12 minute read
Crime
Aug. 17
A prowler didn’t quite get the opendoor treatment at a 45-year-old man’s home in the 10500 block of Barrywood Drive. But an unlocked window proved convenient enough for the crook to get in and out with some loot. The resident didn’t report the caper until 9:51 p.m. Aug. 20.
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Aug. 18
Officers responded at 1:13 a.m. after a suspicious person was seen “messing” with the door of a 62-year-old man’s home in the 7100 block of Royal Lane.
Aug. 19
Stolen before 5:55 a.m.: a 36-year-old man’s vehicle from his home in the 6400 block of Glendora Avenue.
Aug. 20
At 5:35 p.m., a 49-year-old Sachse woman needed a ride home from NorthPark Center. A thief had stolen her vehicle.
Aug. 21
Reported at 5:02 p.m.: Two ruffians on Aug. 20 injured a 61-year-old Coppell man in the 5200 block of Royal Lane.
Aug. 23
Reported at 4:40 p.m.: A theft at a 59-year-old man’s home in the 6200 block of Dykes Way.
Aug. 24
Before 5:48 p.m., a prowler working the 5700 block of Stanford Avenue took contents from a 54-year-old Plano man’s vehicle.
Aug. 25
Before 12:47 p.m., a robber tried to use a gun to take an 82-year-old man’s watch at NorthPark Center.
Aug. 26
Stolen overnight before 8:43 a.m.: property from a 54-year-old woman’s vacant house in the 6700 block of Orchid Lane.
Aug. 27
Reported at 9:27 a.m.: a UFO (better make that a UTO). The unidentified thrown object damaged a 32-year-old woman vehicle in the 5300 block of West University Boulevard.
Aug. 29
Overnight before 9:04 a.m., a vandal used an unidentified object to break a window at Take 5 Oil Change on Forest Lane near Central Expressway.
Aug. 30
Reported at 4:13 p.m.: Dog bites 29-year-old woman at Inwood Village.
Aug. 31
Reported at 6:50 p.m.: easy pickings in the 11500 West Ricks Circle. To take a 55-year-old man’s property, the thief only needed to enter through the open garage and remove items from the unlocked vehicle.
Sept. 1
Guessing this one made someone hot: Before 5:31 p.m., a prowler snatched stuff from a Houk Air Conditioning vehicle calling on a home in the 7000 block of Orchid Lane.
Sept. 3
Officers responded at 3:08 a.m. to a fatal fiery crash south of Walnut Hill Lane on Midway Road, where a Ford Mustang struck a pole, trapping the driver inside. Read more online.
Sept. 4
Say a little prayer for the 61-year-old Garland man whose vehicle was stolen before 4:54 p.m. near Lovers Lane United Methodist Church’s Copeland House & Prayer Garden on Meadowbrook Drive.
Sept. 7
Reported at 8:18 p.m.: A thief took the taillights off a 39-year-old man’s truck at a home in the 4600 block of Allencrest Lane.
Sept. 8
Overnight before 7:14 a.m., a crook drove away with a vehicle belonging to a 70-year-old woman from the 12100 block of Elysian Court after convincing her to buy gift cards online from CVS.
Sept. 9
Overnight before 9:03 a.m., a prowler didn’t need to do any damage to enter and remove contents from a Total Comfort Group HVAC service team vehicle at Preston Center.
Sept. 11
Reported at 6:50 p.m.: This was no accident. A mischief maker “intentionally” damaged a 47-year-old woman’s vehicle at NorthPark Center.
SKULDUGGERY of the MONTH: STEP BY STEP
A 60-year-old woman from the 6400 block of Stefani Drive followed these simple steps for getting her purse stolen overnight before 7:50 a.m. Aug. 25: 1) Leave the garage door open. 2) Leave the backdoor unlocked. 3) Leave the purse alone.
