VIDEO STORIES FROM AUGUST 1ST OF YEARS PAST

August 5 2021, 2:09 pm

AUGUST 1, 2006
PRISCILLA SLADE AT HCSO JAIL
Slade joined the TSU faculty in October 1991 as the chair of the accounting department. In 1992, she was named dean of the school of business and in 1999, president of the university. In 2006 she was fired as president, following an audit that found she had used more than $650,000 in university funds to cover personal expenses including personal landscaping, kitchenware, and a massive bar tab. Indicted on four felony counts, her 2007 trial ended in a hung jury. Scheduled to be retried in 2008, she accepted a plea deal on March 26, 2008, pleading “No Contest” to the charges and accepting 10 years of deferred adjudication, repayment of $127,672.18 to the school, and 400 hours of community service.

Quintin F. Wiggins, the chief financial officer of the university during Dr. Slade’s tenure as president, was found guilty of similar charges and sentenced to ten years in prison; he is appealing his conviction. Bruce Wilson, former vice president for purchasing, is awaiting trial. In March 2008 prosecutors raised the possibility of allowing both men to testify against Dr. Slade in her retrial, in return for immunity.

In December 2007 the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools placed Texas Southern University on probation.

She is now a faculty member in the College of Business at Jackson State University, in Jackson, Mississippi.

AUGUST 1, 2007
PILOT KEVIN PURTEE IN LIBERTY ON WAR RESCUE
Two pilots from Company B, 1st Battalion, 149th Aviation Regiment (Attack), 36th Combat Aviation Brigade, risked their lives in an unorthodox casualty evacuation to transport a critically-wounded Soldier in an AH-64A helicopter during a firefight in Ramadi, Iraq, June 30.

Chief Warrant Officer-4 Kevin Purtee and Chief Warrant Officer-2 Allen Crist, two Apache helicopter aviators flying their last combat mission, are credited with assuring a Soldier of Company A, 1st Battalion, 77th Armor, of prompt medical care by their actions. The Soldier had been shot in the face and the arm, and needed to be evacuated from a raging battle near Donkey Island in Ramadi.

The pilots learned that more than 40 minutes had elapsed since the ground unit had called for the medical evacuation aircraft to transport wounded Soldiers to the hospital at Camp Ar Ramadi. Chief Purtee, from Houston, Texas, was the pilot, which is commonly referred to as the “back-seater.” Chief Crist, from Warrensburg, Mo., was the copilot/gunner, or “front-seater.” Chief Purtee asked Chief Crist if he felt comfortable giving up his seat for the critically-wounded Soldier for the quick flight back to the camp.

“Absolutely,” Chief Crist emphatically answered. Chief Purtee made the decision that to save the Soldier’s life, Chief Crist would fly on the wing of the aircraft on the way to the hospital.

Chief Crist and three other infantrymen lifted the wounded Soldier up into the Apache’s front seat. Chief Crist strapped him in.

“He was bandaged up, and blood was all over him,” Chief Crist recalled.

Chief Crist then went to the left side of the aircraft and ran a tether to the aircraft and hooked it on his air warrior vest. He sat on the small wing of the Apache and placed his feet on a narrow walkway lining the fuselage. He knocked on the window to let Chief Purtee know that he was in position and ready for the flight.

Chief Purtee said that he felt more nervous than Chief Crist did during the flight.

“I had my copilot strapped to the side of the aircraft and a critically-wounded Soldier in the front seat, and we were leaving a very dangerous area,” Chief Purtee said. “It wasn’t a long flight, but it felt like it took forever.”

Chief Crist said flying outside the aircraft was similar to “sitting in the back of a truck going down the highway.” The flight to Camp Ar Ramadi lasted just a few minutes. They reached the medical pad, and Chief Crist stayed with the wounded Soldier while medical personnel waited for the ambulance to move him to the hospital.

“I eventually had to get a guy at the pad to talk to him,” Chief Crist recounted. “I knew we were going to go back out [to the battle in Ramadi], and I wanted to keep my head right.”

Once the wounded Soldier had been safely removed from of the aircraft, the pilots climbed back in and flew back to the battle.

The next day, the crew found out that the Soldier had been moved to the hospital at LSA Anaconda, and they decided to visit him. His jaw had been wired shut, but medical staff gave him a pad to write on.

“Thank you,” he wrote. “Sorry for messing up your helicopter.”

The pilots learned the Soldier wanted to be a helicopter pilot and was planning to take the aviator test in a couple of weeks.

“We did a little recruiting to get him to join the Texas Army National Guard,” Chief Purtee said. They gave him a Company B flight patch and took some photos.

Having a wounded Soldier in the cockpit while the copilot rides on the outside of the aircraft is unorthodox, but Chief Purtee said he would rather do that than watch another Soldier on the ground die.

