A man detained outside of former President George W. Bush’ s Preston Hollow home was released last night after being questioned by the U.S. Secret Service.

Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan spoke with People Newspapers and confirmed the man did have a gun in his car but was not arrested thus could not release information detailing the incident.

Many news outlets reported the man was mentally deranged and was “spiritually told to pick up a package at the Bush home,”  but Donovan said he could not confirm that information since there was no official arrest report made.

When asked how the man got past the gate, what kind of gun he had and if the man was completely delusional, Donovan said he could not release any further details.

There’s nothing at DallasPolice.net that explicitly links all of these reported incidents near the corner of Park Lane and Central Expressway, but it doesn’t take one long to connect the dots.

18 WEDNESDAY

At 2 p.m., the rear driver’s side window of a silver 2012 Dodge sedan inexplicably shattered as the car traveled in the 7800 block of Park Lane.

At 6 p.m., two pellet guns were found in a department store at NorthPark Center.

Between 10 and 11 p.m., a gunman fired a shot into the window of an unoccupied office in the 9200 block of North Central Expressway. The bullet went through an interior wall and into a hallway, causing $3,000 worth of damage.

21 SATURDAY

At 8 p.m., police were alerted that a young man was seen carrying a gun at NorthPark Center. Officers found a suspect matching the witness’s description in the food court and discovered that he was carrying a BB gun. The young man was issued a citation for disorderly conduct and released to the custody of his 27-year-old mother.

We’ve fielded our share of bogus email forwards decrying the declining state of NorthPark Center, most notably a string of them in February referring to “gangs.” While we couldn’t corroborate those rumors, the latest viral email appears to be somewhat legitimate.

The email alleges that a gang beat up a Dallas Academy student near NorthPark last week, and that the manager of Macy’s refused to provide help when the bloodied teen’s friends brought him to the store to clean him up.

Here’s what we know:

• There was an assault on Jan. 2. According to Dallas police, “20 to 40″ people beat up a 17-year-old boy and two others in a parking lot in the 9100 block of North Central Expressway.
• The 17-year-old boy is a student at Dallas Academy, a school spokeswoman confirmed, and “a great kid.”
• NorthPark issued a statement through Androvett Media acknowledging the incident, but defending the actions of Macy’s employees. “Macy’s staff responded professionally and compassionately in assisting this young man by calling 911 and contacting the Dallas Police Department.”

We’ve tried to reach out to the 17-year-old’s parents. Look for more details in this week’s paper.

We’re not publishing a paper this week, and the police blotter in our Jan. 6 edition will not include the Christmas weekend. But surely all of the criminals stayed home with their families for the holiday, right? Wrong.

Read More…

This is normally the time of year where I’d put in some holly jolly post, telling you to be of good cheer and such. But December has been an unusually violent month in the otherwise sleepy Preston Hollow.

In addition to two gunpoint robberies, there have been eleven home burglaries, three of which occurred during the day while the owners were home.

Most commonly, the robbers rang the doorbell repeatedly with no answer before entering a home, presumably (and incorrectly) thinking the owners were away. But on Dec. 6 there was a home invasion at 11:30 a.m., where armed robbers forced their way into a home in the 7100 block of Brookshire Circle and stole $5,000 worth of jewelry.

For comparison, there were only four home burglaries in Dec. 1 through 20 in 2010, and none of them occurred while the owners were present.

My holiday message to you, faithful PHP readers, is to lock your doors, set the alarm, get a dog, and have a very merry— and safe— Christmas.

At 1:45 p.m. on Dec. 14, an 84-year-old Preston Hollow resident was robbed at gunpoint in the 4300 block of Woodfin Drive, near Midway Road. The robber threatened to shoot the woman before stealing nearly $500 worth of property including a $200 pair of reading glasses and a $50 Saks purse.

According to police, the robber fled in a gray two-door vehicle.  The woman, who lives on Thackery Street, was not harmed.

In the Episcopal School of Dallas’ latest round of legal battles related to a teacher’s sexual relationship with a student, attorneys for the Doe family argued today that the school committed witness tampering, intimidation, obstruction of justice, and perjury through the actions of its attorneys and employees.

This is the second round of sanctions hearings against lead ESD counsel Chrysta Castañeda as well as her firm, Locke Lord. After landing on the losing end of a $9.2 million jury verdict in September, ESD hired a multitude of attorneys from Haynes & Boone, who have been handling post-trial matters.

Judge D’Metria Benson heard a variety of motions related to the final judgment and sanctions against ESD on Nov. 10. She heard the remainder of sanctions charges, or as many as the plaintiffs could get through in the 20-minute allotment, this afternoon.

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As you may recall, a jury handed down a $9.2 million verdict against the Episcopal School of Dallas in September. So why are we still talking about this?

1. Judge D’Metria Benson has not ruled on the final judgment, and based on arguments last month, it appears the award will be somewhere between $3 and 7 million.

2. In January and again in November, the plaintiffs filed some pretty serious sanctions against ESD. Benson heard the first part of those last month, and will hear the more recent accusations next week.

There’s no mention of a ruling in the court docket for Dec. 15, and cordial Court Coordinator Seth Little tells me the only guarantee for next week’s hearing is sanctions arguments. So don’t get your hopes up (like I did) for this case to wrap up before 2012.

As always, the court is open to the public. If you’d like to see the (dare I say final?) latest round of arguments, leave your weapons, recording devices, and digital cameras at home and head to County Court at Law No. 1, located on the fifth floor of the George Allen Courts Building, 600 Commerce Street. The hearing begins at 3 p.m.

One of the more common crimes each week in the Preston Hollow police blotter is shoplifting at NorthPark Center. Usually, the stolen shirts and pants are sprinkled about the mall.

But this week, all but one reported instance of shoplifting occurred at Macy’s. In most of the reports, the culprit was seen on video surveillance and apprehended as he exited the store. Looks like Big Brother has a new gig.

To check out all the week’s crimes, pick up a copy of Preston Hollow People at any of these fine locations.

Although a jury handed down a $9.2 million verdict against the Episcopal School of Dallas in September, the plaintiffs are now seeking just $6.7 million.

“Rarely do you get a judgment for the entire amount of the verdict,” said attorney Charla Aldous, who represents the Doe family.

The Does sued ESD for damages related to history teacher John Nathan Campbell’s sexual relationship with their daughter and her subsequent separation from the school.

Judge D’Metria Benson heard a variety of motions related to the final judgment and sanctions against ESD this afternoon, but deferred ruling on any of them until a later date. Read More…