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The shocking conclusions of a state investigation into a Dallas County juvenile lockup have cast new light on the stubborn resistance of the county’s Juvenile Board to investigate or release records when concerns surfaced publicly last year.
While state investigators confirmed some allegations and ruled out others, its main findings validated what some of us feared: a cover-up that seems to have stretched to the top of the Dallas County Juvenile Department.
Over the course of several years, county officials skirted state rules by using a “Special Needs Unit” to keep youths secluded in cells for up to five days without due process, according to state investigators. The youths spent “the vast majority of their days” inside the cells — sometimes the full day — without access to education, showers or outdoor recreation.
State regulators called what was happening “systemic neglect” and stated that “multiple facility staff, educators, and administrators (past and present) were aware.”
There are plenty of alarming lines in this report. This is, perhaps, the most disturbing: “There was pervasive falsification of documents regarding observation checks and school attendance rosters implying an intentional attempt to conceal the practice within the facility.”
Darryl Beatty, the former director of the county’s Juvenile Department, may not have had an active role in creating these policies and practices, but he should have been aware and had “ample opportunity to take action,” according to state investigators.
In our view, so did the Dallas County Juvenile Board, the governing body over the Juvenile Department. Allegations had been piling up for some time, from this newspaper and other quarters, about the treatment of youths in lockup. The Juvenile Board’s response all along: It’s the job of the state to investigate, not ours.
“Neither the Board nor I ignored red flags,” Judge Cheryl Shannon, chair of the Juvenile Board, told us in an email. “The Board did not have direct information on which to respond. The Board was left to make decisions based on information received from the media. The majority of the Board decided that the best investigatory approach was to refer all allegations to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department.”
It’s curious that the board last year rejected requests from the Commissioners Court, the body that funds the Juvenile Department’s budget, to review anonymized “observation sheets” from the detention center at the Henry Wade Juvenile Justice Center. The majority of the Juvenile Board fought the request even though two members of the Commissioners Court who asked for records — County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins and Andrew Sommerman — are also Juvenile Board members.
We can’t say what the Juvenile Board knew. What we can say is that there was so much smoke that the board should have also investigated what was going on in its own house, if anything to put an immediate stop to any potential mistreatment or crimes. The state investigation took a year to complete.
We hope those found to have falsified records are fired and prosecuted. Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot told us his office had received records of the investigation and is reviewing them.
The Juvenile Board’s failure to hold the Juvenile Department accountable for the care of young people in its custody is incompetence at best and gross negligence at worst. At any rate, it is inexcusable.
We welcome your thoughts in a letter to the editor. See the guidelines and submit your letter here. If you have problems with the form, you can submit via email at letters@dallasnews.com
The Dallas Cowboys were initially in the mix for Las Vegas Raiders superstar pass rusher Maxx Crosby ahead of NFL free agency, and were believed to be one of the finalists in trade talks. However, he was ultimately traded to the Baltimore Ravens for two first-round picks.
Now, the NFL world has been turned on its head with the Ravens deciding to pull out of the trade agreement with Las Vegas.
On Tuesday night, NFL insider Adam Schefter was among the experts discussing what went wrong between the Raiders and Ravens, revealing that Cowboys team physician Dr. Daniel Cooper, one of the premier knee specialists, played a role in the Ravens’ evaluation of Crosby.
Schefter discussed how Dr. Cooper was among the doctors who reviewed scans on Crosby’s knee, which ultimately spooked the Ravens and triggered the end of the deal.
“The Baltimore Ravens essentially failed him on their physical, and my understanding is there were multiple doctors that reviewed his MRI scans,” Schefter said. “There were doctors that examined him, including Dr. Daniel Cooper, the Dallas Cowboys doctor that performed surgery on Patrick Mahomes and Malik Nabers.
“Many teams and players rely on Dr. Cooper’s expertise, and Dr. Cooper was one of the doctors who reviewed the images where the Ravens then felt compelled to back out of this trade.”
