NEWS
$295 million verdict returned in child sexual abuse case
A Montague County civil jury has returned a $295 million verdict in favor of Hailey Dickerson, now 20, who was sexually abused as a child by Bridgeport resident Max Hahn IV while living on his ranch on Bugscuffle Road outside Bowie.
The verdict is one of the largest in of its kind ever awarded in the United States and believed to be the second largest single-plaintiff sexual abuse verdict ever awarded in the Unite States.
On Oct. 31 the jury, after hearing evidence in a week-long trial, unanimously found Hahn committed assault, sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault and injury to a child against Dickerson when she was between 8 and 10 years of age.
At the time, Hahn was dating Hailey’s mother, who lived on Hahn’s ranch with her four children.
Dickerson disclosed the abuse to her mother and later to a sexual assault nurse examiner and a trained forensic interviewer at a child advocacy center. Hahn denied the allegations, and his 2018 criminal trial ended in a mistrial due to a hung jury.
Hahn was later re-indicted and pleaded no contest to the charge of injury to a child, receiving a probated sentence.
Dickerson’s attorney, Brian Butcher of the Noteboom Law Firm in Fort Worth, said the evidence of guilt was overwhelming.
“The details Hailey recounted as a tiny and terrified child remained consistent across time and independent evaluations,” Butcher said.
Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
The City of Nocona has been nominated as a rural Opportunity Zone by Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Mayor Christopher Nunneley said they will begin “pitching” this federal tax angle to potential businesses.”
At a Tuesday afternoon press conference Nunneley, Donna Culpepper, executive director for the Nocona Economic Development Corporation and Michelle Page of the Nocona Chamber of Commerce announced the nomination and offered a brief overview of the federal tax incentives that can become available.
Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.
Remember Sept. 11 2001, 25 years later
While history will remember Sept. 11, 2001 among the darkest days in America’s history, it also is a day marked not only by tremendous heroism and bravery by first responders, but also every day Americans from all walks of life who showed the world our country would not be intimidated by terrorism.
There were 2,996 people killed during the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 including 343 firefighters and paramedics, 23 New York city police officers and 37 Port Authority police officers. Tens of thousands more suffered in the aftermath due to exposure to chemicals and industrial debris.
The Bowie News editor asked some local lawmen, firefighters, a pilot and two retired FBI agents their memories of this tragic day and how their jobs were impacted by the events. We thank them for sharing their reflections.
Read the full feature in your Thursday Bowie News.
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
Looking toward the future, the Bowie City Council Tuesday night voted to add an assistant city manager position promoting Public Works Director Stony Lowrance to the job.
The agenda listed an executive session to discuss evaluation of the city manager. Councilors went to closed session at 6:30 p.m. and 15 minutes later asked City Manager Bert Cunningham and Lowrance to come in. After 15 minutes they left the session and a few minutes later the full council came back to open session.
Councilor Brent Shaw, in making the motion for the assistant city manager, pointed to expanded duties the manager has undertaken. Councilor Boyd Hulstine made the second as the vote received unanimous approval.
Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.
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