoughts while speaking about her.

“Krista lived life to the fullest,” CHS Principal Monte Pritchett said.

She was an excellent administrator, friend and teacher who will be greatly missed, he said.

Richard Mitchell, Adams Elementary School principal, recalled a time when he and Findley worked together at a CHS basketball game and both were CHS assistant principals. Findley handled a potentially rough situation well, and it made an impression on Mitchell, he said.

When he left to take the principal post at Adams, Mitchell said one of his most cherished possessions was a Christmas card given to him by Findley. The card praised Mitchell for helping Findley during their time at CHS, saying she considered herself lucky to have counted him as a friend and co-worker.

Findley, 54, became an assistant principal at CHS in August 2006 after four years on staff as a social studies teacher, according to a press release from the district. She was in her 17th year as an educator, having also taught in Andrews ISD.

Findley’s survivors include her husband, Wayne, who is a teacher at CISD’s Phoenix School, two sons and her parents. Wayne Findley and other family members attended the CHS memorial service.

A scholarship, to be awarded to a Cleburne High School senior, was established in memory of Findley by members of the White Bluff community.

— Pete Kendall



No. 10: Courthouse opens



The Johnson County Courthouse reopened April 22 after the completion of a two-year, $8 million restoration project.

The reopening came about 10 months after its originally scheduled date.

A rededication ceremony of the 1912 facility in downtown Cleburne was held about five months before county officials actually moved in. The project remained in its final stages during the five months.

Reasons for the delay included backorders for the linoleum flooring, paint touch ups and cleaning work.

County officials remained in cramped quarters at the Guinn Justice Center until the courthouse reopened.

— Ashleigh Whaley