NEWS
Benton believes law enforcement career laid the groundwork to be JP2
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By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
After retiring in August 2017 from a 30-year career in law enforcement one would have thought Kevin Benton was ready to enjoy a little
The weeks leading up to his Jan. 1, 2019 swearing in have been hectic as he attends JP training programs and wrapped up work on some cases. The 61-year-old Benton is enjoying being back in his home county working and he is excited about the next chapter of his career.
Benton has lived in Bowie since 1977 when his family moved here from Colorado. He and his wife of nearly 40 years, Cindy, raised two children, Eric and Laura, and they are looking forward to their first grandchild in May from Eric and his wife.
His law enforcement career began with the Montague County Sheriff’s Office in 1986 as a patrol deputy. He moved up the ranks to
Benton went back to law enforcement at the Wise County Sheriff’s Office in 2010, where he worked in several capacities before retiring as chief deputy in 2017.
While reconnecting with old friends he had not seen while working out of
“The DA’s office asked if I could just look at a few case files and then Marshall asked me to look at some cold cases. Before long I was busy. Then I had some people ask me to run for the JP’s job. I started looking into it and decided that would be a good position for the end of my career where I could put my knowledge and experience to work,” explained Benton.
Read the full story in your weekend News.
NEWS
Petition seeks to remove DA from office
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By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
A petition was filed mid-week with the 97th District Clerk seeking the removal of 97th District Attorney Casey Hall for “incompetency or official misconduct.”
The document was filed by Tim Cole, former DA and longtime area attorney, on July 17. Texas law allows any resident of the county where the allegations occurred to file such a petition on any elected official.
As of Friday noon, no judge had been assigned and Hall had not been served notice of the filing per the district court.
A recent example of this type of petition occurred in Clay County in January 2023 after Sheriff Jeff Lyde was arrested on charges of official oppression. Former District Judge Frank Douthitt filed that petition and the state was represented by Hall and the Clay County attorney Seth Slagle.
Casey Hall, DA for the three-county 97th District since 2016, was arrested on July 8 on a grand jury indictment for theft of property $2,500 to $30,000, a state jail felony. She was released on a $5,000 bond. The allegations stem from misappropriation of state grant funds with the investigation conducted by the Texas Attorney General’s staff.
Removal action
The removal action is directed to David Evans, judge of the 8th administrative judicial region, which has jurisdiction in this case. It seeks to have the officer removed for incompetency or official misconduct, acts or omissions while in the performance of her duties as the district attorney.
Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.
NEWS
Nocona family searches area for missing son
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A missing person’s alert has been issued for Bryce Dingler, who was last seen July 16 at his parents’ home in Nocona around 10 p.m. as he left going home to his apartment in Plano.
The 29-year-old is the son of Dr. Len and Waynette Dingler of Nocona. According to missing person circulars posted by the Clay County Sheriff’s office and Put Me First, Dingler’s vehicle, a 2015 white Ford F150 lifted with large tires and Dallas Cowboy’s star on the tailgate was found on the side of U.S. Highway 287 in the early morning hours of July 17. His ID and phone were left in the truck.
The initial SO posting stated Dingler was at the courthouse Tuesday to midday, and he told his parents that night was he was heading home to Plano. His family tried to call him throughout Wednesday, but he never answered. It states his last known location was near Butler Road, 1 mile west of Jolly on U.S. 287. Those with any information are urged to call the Clay County Sheriff at 940-538-5611. Case #24010013.
The Put Me First circular stated a license plate reader picked up Dingler’s truck around midnight in Plano. He was wearing a light color T-shirt, dark grey athletic shorts and tennis shoes. He has a left lower arm sleeve with pine trees, leaves and a wolf. He is 5-foot-6-inches tall, 135 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.
It continues the truck was spotted July 17 around 6:30 a.m. on the westbound side of U.S. 287 by Duck Creek. Put Me First states Dingler had a “promising job interview” the day he went missing, noting this is “not normal behavior.”
As of 2 p.m. Friday Dingler was still missing.
NEWS
Bowie Council meeting cancelled
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The regular meeting of the Bowie City Council for July 22 has been cancelled. City Manager Bert Cunningham and Mayor Gaylynn Burris will be attending the Texas Public Power Association conference.
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