The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 76, No. 83, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 5, 1998 Page: 1 of 16
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Opinion, 4-A |
Kids’comments
Recycling tips from a
group of local students
Nat Hentoff
Childmolester hysteria
leaves town decimated
Outdoors, 1-q
A'
Hooked
\Fishing tips for
newfound friends
®je ^aptoton groti
Volume 76, No. 83 Telephone Number (281) 422-8302 Thursday, February 5,1998 Baytown, Texas 775'20
!■■■■■■»■■■■■■■■■»•..............—
50 Cents Per Copy
$10 million worth of cocaine seized
Photo by John Rowland
Sy JANE HOWARD
The Baytown Sun
Chambers County law enforcement put a
kink in some major drug dealings this week
when they took nearly $10 million worth of co-
caine off the streets.
On Sunday, officers with the Chambers
County Narcotics Task Force made a traffic
stop near Winnie on a 1997 Ford Expedition
being driven by a Mississippi man.
A search of the vehicle turned up 230
pounds of cocaine stashed in the backseat. A
I
Jennings tells jury he
had no plans to cany
out threats of violence
Voter registration
deadline nears
loaded semi-automatic handgun was also
found.
The task force assistant commander, Dear 1
Hardy, said the cocaine had been picked up in
Houston and was destined for several loca-
tions, with small amounts to be dropped off
along the route.
“This is a significant seizure of cocaine,”
said Hardy. “It makes all of us in law enforce-
ment proud to remove such a large amount of
illegal drugs from our streets. However, you
can bet there are some individuals that are very
unhappy about this seizure and that is the part
Those who haven’t yet registered to vote for the March 10 pri-
maries have until Monday to do so.
Harris County residents may vote in the Baytown office of '
County Tax Assessor-Collector Carl Smith at 701 W Baker Road
from 7:45 a.m. to 8 p.m Thursday and Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday and 7:45 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday.
Chambers County residents can vote at the county tax offices
from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Monday. Mont
Belvieu residents may visit the county tax office at 10616 Eagle
Drive. Early voting for the Democratic and Republican primaries
begins Feb. 21 and ends March 6.
He told the jury all he wanted the informant
to do was to recruit about 25 people who would
help him take over a print shop by force for a
day so that they could produce counterfeit mon-
ey. ...
No violence was going to be used, Jennings
said.
After the money was printed, he would then
blow up the car to announce to the public that
anyone who had problems with the Social Se-
that we like the most.”
The driver was taken to Chambers County
Jail and booked for cocaine possession and uri-
lawfully carrying a weapon. ' *
The suspect’s bond was set at $300,000, pcf>
lice said.
The vehicle was seized and will later be used
by law enforcement officers in local and area
anti-drug trafficking efforts. ” >
The Chambers County Narcotics Task Force
is a federally-funded governor’s task force di-
rected by Chambers/Liberty County District
Attorney Mike Little.
ByJEORGEZARAZUA
The Baytown Sun
HOUSTON — David Jefferson Jennings
Tiger-in-training?
David Puckett and David Puckett Jr. spend some tee time together as the
pair practice their swings Wednesday afternoon. The beautiful weather
brought them to Roseland Park for a little golf. i
ATF agents, whom he was told were members
ofa Houston Mafia.
________________________Jennings said he was introduced to the infar-
took the stand Wednesday in a U.S. District mant as a person who could help him with his
Court here and told a jury “the Mafia” was be- counterfeit money scheme.
hind his ill-fated day-care
kidnapping and bombing
scheme.
“I felt like I was in the
midst of some pretty mean
people,” Jennings said,
shaking his hands passion-
ately as he answered ques-
tions. “I didn’t know where
torunorhide.” --------—---- —- ...— ,
The 57-year-old Baytown David Jennings curity Administration could receive money. .
man is on trial this week for allegedly conspir- The money they would get would be. the fake
ing to extort money from a Baytown dental of- bills he had printed.
fice and planning to bomb several locations of Jennings said that was his plan, but the infdt-
the La Petite Academy day care centers in the
Houston area.
His co-conspirators, in this case, were not
mobsters, but undercover agents with the Bu-
reau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
North Main Street in an undercover operation
with the help of the Baytown Police Depart-
ment. . Y
He faces five federal crime charges — ille-
gal possession of pipe bombs, solicitation of
extortion, carrying a firearm during a crime of
violence and extortion affecting interstate com-
merce — punishable by up to a combined 30
mant introduced him to the Mafia, or undercov-
er agents, as wanting to bomb area day cate
centers. ’ ■
He said he told the informant he didn’t want
reau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. to participate in any day care bombings, but*
The ATF agents anested.: Jennings on May out of fear of retaliation, mentioned the dentil
14, 1997, al the Republic of Texas Plaza on office.
When his defense attorney, Margaret Ling,
asked him if he intended to harm anyone, Joi-
nings said he only talked about it, but new*
planned on extorting money by holding tfie
dental office hostage.