It’s hard not to connect the dots that Dr. Cooper’s involvement in the medical review of Crosby led to the team deciding against re-engaging in trade discussions. Though that could change, currently, the Cowboys are expected to move forward with Pro Bowl EDGE Rashan Gary, who the team agreed to acquire from the Green Bay Packers for a 2027 fourth-round pick on the first day of legal tampering.
It will be interesting to continue monitoring the situation and its fallout, which has left the Raiders in a terrible position.
But, with the Raiders now forced to re-examine the money they committed to free agents on Wednesday evening, they may have to pull out of one of their own agreements, which could open the door for the Cowboys to reopen their pursuit of a linebacker like Nakobe Dean or Quay Walker.
The 2026 NFL calendar year officially begins on Wednesday, March 11, at 4:00 p.m. ET, so get your popcorn ready, because it’s going to be a wild ride.
Dallas Cowboys Nation’s hopes of landing superstar pass rusher Maxx Crosby were dashed last weekend when it was announced that he was being traded to the Baltimore Ravens. However, less than 24 hours before the new year, the trade has fallen apart.
On Tuesday night, the Las Vegas Raiders announced that the Ravens have backed out of the trade.
“The Baltimore Ravens have backed out of our trade agreement for Maxx Crosby,” the statement read. “We will have no further comment at this time.”
The news sends a major ripple for the league, with the Crosby sweepstakes once again open. Before his trade to the Ravens, the Cowboys were considered one of the teams closely monitoring the situation and a team that made a legitimate offer for Crosby.
At this time, there is no word on why the trade between Las Vegas and Baltimore fell through. When the trade was first reported, the Raiders were set to receive a 2026 and 2027 first-round pick from the Ravens.
Now, his future is in limbo. Before he was traded to the Ravens, it was believed that the Cowboys, Chicago Bears, and Los Angeles Rams were the top candidates to land him. In fact, the Cowboys were “considered runner-ups” in the sweepstakes.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Cowboys initially offered the No. 12 overall pick in the 2026 draft, a 2027 second-round pick, and an unnamed veteran player.
“Dallas kept a hard line throughout. The franchise wasn’t willing to part with two first-round picks, hoping its 12th pick in April’s draft, plus a future second-rounder, would be enough to entice Las Vegas. Dallas was also willing to package a veteran player to sweeten the deal, but Vegas wasn’t interested in that. The Raiders prioritized picks,” Fowler wrote.
Last season, Crosby recorded 73 total tackles, 28 tackles for a loss, 20 quarterback hits, 10 sacks, two forced fumbles, and an interception.
We’ll have to see if Dallas ends up being his new home, now that the team has a second chance to make something special happen, but there will be some serious competition. The 2026 NFL calendar year officially begins on Wednesday, March 11, at 4:00 p.m. ET.
DALLAS – Severe thunderstorms are forecast to return to North Texas late Tuesday, bringing threats of damaging hail, high winds and localized flooding. While the primary concerns are wind and hail, a few tornadoes cannot be ruled out.
We have another chance of severe storms starting Tuesday afternoon. Meteorologist Ali Turiano has your forecast and everything you need to know ahead of the storms.
Scattered showers and storms are expected to develop as a dryline to the west moves into the region. Storm conditions are expected to intensify as the day progresses.
The greatest concerns remain damaging winds and large hail. The leading edge of the storm front will likely be the most intense, with the potential for straight-line winds and brief spin-up tornadoes.
The highest potential for severe weather in the Metroplex is from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., though lingering activity could continue until 2 a.m. Wednesday. Residents are advised to seek shelter immediately if a warning is issued for their area.
A final round of storms is expected Wednesday, primarily between noon and 7 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. These storms carry a threat of half-dollar-sized hail and damaging winds.
Behind this system, North Texas will dry out and briefly cool off. Sunny skies return Thursday with a high in the mid-60s. Temperatures will then warm into the upper 70s on Friday before a sunny weekend with highs in the low 80s.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the National Weather Service and FOX 4 forecasters.
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