“We have seen the tragedy of watching Soldiers on the ground waiting for MEDEVAC,” Chief Purtee said. “There is no more hopeless feeling than watching the guys who need help not get it, and I’m tired of that, and that’s why we made our choice to go in and do what we did.”

The two pilots said they didn’t see themselves as heroes. They said the real hero in this story was the Soldier who was shot while engaging the enemy.

AUGUST 1, 2007
HOUSTON FIRE -LITTLE YORK AT DOMINO

AUGUST 1, 2007
MARVIN ZINDLERS FUNERAL PROCESSION

AUGUST 1, 2007
MINNEAPOLIS BRIDGE COLLAPSE COMMENTS

AUGUST 1, 2011
356 VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT GIVEN TRUCK AFTER STATION BURNS
The 356 Volunteer Fire Department lost everything when their station burned two weeks ago. But the story does not end there. Thanks to the generosity of many who heard of their plight, 356 VFD is swiftly returning to normal. What’s more, Fire Chief Jesse Baker says they are “paying it forward,” helping another department that found itself in dire straits.

Baker said four fire companies lent 356 trucks to keep them going, and on Monday they received a very special gift.

“We just had a delivery today from South Carolina, on an engine with a 1,000-gallon tank and a 1250 pump- a really nice engine donated by Palmetto Fire Apparatus out of South Carolina at no charge to us,” Baker said.

One of the company’s owners, Nick Carmody, took part in the delivery. Carmody said a front-office employee saw the story of the 356 VFD fire on the news and called it to everyone’s attention. They watched an additional video online, which touched their hearts and they felt they should help, Carmody said. Palmetto was working on a trade-in truck from Michigan that only needed a little work and they decided to donate it to 356 VFD.

“We figured they could use a truck,” he said. “We got with surrounding departments and did a donation kind of thing and filled it with a bunch of bunker gear and everything we could.”

“It’s valued around $30,000 – maybe a little more with the gear,” Carmody said, “But it’s priceless to do something like this for the community.”

Baker said they were surprised to find the truck packed with bunker gear and other needed items and called it a “real blessing.”

Siddens and Martin Equipment Group also donated a truck, and a mini-pumper was donated by Pine Prairie Fire Department. Spring Fire Department donated a van.

“The folks are really coming through, helping us out, helping us get going again,” Chief Baker said.

A couple of people are now working on restoring their communications, but the biggest remaining issue is the building itself. Baker said as it stands, someone is staying at the burned station 24 hours a day to protect the donated apparatus and equipment because they have no way of securing it.

Through the misfortune of 356 VFD, they have been blessed to the point that they are now helping another department that is just starting out.

Sabine-Liberty City donated a White American LaFrance apparatus that 356 is now passing on to Whitehall Community Fire Department, outfitted with some bunker gear, boots helmets, tools, and hoses. The process is being facilitated through the Texas Forest Service Helping Hands Program.

Whitehall Fire Department just recently received its charter from the state and is now awaiting approval of the Grimes County Fire Association to be part of them.

The Whitehall Community lost over 30 homes to a wildfire earlier this summer. Currently, they depend on Navasota Fire Department for protection.

“We’re blessed and able to help them some and that’s what we want to do,” Baker said.

AUGUST 1, 2013
BAUKUS-WRONG WAY DRIVER PLEADS GUILTY ON THE FOURTH DAY OF TRIAL
Late Thursday morning which is the fourth day of the trial of Nicole Baukus and just before Montgomery County Forensic Center Dr. Sparks Veasey took the stand, Baukus told the judge she wanted to plead guilty.

Instead of a trial continuing today they have moved directly to the punishment phase. The jury will hear from witnesses put on by both the defense and prosecution. After closing arguments the jury will decide the fate of Baukus. She faces anywhere from probation to 20 years for each of the 2 charges on intoxication manslaughter and up to 10 years for the intoxication assault on David Porras who survived the crash.

Even though the jury sets the time in the punishment phase, the judge has the option to stack that time. As an example, if she got the maximum time, by stacking it she would have to complete the first 20 years of her sentence before she could start working toward parole eligibility which since the vehicle is being considered a deadly weapon she would have to serve half of the second twenty years to be eligible for parole(30 years).

Unlike most other days where she was able to leave the courtroom for lunch, she is now in the custody of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and will be until she is sentenced.

AUGUST 1, 2013
BAUKUS-DAY 4 OF TRIAL ENDS
BY:TAYLOR TANNER

Around 3 a.m. on June 29, 2012, an intoxicated Nicole Baukus drove north in the southbound lanes of I-45 after entering on the Research Forest exit ramp. Her taillights were caught on TranStar video at some points. Barely missing the vehicle of Arnes Buchanan and Keeleigh Mackay, she proceeded to accelerate to approximately 65 mph and cut in front of his path.

