Bastrop preacher sued over death of neighbor's cat
A Bastrop preacher charged in connection with the death of a cat in January is being sued by the cat’s owners, who seek unspecified damages, according to the suit filed Wednesday in District Court in...
View ArticleFormer Georgetown High football player indicted on nine counts
A Williamson County grand jury has indicted a former Georgetown High School football player on nine counts in connection with five separate incidents last year. Darius Davis, 17, was indicted last week...
View ArticleMurder case against former Travis County jailer dismissed, may be refiled
At the request of prosecutors, state District Judge Mike Lynch today dismissed a murder charge against former Travis County corrections officer Chad Lum. Lynch, though, denied a motion by Lum’s defense...
View ArticleAnderson inquiry to heat up in June, prosecutor says
The court of inquiry examining former Williamson County prosecutor Ken Anderson’s role in the Michael Morton case will progress slowly for the next three months, the special prosecutor said Monday....
View ArticleMan gets 35 years in 2000 murder of Austin mother
A man who fatally beat a young Austin mother in 2000 and then eluded authorities for a decade pleaded guilty today to murder and was sentenced to 35 years in prison. Juan Reza Ortiz, 50, must serve...
View ArticleMan found guilty of felony for his dogs' attack
In a first-of-its kind verdict in Travis County, a judge today found an Austin man guilty of attack by dog for failing to secure his two pit bulls before they mauled a man on Christmas Day in 2010....
View ArticleMen bilk Dell for more than $600K in warranty scheme
Two Arizona men have been sentenced to prison time and ordered to pay $1.05 million to Dell Inc. as punishment for a scheme in which they fraudulently claimed warranty services from the Round Rock...
View ArticleAustin man gets 20 years for third DWI conviction
A judge has sentenced an Austin man this week to 20 years in prison for his third driving while intoxicated conviction, a felony, Williamson County district attorney John Bradley said Friday. Martin B....
View ArticleNightclub owner, 9 associates due in court today
Update: Follow coverage below of reporter Gary Dinges, who is tweeting from the hearing. Previous, 7:16 a.m.: Austin nightclub owner Hussein Ali “Mike” Yassine and nine other people arrested last week...
View ArticleNo bail for Austin nightclub owner, brother
A federal judge denied bail today for Austin nightclub owner Hussein Ali “Mike” Yassine and his brother, Mohammed Ali “Steve” Yassine. They will remain in federal custody, officials said. Bail for four...
View ArticleTrial in death of 5-year-old boy set for April 9
A woman charged in the death of a 5-year-old boy who had been left in her care in 2010 is scheduled to go to trial next month. State District Judge Jim Coronado today scheduled Nichole Shante Turner’s...
View ArticleNo bail for Yassine brother, associates
A federal judge ruled today that Mohammed “Steve” Yassine and two of his associates in an alleged crime ring will be held without bail. The proceeding today concluded bail hearings for the 10 people...
View ArticleMale stripper pleads guilty to manslaughter
A man who worked as an erotic dancer at a now-defunct Austin strip club has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in an attack that left a club patron dead in 2010. Maurice McKnight, 44, pleaded guilty Monday...
View ArticleJailed bar owner a 'person of interest' in man's 2000 disappearance, police say
Austin bar owner Hussein “Mike” Yassine, indicted on federal drug and money laundering charges, is a person of interest in the 2000 disappearance of bar owner Paresh Patel, police officials confirmed...
View ArticleFormer police officer pleads guilty to tax evasion
A former Austin police officer has pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of making and subscribing a false tax return, according to court documents and prosecutors. Randall Keith Ballard, 36, of...
View ArticleSupreme Court affirms ruling on Open Beaches Act
A state law meant to preserve public access to the shoreline does not entitle state officials to seize private property that suddenly moves onto public beaches because of erosion from hurricanes or...
View ArticleIndictments allege state workers submitted false records
This story has been updated with the employment status of Kelly Lee McCarty. A Travis County grand jury has indicted two people who are accused of tampering with a governmental record while working for...
View ArticleDrunken driver involved in police chase in Williamson County is sentenced
A man who led police officers in Taylor and Hutto on a chase while driving drunk was sentenced today to a total of 35 years in prison, according to the Williamson County district attorney’s office. A...
View ArticleMan who admitted to fleeing Granger police is sentenced
A man who fled from Granger police in a high-speed chase in December was sentenced this week to 25 years in prison, according to a news release from the Williamson County district attorney’s office....
View Article6 month sentence for drunken driver who killed motorcyclist
A 31-year-old man was sentenced today to six months in prison followed by 10 years probation for driving drunk and killing a motorcyclist in East Austin last year. Ruben Banda Flores was sentenced by...
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