Donations Slow for Service Dog Group Patriot Paws

Tammy Mutasa, NBC 5 Rockwall Reporter

Rockwall-based Patriot Paws says it has seen donations slow down while demand grows for service dogs for veterans.

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Three Service Dogs Graduate From Patriot Paws

Three service dogs graduated from their Patriot Paws program and are going home to help wounded warriors deal with their injuries.

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A organization that matches wounded veterans with service dogs is seeing a growing demand but is bringing in fewer donations.

Rockwall-based Patriot Paws trains service dogs for disabled veterans all over the country at no cost.

The organization recently celebrated its 50th dog placement but, despite its success, still has 57 veterans on a waiting list.

"The veterans have given so much for us, and it costs so much to travel nowadays," founder Lori Stevens said. "The money has to cover for the veterans' travel, for the veterans to stay here, for the special equipment we use."

It can cost up to $30,000 to train a service dog as they learn various tasks. At Patriot Paws, it takes up to 18 months to two years to train a dog and teach it how to support veterans.

But the downtown in donations isn't slowing Patriot Paws' mission.

"It puts a little spark, a little hope in their heart," Stevens said.

When Stevens started Patriot Paws six years ago, she wanted to give wounded service members a new leash on life.

"These are your brothers, your fathers, your nephews, your cousins -- these are not just a soldier off in a far country; this is part of who we are," she said.

Valerie Fry has been training dogs since joining Patriot Paws' prison program in 2008.

"I am a different person today because of being able to work with animals," she said. "It's unconditional love that they give and, as humans, it's something that we don't truly understand -- unconditional love -- until we have an animal in our life."

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FCS Title Game Brings Money to Plano, Frisco

Catherine Ross, NBC 5 Collin County Reporter

Collin County cities are benefiting from the as many as 20,000 fans heading to Frisco for the NCAA Division I Football Championship Saturday.

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Surrounding cities are benefiting from the as many as 20,000 fans heading to Frisco for the NCAA Division I Football Championship.

Sam Houston State and North Dakota State are meeting in a rematch of last year's Football Championship Subdivision title game.

"You see the businesses booming around here, the restaurants being packed, people coming in and inquiring about what's going on," said Gabriel Ontiveros, owner and manager of the Essensuals London salon at Plano's Shops at Legacy. "We're trying to capitalize on that by having promotions."

Next door at the Main Street Bistro, general manager Esther Notargiacomo was swamped in a sea of green and gold.

"I have extra servers -- I loaded my staff," she said. "Today is just a little sample, and we're really busy, so I can imagine tomorrow is going to be double and Sunday is going to be worse."

Last year, turnout for the FCS title game broke attendance records.

Frisco city leaders estimate that the game brought in about $5 million to the surrounding Collin County area, noting that most hotels in Plano, Frisco and Allen had sold out.

NDSU fan Jim Buus attended the 2012 game and said he and his friends and family came down for a longer stay this year in order to enjoy the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He said they plan to "walk around Frisco and Plano, spend some money and really take in the sights a little bit more.

"We've been eating, drinking [and] really having a good time," he said.

Tickets, even for standing-room-only space, are sold out.

Kickoff is at noon on Saturday at FC Dallas Stadium. The parking lot opens for tailgaters at 8 a.m.

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Intruder Touched Girls in Cockrell Hill: Father

Mark Schnyder, NBC 5 News

The father of two girls says a man broke into the family's Cockrell Hill apartment early Friday morning and touched his daughters.

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The father of two girls says a man broke into the family's Cockrell Hill apartment early Friday morning and touched his daughters.

The father told police and reporters that his daughters were watching TV in the front room, where they had been sleeping on a mattress, when a man entered the residence through a back window at about 5:15 a.m. Friday.

The girls said the man told them he was a friend of the family and offered to take them to the store to get candy. At some point the man began touching the girls over the clothing, and one of the girls called out to her father.

As the father came into the room, the man exited the front door.  The father chased the man into the parking lot but was unable to catch him. After the man disappeared, the father called police.

The father said it was dark and all happened very fast and that he didn't get a very good look at the man, though he did provide police with a partial description.  He also adds that the man, despite his claim, was not a friend of the family.

Police said the girls, ages 9 and 5, were taken to an area hospital for an evaluation.  Neither were injured. Police said the man was inside the home for about 10 minutes before he was chased out.

Cockrell Hill police confirmed the man tried to get the girls to leave with him and that there was physical contact between the intruder and the girls, but that that contact was not sexual and they were not injured. Police are continuing to investigate and have classified the incident as burglary of a habitation with intent to commit another felony.  The charge is a first degree felony punishable with a possible life sentence and a fine of $10,000.

The incident took place at the Cedar Square Apartments at 500 Andrews Avenue.

NBC 5's Mark Schnyder contributed to this report.  

It was initially believed that the girls were sleeping at the the time the man entered the apartment, that was not the case. We regret the error.

