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Local Taxpayers Pick Up Tab for Hasan’s Chopper Security

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 07 Agustus 2013 | 00.34

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Almost every day, two Army helicopters land at the Bell County Jail to pick up the man known as the "inmate of high value."

Maj. Nidal Hasan, the Army psychiatrist who's accused of gunning down dozens of fellow soldiers at Fort Hood, is that inmate.

The Army helicopters carry Hasan about 20 miles into Fort Hood so he can work on his legal defense.

Since there is no jail at the Army post, Bell County Sheriff Eddy Lange houses Hasan at the Bell County Jail under a special Army contract in a special room the Army equipped to accommodate Hasan's injuries suffered when he was shot by police officers responding to the attack.

"Every time Mr. Hasan is moved to Fort Hood we incur additional security costs at our facility," said Lange.

Records obtained by NBC 5 Investigates show the Army pays Bell County roughly $15,000 a month to keep Hasan at their jail.  Lange said the money does not cover the cost of security for the helicopter rides, which now require the sheriff's department to go on lockdown twice a day to secure the perimeter.

When the choppers land, Lange said he needs to deploy snipers because Hasan is such a security risk.

Lange estimates the helicopter rides cost his department $800 per landing, twice a day, and Bell County taxpayers are footing the bill.

Lange added that the $1,600 figure didn't include the cost of the flight crew or fuel.

"I don't have any idea what that would be, but it's astronomical," Lange said. "We are losing money every day he is in our facility."

NBC 5 Investigates filed a Freedom of Information Act request in February asking for Army records detailing Hasan's transportation expenses, but nearly six months later the Army has not provided the documents and will not say how much the rides cost or answer any questions about the helicopter rides citing security concerns as the reason.

There's no doubt Hasan is a security risk. Law enforcement officials said there have been threats against Hasan as well as threats made by his supporters.   With threats from both sides, it's easy to wonder why the Army would move him so frequently.

When asked why Hasan is moved so frequently, Lange smiled and said he wasn't qualified to answer that question.  The Army said the jail doesn't have the right facilities for him to prepare his defense, especially now that he's representing himself.

Hasan's trial is set to begin Tuesday after more than three years of delays, including arguments over whether he could grow a beard – which a military judge allowed in spite of military rules.

The sheriff and other local police departments said they were happy to do their part when Hasan was arrested, they just never imagined it would go on this long.

"I don't think anybody had any idea this thing would drag out for three and a half years," said Gene Ellis, Chief of the Belton Police Department.

Belton's officers help with security, especially when the choppers can't fly and a motorcade brings Hasan through town.

Ellis said the cost to his department has been significant, but the delays are far worse for the victim's families.

"The inconvenience we have is nothing compared to their frustration levels," Ellis said.

"It makes no sense to me and I believe most Americans would feel the same way," said Howard Berry, whose son Staff Sgt. Josh Berry suffered years of post-traumatic stress after surviving the Fort Hood shooting before taking his own life on Feb. 13, 2013.

"He was tormented yeah.  That's a good word.  He was very tormented.  He was just tortured and wherever he went he couldn't find a safe place because the Army was his safe place," said Berry.

Berry said his son was constantly frustrated by the fact that Hasan had not been put on trial after more than three years of legal delays.  Meanwhile the Army declined to call the shooting an act of terrorism denying the victims additional benefits and medals awarded to other soldiers wounded in attacks overseas.

"He felt there were considerations that were being given the shooter that weren't being given the victims and he couldn't understand.  He said, 'When a soldier gets injured on a battlefield, you take care of them,' and he felt it just wasn't the case," said Berry.

Other victims told NBC 5 they feel the same way.

"All of the provisions that's been made for [Hasan], the same courtesy wasn't extended to the victims nor the families of the fallen," said Sgt. Alonzo Lunsford, who is blind in one eye after the attack on Fort Hood.

Even members of Congress are frustrated with the toll three years of delays have taken on the families.

"They've had to live day in day out re-living this event and not being able to bring this to closure.  So the delay is just really incomprehensible," said Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn.

