The Azle News

Page 1

Volume 63, Number 42

Azle News

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

THE

www.azlenews.net

Stormy weather

AHS softball wins battle of the state-ranked Page 15A

Honor rolls Page 10-11A

Student ‘threat’ causes turmoil

Page 1B

Moped Vs. Truck

AHS boy placed in ‘2nd chance’ program BY CARLA NOAH STUTSMAN The Azle Police Department has concluded its investigation into an incident that occurred Wednesday, March 26 at Azle High School in which a threat was perceived. A student at the school was suspended pending the outcome of the criminal investigation. The student allegedly made a statement during the lunch period which at least one student interpreted as a Reba Michelle Weigart, 24, of Azle, was critically injured about 6 p.m. Thursday, March 26 while riding a Moped-type scooter in the 11600 threat. The incident was reported to AHS block of FM 730 North. According to the accident report filed by Azle police, Weigart was northbound when a southbound 2004 Fort Principal Sam Robinson near the end F250 pickup driven by Brandon Dale Crosby, 24, of Azle, turned in front of her. Weigart’s scooter struck the pickup and she was ejected, landing on the roadway behind the pickup. AirEvac Life Team 68 transported Weigart to John Peter Smith Hospital. The roadway was closed in both directions for several hours as Azle police conducted an advanced investigation into the accident. Weigart is said to be PLEASE SEE NO, PAGE 2A. recovering from her serious injuries. Photo by Carla Noah Stutsman

Azle ISD stunned by $2.4 million boost Complex county deal injects district with a huge cash influx BY CARLA NOAH STUTSMAN Several entities stand to gain financially from an economic development agreement in Parker County, but none more than the Azle Independent School District. Although initial projections indicated the AISD could receive upwards of $2 million in each year of the fiveyear agreement, Texas’ school finance

system may prevent the district from keeping much of that projected windfall. But we’ll get to that part in a minute. Big money Parker County Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday, March 24 to approve an agreement – touted as the first tax abatement ever done by the

High Flying Hornet

county – with Trinidad Drilling LP, which will render drilling equipment valued between $200-225 million in the county to be taxed. According to Precinct One Commissioner George Conley, that equipment is utilized on drilling sites across the state. When used in a particular county for 365 days or longer, it must be rendered in that county.

But in many, if not most cases, the drilling rigs don’t stay in one location that long, and Chapter 381 of the Local Government Code gives companies the option of rendering the equipment in a county where it has a physical “yard.” Trinidad Drilling LP has one such yard in Parker County, where the tax rate of $0.4183 per $100,000 is entic-

ing. A Trinidad spokesperson said because the company’s yard is not located inside a city limits jurisdiction, its total effective rates are expected to be about $1.79 – they’d be closer to $2 in most other counties. The five-year agreement allows the PLEASE SEE ISD, PAGE 3A.

Paint it black... Auto dealer gets satisfaction when wild horses couldn’t stop authorities from recovering repainted pilfered pickup; it’s all over now

You can’t always get what you want. Neal Brister has operated Brister Motor Company, located in front of Azle Western Wear and across the parking lot from Dairy Queen, for as long as most people remember. Friends and customers alike know him as an honest, trustworthy – and trusting – man. So when a young fellow from Springtown came in Saturday, March 21 and asked if he could test drive a pickup on the lot, Brister got some personal information from him and handed him the keys. The young man was gone about 35 minutes before returning the red Chevrolet Silverado to Brister’s lot. Later, Brister left the lot; when he got back, the truck was gone. He reported the theft to Azle police, but the following day, Brister’s wife found a very similar pickup listed for sale on Craigslist. The phone number to call for information about the pickup? The same one given to Brister at the time of the test drive. At some point, the Craigslist ad JV high jumper Jamie Stevens clears 5 feet, 10 inches at the Rough Rider Relays in Saginaw March 27. He finished second. Full results changed to reflect the red Chevy Silon Page 15A! Photo by Mark K. Campbell verado was now black.

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This Week in Azle History

Azle Police detective Richard Lukowski bags cans of spray paint presumably used to convert a stolen red pickup to black as evidence after it was recovered in Fort Worth. Photo by Carla Noah Stutsman Azle police, working in conjunction with the Fort Worth Police Department’s Zero Tolerance Team 3, set up a time and place to meet with the suspect under the pretense they would purchase the vehicle from him. Upon his arrival at the meeting place, the suspect was taken into custody without incident and the vehicle

– now spray-painted black – was recovered. The suspect was identified as Isaac Smith, 21. Smith – who still had spray paint on his hands – was booked into the Mansfield jail by Fort Worth PD officers. He was charged with theft $1,50020,000, a state jail felony.

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1 Year Ago Azle ISD got the OK to not make up six bad weather days, thanks to a waiver issued by the Texas Education Agency.

24 pages plus supplements

$1 Azle, Texas 76020


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