Dallas, TX
Is Dallas County juvenile lockup moving past abuse allegations?
Dallas County’s new interim juvenile department chief has begun to right the ship.
For more than a year, the juvenile department has been plagued with allegations of deplorable conditions and mistreatment of children in its youth lockup. It also has been criticized for not properly handling the cases of juvenile offenders, sometimes keeping low-risk children locked up much longer than they should be. Findings of a state investigation into some of the worst allegations are expected soon.
But at a recent meeting of the Dallas County Juvenile Board, interim director Mike Griffiths offered some refreshing good news.
Griffiths, who led the department between 1995 and 2010, said he had begun fixing up the Dr. Jerome McNeil Jr. Detention Center, buying new furniture, cleaning and painting. He also said he planned to bring back in October plans for a thorough, third-party review of the entire juvenile justice system to lay bare where breakdowns are occurring. Such a review is critical to restoring the community’s trust in the department, Griffiths rightly noted.
Now it’s up to the Juvenile Board, with the support of the Dallas County Commissioners Court, to keep this positive momentum going. The board must not only welcome an outside review, as we recommended last month, but also resist the urge to be defensive, as it has in the past. The board also must commit to hiring a permanent director with a strong record of working in a large juvenile justice system and who can tackle the particular problems facing Dallas County.
Those problems are numerous. A March 2023 report by the group Evident Change, sought by Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot, who was concerned about recidivism, found that juveniles were being held in detention for months longer than national standards recommend. That led him to believe that rather than rehabilitating juveniles, the county’s system was turning them into hardened criminals.
Then, a June 2023 investigation by this newspaper found that some juveniles were locked in their cells for 23 hours a day while others complained of filthy conditions, insufficient food and lack of medical care.
The Texas Juvenile Justice Department has since launched two inquiries into the neglect allegations, including one begun in July 2023 and another following a surprise inspection at the detention facility this summer. The latter led to the sudden resignation of Dallas County Juvenile Department director Darryl Beatty and Griffiths’ appointment.
Since taking over the helm, Griffiths has gotten strong reviews from top county officials. Creuzot, a former district court judge, told us he has known Griffiths for decades and supports his plan for a third-party review.
But while Griffiths is clearly the right person to chart a new course for the juvenile department, at 72 he is understandably eager to get back to retirement in Chicago. The Juvenile Board must humbly accept any criticism coming its way and rely on these lessons to help find an able director. It won’t be smooth sailing, but it must follow this better map.
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DALLAS – Dallas police need a name for a dangerous robber who pulled a gun on a 7-Eleven clerk and walked out with the cash register drawer.
He was caught on camera. But it’s been six months, and he’s still at large.
7-Eleven Robberies
What we know:
The robbery in question happened on Jan. 13 around 10:30 p.m. at the store at 302 North Marsalis Avenue.
A Black male who is about 5 feet 8 inches tall and about 170 to 180 pounds walked in and waited until no other customers were inside.
“After it’s empty, he displays a handgun and points it at the cashier,” said Det. Eduardo Lopez Villa. “I don’t know what he said. He just demanded the cash from the cash register.”
Det. Villa said the suspect took the whole cash register drawer before fleeing eastbound on foot on 8th Street.
What you can do:
The detective believes anyone who knows the suspect will be able to recognize him.
“Yes, most definitely based on the video and the screenshot. If you know him, you’ll recognize him,” he said.
Tipsters can call or text Det. Villa at 469-755-8445.
“I need his information so I can talk to him about this incident,” he said.
FOX 4’s Trackdown
You can watch Shaun Rabb’s Trackdown series every Wednesday on FOX 4. Episodes are also posted weekly online, on YouTube and on FOX Local.
FOX 4 viewers have now helped to make 220 arrests.
The Source: The information in this story comes from Dallas Police Det. Eduardo Lopez Villa.
DALLAS – Slow-moving thunderstorms brought localized flash flooding to parts of North Texas on Tuesday evening, blocking highways near Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and dropping several inches of rain in portions of Tarrant and Parker counties.
Flash Flood Warnings
Local perspective:
Flash flood warnings are in effect for Hopkins, Hunt, Rains and Van Zandt counties until 7:45 p.m.
Flooding was reported along Texas 183 near Valley View Lane south of DFW Airport, where stranded vehicles and water-covered roadways created hazardous travel conditions.
A flash flood warning remained in effect near the airport, although rainfall rates had begun to diminish as the storm weakened.
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings
The National Weather Service also issued a severe thunderstorm warning for northern Hood County, citing the potential for gusty winds and small hail. Forecasters reported hail ranging from pea-sized to marble-sized in parts of Hood, Parker and Denton counties.
Forecasters attributed the weakening storms in Denton County to an outflow boundary, a meteorological feature that can disrupt thunderstorm development.
The warning area was reduced as the storm weakened near sunset.
LIVE RADAR
What they’re saying:
FOX 4’s Kylie Capps said the storms moved unusually slowly from east to west, allowing heavy rain to accumulate over the same areas for several hours.
Rainfall estimates showed some locations in eastern Parker County and western Tarrant County received nearly 5 inches of rain during a six-hour period, while areas near DFW Airport recorded more than 2 inches.
Elsewhere in North Texas, northern Rains County received nearly 5 inches of rain.
7-Day Forecast
What’s next:
Forecasters expect a quieter overnight period, with only isolated showers lingering into the evening. Additional thunderstorms are possible Wednesday afternoon, though coverage and the threat of severe weather are expected to remain limited.
Temperatures are forecast to reach about 90 degrees Wednesday.
Rain chances are expected to continue through the remainder of the workweek and into the weekend as an upper-level low-pressure system sends multiple disturbances across North Texas.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by FOX 4’s Weather Team
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