(PHOTO: PEXELS.COM, ILLUSTRATION: MELANIE THORNTON)
For more crimes visit: peoplenewspapers.com/category/crime/
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10 October 2021 | prestonhollowpeople.com Tornado Brought Shock, Awe, And The Best In People Luce family returns to Preston Hollow, but in another house, after 2019 storm
By Daniel Lalley
Special Contributor
When most people imagine the mayhem of an EF-3 tornado, they think Kansas, Oklahoma, Bill Paxton, and airborne big rigs.
They see wide-open farm country, gnarled green skies, and grain silos tumbling through cornfields like kicked soda cans.
They don’t imagine Preston Hollow.
They don’t picture a 115-mph twister turning the corner of Royal and Hillcrest, kicking up Terracotta roofing tiles, pillaging the picket fence class, and leaving all manner of anguish plus the spoils of a Central Market seafood sale in its wake.
But as Ken and Nancy Luce, and many others can attest, that was the reality of Oct. 20, 2019.
“You don’t realize the state of shock and awe until it happens,” Ken said. “Awe, because of the destruction and shock, because it happened to us.”
Not a fan of atmospheric pressure, force density, or temperature gradients, Ken’s quick to send an email if the office thermostat should deviate from an exact ease point of 73.5 degrees. How do I know this? He’s my boss.
The Luces were settled into their home on Tulip Lane – Ken upstairs asleep while Nancy watched as the Dallas Cowboys levied a swift and decisive blow against the Philadelphia Eagles.
“They never made a break in the game,” Nancy said. “I heard a siren in the distance, and there was a ticker on the screen warning of a tornado at Love Field, but they never cut the broadcast.”
Eventually, the sirens faded. Nancy spoke with her son, Andrew, living in the guest house, and things seemed to settle. The quiet before the storm fell upon the northeast corner of Preston Hollow, but it wouldn’t last.
Within seconds, their home was under siege. Internal alarms sounded as the windows detonated. Their 10 oak trees toppled. Ken made it downstairs as the roof was swept away, dodging the brick and debris of a falling chimney – escaping it by seconds.
“I get under the stairs and ask Nancy what happened,” he said. “She tells me a tornado hit.”
It seemed like a blur as Ken and Nancy emerged from the wreckage of their home. Their son made it to the back house just seconds before the biggest touchdown of the evening. The first thing they did was locate him.
They spent the next hour hunting for neighbors, teaming up with first
Ken Luce reflected recently on the tornado that destroyed his Tulip Lane home two years ago. The family has since returned to Preston Hollow in a
home on Prestonshire Lane. (PHOTOS: COURTESY TOM LUCE) responders to sift through the rubble, ensuring everyone made it out. There were no fatalities.
Soon, the whole neighborhood came together. Supplies were distributed, chainsaws were manned.
You don’t realize the state of shock and awe until it happens. Awe because of the destruction and shock because it happened to us. Ken Luce
“You really saw the best in people,” Ken said.
Two years later, the Luces are finally resettled in Preston Hollow. It’s the only place they’d call home, Nancy said. “We couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.”
Daniel Lalley, a freelancer, also works as a copywriter for Ken Luce’s advertising firm LDWW.
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Visit ccyoung.org or call 214-509-7598 for more information. Two Year Mission: Get 2,600-Plus Homeless Into Supportive Housing
By Bethany Erickson
bethany.erickson@peoplenewspapers.com
The Dallas Real Time Rapid Rehousing initiative aims to get more than 2,600 homeless residents into supportive housing in the next two years.
“The key to ending homelessness is a home,” said Dallas city councilmember Casey Thomas before joining his colleagues in voting for the city to participate in the $72 million effort.
What’s next? The nonprofit Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance will help those selected for the program with at least a year of rent and connections to social services needed to help address the issues that contributed to their homelessness.
Funding will come from private donations, and the Dallas Housing Authority will provide $10 million in vouchers. The city of Dallas and Dallas County are contributing about $25 million each in federal stimulus funds.
The effort, however, doesn’t rest just on Dallas’ shoulders. It will happen in conjunction with efforts in Grand Prairie and Mesquite, as well as Dallas County.
