Fort Worth Star-Telegram from Fort Worth, Texas • 21

OF rcr ir saturday Star Telegram DECEMBER 1 1979 IP IP I 4 0 v-s if 1 ops saturday Star Telegram DECEMBER 1 1979 11 (4) Ili Ass 4041 i ink'" 9 section lb-MCW1-U rbr olt te I- -leo i- --eoz le AERSESSITERM2111111212-21121MCOMMOCI7IILTermrromENRMSIEMEEMMESaMINMS1 Murderior-hire charge adds to businessman's troubles By MARK NELSON StarTelegrarw Writer An Arlington businessman already accused of arson and mail fraud was charged in federal court Friday with trying to arrange the murder of his former business partner Robert Allen Marshall 37 of 7103 Powell Drive was arrested at his home Thursday night by agents from the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms ATF agent Robert Rash alleged in a complaint filed in federal court Friday that Marshall solicited the murder of Robert Daniel Martinez also of Arlington Martinez 28 of 2105 Riverforest was indicted with Marshall Nov 6 on charges A they set fire to their Arlington van conversion factory to obtain insurance money Investigators said the pair insured their warehouse at 1315 Knight for $378000 two weeks before a fire on March 7 destmyed the building and several vans inside Rash said in the complaint affidavit that James Vowell of 3218 Collard Road in Arlington had been contacted several times by Marshall soliciting Martinez's murder Rash wired Vowel! for sound Thursday and he and another agent monitored a meeting between Vowe II and Marshall Rash said he heard Marshall tell Vowell he wanted Martinez killed in such a way that no trace would ever be found Authorities believe Marshall feared Martinez would testify against him During the taped conversation Rush said Marshall told Vowel' he would give him $1000 on a $10000 fee for Vowel! to pay an unnamed third person to kill Mar tinez Rash said he heard Marshall describe a picture of Martinez that he gave Vowel' and that Vowell gave federal agents the photo and the $1000 in $100 bills Federal authorities became mvoivea in the case because the fire at the van conversion factory was started by gasoline which the government classifies as an explosive qi When they were indicted Marshall and Martinez were forced to resign as reserve officers with the Pantego Police Department Both men had been commissioned police officers carried sidearms wore uniforms and were authorized to make arrests The indictments were the result of an eight-month investigation ATF agents had confiscated a number of gasoline cans near the burned building and found "hot spots" and bum marks inside Marshall also laces charges of obstruction of justice in connection with threats against Beverly Chester a bookkeeper for the van company if she gave authorities information about the arson case Marshall and Martinez were free on bonds of $10000 and $5000 respectively At his arraignment before US Magistrate Alex McGlinchey Friday Marshall and his attorney Frank McGoilm agreed to waive the defendant's bond hearing until next week Assistant US Attorney Gary Kleinschmidt had asked that Marshall be held without bond because he might flee and because his release might endanger other witnesses in the case If McGlinchey decides to set a bond on Marshall Kleinschmidt asked him to set it at $500000 Marshall remains in custody at the Tarrant County jail while Martinez has gone into hiding Marshall and Martinez had been indicted by a Dallas grand jury in the alleged mail fraud and insurance scheme involving $343796 Marshall also faces charges of perjur ng himself before a grand jury and car rying a firearm during the commission of a felony 1 Housing authority chief to Icike early retirement gi i00' If ----es 410- AA1-1004' ---'4'-'1'''T -44 st- -'702'0'ik' Alua '1114'41( )1' leAkS'N 'Jilt! gr-' ''''''tol'iiki'oi4441 illig'4 -4ityetti4c ---All'" ---iet'''' i-'-'(0V-214---'''st-14-'500 3 1 '41e'9' Ill: i''7 ''a T'' 'I'Z' 114241:1 11' t'rMi f' le 44 as6404 tat Z''' :0 0 -4 0' s' 5 4 Jt-' 1: o0 'milLI'VIV441(144': x--' 01 ers'''' 5 5 '4 5" '7' 5 :4 1'' -e4 yr 5 '-'410' i- og0a Alt '4' 4'''' 1 ''''5091iit' ''''''''''''4441'e''' 4is' l'' 1 55' If itr 1 c0'1 4 si -tc'' --774" 'i'''I'T'ITT1-1' 5' :44 1-' i i' 4 iD 1 '-S'' 7 -1 i- i dlar ori'' -2 tvritititgi oilta John Dockendorf executive di rector of the Fort Worth Housing Authority for nine years has asked to leave his job to take early retirement in February the authority announced Friday The announcement comes amid speculation that his exit is not entirely voltmtary A four-sentence news release issued by the authority Friday said Dockendorf had submitted his request for early retirement to the authority board at its Nov 20 meeting The release said the request was accepted by the board and that a search for Dockendorf successor will begin immediately Asked Friday whether he wants to retire early Dockendorf 58 said "I've got to stick with what the news release