From there, Baukus crashed head-on into a Chevy Aveo containing three young adults on their way home. Two of the victims, Nicole Adams, 19, and Travis Saunders, 18, perished in the crash while the life of the third victim, then 21-year-old David Porras, will never be the same.

Porras, who lost his front teeth and the entire bone between his gums and nasal passage, has undergone more than a dozen facial reconstructive surgeries with more to come.

When asked what life was like without his two closest friends, Porras stated, “I know this sounds dramatic, but it’s not much of a life at all.”

On July 29, thirteen months after the fatal crash, Baukus stands trail. With defense attorney Michael McDougal by her side, she pled not guilty. After four days of trial, Baukus changed her plea to guilty and elected to allow a jury of her peers to decide upon her punishment.

Charged with two counts of Intoxication Manslaughter and one count of Intoxication Assault with the possible addition of a deadly weapons charge, Baukus faces a maximum of 20 years for each manslaughter charge and 10 years for the assault charge. Baukus already has six previous car accidents on her record.

Assistant District Attorneys Andrew James and Warren Diepraam are prosecuting. Baukus arrived at On the Rox Sports Bar and Grill at 9:15 p.m. on the night of June 28, 2012. Once inside, she met her friend and her roommate, who worked at the bar, and had her first drink at 9:23 p.m. Over the next five hours, she consumed 21 alcoholic beverages and at 2 a.m. on June 29, she stumbled through the parking lot to her truck.

Witness for the state Oscar Williams, a TABC agent and certified peace officer, watched the video of Baukus in the bar numerous times, identifying those around her and counting drinks.

In the video, she demonstrated definite signs of intoxication, stumbling around and into people and tables.

Eyewitness Keeleigh Mackay, a passenger of the vehicle Baukus almost struck, made the call to 911 around 3 a.m., alerting police and emergency responders. Already aware of a wrong way driver, the police were quick to respond and Shenandoah officer Todd Schmaltz soon arrived.
Officer Schmaltz found Baukus leaning against the passenger side of her F-150, left foot bleeding with the shoe and sock missing. He asked who was driving and Baukus, drunk and smelling strongly of alcohol, told him that a man had been driving but that she did not know where he was or even his name.

She was also demonstrating some surprising actions for someone who had been in a serious head on collision. Baukus was laughing and giggling to herself; unable to explain what she found so funny after two lives had just been lost.

Schmaltz began to investigate the scene, looking for the man Baukus had claimed was driving. He could not be found.

Yet, the officer did find a bloody sock and shoe in the driver’s floorboard, as well as discovering a deployed airbag on the driver’s side.

As expert witness, DPS Trooper Michael Chapman explained, the “black box” in her truck would sense whether or not a passenger was in the seat and would deploy the airbag based on that.

A forensics expert called by the state found Baukus’ DNA on the sock, wheel and airbag. Eyewitness Buchanan also testified that he could see only one person in the vehicle when it cut across his lane before crashing into the Aveo.

Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputy Reuvers was the first to arrive on scene and, after being told by Baukus that she was not the driver, he proceeded on to the Aveo. Bystanders had already pulled Porras from the vehicle, but it was the bodies of Nicole Adams in the front seat and Travis Saunders in the back seat that he was left to discover.

The roof of the Aveo was mangled, as was most of the driver’s side. The Jaws of Life were necessary to extract the two victims.

They were already obviously deceased from injuries including skull fractures and blunt fore trauma to the abdomen and chest.

The story Baukus told soon changed when medics arrived and she admitted driving the vehicle. She also admitted, when she was at Hermann Memorial Hospital in the Woodlands, that she had been drinking.

While Porras was next door being treated for his extensive injuries, including broken vertebrae, Baukus was complaining about having her clothing cut off by the nurses and about having to remove her rings.

Dr. Field, a general surgeon at Hermann Memorial, was tending to both Porras and Baukus. Her behavior startled Dr. Field just as much as it had Officer Schmaltz. He believed she was unaware of what had happened, so he told her she had killed two people and seriously injured another.

News like that could have been sobering. Some might expect denials, questions as to just what had happened, maybe confusion from the heavily intoxicated woman.

Baukus simply laughed.

At 4:20 a.m., her blood was drawn and her blood-alcohol level tested at .265, more than three times the legal limit of .08. She was tested again at 5:34 a.m., at which time the test read .204.

Expert witness Michael Manes, toxicology lab manager for the Houston Police Department, calculated that at the time of the crash, her blood-alcohol level was probably closer to .3.

Forty-three nanograms of diazepam, more commonly known as Valium, was also found in her blood. Manes labels this as a low therapeutic dose, but a doctor did not prescribe it.

