012914 azle

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Volume 62, Number Number 33 33

Azle News

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

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Ladies returning to hoops playoffs for 1st time since 2005 Page 11A

Man with gun keeps police at bay

Heads Up

Says he heard voices, fired into backyard BY CARLA NOAH STUTSMAN In an incident that disrupted the daily lives of many nearby residents, a man with a gun kept police busy for most of Thursday, Jan. 23. In the end, Shaylor Alan Lambert, 40, of Azle, was arrested and charged with felon in possession of a firearm. At press time, Lambert remained in the Tarrant County jail in lieu of $15,000 bond. Azle police were called to a residence in the 600 block of West Columbia Drive around 7 that morning by a woman who said Lambert was “hearing voices” and had fi red one of two handguns he had been “messing with most of the night” out of the back door of the residence. The woman left the house after calling police. Knowing Lambert was now the only person inside the home, police established a safety perimeter. They attempted to communicate with Lambert via phone as well as by knocking on the door of the residence, but Lambert refused to answer the phone or the door. A check of Lambert’s criminal history revealed he was a convicted felon. While Azle police obtained a search warrant for the residence, they also sought assistance from the Parker County Special Operations Group. Police injected several canisters of a powder that behaves like tear gas into the residence, hoping the irritant would encourage Lambert to come out.

It did not. After numerous attempts to coax him out of the house all failed, Parker County SOG offi cers entered the house and forcefully removed Lambert, who was taken Shaylor Alan Lambert into custody without further incident. When the search warrant of the house was conducted, two handguns were recovered. Azle PD Cpl. Zach Hatton said situations such as this one can potentially be very dangerous and obviously requires ample time, care, and planning to bring about the safest possible conclusion. “We at the Azle Police Department would sincerely like to thank everyone who lives in this area for their patience during this incident. We had to block streets, disrupt the fl ow of your everyday lives, and cause an understandably curious concern for the sake of the public’s safety,” Hatton said. “However, despite the inconvenience, we found that the people who were affected most were so very gracious and understanding as we sought to bring this matter to a safe conclusion for everyone. It is our honor to serve you.”

A conversation with King State Rep calls on RRC to coordinate quake data Wichita Falls coach Ramsey Ghazal tries to avoid Lady Hornet Valarie Matlock as she leaps to keep a ball inbounds. Azle beat Old High and clinched AHS’ first girls’ hoops playoff berth since 2005. Photo by Mark K. Campbell

Woman arrested for arranging Azle assault BY NATALIE GENTRY helped arrange a Christmas Day asRachelle Deann Martin, 23, of sault and robbery of a man from whom Springtown was arrested Jan. 22 on she he previously requested a loan. a fi rst-degree felony charge of aggra- Sheriff’s deputies responded to an emergency call in the 1700 block of vated robbery. According to the Parker County Flat Rock Road in Azle. Sheriff’s Offi ce, Martin allegedly There, they found a 55-year-old man with visible signs of assault. The victim reported that he had just returned home when another vehicle pulled into the driveway behind him. According to a Parker County Sheriff’s report, two unknown men shattered the window of his truck and struck him above the left eye fi ve to seven times with what he believed to be a cane. Once the assailants had the victim lying face down in his driveway, they took prescription medication and the victim’s wallet and left in a dark colored truck. The victim reported seeing Martin watch the attack at a distance. According to the report Martin had Rachelle Deann Martin was ar- earlier requested to borrow money rested for her part in the violent from the man. As of Jan. 28, Martin remained Christmas Day assault and robin the Parker County Jail in lieu of bery of an Azle man. Photo courtesy of Parker County Sheriff’s Office $40,000 bond.