says" "I don't really know how I feel" he said Dockendorf said he did submit the re BEBE COME DE JUDGE for those who already miss Six Flags has planned Big Bend artist's sketch sho what Al 'The Judge' to mete out swift and thrilling justice 'We can say 'llere comes the Judge We'll have T-shirts saying 1 rode the Judge and was found guilty' and just before the cars take the first plunge we'll hang a sign: 'Appeal Denied' Williams said That first drop should be almost criminally 'That's the foreign athletes decide By BILL WALKER Star-Telegram Mid-Cities Bureau ARLINGTON Six Flags Over Texas has a message for grumbling fans of its late lamented Big Bend ride: Judge not for you shall be judged Big Bend is gone forever a victim of its own popularity and low rider capacity But for Six Flags' 20th anniversary season next year a ride is planned that park officials say will bring the gavel down on those who feel Big Bend's mothballing was a mistake It's a $2 million 2500-foot-long 50 mph old-time wooden roller coaster called brace yourself Judge Roy Scream The Awe West of the Pecos That name won out over almost 50 quipped around by park management including the Yellow Rolls of Texas General Manager Ray Williams said at a news conference Friday that the name may be the best ever to lend itself to marketing gimmicks struction on about seven acres on the south shore of the lake across from the main entrance Its the first phase of a long-term program which ultimately will bring the entire lake area into the entertainment complex" Williams said The Judge will be connected to the main park by an 80- foot-long tunnel Williams said the entrance plaza eventually will be relocated and the lake will be ringed with restaurants and shops Mother addition for the anniversary year bull be a nightly fireworks show over the canoe ride lagoon during summer months Public relations director Bruce Neal showed guests and reporters slides of the parks first season 20 years ago He pointed out the many changes over the years and later admitted one more Ticket prices for 1980 will increase to $995 from this year's tab of $915 From 65 feet high plummeting at a 50-degree angle will seem like falling straight down Williams said The Arlington park will become the last in the Six Flags chain to have a wooden coaster and Williams said everywhere else the ride has become the parks most popular But the Judge's lines should be shorter than Big Bend's it will have almost double the ridership capacity (1200 an hour) and be much shorter (59 seconds from first drop to stop) To park officials the coaster's location is as significant as the ride itself The Judge already is under con 1 By BLNNIE FISHER StarTelegram Pollee Writer Police officers providing security for World Gymnastics Championships competitors staying at the Blackstone Hotel learned this week there is one law enforcement term that may be universal If you guessed jail handcuffs or cop then you guessed wrong Capt GS Geeslin said police discovered that a man who might be staying at the hotel Thursday was wanted by authorities in California a warrant accusing him of traffic violations and possible involvement in a jewelry heist Officers located the man in the howl and placed him under arrest Geeslin said As they were handcuffing him for Meacham Field FAA restarts grant money quest to retire He said he could not comment on whether there was any pressure from authority board members to offer it He said he hopes to continue living in Fort Worth The authority has come under strong criticism during the past year from many groups because of its handling of proposed low-income housing projects in the city In July the city lost $7 million in funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development for three low-income housing krojects because HUD the housing authoty and homeowners could not agree on sites for the projects A similar controversy erupted in September because of a fourth project proposed for a site at Guilford Road and Ridglea Lane An alternate location for that housing complex still has not been decided Dockendorf was the director of El Paso's housing authority before he came to Fort Worth and reading him his rights Geeslin said several of the foreign gymnasts wanted to know why police were taking him away Officer JP Marcel lus tried to explain in terms such as "warrant" and "traffic violations" but Geeslin said all he got was puzzled looks Fimlly he said Marcellus blurted out "ticket" and that got an immediate response from all of the gymnasts "Ticket ticket" several of them said nodding their heads in acknowledgment When several of the formasts pantomimed the way an officer would write out a traffic ticket Geeslin said police decided that word must be one that conquers all language barriers apparently failed a lie-detector test on that evidence in Kentucky The judge issued a subpoena