Meanwhile, as NBC 5 Investigates first reported, Hasan continues to receive his full Army salary that totals more than $278,000 over the three years since the shooting.

Records show Bell County must provide a private guard for Hasan at least 12 hours a day.

So far, the cost of jailing him totals nearly $600,000, not including the helicopter rides.

For Howard Berry it's another wound in a painful process as he fights for the recognition he believes his son and the other victims deserve.

"It makes me sick.  It makes me ashamed," said Berry.  "I told him [his son] I still had his back and I still do.  I still do."

When the trial starts this week the costs will climb even higher as local police provide security for jurors and witnesses for a trial that could last two or three months.

Meanwhile, in July, three congressmen introduced legislation that would strip Hasan's salary and prevent the Army from paying other soldiers accused of serious crimes.


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Man Accused of Posting "Baby for Sale" Ad on Craigslist

NBC 4 New York

A 23-year-old New York City man is accused of posting an ad on Craigslist offering to sell a 2-month-old baby for $100. Brian Thompson reports.

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A 23-year-old New York City man is accused of posting an ad on Craigslist offering to sell a 2-month-old baby for $100. 

The Staten Island district attorney's office said Paul Marquez, of Staten Island, admitted posting the ad twice last week, using photos of the baby and the phone number for the child's mother.

Marquez is charged with harassment and endangering the welfare of a child, both misdemeanor charges.

Prosecutors say he told them that he posted the ad to get back at the baby's mother, a 19-year-old woman he had been dating.

He is being held on $1,000 bail. He was listed as having a lawyer with Legal Aid, which does not comment.

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Reservation Software Glitch Delays Flights Overnight

Kendra Lyn, NBC 5

A computer glitch in reservation software for several major airlines caused delays for travelers overnight.

Computer Glitch Delays Overnight Flights

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A computer glitch in reservation software for several major airlines caused delays for travelers overnight.

Southlake-based Sabre Holdings handles reservations for airlines, including American, Jet Blue, Frontier, Virgin America, Qantas and British Airways, and others.

The company said a "system issue" is to blame for an outage that occurred around 11 p.m. Monday and caused around many flights to be brought to a standstill. 

 Passengers reportedly had to wait in line for hours as airline representatives worked through the issues.

Passenger Spero Canton was one of the passengers delayed at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

"I was actually in the middle of checking my bag in when the computer went down and the representative went to two or three different computers to find out if it was a problem with his particular computer and then we found out it was throughout the entire airport," Canton said.

Sabre fixed the problem around 2 a.m. Tuesday and flights were able to be restarted.

American Airlines said 38 flights were delayed overnight. The airline expects no more major delays and no cancellations following the restoration of the system.

In April, a similar issue caused American to ground around 900 flights.

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Burglars Steal Dallas Church's Sunday Offering

Julie Fine, NBC 5 News

Police are investigating the burglary at Christian Chapel Missionary Baptist Church on Bonnie View Road.

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Thieves who broke into a Dallas church stole about $2,000, including money from Sunday's offering.

Police are investigating the burglary at Christian Chapel Missionary Baptist Church on Bonnie View Road.

"We love you in Jesus' name, and we hope you get help, because this is just going to make us stronger," pastor James Johnson said.

The break-in was discovered when the deacon came in Monday morning to meet an alarm repairman.

"It is pretty ironic," Johnson said. "You just smile and go on."

Church officials said they believe someone entered through a back window and busted through a wall to get to the finance office sometime between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning. The thief avoided security cameras in the hallway.

"I don't believe it is somebody that is part of this fellowship, but it could be someone that knows this building from previous years," Johnson said.

About $2,000 was stolen from the office.

The close-knit congregation of about 75 people has been in the building since 2010.

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Dozen Left Homeless by Dallas Apartment Fire

Jeff Smith, NBC 5

A dozen Dallas residents, including several small children, are without a home after an early morning apartment fire.

Dallas Apartment Residents Displaced

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A dozen Dallas residents, including several small children, are without a home this morning after an early-morning apartment fire.

Dallas firefighters battled the flames at the Prince Hall Apartments on Dixon Avenue at about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday.

No one was injured in the fire.

