Austin, TX
The former Uvalde schools police chief asks a judge to throw out the charges
AUSTIN, Texas — The former Uvalde, Texas, schools police chief asked a judge on Friday to throw out the criminal indictment filed against him over the slow law enforcement response to the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting that left 19 students and two teachers dead.
In a motion filed in a Uvalde court, Pete Arredondo’s lawyers question whether the 10-count indictment on child endangerment and abandonment charges applies to the former chief, who has been described as the on-site “incident commander” as nearly 400 federal, state and local officers waited more than 70 minutes to confront and kill the shooter in a classroom.
Arredondo has said he should not have been considered the incident commander and has been “scapegoated” into shouldering the blame for law enforcement failures that day.
The indictment alleges Arredondo did not follow his active shooter training and made critical decisions that slowed the police response while the gunman was “hunting” victims.
But Arredondo’s attorneys argued that “imminent danger of death, bodily injury and physical and mental impairment” was not caused by him, but by the shooter.
“(The) indictment itself makes clear that when Mr. Arredondo responded as part of his official duties, an active shooter incident was already in progress,” attorney Paul Looney wrote in the motion, calling the indictment “vague, uncertain and indefinite.”
The massacre was one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. Arredondo was indicted in June.
His motion to dismiss the charges came two days after two teachers and two students were killed at a school shooting in Winder, Georgia. In that case, school security officers quickly confronted a teenager who is now charged in the killings.
Arredondo, 52, and another former Uvalde schools police officer, Adrian Gonzales, 51, are the only law enforcement officers who have been charged for the response to the Robb Elementary shooting. Gonzales faces 29 similar charges, and both have pleaded not guilty.
The charges carry up to two years in jail if convicted.
The actions and inactions by both Arredondo and Gonzales amounted to “criminal negligence,” the indictments said. Terrified students inside the classroom with the shooter called 911 as parents begged officers — some of whom could hear shots being fired while they stood in a hallway — to go in.
Austin had a particularly itchy and drippy cedar fever season to start the year. Many winter days, from late December into February, had high or very high ashe juniper (aka cedar) pollen counts.
Central Texas has a year-round allergy season with mold popping up at any time. For the more traditional spring and fall allergy seasons, forecasters at AccuWeather are predicting some of the allergens across the country will be worse this year than average.
Texas, though, is a different story.
For grass allergies, which happen now through September, AccuWeather estimates Austin will have an average season. However, just west of the Interstate 35 corridor in the Hill Country to almost El Paso, that season is expected to be worse than normal.
“Texas may experience above-average grass pollen for a few weeks,” AccuWeather’s allergy report said, “though the season could be shorter-lived compared to northern areas.”
It all depends on the weather
How much rain we get in the next six months and the perennial Texas heat will all affect the growing season for grasses and weeds, as well as the amount of pollen trees produce. The Farmers’ Almanac and the Old Farmers Almanac are both predicting a wetter and warmer spring.
Rain helps plants grow, which can increase pollen production over time. However, rainfall during allergy season can also bring temporary relief by washing pollen out of the air. That’s what we’re expecting this weekend, with our first meaningful rain chance in nearly three weeks. Tree and weed pollen levels might briefly drop, but mold could spike because it thrives in damp, humid weather.
If spring continues with excessive heat like we saw in February, it could limit the growth of some plants and trees. Extreme heat can reduce how much they grow, and how much pollen they produce. On the other hand, if we get a healthy balance of rain and only slightly above-normal temperatures — not extreme heat — pollen counts could climb. That’s especially true as we head into April, typically our windiest month of the year, which helps spread pollen more easily.
How can you treat allergies in Austin?
If you are feeling the effects of allergies, here are some things you can do to lessen them:
- Start taking allergy medication at least two weeks before your allergen’s season is supposed to start. Keep taking your allergy medication throughout your allergen’s season, even on low-pollen days.
- Vary your allergy medication. You can take a nasal spray, an eye drop and an oral antihistamine at the same time to treat the different symptoms. If one kind of allergy medication isn’t working, consult your doctor about whether you should add a second one or switch out the medication.
- Take a shower before going to bed.
- Take off outside clothes or shoes when you get into the house.
- Do a daily nasal wash such as a neti pot or saline spray.
- Consider seeing an allergist to get drops or shots to lessen your reaction to the allergen.
Consider these household tips to improve your chances of keeping allergens away:
- Change the filters in your house regularly during cedar fever season.
- Vacuum and sweep regularly.
- Change your sheets, especially your pillow regularly.
- Keep doors and windows closed.
- Clean out the vents in your home.
- Have your home tested for indoor allergens such as mold.
- Wash and brush the animals in your house to lessen the amount of allergens in the air.
- Wear a mask outside or inside while you are trying to lessen the pollen or mold indoors.
Democrats tried to stop a mid-decade redistricting effort, but were unsuccessful. Now, we are starting to see some of the candidates emerging in those newly drawn districts. FOX 7 Austin’s Rudy Koski gives a full breakdown.
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