The Odessa American from Odessa, Texas • A8

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS DALLAS The former Title IX coordinator at Baylor University said Wednesday that top campus leaders undermined her efforts to investigate sexual assault claims and were more concerned with protecting the Baylor than the students. Patty Crawford told This that the university set her up fail from the Crawford, who resigned Monday from her role enforcing the federal standards meant to prevent discrimination based on gender, said she received from senior leadership but did not identify those leaders. Later Wednesday, Baylor officials announced that they had promoted senior deputy, Kristan Tucker, as the new Title IX coordinator. In her televised interview, Crawford said Baylor cials marginalized her by leaving her out of meetings, undermining her authority and making decisions that should be left to a Title IX coordinator. The treatment led her to le complaints with the university and U.S.

Department of ce for civil rights. Charges that she was the victim of retaliation are included in those complaints. never had the authority, the resources or the independence to do the job she said. Baylor has received a storm of criticism over claims it mishandled sexual assault cases for several years. An outside review determined school admin- istrators contributed to a environment against assault victims.

The scandal drew broad attention in large part because former football players were convicted of sexually assaulting women, and an independent review by the Philadelphia law rm Pepper Hamilton determined the football program operated as it if were above the rules. Coach Art Briles was fired earlier this year, as was the athletic director. President Ken Starr was removed from his post by regents and he later resigned as chancellor. Baylor said in a statement that Crawford went public with her grievances only after the school rejected a demand for $1 million and retention of book and lm rights. University was surprised by the action taken by Patty Crawford given her public comments in August about the strong support she felt from across the the statement said.

In August, Crawford talked with the Waco Tribune-Herald about her job and the changes Baylor was implementing. In that interview, she said, would not have stayed at Baylor through this, something from before I was here, if I know and be encouraged and understand that I still have authority and opportunities to build the attorney, Rogge Dunn, who appeared with her on the network, said her federal complaint led to a mediation session with the university Monday and that Baylor has broken Texas law by revealing some aspects of the session. State law requires that mediation details remain con- dential, with some limited exceptions. a desperate attempt to smear Patty, what done is violated Texas Dunn said. In later comments to The Associated Press, Dunn cited the law in declining to discuss the hearing, but said Crawford is not seeking nancial compensation from Baylor and has no plans to seek a lm or book deal.

Lawyers for eight women who are suing Baylor for allegedly failing to act on their claims of being assaulted seized on resignation and her failed mediation talks as a key reason to allow them to pursue documents and interviews for their case. Baylor previously asked a federal judge to halt evidence gathering while deciding if the lawsuit can proceed. is no telling how many persons with information have been shackled by a dentiality agreement accompanied with a large lawyers for the women wrote in a court ling Wednesday. Dunn told AP that the number of sex assault complaints that were lodged since Crawford began as the Title IX coordinator in late 2014 increased by the Awareness campaigns helped, he said, but students also came to learn that ce would listen to their allegations and follow up. Before Baylor hired a Title IX coordinator, charges of assault were lodged with different administrators and ces, and too often not taken seriously, Dunn said.

assertion that her office received hundreds of assault complaints during her time with Baylor, which began in November 2014, contrasts with the far lower number of crimes the university reported to the U.S. Department of Education. Schools must report sex assault complaints in which the university has determined that an offense occurred. Baylor did not report a single such instance of sexual assault from 2008 to 2011. Two cases were reported in 2012, six the following year and four in 2014.

8A ODESSA AMERICAN LOCAL STATE THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016 432-563-8004 4309 SCR 1290 (Coors Rd.) Mon Fri, 9am-5pm Sat, 9am-12pm ACCENT GRANITE MARBLE BY SILVIO J. PANTA An Odessa woman and her boyfriend who were arrested early last month on accusations of leaving an 8-month-old boy with a fractured femur and other injuries were charged with more offenses related to the case, the Odessa Police Department reported Wednesday. The charges 19-year- old Analiyah Gonzales and 23-year-old Roberto Licon Jr. faced have been upgraded recently following weeks of investigation OPD detectives conducted since their arrest Sept. 1 on warrants accusing them of hurting the infant.

Hospital staff at Medical Center Hospital first alerted police about the boy whose broken femur bone and other injuries including a healing skull fracture that apparently happened some time ago, whose injuries hospital staff believes might constitute child abuse. Gonzales and Licon were each arrested in early September on charges of injury to a child, a rst-de- gree felony. But more than a month later the couple now faces more charges. Gonzales and Licon each face two counts of injury to a child, a rst-degree felony, and a single count of injury to a child, a third-degree felony. Gonzales was also charged with two counts of endangering a child, a state jail felony, the OPD reported.