Several units were gutted by the flames. At least two units are destroyed and several others have smoke and water damage.

Charred furniture, clothes, and even children's toys were thrown across the front yard. The Red Cross is helping the displaced families get emergency assistance.

Firefighters are still investigating how the fire started.

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Taxidermy Shop Destroyed by Fire

Jeff Smith, NBC 5 News

A Hunt County taxidermy shop was destroyed by fire Tuesday morning.

Hunt Co. Taxidermy Business Goes Up...

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Taxidermy Shop Destroyed by Fire

A Hunt County taxidermy shop was destroyed by fire Tuesday morning.

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A Hunt County taxidermy shop was destroyed by fire at about 5:20 a.m. Tuesday morning.

Firefighters battled the 4-alarm fire at Hood's Taxidermy on U.S. Highway 69 in Lone Oak, southeast of Greenville, but were unable to save the building.

Owner Larry Hood said he'd been in business for 18 years but had no insurance for the building. Hood said more than 30 customers had animals in the building when it caught fire.

Hood said his wife notified him that the shop was on fire after watching coverage of the blaze on NBC 5.

Hood said the shop was closed when the fire began and he did not believe there was anything in the building that would have ignited. Fire officials have not released a cause of the fire.

Hood asked customers who may have lost animals in the fire to contact him at 903-450-7724.

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Nationwide Search Launched for Murder, Kidnapping Suspect

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Body Found in Boulevard Fire

Arson investigators will bring in a backhoe to sift through the debris left behind by the two-story log cabin and three-car detached garage.

Body Found in Boulevard House Fire

Officials are calling the death of a person in a Boulevard house fire "suspicious."

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A San Diego man is the subject of a nationwide manhunt, the suspect in a double murder and double kidnapping.

Neighbors of James Lee DiMaggio were shocked to learn two people as well as a dog were found dead inside DiMaggio's log-cabin style home Monday.

Deputies were called to 2071 Ross Avenue in the unincorporated community of Boulevard around 8 p.m. Sunday to find the home and detached 3-car garage engulfed in flames. 

Hours after the discovery of 44-year-old Christina Anderson and an unidentified boy, deputies put out an Amber Alert for DiMaggio and Anderson's 8-year-old son Ethan and 16-year-old daughter Hannah.

Deputies believe DiMaggio murdered Anderson and then set the structures on fire. 

Ethan is 4-feet, 11-inches tall, weighing 65 pounds with sandy blonde hair. Hannah is 5-feet, 7-inches tall, 115 pounds with blue eyes, a nose stud, pierced ears and a belly button ring.

DiMaggio is 40 years old, 5-foto 9- inches tall, 150 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. His beard and moustache have recently been shaved off officials said.

They are believed to be traveling in a 4-door, blue Nissan Versa with license plate 6WCU986.

"It's believed that one or both of the children have been abducted by DiMaggio whose whereabouts are also unknown," said San Diego County homicide Lt. Glenn Giannantonio.

Neighbors were in disbelief Monday. They say DiMaggio is a kind, giving and laid back person who the Anderson children considered an uncle.

They believe DiMaggio had planned to take Ethan camping or hunting and authorities may not be able to reach him because he's out of cell phone range.

Christina Anderson was an old friend of DiMaggio who would come to visit him once or twice a month according to neighbors. Giannantonio said Christina Anderson and DiMaggio were not romantically involved but have a close friendship.

They say the Anderson children got along well with other children in the neighborhood but they recently came more often.

"We believe that if they are with DiMaggio that they are in danger," Giannantonio said adding that FBI agents have been asked to help in the investigation.

Anyone who spots the children or DiMaggio should call 911 he said.

Giannantonio could not disclose how Anderson was killed. He said the medical examiner will try and identify the burned remains of the child found in the rubble.

Anderson lived with her two children in Lakeside according to officials. The children were last seen on Aug. 3 officials said. The grandparents reported the children missing.

Officials also found remains of weapons found that were burned in the fire but would not reveal the number or type of weapons found.

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Docs Reveal Turbulence in Mayor’s Office

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Mayor Bob Filner Admits He Needs Help

Mayor Bob Filner's prepared video statement released Thursday, the same day three high-profile allies accused him of sexually harassing female employees.

