NEWS
Howard gets new indictments; Cole joins DA’s investigative team
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
Ricky Dale Howard, a person of interest in the spring 2015 disappearance of Caleb Diehl, was indicted this week on 15 new felony counts that include indecency with a child connected with Diehl and 12 counts of possession of child pornography with unknown victims.
District Attorney Casey Polhemus said the indictment was issued by the grand jury in a special Tuesday session.
The 57-year-old Nocona man has been serving prison time in the Hamilton Unit of the state prison system in Bryan since June 2016 when he pled guilty to possession of firearms by a felon. He received five years on the 11 counts. As a convicted felon for federal bank fraud it is illegal for him to possess firearms.
Howard was up for parole consideration earlier this summer, but it was denied in July after he was indicted in April on two counts of indecency with a child sexual contact and 34 counts of child pornography.
Thus far in the investigation that began with the search for Diehl on April 1, 2015, Howard has been indicted in sexual indecency cases involving three male victims, including Diehl and two others. (See the related timeline story).
Howard has since moved to the Robertson Unit in Abilene where he may serve out the remainder of the five-year term which ends in 2021.
New indictment
The first three counts in Tuesday’s indictments involve missing teen Caleb Diehl said Polhemus. It is one count of first degree felony indecency with a child sexual contact and two counts of second degree felony indecency with a child by exposure.
The indictment states the alleged incidents occurred on March 15, 2011. Polhemus says evidence in all these cases surfaced during the examination of of Howard’s computer seized during an earlier search.
Polhemus said this was another “cog” in the wheel as the investigators continue to plug away at these cases, including Diehl’s disappearance.
“It links him with Caleb, but we can’t prove anything other than what is stated at this time. We will continue pursuing the investigation,” said the DA.
The rest are 12 counts of second degree felony possession of child pornography.
Prosecution
The 97th District Attorney has gained some assistance from an experienced prosecutor as former longtime DA Tim Cole has joined the investigation team as an assistant DA.
Read the full story in the weekend News.
As of June 9 details on why an appeal bond was revoked on Casey Hall which prompted her arrest in Sulphur Springs on June 2 remain unclear.
The former 97th District Attorney was convicted of misapplication of fiduciary property and theft by a public servant on May 13 in the 16th District Court in Denton County.
The jury gave her a sentence of one year in state jail for misapplication of fiduciary property and six years probation for theft by a public servant.
The 38-year-old Hall was booked into the Hopkins County Jail on June 2 on a warrant after a Denton County judge revoked the appeal bond that was $10,000.
Hall filed her intent to appeal the conviction and sentence, so after posting a $10,000 bond, she was released on May 14 instead of beginning her sentence.
Denton County Court records indicated on June 2 Judge Sherry Shipman, who presided in the trial, declared Hall’s bond insufficient and a warrant was issued for her arrest.
There were rumors Hall may have opted to drop her appeal, but that information has not been confirmed through the court. As of June 9 Hall remained booked into the Hopkins County Jail.
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
Members of Montague County 4-H made their annual visit to the commissioner’s court Monday to show off their achievements of the past year and thank the court for its support.
Justin Hansard and Melanie Stott, AgriLife Extension agents for the county, introduced the group noting there are 166 youth in the county 4-H program, which they coordinated with all the other club leaders. There are nine chartered clubs in the county with 18 adult volunteers.
Project participation is lead by foods and nutrition, then photography, rabbits, shooting sports, horse, STEM, beef cattle, goats, poultry, community service, swine, fashion, sheep, theater and sports fishing.
Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.
Top photo: Montague County4-Hers met with the commissioner’s court Monday to tell them about their year’s activities and thank them for their support. (Photo by Barbara Green)
Montague County Judge Kevin Benton said the scammers are back in force this time using the real names of county officials and law officers to put forward their scams.
There are two separate scams happening. The first one has the caller telling a citizens they are late on the property taxes and the county is about to file liens on their property. They are then directed to call a number to make the payments.
Benton emphasized no contact regarding past due taxes would be done via the telephone, it would only be handled through letters from the county’s tax attorneys. He added in these they are using the real names of county officials including the judge and other officials.
Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.
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