late Friday for Marion Jackson who is believed headed for Bloomington Ind Defense attorneys Richard Mosty and Mark Day are attempting to supress any oral admissions or confessions obtained prior to Smith's August 18 indictment Prosecutors Ron Sutton and Steve Ables have four tapes that contain excerpts of conversations between a Florida undercover police officer and Smith The tapes are considered the "guts" of the state's case Judge Jordon said he plans to study several previous cases relating to the admissibility of such evidence before granting or denying the motion Monday morning site was more centrally located and a better investment since construction costs of a new building would be more and result in less floor space Meredith then walked out saying the council had not consulted any of the cotmty's senior citizens groups before making the decision bother action the council accepted an $83866 Environmental Protection Agency grant for an infiltration study of the city's wastewater treatment plant Pub works officials said rainwater has been getting into the system Bearing in Abilene Anastasia apparently decided the only things separating Abilene from the North Pole are a barbed wire fence and Amarillo Zoo director Dan Watson said Friday that Anastasia one of the zoo's two Siberian polar bears "apparently feels so much at home in this cold weather that she has given birth to an undetermined number of cubs" The zoo obtained Anastasia and her matt Boris from a Gentian zoo in 1971 Witness may alter Brady case after the FAA announced it was withholding from Fort Worth $954883 in reimbursement for land bought at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport FAA officials already had cut off delivery of $192172 in approved grant money to Meacham and halted action on Fort Worth's application for $25 million for more work at the airport The $144560 delivered Friday by federal officials is part of that already-approved grant to the city for lengthening an airport runway and other construction work Melugin said Friday Fort Worth was now in "full compliance" with FAA regulations for the first time since last summer when the council voted 7-2 to deny any new fuel concessions at Meacham and the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport insisting that Fort Worth was granting a monopoly to two current vendors at Meacham by refusing new applications Besides cutting off all grant money the FAA also had threatened a $2000-per-day fine for every day the city remained out of step with FAA guidelines for fuel dispensing at Meacham Hearing of the FAA's action Friday night Mayor Woodie Woods said he still was sorry the city had been "pressured" into complying with the FAA mandate "But on behalf of the future of the airport I'm happy to get the funds that we're entitled to" he said "I think we were right but we had to submit The cost was too high" The councirs initial decision two weeks ago to open up fuel vending franchises at Meacham came only a day Federal Aviation Administration officials restarted the flow of grant money to Fort Worth Friday after receiving hand-delivered notification that city officials were ready to end their long-running feud with the federal agency Airport Manager Barry Ilan carried the letter signed by Mayor Woodie Woods to FAA regional director CR Melugin Friday afternoon Melugin in turn presented the city with two checks totaling $144560 for grant projects at city-owned Meacham Field The letter notified Melugin of the City Councils decision Thursday to authorize aircraft fuel vending contracts for two new Meacham Field Staci's Jet Center Inc and Texas Jet Inc FAA officials had frozen all grant money to Meacham New strategy may change ratio KTRRVILLE 'Three days before the beginning of testimony in the capital murder trial of Donald Edward Smith Jr a witness has turned up to claim he has knowledge of a confession in the crime Smith 18 is charged in the slaying of two women near Brady August 2 Testi many in his trial is scheduled to begin Monday in the 198th Disthct Court in Kerrville where 'he trial was moved in a change in venue Friday afternoon District Judge Murray Jordon listened to 36 minutes of a taped telephone conversation between law enforcement officals here and a man in Kentucky who claimed to know of the murders The defense said the man's evidence may exonerate Smith though the man Minority police decline Senior citizen leader protests site :4 i I t' i 0 it i 'Y ittot4 7 i': 64 i' iA i-4 NkqtT0: ":140 tk-411---4411---itmp :1 141b 44444 71414-withet 216 'C' 7-- 77tivigt "I Z11410ittvit i '7-104 lik7l'Illihm-111111 4 1 '''-'S -4'illtt16410k :::4 't 444 ''1101 Iii4g: 144H1144114614 i tvrt-- ttifitztaii--41141 Ail ib '111111 "'WI jt 7-'' il 0 i '2 i' 4 s'''1 hi 11411111 kitili ii Ikari 14714 il 0 0 'It atiatil 1 i 11111t OA ''At 44' 't attikt L'Ill Ittalai 7711 ill 1411 