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March 11, 2019
THE MERCURY
UTDMERCURY.COM
City health department officials conduct inspections after worker files complaint
CINDY FOLEFACK Managing Editor
Richardson Health Department officials performed a surprise inspection at the Student Union’s Chickfil-A after a receiving an anonymous complaint and video of cockroaches in the food pick-up area. The video’s metadata confirmed it was taken at UTD. In the video, a worker opens a cabinet to reveal a box with supplies for the Chick-fil-A location. Several cockroaches can be seen scurrying away. According to the health inspection report, Health Department officials visited the Chick-filA on Feb. 6 and confirmed the presence of roaches. A follow-up inspection on Feb. 11 found that the number of cockroaches had decreased by 90 percent and recommended pest control spraying for the next two months.
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PAGE 10 PAVAN TAUH | MERCURY STAFF
City applies for federal funding Former UTD employee for proposed Cotton Belt Trail indicted on theft charge Recreational walkway planned to run alongside future DART rail line RUHMA KHAN Mercury Staff
The Richardson City Council has applied for federal funding to cover the segment of the proposed Cotton Belt Trail that services UTD, which is the fourth and last portion of the trail in Richardson that has yet to be funded. The Cotton Belt Trail is a 26-mile long hiking and biking trail that will be built alongside the new DART Cotton Belt Rail Line. Threeand-a-half miles of the trail will be within the city of Richardson. Construction is expected to be completed by 2022. Jessica Shutt, the mobility and special projects manager for the city of Richardson, said the city council has applied for federal grant funding through the Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program.
The program helps fund city infrastructure projects related to walking and cycling. The program is affiliated with the North Texas Council of Governments, an organization “that assists local governments with regional development projects,” according to its website. The remaining unfunded portion of the Cotton Belt Trail is a half-mile segment that will connect Waterview Parkway to UTD and runs behind the Northside and Synergy Park North complexes. It is estimated to cost $600,000. If awarded the funding, the city of Richardson will have to pay for up to 33 percent of the costs, or $200,000. “It’s a regional trail that connects, eventually when it’s all constructed, all the way down to downtown Fort Worth. For people who live
Chemistry department officer accused of stealing $130,000 from university through credit card purchases
along the trail they will be able to ride to the closest rail station, so it definitely improves mobility options,” Shutt said. “The section of our trail goes over into the new CityLine development, so it connects different destinations.” The trail will have four sections in Richardson. Two of these sections have already been fully funded through various regional grants from the NTCOG. “We’re pretty excited for the trail and our goal is to get it built with the rail and hopefully have a new 3.5 mile segment by the time the rail opens,” Shutt said. “We’re doing what we can to try and make that happen.” The third segment of the trail will be fully funded by Dallas Area Rapid Transit because it is an existing trail that will need to be rebuilt
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PAGE 11 SAMANTHA LOPEZ | MERCURY STAFF
CINDY FOLEFACK Managing Editor
ALESANDRA BELL | MERCURY STAFF
A former administrative officer in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is facing one charge of felony theft after being accused of embezzling $130,000 from the university. Former staff member Linda Heard, who started working at UTD in 1991, was indicted for theft of property, a seconddegree felony, on Feb. 26. Her first court appearance is scheduled for March 29. According to an arrest report from the Richardson Police Department, Heard was arrested by a UTD PD officer on July 27, 2018 and released the same day. Collin County bond records show that she later posted a $25,000 surety bond on Aug. 9. Heard’s alleged misconduct was discovered through an internal audit of the department in 2018. According to a UTD PD case report, officials from UTD’s Office of Audit and Consulting Services discovered the theft on May 18, 2018 and reported it to police on May 21. The report indicates the theft took place over a four-year period, from 2014-2018. The Mercury requested additional police documents through an open records request with the university, but the request was ultimately denied by Texas’ Office of the Attorney General, citing “highly embarrassing information … not of legitimate concern to the public.” The Mercury obtained the January to July 2018 transaction history of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry’s
UTD | COURTESY
Linda Heard, a former administrative officer in the chemistry department, was indicted Feb. 26.
credit card, which shows purchases from Hobby Lobby, Sam’s Club and Amazon totaling over $11,000. These purchases stopped just before the theft was reported to UTD PD in May 2018. UTD PD officials declined to comment, citing an ongoing case. A university spokesperson declined to comment, stating that the university does not typically comment on personnel matters. Faculty and staff members from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry did not respond to or declined requests for comment.