Father arrested for child abuse in Friendswood

FRIENDSWOOD, Texas – Police say an 8-month-old girl could be permanently disabled from injuries she suffered at the hands of her father.

Anthony Michael Pittman, 23, is charged with injury to a child.
According to police, Pittman was home with the victim and a 2-year-old child on October 29, 2011, while the baby’s mother went to the store.

Pittman and the victim’s mother were dating at the time.
At some point while the mother was gone, Pittman said he found the baby lying on the bed.

He said when he picked her up, she got sick and stopped breathing, so he called 911.
The baby’s mother and a friend got home before paramedics arrived and started CPR.
Police and EMS responded to the home around 6 p.m. that day.
Paramedics called for an air ambulance, and the baby was rushed to Memorial Hermann.
The 2-year-old was put in CPS custody.

Later that night, Pittman was arrested trying to get the toddler back.
During a jailhouse interview several days later, police said Pittman told officers that he was tossing the baby into the air when he accidentally dropped her.

But investigators said Pittman’s account of what happened was not consistent with the injuries the child sustained.

Doctors believe the girl was shaken and may have suffered blunt-force trauma to the head.
She remained in the hospital on Monday with severe head injuries.
Pittman was being held in the Harris County Jail on $50,000 bond.

Seven sent to hospital from tanker crash

From staff reports
A tanker that allegedly ran a red light in Friendswood damaged four other vehicles and sent seven people to the hospital, including four children, Friendswood police said Tuesday.

At about 1 p.m. on Saturday, a 10-wheel tanker truck was traveling westbound on FM 528 at Moore Road when it ran a red light and struck a Suburban that was turning eastbound onto FM 528, police said.

The truck then collided with a Dodge pickup truck headed eastbound on FM 528. A Toyota passenger car and a Toyota pickup truck were also involved in the accident, as a result of the impact of the Dodge and tanker collision.
Although no injuries were reported to be life-threatening, four children and three adults were sent to the hospital. The driver of the tanker truck is charged with running the red light, police said.

Coach busted for selling steroids and cocaine

FRIENDSWOOD, Texas (AP) — Police say a veteran Southeast Texas teacher and volleyball coach has been accused of selling steroids and cocaine.

Friendswood police Chief Bob Wieners says there's a possibility that some of the customers were students.

Timothy Todd Porter of League City is jailed on charges of delivery of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance. Authorities say oral steroids were confiscated Wednesday when the 45-year-old Clear Springs High School educator was arrested at his home.
Bond was set at $10,000. Friendswood jail officials Thursday did not have any information on an attorney for Porter.

A district spokeswoman says Porter, who taught physics and astronomy, has been suspended. He's been with the district for 22 years.
Two other men also have been arrested in the drug trafficking investigation.

Friendswood schools rated Superior Achievement” under Texas’ School FIRST financial accountability rating system

Friendswood Independent School District officials announced that the district received a rating of “Superior Achievement” under Texas’ School FIRST financial accountability rating system. The Superior Achievement rating is the state’s highest, demonstrating the quality of FISD’s financial management and reporting system.

Schools FIRST (Financial Accountability Rating System of Texas), is a financial accountability system for Texas school districts developed by the Texas Education Agency in response to Senate Bill 875 of the 76th Legislature in 1999.

The primary goal of School’s FIRST is to achieve quality performance in the management of school districts’ financial resources, a goal made more significant due to the complexity of accounting associated with Texas’ school finance system.

“We are very pleased with FISD’s School FIRST rating”, said FISD’s Assistant Superintendent of Administration Thad Roher, “as it shows that our district is making the most of our taxpayers’ dollars. This shows that FISD’s schools are accountable not only for student learning, but also for achieving these results cost-effectively and efficiently.”

The Schools FIRST accountability rating system assigns one of four financial accountability ratings to Texas school districts, with the highest being “Superior Achievement,” followed by “Above-Standard Achievement,” “Standard Achievement” and “Substandard Achievement.” Districts with serious data quality problems may receive the additional rating of “Suspended - Data Quality.” Districts that receive the “Substandard Achievement” or “Suspended – Data Quality” ratings under Schools FIRST must file a corrective action plan with the Texas Education Agency.

Bastrop is burning ...

BASTROP

- The most destructive wildfire on record in Texas showed no signs of slowing down Monday, destroying 25,000 acres in Bastrop County and 476 homes, more houses than any single wildfire before and more than all other fires this year combined, according to the Texas Forest Service.

With more than 60 new wildfires raging across the state, Gov. Rick Perry left the campaign trail Monday in South Carolina to address the public and organize requests for more federal aid.

Closer to Houston, a fire in Magnolia burned 20 homes and more than 1,600 acres, and was threatening subdivisions in Montgomery and Grimes counties late Monday. It had moved southwest into Waller County last Monday.

It was one of several fires to hit the area, straining state and local resources as officials focused on the most dangerous blazes. One firefighter was injured and one fire engine burned in blazes in the Magnolia area, said Lt. Dan Norris, spokesman for the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities did not yet know how much of the most dangerous fire had been contained Monday, but planned to continue fighting it "as long as necessary," Norris said.

Strong winds and dry conditions fanned the flames and aided the blaze's rapid growth, forcing the evacuation of more than 150 homes. Montgomery County officials were encouraging evacuations from the intersection of FM 1774 and FM 1488, about 42 miles northwest of Houston, up to the Grimes County line, an official said.

Magnolia fire

The Magnolia fire, located off FM 1774 and FM 1488, jumped FM 1488 late Monday and forced further evacuations, although some families were being allowed back to their homes. The Magnolia Independent School District canceled classes today because of the fires. Evacuation shelters were being set up throughout the area, including at Magnolia High School.

Another fire in the area had burned 100 acres and was 80 percent contained, Norris said. It had destroyed one structure and caused no injuries after 50 homes were evacuated.

A fire covering about 100 acres was burning in Oak Ridge North late Monday.

A fire near Nacogdoches that started Sunday night raged to 300 acres Monday and forced 60 families to evacuate their homes, said Ralph Cullom, a spokesman for the Texas Forrest Service. That fires grew with strong gusts of winds and fed off of dry conditions on the ground.

"This drought we're having is just unprecedented," Cullom said.

No injuries have been reported in Bastrop, but two people were reported killed in a North Texas fire Monday. A woman and her 18-month-old child died when a fast-moving fire near Gladewater, east of Dallas, set their mobile home on fire and they were unable to escape.

The Bastrop County Complex Fire, pushed by strong winds and fed by plenty of dry grasses, shrubs and trees, steadily moved south Monday and expanded throughout the day. It jumped the Colorado River twice.

"We will be working days on end," said Mike Fisher, the Bastrop County Emergency Management Coordinator. "The fire is so dynamic we really have no idea where it is."

'Lives at stake'

Perry said the wildfire burning in the central part of the state is "as mean looking" as he's ever seen.