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VOL 11 No. 7
Phone: 281-980-674550 cents
www.fbindependent.com
email: editor@fbindependent.com
FORT BEND FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2018
P.O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623
Official newspaper of Fort Bend County & Missouri City
Pecan Grove Elementary student reunited with dad serving overseas
Connor Miron, a Pre-K student at Pecan Grove Elementary, will never forget the day his dad came home. Staff Sgt. Garret Miron served overseas in Qatar since June 2017. He knew that his return home would be something special, and he wanted to make it even more special, by surpris-
ing Connor at school. The original plan was for SSG Miron to surprise Connor in his classroom, but PGE Principal Ruth Riha and her staff went above and beyond. With help from Connor’s mother, Brandye Miron, the school held a small welcome back parade.
As Connor stayed behind in his classroom, his classmates made their way into the hallway and lined up against the wall with other students holding American flags. When SSG Miron arrived, the students began playing and singing along to the song, “God Bless the U.S.A.,” by Lee Greenwood. Staff Sgt. Miron slowly made his way down the hall, and when he got close to Connor’s classroom, his teacher Ms. Higdon led Connor out of the classroom. It took Connor a few seconds to realize it was his dad standing right in front him, but once he realized who it was, the two shared a warm and very long embrace. When asked what he was most excited to do with his dad now that he’s home, Connor simply said that he couldn’t wait to get home and wrestle.
Awards presented at Fort Bend Chamber’s annual gala
Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce held its “Totally 80’s chairman’s gala” on Friday, January 26, at Safari Texas Ranch. The annual event paid tribute to the leaders and volunteers of the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce who served the chamber in 2017 and welcomed the new leadership for 2018. Immediate Past Chair, Sterling Carter, President of Sterling Physical Therapy and Wellness presented The Community Spirit Award to Tom Webb, Vice President of Product Development for HCSS. In the weeks following Harvey, Webb led an initiative with his employees to help in the recovery efforts of Fort Bend County residents in the devastating aftermath of the storm. The awards continued with Carter acknowledging the leadership and service of immediate past Chairman, Mike Dobert (President - HR in Alignment); retiring Board Members Monroe Ashworth (VP - Stewart Title); Nona Austin-King (VP of Marketing - Himalaya); Rick Conley (Director - Fluor); Christina Hawkins, (Founder – Global-
Chamber’s “Favorite Citizen” Mary Favre, is flanked by Chamber Spex); Mark Kolon, (Manager - Audi of Sugar Land); Barkley Peschel, (SVP – Colliers); Jonathan Pursch, (VP - Frost Bank); and Chip Sutton, (Partner - Linebarger Law Firm); and retiring Division Chairs: Vern Hegwood, (VP – Costello); and Randall Malik, (former City of Rosenberg Economic Development Director). Incoming Chairman, Malisha Patel, (COO - Memorial Hermann Hospital Southwest) introduced the 2018 Executive Officers; Chair Elect, Rehan Al-
imohammad, (Partner – Wong Fleming); Treasurer, Benjamin Swan (Principal – Svane Capital); Legal Counsel, Dustin Fessler (Shareholder – Roberts Markel Weinberg Butler Hailey, PC); and President & CEO, Keri Schmidt along with the 2018 Board of Directors, Committee and Division Chairs During an emotional tribute, The Chairman’s Award was presented to the Fort Bend Chamber’s favorite “citizen,” Mary Favre. See AWARDS, Page 4
Sugar Land father forgives son who killed mother and brother; fights to save son from death row
By BARBARA FULENWIDER The murders of two family members in 2003 put Sugar Land in shock. Now, Thomas Bartlett Whitaker, 38, convicted in this case, is facing death by lethal injection on Thursday, Feb. 22. Bart Whitaker was found guilty of capital murder that occurred on Dec. 10, 2003, when an assailant entered the Whitaker home in the Sugar Lakes subdivision and killed Bart’s mother, Trisha, 56 years old, and his brother, Kevin, 19. The younger brother died instantly from a bullet to the chest and his mother was lifeflighted to a hospital and died shortly thereafter. Bart’s father, Kent, was the third person to enter the house and he was shot in the arm and hospitalized along with Bart, who was last into the house and wrestled with the shooter who too shot Bart in the arm. Bart took the shot so the planned murders would appear to be a burglary gone bad. Bart was the perpetrator whose motive was money and it was the third time he’d tried to have his family killed. He promised two friends millions of dollars from what he expected to inherit after they pulled off Bart’s plan. The trigger man was Chris Brashear, a roommate of Bart’s,