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No Paychecks in Fort Worth After "Error"

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An administrative error is being blamed for why Fort Worth employees did not get paid as normal on Friday.

Nearly 7,000 employees won't see their regular checks in their accounts until as early as Saturday -- if not as late as Monday.

Inside City Hall, it was business as usual on Friday. But city officials said the usual steps to release the city's payroll to employees were not followed Thursday. City spokesman Bill Begley said the payroll was not authorized as it normally is on the day before payday.

"Once we recognized the fact that the paperwork hadn't been done and that the administrative steps hadn't been taken, we focused on trying to rectify that situation to try to get all the paperwork and processes taken care of as quickly as possible so that our employees get their paychecks that they've earned," he said.

Begley said the checks would not arrive until Saturday or as late as Monday, depending on each employee's bank.

"We can't apologize enough," Begley said. "You know, it was an administrative error. We're sorry that it happened."

Begley said City Manager Tom Higgins could recall one other time when payroll didn't go out as planned. It was sometime in the last 30 years when they still printed checks and the printer broke. Employees got their checks later that afternoon instead of in the morning like normal.

City employees say they don't want to experience this direct deposit snafu again.

"I look at it as something that is totally unacceptable," said Peter Talleos, president of the North Texas Association of Public Employees Local 9527. "This is a major metropolitan city, and they (city administrators) should have made some provisions in case something like this would ever happen. Obviously, they haven't."

Talleos says it was most disturbing to him because of where the error took place.

"This is the new system," he said. "And this new system was supposed to make it more concrete that this would never happen."

For employees living paycheck to paycheck, it is an especially tough break. Talleos said he was helping at least one member of his union to pay rent.

The city is asking employees to double check their accounts before paying any bills. But once the checks arrive, the focus will turn to preventing this from happening again.

"We're going to do a thorough investigation to make sure something like this doesn't happen," Begley said.

All city employees were notified of the error on Friday morning.

The city said the Fort Worth City Credit Union would work with members on a case-by-case basis if the delay results in any issues. The city also said that its treasurer has contacted employee banking institutions to see if they can assist and minimize any impacts from the error.

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Pizza Delivery Robberies Put People on Edge

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Dallas pizza delivery people have been robbed three times in the past week, two of them Thursday night.

The robberies in Oak Cliff and Pleasant Grove have stores and neighbors on edge.

According to police reports, around 10:30 p.m. Thursday, a driver for the Pizza Hut in the 2200 block of South Buckner was held up at gunpoint in the 10300 block of Whitingham Drive by two people.

The driver lost $310 cash.

Whitingham neighbor Gerald Green said pizza drivers should not carry so much cash.

"That's not a good idea to have that much money on you, especially around here," he said.

Pizza Hut store manager Leticia Contreras said drivers are trained to carry only a small amount of change and the cash was the driver's personal money.

She said safety is the top priority in pizza delivery and some destinations may become off limits, especially at night.

"I remember at one point, we tried to order a pizza where I stay at," Green said. "They wouldn't deliver in this neighborhood for a while."

At about 9:30 p.m., a driver for the Domino's at 4800 Sunnyvale was robbed at gunpoint in the 4600 block of Stokes Street near Interstate 45 and Loop 12.

According to a police report, the people ran up on the driver in the dark from a vacant lot beside a delivery address that neighbors say is vacant house.

"The one that used to stay in there, he was an old guy and he passed away, so it's kind of been different people coming in and out of there," neighbor Marcell Dobin said.

His wife worries that drivers won't return to deliver the pizza that their children enjoy.

"They should feel safe to come over here," Loretta Dobin said.

Manager Isaac Soto at the Sunnyvale Domino's store said drivers are told to drive away from homes they discover to be vacant.

He said certain apartment complexes are off-limits. Deliveries to others are made only at the front gate and deliveries are refused to some places at night.

Last Saturday night, a driver from a Domino's at 2551 Fort Worth Ave. was beaten up for his pizzas in the 1900 block of Shaw Street, according to police reports.

Aside from the fact they all involve pizza, detectives do not believe the cases are related, Dallas police spokeswoman Melinda Gutierrez said.

No arrests have been made.

Domino's corporate spokesman Tim McIntyre said safety is a top priority for the company, which delivers more than a million times per day. An increase in online ordering has reduced the use of cash, he said.

He issued the following statement:

We work with local law enforcement to help us identify potential trouble spots in any community. Our goal is to deliver to every address within our individual trade areas, but sometimes we've been forced by incidents to take other actions, from curbing deliveries after a specific time of night or eliminating individual streets altogether. If a store has a restricted section within its delivery area, the owner is required by our policy to review it annually to see if it can/should be reopened.

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Arlington Twins Play in Cotton Bowl

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Smack Talk at Cotton Bowl Tailgating

There was plenty of smack talk in the parking lots around Cowboys Stadium as Aggie and Sooner fans tailgated before the Cotton Bowl Friday.