Baukus claimed that she had been drugged and was not in control of herself at the time of the crash. However, this line of defense was dropped when she changed her plea to guilty on the fourth day of the trial.

Still, prosecutors James and Diepraam continue calling witnesses.

After the testimony of David Porras, which left the courtroom in tears, the mother of Travis Saunders was asked to testify. She told of every parent’s nightmare: being told by state troopers that a drunk driver had killed her child.

Travis, who had just become an uncle, was torn away prematurely, his life cut short. Travis, who had just graduated high school, was a bright young man with big dreams, doing anything he could to help anyone who needed it.

“Travis was cheated,” she said. “None of us deserve this.”

Nicole Adams’ father also took the stand, telling of his daughter who did everything she could to help her mother through the aftermath of her surgeries. He visits his daughter’s grave two or three times a week, the only way he can visit her now.

The families’ pain was clear. However, all they can do now is wait to hear the jury’s decision regarding her punishment.

On the fourth day of trial, the prosecution rested. On Friday, the defense will have time to call their witnesses before the jury is allowed to deliberate on just what Nicole Baukus’ sentence shall be.

For updates visit our website at www.mccops.com

AUGUST 1, 2014
MILLION DOLLAR BURGLARY IN THE WOODLANDS
The South Montgomery County home of a former Mrs. Texas United America was burglarized Friday night. The thief took between $800,000 and $1 million in jewelry, bags, and other valuables, along with Theresa Roemer’s peace of mind, as well as sentimental items money can never replace.

Roemer said she and her husband only went two blocks away to their country club for dinner, and when they returned an hour and a half later, they found someone had invaded their home. There was broken glass everywhere and many of their most prized possession was gone. Investigators said it looked like the work of a professional.

“I have 16 cameras on this house and there’s no footage of him anywhere around the house – nowhere,” Roemer said. “It had to be out that dark back corner of the house and out the back gate to the golf course.”

The intruder used a glass cutter to make an entry in the bathroom and the width of the hole showed the person was small, which was supported by an interior surveillance video. The only camera that caught images of the intruder was inside the house. Unfortunately, he was careful to cover himself well. The surveillance footage shows the small man, dressed all in white and wearing gloves, was in the home for about 40 minutes. It took four trips to take all of the stolen items out of the house.

Since they were only going two blocks away, Roemer said they did not activate their security system, but they locked the house.

As the couple left their property, Roemer noticed a Hispanic male on a bicycle near her front gate. He appeared to be around 17, she said, and she assumed he lived in the neighborhood. Now she wonders if he might have been somehow connected to the crime. The opulent residence lies in a guard gated community in The Woodlands, where visitors must show an ID and have their vehicle photographed before entering, with confirmation they are expected by a resident.

The former beauty queen turned entrepreneur/philanthropist may have been targeted partly due to recent media attention that went viral online. Roemer became the envy of women worldwide when she opened up her 3,000 square foot multi-level closet to reporters. The “woman cave,” as she calls it, features lighted showcases for her collections of shoes, handbags, jewelry, perfumes, and other essentials. Now, many of the shelves are empty.

“They took everything,” she said. “They took all my jewelry, all my watch collections, my husband’s watch collections, my Birkin collection. They literally walked out with between $800,000 and a million dollars worth of stuff.”

The thief took only the highest-priced items, including 10 Rolex watches, 10 to 12 Chanel watches, Cartier watches, and other big-ticket items. Many of the stolen items were rare, and some were one-of-a-kind, making them identifiable, but Roemer said they could be anywhere. With the cost of the goods stolen, she said, a thief may have boxed and shipped the items to himself and then hopped a plane home. Regardless of the thief or thieves’ location, the damage is done, and it is more than material things.

“I feel violated… raped,” Roemer said. “To watch someone on film take everything out of your house that means so much to you – it’s just wrong.“

Roemer spoke through tears Saturday morning, as she surveyed the damage and loss. However, she was still putting things into perspective. Last month marked the seventh anniversary of Roemer’s son’s death in a car accident.

“I need to count my blessings that no one was hurt or killed,” she said. “I’ve been through amazingly hard things in life, like burying my son, and this is not anything compared to that.”

Even so, when police left around 4 a.m., Roemer said she was unable to go to sleep because she was afraid the intruder would return.

Anyone with information should call the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office at 936-760-5800, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-392-STOP.

AUGUST 1, 2014
WOODLANDS MILLION DOLLAR BURGLARY SECURITY VIDEO
The South Montgomery County home of a former Mrs. Texas United America was burglarized Friday night. The thief took between $800,000 and $1 million in jewelry, bags, and other valuables, along with Theresa Roemer’s peace of mind, as well as sentimental items money can never replace.