The
Thursday, November 27, 2014
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Lady Porcupines fill volleyball All-District List
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Happy Thanksgiving Page 1B
aph.ne t Volume 51, Number 32
$1 Springtown, Texas 76082
Springtown man gets life for death
Battle Under The Basket
Pettigrew convicted of child’s murder
Porcupines and Yellow Jackets fought for a rebound when Springtown hosted Stephenville in the 2014-15 hoops opener Nov. 22. With efforts like this from Zack Martin (00), Dawson Meek, and Logan McPherson, SHS won 50-43. Photo by Mark K. Campbell
Teens shot, man assaulted at party in eastern Parker County All 3 victims expected to recover; suspects sought by carla noah stutsman Two teenagers were shot and a 24-year-old man beaten following an argument between several people attending a party Saturday night, Nov. 22, in the 400 block of Calhoun Bend Road south of Azle. According to a press release from the Parker County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO), a 19-year-old male who suffered a gunshot wound to his left arm and a 17-year-old male who sustained
a gunshot wound to his right shoulder were both believed to be in fair and stable condition Sunday afternoon, Nov. 23. Both appear to have been shot with a small-caliber hand gun. However, the third victim, a 24-yearold male, was in serious condition the same day after suffering a physical assault about his head and face. Medical staff at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Azle reported the
incident to Azle Police at 5:42 a.m. Sunday, according to the press release. Lt. Bill Russell with the Azle Police Department said when Azle officers responded to the hospital, they found chaos, but were able to determine the incident had happened in unincorporated Parker County. PCSO, who has jurisdiction at the incident location, was notified, and PLEASE SEE PARTY, PAGE 2A.
by carla noah stutsman was that the child-victim was killed A 27-year-old Springtown man will by Pettigrew striking his head against serve life in prison with no chance for a countertop or other hard object” Asparole after he was convicted of capi- sistant District Attorney Jeff Swain tal murder in 415th District Court in said Assistant District Attorneys Robert Weatherford Wednesday, Nov. 19. District Judge Graham Quisenberry DuBoise and Kathleen Catania, who tried the case for the prosecution, presided over the trial. Rodney Chase Pettigrew told in- called six different doctors who had vestigators he sat his girlfriend’s examined Kamden. Each of them testified that, in their 14-month-old son, Kamden Lee Baimedical opinions, the “massive head ley, on a kitchen countertop while babysitting at a residence in the 500 trauma” Kamden suffered did not block of Jay Bird Road on Sept. 15, 2011. P e t t i g r e w claimed at the time that when he turned away to pick up the child’s chicken nuggets, Kamden fell about four feet to the floor. When Kamden didn’t respond to his efforts to revive him after about two minutes, Pettigrew told investigators he called 9-1-1. LifeCare Ambulance and LaJunta VFD responded to the scene and transported the boy to Kamden Lee Bailey Texas Health Har- … died Sept. 16, 2011 from a skull fracture ris Hospital Azle. Kamden was transferred to Cook Children’s Medical come from a fall off of a counter, Center (Cook CMC) in Fort Worth Swain said. “They described the injuries as bewhere doctors determined he had suffered a severe, life-threatening skull ing the result of a ‘high impact/high velocity’ injury which would have fracture. Kamden died the following day at been a result of the victim being Cook CMC. Prior to his death, a doc- ‘slammed, thrown, or impacted by a tor treating him at the facility said in a hard object’”. While Pettigrew’s attorney had sucwritten affidavit that “Kamden is not expected to survive his head injuries. cess during cross examination getting These injuries are not consistent with some of the doctors to agree there is a short fall, but are consistent with a small fraction of the medical comsevere, abusive trauma. Kamden’s in- munity who believe a toddler could juries consist of a complex skull frac- be killed by a three foot fall onto the head, all of the doctors who testified ture.” The jury didn’t buy Pettigrew’s sto- were clear that the injuries Kamden sustained could not have been caused ry after hearing witness testimony. “The allegation in the indictment by such a fall, Swain concluded.
Roll over on Walnut Creek Dr. hurts 1 By Natalie Gentry Springtown firefighters responding to a motor vehicle accident call Monday, Nov. 24 arrived to find Karen Lindsey, 57, of Springtown trapped in her red Ford F150. According to Springtown police, Lindsey had been traveling east in the 1300 block of Walnut Creek Drive when her vehicle veered off the roadway. Lindsey over-corrected and the pickup ended up on its side in trees on the side of the road. While a paramedic sat inside the cab with Lindsey, members of the Springtown VFD used the “jaws of life” extrication tool to cut the roof from the vehicle. Lindsey – awake and communicating with first responders – was transported to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth. Her injury status was unknown at First responders remove and later transport Karen Lindsey from her vehicle after it ended up on its side in the 1300 block of Walnut press time. Creek Drive Nov. 24. Photo by Natalie Gentry
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