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At Friday night's Cotton Bowl Classic at Cowboys Stadium, the Joeckel family of Arlington will be rooting for Texas A&M.

It's an easy choice considering twin brothers Matt and Luke Joeckel both play on the A&M football team.

"It makes for fun weekends," said Dave Joeckel, the twins' father. "Excitement, that's probably the best way to describe how I feel. And pride that my sons are playing in the Cotton Bowl. They've worked hard. This is a great reward for that hard work."

At the 77th annual Cotton Bowl against Oklahoma, Matt and Luke Joeckel will get to play before their hometown crowd.

The Joeckel twins have been playing football since grade school, when their father was their coach.

"They've always been very competitive. They were always doing something competing against each other and I think it helped them both," said Dave Joeckel.

The twins then played at Arlington High School. Luke Joeckel, the lineman, blocked for his brother Matt Joeckel, the quarterback.

"Luke is kind of the big, more quiet type," said Reecanne Joeckel, their mother. "Matt is more of the talkative, quarterback type. But in a lot of ways they're very similar."

When it came time to select a school, one thing came as no surprise.

"We always knew they'd end up going to the same place," said Dave Joeckel.

One thing that wasn't expected was where they chose to go.

"I played [football] at [Texas] Tech," said Dave Joeckel. "[The twins] were Red Raiders their whole life growing up."

Reecanne Joeckel said the family had a bit of explaining to do.

"Being Texas Tech people, friends were like, 'How did you let that happen?' But, [Texas A&M] was the perfect fit," she said.

And so are the twins.

At College Station, Luke and Matt Joeckel have exact same class schedule, they travel together and they're roommates.

"They get along really well, considering they're brothers and considering they spend that much time together," their mother said. "They're each other's best friends."

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Body of Missing Arlington Grandmother Found

Amanda Guerra, NBC 5 News

Arlington police discovered the body of a 77-year-old grandmother with Alzheimer's disease who was missing since Dec. 18 after she wandered out of her house.

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Search Continues for Maria Arrocha

The Arrocha family's Christmas was a little less bright this year. They're still searching for 77-year-old Maria Arrocha, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease. She's been missing since Dec. 18.

Concerns Grows for Missing Arlington Woman

77-year-old Maria Arrocha suffers from Alzheimer's and she's been missing since Tuesday, her family is concerned for her safety especially with the temperatures falling at night.

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Arlington police say they have found the body of a 77-year-old woman with Alzheimer's disease who disappeared last month.

Maria Arrocha wandered out of her Arbor Lane home at New York Avenue and Park Row Lane on Dec. 18.

Arlington police found her body in a wooded area near 1500 E. Abram St. on Thursday afternoon. The Tarrant County medical examiner positively identified the woman as Arrocha on Friday.

Her death was determined to be caused by exposure to the elements.

Martin Arrocha, her son, said he had mixed emotions, saying he was "a little bit angry because we couldn't find her in time, relief because we know she's in a better place today."

Police officers were working closely with volunteer group Search One Rescue Team, which uses K-9s, as part of an ongoing effort to find Maria Arrocha when her body was discovered.

Her family had been searching for Arrocha since her disappearance. They passed out fliers in both English and Spanish throughout North Texas and spent Christmas looking for her.

NBC 5's Mola Lenghi and Amanda Guerra contributed to this report.

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Missing Denton Co. K-9 Mistakenly Shot, Killed

Omar Villafranca, NBC 5 News

A landowner worried about his livestock shot and killed a dog, not knowing it was a K-9 missing from the Denton County's Sheriff's Office.

Missing K-9 Fatally Shot by Mistake

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The only K-9 working for the Denton County Sheriff's Office was found dead on Friday.

Chico, a Belgian Malinois, was reported missing on Dec. 20 in rural Collin County. The dog's handler said the dog ran out when a windstorm that day blew open his fence.

Denton County Sheriff William Travis told NBC 5 that a landowner noticed a dog near his livestock. The landowner was worried about his livestock and shot the dog, not knowing it was the missing K-9.

Travis said the man was distraught once he learned the dog was a K-9 with the sheriff's office.

The sheriff said the dog was not wearing the collar that identifies it as a member of law enforcement.

The landowner will not face any charges.

Travis said the DCSO is planning a funeral and is plans to acquire another K-9.

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Mesquite Police Locate Children From Brief Amber Alert

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Mesquite police officers located two children and their father from an Amber Alert issued very briefly Saturday morning.

Police said it all started with a family disturbance at an apartment in the 4700 block of Samuell Blvd. shortly after midnight.

Kevin Stewart, 27, took his 2-month-old son and 2-year-old stepson and left the apartment driving a white Ford Fusion according to police.

Shortly after 5 a.m. Mesquite police said they issued an Amber Alert based on threats and Stewart's behavior during the argument with his wife, Labrena.

A short time after police said they issued the alert, Stewart and the children were located at an Irving gas station.

The children were found safe and police said they were reunited with their mother.

Stewart was arrested and will be charged with endangering a child.
 

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