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New documents obtained by NBC 7 show that San Diego Mayor Bob Filner was approached by his staff about sexual harassment allegations weeks before he was publicly accused of acting inappropriately toward women.

Special Section: Mayor Under Fire

The handwritten documents reveal that there was a serious discussion about staff resignations, sexual harassment allegations and the mayor's behavior on June 20 and 29.

The notes were released after the city attorney's office threatened to sue the mayor's chief of staff, Lee Burdick, who had refused to give copies of the documents to the media, claiming "attorney-client" privilege.

In the notes, former communications director Irene McCormack Jackson, former Chief of Staff Vince Hall and former Deputy Chief of Staff Allen Jones discuss low morale in the mayor's office and call Filner's behavior "unacceptable."

The notes also show that Jones gives the mayor an ultimatum, saying that if Filner doesn't change Jones will quit.

Jones, Hall and Jackson all left the mayor's office shortly after these meetings took place. McCormack later filed a civil suit against Filner, accusing him of sexual harassment.

The sexual harassment allegations against Filner are now under review by criminal investigators.

On Monday afternoon, the state Attorney General's Office and San Diego County Sheriff's Department questioned McCormack, who entered the attorney general's building with her high-profile attorney Gloria Allred, who specializes in women's rights cases.

Allred wants Filner, who's in behavior therapy for two weeks, to give depositions in the case.

"I think this is unprecedented, for this many women coming forward against the mayor of a major city," Allred said. "And I don't think that the end is in sight. I'm sure that it isn't."

The allegations of sexual harassment that McCormack has leveled include grabbing her in a headlock and trying to kiss her, suggesting she might do a better job if she came to work without underwear on.

And legal analysts say it's possible they're looking into whether those purported acts arise to the level of criminal sexual assault. Either way, there's now potential for Filner to claim Fifth Amendment protection against testifying in the civil case, because he's under law enforcement scrutiny.

Allred said Filner first has to show up for the deposition on Aug. 9 before he could "plead the fifth." She also said if he doesn't show up, he could be subject to contempt of court.

In the meantime, Allred and McCormack are waiting to hear from Filner's privately retained civil attorney regarding their next move.

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4 Friends Shot as Masked Gunman Opens Fire on NJ Street

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Police are looking for a masked gunman who approached four friends walking down a street in a northern New Jersey town early Tuesday and opened fire, wounding all of them in what authorities believed to be a targeted attack on a young woman in the group, authorities say.

Officials say no words were exchanged when the gunman fired up to nine shots at the 18-year-old woman, 20-year-old man, 18-year-old man and 17-year-old boy as they walked on Mission Street in Montclair around 1 a.m.

Police say a preliminary investigation suggests the shooting was targeted, and that the female victim was likely the intended target. She was shot in the chest and was the most severely injured of the four. Police say she had been targeted in a shooting last week, but was not hurt in that case.

Authorities said it wasn't clear why she was targeted.

Authorities said the 20-year-old man who was with her Tuesday morning was shot in the arm; the 18-year-old man was wounded in the buttocks and the 17-year-old victim was shot in the leg. All three were taken to the hospital in stable condition and are expected to be OK. 

Police said the suspect fled down Elmwood Avenue after firing the shots and hopped into a getaway car that was last seen heading east on Elmwood. 

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Fire at Dr Pepper Bottling in Irving

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Irving firefighters are battling a fire at the Dr Pepper bottling plant in Irving.

Drivers reported seeing heavy smoke from state Highway 183, state Highway 114 and Storey Lane Tuesday at around 10:30 a.m.

The fire is in the 2300 block of Century Center Boulevard.

The fire went to two alarms at around 10:45 a.m.

The fire on the roof is isolated to one area, according to Chris Barnes manager of corporate affairs with Dr Pepper Snapple Group.

Barnes said early indications are that the fire started at an air conditioner unit on the roof.

All employees were out of the building and no one was injured according to Barne.

NBC 5 has crews on the way and we'll update this story with more information as soon as it's available.  As this story is developing, elements may change.

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