Dallas crime

BREAKING

Oak Lawn Neighborhood Peace Pierced by Barrage of Early Morning Gunfire

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Dallas crime, Oak Lawn
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Oak Lawn Heights

A hail of early morning gunfire disrupted and terrified residents on one street in Oak Lawn Heights Sunday (photos courtesy Sharmin Ashtaputre)

Sharmin Ashtaputre’s family has never really felt unsafe in their Oak Lawn Heights neighborhood in the four years they’ve lived there. But early Sunday morning, that sense of safety was shattered as bullets rained down in their daughter’s nursery.

“At 5:30 a.m. today, we were woken up by what sounded like fireworks,” Ashtaputre said. “Well, it was two moving cars shooting at each other, and they picked our street.”

“My husband and I woke up within the first couple of shots and there were over 40.” (more…)
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Dallas crime

Crime Near Record Lows: The Night the Lights Went On in Dallas

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Crime Tape 1

“The infectiousness of crime is like that of the plague” – Napoleon

“The infectiousness of crime reporting is like that of the plague” – Me

Crime or rather the perception of crime is of importance to all homebuyers and tenants.  Earlier this week, I wrote about crime and security in high-rises.  To ensure the rest of you don’t feel left out, here’s the bigger picture … and if surveys are right, the majority of you are about to be surprised.

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Dallas crime

Deliberation: What Exactly is the Jury’s Job at John Wiley Price’s Corruption Trial?

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John Wiley Price's trial is held in Chief U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Lynn's courtroom inside the Earle Cabell Federal Building.

John Wiley Price’s trial is held in Chief U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Lynn’s courtroom inside the Earle Cabell Federal Building.

By Ashley Stanley
Special Contributor

As the courtroom began to fill up Tuesday morning with pastors, community activists, friends, foes, and citizen onlookers like myself, the media was scrambling with technology issues in the overflow room on the 13th floor. It appeared the connection to the monitors wasn’t working, and media folks like Jim Schutze, Shaun Rabb, Kevin Krause, and James Ragland were fortunate enough to grab seats on the back row before the live show began.

Court started just before 11 a.m. with Judge Lynn reading 22 pages of general and specific instructions to the jury, telling them their duty was to deliver a verdict solely based upon the evidence presented. Evidence is the sworn testimony of witnesses and exhibits provided.  She said, “A verdict should yield a decision beyond a reasonable doubt, but not all possible doubt.”

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Dallas crime

The FBI is on Trial Just as Much as John Wiley Price, says Ashley Stanley

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John Wiley Price's trial is held in Chief U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Lynn's courtroom inside the Earle Cabell Federal Building.

John Wiley Price’s trial is held in Chief U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Lynn’s courtroom inside the Earle Cabell Federal Building.

By Ashley Stanley
Special Contributor

FBI Special Agent Allen Wilson was on the witness stand as I arrived in court Tuesday morning, and it immediately became clear that the federal government is on trial in this case as much as Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price.

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Dallas crime

Whose Oath is it Anyway? Commissioners Promise to Bow Out of Business Interests, Except One

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150306-D-AF077-067

Does an oath of office stand for anything nowadays? Ashley Stanley wonders in her latest column on the John Wiley Price public corruption trial.

By Ashley Stanley
Special Contributor

Your Honor, May I Approach The Witness?

I promised a commenter on the last blog post I would attend the trial and report back, so I did. And on that note, I gave my word. Does that mean anything anymore? Can someone say one thing and do another? I digress.

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Dallas crime

With Friends Like These: Associates of John Wiley Price Might Be His Downfall

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Screen Shot 2017-03-20 at 5.50.28 PM

[Editor’s Note: This is the third installment of this series. Find the first and second installments here and here, respectively.]

By Ashley Stanley
Special Contributor

No. 3-14CR-293-M [FILED UNDER SEAL]

During a lazy Sunday afternoon, I decided to pick up the 107-page indictment filed by the feds on July 23, 2014, and provide my thoughts. I didn’t know this case was against anyone other than John Wiley Price. Call me ignorant, but it also includes two consultants and a Dallas County employee. Talk about taking your “friends” down with you.

The indictment points out that Price took an oath in which he swore and affirmed things, “So help me God.” What does that mean? Can that be argued? What if he held his right hand up and had his left hand fingers crossed behind his back? Can he be held to the promise to preserve, protect, and defend anything?

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Dallas crime

Our Man Downtown Goes to Trial: Jurors in John Wiley Price Bribery Trial Deserve Props

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John Wiley Price's trial is held in Chief U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Lynn's courtroom inside the Earle Cabell Federal Building.

John Wiley Price’s trial is held in Chief U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Lynn’s courtroom inside the Earle Cabell Federal Building.

By Ashley Stanley
Special Contributor

For the first installment in this series, click here.

The morning didn’t go as planned. I was hoping to be at the courthouse at 7:45 a.m., remember? It was more like 9:03 a.m. I ended up taking care of other business matters, but nonetheless, made it to the Earle Cabell Federal Building in time to be second in line. Meaning if someone comes out, I go in.

It is not standing-room only. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Lynn does not want anyone standing except for the security officer monitoring the door. You either have a seat, or you wait outside on a wooden bench. I benched it for 20 minutes until I snagged my opportunity. I made it in. However, while I was waiting outside the courtroom, I overhead two attorneys negotiating (nothing to do with the trial). It went a bit like this:

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Dallas crime

When Our Man Downtown Goes to Trial: The Complex Public Corruption Case of John Wiley Price

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According to DCAD, John Wiley Price owns this home at 406 E. 5th Street in North Oak Cliff.

According to DCAD (and the SUV out front), John Wiley Price owns this home at 406 E. 5th Street in North Oak Cliff.


By Ashley Stanley
Special Contributor

Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price has been active in our community for more than four decades. It has been said that his extracurricular activities include “The Dallas County Community Leadership Luncheon,” nightly host of KKDA’s “Talk Back, Liberation Radio,” and a drive time radio crusade known as Liberation Nation KNON 89.3,” but they forgot to include corruption charges by the federal government of the United States of America.

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