But two councilmembers pointed out that the effort will be for naught if the region doesn’t get a handle on its need for affordable workforce housing.
“We’ll have nothing to show for this plan in three years, in five years or 10 years, because we’ll have spent it all on rent instead of spending it and investing it in structures that could last decades,” council member Cara Mendelsohn said. “Our work is not finished. This council along with city staff must now help launch a similar community-wide commitment to build and retain affordable housing,” councilmember Chad West agreed. The homeless population has increased since the pandemic. In September, the Dallas Morning News reported that homeless encampments increased by 30% in Dallas during the pandemic, partly because shelters have been forced to take in fewer residents to improve social distancing efforts. During a recent discussion hosted by MDHA, Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot detailed other plans for helping homeless indi-
Our work is not viduals, including his Dallas Deflects finished. This council initiative. along with city staff “We want peo ple who are home must now help launch less, mentally ill, a similar community- and maybe some other low-level ofwide commitment fenses … introto build and retain duced to services,” he explained. “We affordable housing. want them to start Chad West off with medical services if necessary, health services, a path to a home — but to get well, to have a home, and to be a productive citizen.” The initiative addresses petty offenses like criminal trespass (which often land homeless individuals in jail) by having police officers take them to the Homeward Bound treatment center to access social services, health services, and mental health services. Last year, county commissioners approved $1 million to renovate an unused wing of the treatment center, turning it into a diversion center.
Melshire Estates residents say a proposed development at Forest Lane and Nuestra Drive is too big for the 3.5 acre lot, seen here from Quincy Lane looking southwest toward
Forest. (PHOTOS: BETHANY ERICKSON, COURTESY CITY COUNCIL DOCUMENTS)
Forest Lane Parcel To Get 26 Homes
Neighbors unhappy about zoning change
By Bethany Erickson
bethany.erickson@peoplenewspapers.com
A recent zoning change clears the way for Forest Park Development to build 26 single-family residences – all 3,000 square feet and priced in the $1 million range – on a long-vacant site at the corner of Forest Lane and Nuestra Lane.
Many neighbors from the Melshire Estates community bordering three sides of the land that has sat dormant for more than a decade aren’t pleased.
The Dallas City Council voted last month to approve a zoning change for the land the city paid more than $3 million for as part of a bond package. Plans included a new library to replace the aging Preston-Royal branch, but the city ran out of money.
Neighbors have argued that the proposal was just too much development for a 3.5acre lot zoned initially for no more than nine homes.
“Please know: Our neighborhood overwhelmingly wants and welcomes development,” said Christina Norris. “In fact, we also support funding the library. However, what is being proposed is not reasonable. The city’s own staff recommended denial of this rezoning.”
Janelle Alcantara, a real estate agent living in the neighborhood, said that the project does not meet city zoning standards and shouldn’t have won approval.
“They say they have had nine meetings — they’ve had nine meetings with very specialized audiences,” she said. “I need you guys to listen to us. We need our City Council to do the right thing. Please oppose this with us.”
Forest Park Development’s Bill Davis told the council that in addition to reducing the number of homes, the developer had agreed to double the amount of green space.
Councilmember Gay Donnell Willis, who has only represented District 13 for about three months, negotiated changes.
Those include keeping the existing mature trees on Forest Lane; a prohibition on flat roofs; a requirement that patios, balconies, and decks are ground-level only; and a maximum number of stories above grade at two.
The developer also agreed to larger setbacks on the homes and to avoid second-story windows on homes facing the neighborhood. It will move power lines and plant more trees as well.
Donnell Willis added that neighbors should know that for all their concerns about the density of the Forest Park Development project, they could face worse further down the road from another developer if the zoning change didn’t move forward.
“It’s very likely that a project of far greater density would likely await, and it could be multifamily, and it could easily become part of the equation in order to make the project go due to the expenses,” she said. “The city and Council will be under a lot of pressure to take the next deal, and the prospect of more density than the current project represents is my concern, because I listened, and I heard.”
WANT MORE?
Read more about the Forest Lane zoning change at peoplenewspapers.com.