who was sentenced to life in prison and no parole. The driver of the vehicle that brought Brashear to and from the house was Steven Champagne. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison in turn for testifying at the trial. All of the loss of life occurred after the Whitaker family had enjoyed an hour-long meal together at Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen in Stafford. The get together was to congratulate Bart who had told them he was getting his college degree from Sam Houston State University and gift him with a $4,000 Rolex. Later that night numerous Sugar Land police were at the Whitaker home taping what Bart told them about his being shot and taking videos of the scene while thinking they were after a burglar. Bart later said that he was on “auto pilot” that night and “wasn’t even aware of myself.” While Bart was hiding his involvement in the murders, Sugar Land Sgt. Marshall Slot, the head officer on the case, was taking in numerous details that suggested he might be seeing more than a burglary. Drawers in the house had been pulled out but had not been rifled through. Slot said the burglar left the gun and all the electronics and that only a
cell phone was missing, which struck the police sergeant as an oddity. Soon after that another oddity surfaced -- a journalist found that Bart had not graduated or even attended classes at Sam Houston State University. That information along with a Sugar Land police officer recalling that he’d been to the Whitaker house two years earlier regarding an allegation that Bart had threatened his parents’ life provided another red flag. The officer said Kent Whitaker told him that a friend of Bart’s had overheard his son talking to his roommate about a plot to kill the family and told the parents who thought it was a misunderstanding because the friend had been drinking. Slot investigated all the bits of information that came to him and finally after two years of pursuing what came to dead ends he got a major break in the case. Adam Hipp, a friend of Bart’s in public school days, went to the Sugar Land Police and told Slot all he knew. And he knew a lot because Bart had tried twice before to instigate his plan to kill his family. The second time, Hipp told Slot that Bart tried to recruit him to do the shooting and he’d give Hipp $20,000.
See MURDER, Page 5
4 Johnson Development communities in Fort Bend earn national recognition
Four Johnson Development communities in Fort Bend County have been listed among the nation’s top-selling, according to recent reports by residential think tanks Robert Charles Lesser & Co. (RCLCO) and John Burns Real Estate Consulting. Riverstone, located along Highway 6 between Highway 59 and the Fort Bend Parkway, is the top-selling community in Houston, according to both reports. Riverstone reported 435 home sales in 2017, only a 1 percent decline from the 441 sales in 2016. John Burns Real Estate Consulting lists Riverstone as No. 25 while RCLCO has the community as No. 26. “Riverstone ended the year on a strong note, with nearly 80 sales in the last quarter,” said Trey Reichert, Vice President and General Manager of the community. “Plus, builders started 455 homes in Riverstone during 2017.” Cross Creek Ranch in Fulshear was again included on the top-selling lists, ranked No. 31 by RCLCO and No. 32 by John Burns Real Estate Consulting. Builders sold 397 homes during 2017, an increase of 5 percent. Home sales in Sienna Plantation were up 4 percent in 2017, with builders reporting 372
homes purchased. The community, located next door to Riverstone along Highway 6, is ranked No. 35 on the RCLCO list and No. 36 on the John Burns report. Like its sister community of Riverstone, Sienna also ended 2017 with strong sales. “We actually had 21 home sales the last week of the year,” said Alvin San Miguel, General Manager of Sienna Plantation. “Those kinds of numbers foretell a stellar 2018.” Harvest Green in Richmond made its debut on the annual lists, with 315 home sales in 2017, an increase of 25 over the previous year. The farm-centric community was ranked No. 46 by both research firms. The four Fort Bend communities were among five by Johnson Development listed among the nation’s 50 best-selling communities — more than any other developer. They also are ranked among the Houston area’s largest master-planned communities in a recent list published by the Houston Business Journal. The ranking, based on annual home starts between Oct. 1, 2016, and Sept. 30, 2017, show Riverstone as Houston’s largest development, Cross Creek as No. 4, Sienna Plantation as its fifth largest and Harvest Green as the seventh largest community in Houston.
Riverstone is a 3,700-acre community that boasts water parks, parks, trails, tennis courts, a dog park, upscale clubhouse and meandering lakes and waterways. Pricing is from the $330,000s. Learn more at www.riverstone. com. Cross Creek Ranch is celebrating 10 years of home sales and offers new homes priced from the $220,000s, water parks, a dog park, wildlife viewing areas, trails, a fitness center, on-site restaurant and more. More information is at https:// www.crosscreektexas.com. Sienna Plantation also has a generous amenity portfolio with four recreation complexes, a 160acre Camp Sienna sports park, golf club, six on-site schools, two fitness centers and more. Homes are priced from the $240,000s. Details can be found at www.siennaplantation.com. Harvest Green is Houston’s first farm-centric community with homes and amenities built around the 12-acre Village Farm. Residents enjoy the chance to work on the farm, access to fresh produce, and planned amenities such as a resort pool, fitness center and well-appointed clubhouse. Pricing is from the $240,000s. Learn more at www.harvestgreentexas.com.