i lipt 'Wit lib iktabo 411tirt 7-70-rvo i 'v 'A7 4 -6 laliel abit "Mit eit kiik)4'174 4i 441 "101 littlii semi I i I lat44 "4441 4414 641 htio3 'k44 '4' firtistb Miai ar44 sum h44 6iWili A' 4' 4 1 ekiNd 4 4 '''5" tr 4 54411tfatil 464 '11' 'ignk'Y' 1 LL 1 i L' 811111ttr" ml -i4 lat'' 1 ll 141 si 41 "4 4 if Iv "tS '''''s ar 401i '''i14 TA 11 ''i4' ''i ::4 4 af il 'i" ''-Al i i' '111 1 i tt rk tl 100 1 i 4'1' 1 'rf: i 1 4141 SS A 1 le 4 i 1 i 1 4 Fort Worth is aiming at missing its goal for minority police recruitment and city officials are working on a portfolio of new ideas to correct the prob lent Promising a "more positive and creative" strategy for increasing the percentage of blacks and Mexican-Americans on the police force City Manager Robert ilerchert told City Council members Friday that a detailed report on the city's plan is coming soon Recently Police Chief HY Hopkins received permission to start a 36-member police training class with only 10 minority recruits below the city's standard of 50 percent minority Hopkins as well as City Council members and the city manager have been concerned about the increasing vacancies in the police ranks With 50 empty spots now in the 700-officer department and an average loss of four officers per month city leaders were tmilling to delay the recruit class "Our staff levels are getting to the point where we felt it was absolutely necessarylo get the officers trained" Assistant City Manager Cary Gwyn said Friday "We're not saying the situation is critical but we are short-staffed- Gwyn said the city is not dropping its commitment to minority recruitment He said the "deficit" of minorities in the current recruit class will be made up in later classes Gwyn I lopkins and new Personnel Director Charlie Shappard hope the new strategies they planned will bring the Police Department's minority representation up to the city's population ratio of apput 29 percent They admit several factors are working against the city including the image of the department and police work in general and competition from higher-paying private industry "We're at the point where we've really done all that we are smart enough to do and now we're looking for people smarter than we are" Hopkins said "We've looked at some other cities and we've done some research on our own We've got a new personnel man with new ideas" he said Some ideas include programs at area high schools more trips to predominantly black colleges in the South department receptions for minohty community groups and increased advertising on radio and in newspapers "We want through those community programs to build a communication bridge between the minority community and the police department" Gwyn said "Our percentage of minorities is not we'd like it to be" Hopkins said "but that's not a problem that's peculiar to Fort Worth" He said studies show that the only people who chose police work are those really interested in police sentice few chose it simply as a means of employment Most young men and women surveyed said police work was too dangerous and did not pay enough Hopkins said "The trouble is if they can pass our tests to get into the department they can probably get a higher-paying job elsewhere" the chief said Starting salary for a police rookie is about $1170 per month CLEBURNE The head of a Johnson County senior citizens group angrily walked out of a City Council meeting Friday protesting the council's decision to spend $215000 ir a senior citizens center EL Meredith chairman of the Johnson CAiunty Committee on Aging walked out before the vote and after a heated debate in which he accused council members of choosing an inferior site without consulting any senior citizens group The issue flared up as the council was preparing to authorize the city staff to negotiate with the Kimbro Clinic Association to buy a 7500-square-foot portion of the clinic's former offices across the street from City Hall The council authorized a maximum of $215000 for the purchase which will come out of a $500000 Community Development Block grant Another $60000 was allowed for remodeling and furnishing will become Clebume's second senior citizens center However several members of the committee on aging protested the council's plans and Meredith said his group preferred a new building on the south side of town which he said would be better located 1 he council howrer said the Kimbm Star-Telegram Photo by RON ENNIS The Fort Worth Jaycees lit up the city's Friday night in Burnett Park as Mayor Worth Jo Shannon Baldwin serenaded the 60-foot-tall tree holding 1000 lights and dedicated to visiting gymnasts and the the founder and first president of the LIGHTING UP THE NIGHT traditional Christmas tree Fr Woodie Woods and Miss Fort crowd with "Jingle Bells" TN topped with a revolving star late US Judge Leo Brewster Jaycees here In- cc 'ort The tar was wster.