BY CARLA NOAH STUTSMAN the information so the experts can fi gure out what’s going Phil King pulled off I-35 Wednesday afternoon to make on. “We’re all tiptoeing through this because it’s never chatting by phone a less dangerous experience. En route to Austin for more rounds of meetings, the State been done before,” King said. “The Railroad Commission Representative for both Parker and Wise Counties said doesn’t work for the Legislature, but I’m strongly encourhe’s learned a lot in the past 90 days and it’s almost all aging them to pull all those groups together and try to organize the data – and then, to better articulate that plan. been about earthquakes. “People just want to see that it’s being looked at and “I had no previous ideas about anything seismic whatsoever,” King said. “Now I’ve met with seismologists, repre- know the timetable,” King continued. “They’re (RRC) doing a good job, but they’ve got to sentatives of the oil and gas industry, make sure the people see the process Texas Railroad Commissioners staff, in action.” and citizens.” To that end, King was planning to King said he was very surprised to meet with fellow State Representalearn that the state of Oklahoma, less tive Charlie Geren’s Chief of Staff and than 100 miles to our north, records Milton Rister, executive director of the second highest level of seismic acthe RRC, Friday evening, Jan. 24. tivity of all 50 United States. Just 90 days into a chapter in North “At the end of the day, there is a lot Texas history that includes earthof seismic activity in our region,” King quakes in the Azle area, King says said. “But having 30 earthquakes in 60 things are actually moving at the days is a brand new phenomenon.” speed of lightning – especially for And King doesn’t doubt those who government. say they’ve suffered damage to their King believes the oil and gas inproperty as a result of the earthquakes. State Representative Phil King dustry wants to know the cause of the North Texas is known for being hard on foundations, and when you add the drought we’ve ex- earthquakes, as well. They are cautious, of course. King himself has a list of questions he never thought perienced over the last several years to the equation, any he’d be asking. shaking is more likely than ever to cause damage, King said. “What’s the average number of earthquakes each year King says he is focused on convincing lawmakers, Railroad Commissioners, and researchers that his constituents in Texas? What’s the depth of the faults in the Azle area? want to see a process in place that enables them to see Is water being injected at those depths? Why here? Why now? Why didn’t this happen when the Barnett Shale was what’s going to be happening in the next 90-120 days. “There is a host of groups diligently studying this earth- at its peak?” quake phenomenon in the Azle area – UT, SMU, the EPA, King says he’s learned something else that likely strikes the RRC, a new House subcommittee and some of the home for many in the Azle area. “If it’s at your house, it’s seismic activity – but if it’s at larger oil and gas companies – they’re all gathering data,” King said. “There needs to be a public timetable so people my house, it’s an earthquake,” King said. King said the main objective, as far as he is concerned, is know what to expect.” that the research and data be worked through expeditiously The job of the Texas Railroad Commission in all this, King believes, is to interact with all the different groups and with transparency so a solution can be identifi ed and looking at that data and to coordinate the assimilation of implemented.

Azle bank foils check forgery scam BY NATALIE GENTRY Horseshoer J.W. Heindricks had no idea that someone had gotten hold of his bank account information. “We were on our way to Fort Worth, and we went through the drive through (at the Bank of Azle) to make a deposit,” Heindricks said. That’s when teller Marlisa Godsey alerted Heindricks and his wife Vickie to an unusual occurrence on their account. “Marlisa said that they had just gotten a phone call from someone in

Florida checking on the funds in our account,” Heindricks continued. “The man said it was for repairs on an apartment he was fi xing that I was supposed to move into.” The Heindrickses have been with the Bank of Azle for a few years now and they said they feel like the people there know them well. “I’m there three or four times a week.” Heindricks said. “So when I heard this I called Darlene Luttrell, the branch manager, and she suggested that I put a hold on my account.”

The next morning when Heindricks went to the bank to reconcile his checkbook with Luttrell they found a check pending for $1,726 from Waco. “I told her that I hadn’t written any checks that large,” Heindricks continued. “So Darlene got a copy of the check and we could see that it was a fake.” The check number was much lower than the check the Heindrickses were using and the signature was an obvious forgery. But the most disturbing part was all

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the information that was correct. “They had our names The staff at the Bank of Azle recently helped spelled correctly, our ad- prevent a case of check fraud. dress, the routing numable, they’ll try for a little less the next ber and our account number.” Vickie time.” Hendricks said. This time, however, the con artists In the days that followed attempts didn’t get any money. were made to verify funds for checks “We did get a name from the check in Virginia, Arizona and Montana. in Virginia and my daughter Googled “What the scammers do is fi sh for it,” Heindricks said. “The guy’s picture information about the amount of mon- came up, but we wonder if they stole ey in the account,” said Luttrell. “If his identity and if he’s another victim the amount they ask about isn’t availPLEASE SEE FORGERY, PAGE 2A.

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Members of the Azle Wrestling Club that competed in Grapevine in February 1999 contained future UIL state medal winners Chas Skelly, Shay and Shelby Lauderdale, Aaron Ryals, Marty Dick, Noah Killip, and Taylor Kissell among others.

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