Both suspects were behind bars since Sept. 2 when the new charges were led. The infant boy and his twin sister are reportedly in the custody of their father. Gonzales, 9324 W. 26th was being held Wednesday at the Hale County Jail on a $150,000 bond.

Gonzales was taken there to ease An Odessa man has pleaded guilty and been sentenced to 75 years in prison in the 2014 shooting of Odessa Police Department cer Anthony Rossman. Nathaniel Olivas pleaded guilty Friday to aggravated assault on a peace cer on an accusation that he shot Rossman in the leg on Dec. 8, 2014, while trying to run away from the cer. He was originally charged with attempted capital murder. Olivas then led police on an hours-long search through the night and into the early morning.

sentence sends a strong message of support for law enforcement and our intolerance of those who commit violence against Ector County District Attorney Bobby Bland said in a news release. is gratifying to know in this day and age that those that attack police cers will be punished in Ector Bland and First Assistant District Attorney Justin Cunningham prosecuted the case. Jason Leach was the defense attorney. Judge John Smith, 161st District Court judge, approved the plea deal. the ow at the Ector County Detention Center, a jail cial said.

Licon, 3133 Adams was being held Wednesday at the Ector County Detention Center on bonds totaling $365,000. The ling of new charges caps a lengthy probe OPD detectives launched ever since the reports of child abuse rst surfaced. There were several reported incidents of injuries to the same child, LeSueur said. been a long, extensive he said. Initially, the OPD reported that the suspects told them they grabbed the infant by the leg to keep him from falling off a bed but explain how he got his other injuries.

Those injuries MCH staffers found were fractured ulnas in both arms, a frac- tured tibia in one leg and the skull fracture in addition to the fractured femur, a probable cause davit reported in September. mother, Angela, had told OPD cers she brought her grandson to the hospital because his leg was swollen and bruised. Both Gonzales and Licon told police during questioning that they had care, custody and control of the boy at all times, but neither explain how the other numerous occurred, the davit read. Odessa woman and boyfriend face new charges Previous story on Gonzales and LIcon: tinyurl.com/hych93x Man who shot cop pleads guilty New criticims red at University Ex-Baylor cial: School undermined sex assault probes ROD AP Patty Crawford, Baylor rst full-time Title IX coordinator, stands on Aug. 1, 2015, in her ce in Waco.

Crawford has resigned over a disagreement in her role overseeing changes at the Baptist school following claims it mishandled sexual assault cases for several years, the university said in a statement late Monday. ANALIYAH GONZALES ROBERTO LICON JR. SPECIAL FROM CBS 7 NEWS been four days since an Odessa Police detective was critically injured during a pursuit. On Saturday, 28-year- old Whitney Branch fell off the side of a patrol unit while chasing a suspect who was believed to be involved in a shots red call. Branch suffered a severe head injury and was rushed to Medical Center Intensive Care Unit.

On Wednesday, Branch was cially upgraded to serious condition, meaning one step closer to recovery. parents, Felton and Sijaama Branch, experienced rsthand what West Texas hospitality is all about. From the second they arrived in town from Houston to be by their side, had every need taken care of including their request for prayers. never know when you come from out of town what to expect, and once we got here and just saw the overwhelming support by mother Sijaama said. was just like a big large family and that was most comforting for me to know that Whitney had that kind of support away from From owers and gifts to words of encouragement, support for Whitney and her parents continues to pour in.

never know what to expect, you get that call and you just know what going to see when you Sijaama said. That call came in just before 3 a.m. Saturday as Sijaama and Felton were fast asleep in their Houston home. Shock set in as they were told their youngest daughter was in critical condition. With no hesitation the couple packed their bags and rushed to be by side.

A few hundred miles later they walked into Medical Center Hospital and saw something, they say, they will always cherish their daughter surrounded by her brothers and sisters in blue. all of that just made me so much more comfortable in knowing that she is safe out here, surrounded by love, and she has a family here, and her police family and Sijaam said. Not one second has gone by without an OPD cer standing guard over room, making sure she gets the care she deserves. just seeing the cers coming into her room, and just being there really, just encouraged her and helped her recover just a little bit faster I father said. Felton and his wife say the prayers that have really helped their daughter pull through.

want to thank God for hearing our prayers, for answering our prayers and for bringing Whitney Felton said. Detective Branch still has a long road to recovery ahead of her, but continues to amaze her doctors and nurses every day. In fact, Wednesday she had her rst physical therapy session and will continue to have them until she is discharged. got great support from the mayor, the city manager, chief of police, and the entire Odessa Police Department, just been Felton said. just wanted to thank them for all of their prayers, their generosity and Parents of detective in ICU thankful for community support WHITNEY BRANCH OPD DETECTIVE.