He said he was going along with the scenario
because he wanted the Mafia to think he wasn’j
“just a dumb country hick” and until he coul j
Harris
County
mulls
budget
By CHRISTIAN MESSA
The Baytown Sun
The Harris County Commission-
ers Court started a round of budget
hearings Wednesday as they began
drawing up the county’s 1998-99
budget.
No exact dollar amounts have yet
been associated with any particular
county departments, Precinct 2
Commissioner Jim Fonteno said
during a break between hearings.
“It’ll be several weeks before we
get a handle on it, before we come
up with firm figures. We’re just re-
viewing now,” he said.
There were also no estimates con-
cerning how much the new budget
would eclipse or drop below the
1997-98 budget total of $743.69
million. _
“We’re trying to get all the depart-
ment heads thinking on how to get
the most out of the dollars,” Fonteno
said. “If you don’t get people to
think that way, it will never happen.”
~ . The commissioners have so far
investigated privatizing some conn-
ty services as well as consolidating
departments to save money.
For example, the flood control en-
gineer and county engineer offices.
have already been combined.
The commissioners court is ex-
pected to vote on the budget in mid-
to late February.
partment.’
ByJEORGEZARAZUA
The Baytown Sun
years in prison.
A tip from a confidential informant led the
agents to Jennings, who at the time was unem-
ployed.
Jennings testified it was “government inter-
Thursday: Partly
cloudy with chance of
showers.
Friday: Partly cloudy
and cool.
Art by Crystal Johnson
The Baytown Police Department has
been called in to investigate the theft of
funds at San Jacinto Elementary
School, according to school officials.
No elmmate of how much money was
missing was disclosed in a statement re-
leased by school officials on Tuesday.
Kathy Clausen, director of public in-
formation for the Goose Creek Consoli-
dated Independent School District, said
find a way to get out of it safely. e
When Assistant U.S. District Attorney Dukq
Millard asked Jennings why he didn’t call pof
lice for help, Jennings said he couldn’t because
he would have had to disclose his counterfeit
moneyplans. <
Millard then confronted him with a draft of 4
All Jennings said he wanted to do was pro- ransom note found in his bedroom in his motitj
duce counterfeit money with the name, “Social
Security,” on it to make a political statement
against that US. government agency.
He said he was upset at the agency for turn-
ing him down for benefits without a doctor ex-
amining the condition of his health.
. ......... Four of the eight pipe bombs police confis-
tigation by the Baytown Depart- cated during his arrest were intended for a pub-
— — - - licity stunt Jennings said he had planned as part
of his scheme against the US. Social Security
Administration.
He said he intended to use the bombs to blow
up a car in a middle of a field to gain attention
from the news media so that they could pro-
mote his counterfeit money campaign.
The other four pipe bombs police found in
his truck at the plaza were pieced together be-
cause the Mafia wanted them, according to
Jennings’ testimony.
He blamed the undercover informant for mis-
construing his plans and setting him up with
er’s mobile home in the 1300 block of Pershing
Avenue. • *
Jennings said he wrote the note, which givet
a bomb threat, to prepare himself in case th<
mafia asked him how he would carry out the
extortion of the dental office. -
“My demands may be more to your liking
than getting blown to hell,” the note ends. >
Millard then asked Jennings where h<
learned to build the pipe bombs and if he _
learned it while in the military. ;
“I have no idea where I got the intelligence
from,” Jennings said, adding he might have
learned it from “a lifetime of paying attenticit
to what goes on around me. <
“I didn’t take any special courses or anything
like that,” he said. <
Testimony ended Wednesday with the de-i
fense questioning a psychologist who said Jen-:
nings was more susceptible to mental manipu-
lation than an average person would be. , , >
police were notified of the possible
theft after the district conducted its own
investigation.
“When this alleged theft of funds
from an elementary school’s flower
fund was reported, Superintendent Jerry
Roy instructed the internal auditor to in-
vestigate the allegations,” Clausen said
in the statement. ‘Tollowing his investi-
gation, the auditor and the district’s le-
gal counsel determined that the findings
needed to be filed with the police de-
ment,” Clausen said.
Black history plans changed
Due to a scheduling conflict, Eugene Washington will not be
the featured guest speaker at a Lee College reception honoring
the contributions of black Baytonians over the course of the
city’s history. The reception, however, will go on as scheduled
with another speaker who is yet to be announced.
Exxon will still host a luncheon Friday at 11:30 at the White
House, and the Zydeco Music Festival and Black Film Festival
will begin at 3 p.m. Saturday at San Jacinto Mall.
Funds missing at San Jacinto Elementaiy
According to police reports, the al- Jennings testified it was “government inter-
leged theft occured last year between vention” that led him to conspire to the criminal
June and December.
School officials told police they be-
lieve an unnamed suspect took the un-
specified amount of money from a
checking account that did not belong to
her.
Police took a theft report of the inci-
dent at 1:15 p.m. Monday.
“This matter is currently under inves-
News tip? Call (281) 422-8302
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Dobbs, Gary. The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 76, No. 83, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 5, 1998, newspaper, February 5, 1998; Baytown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1176722/m1/1/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Sterling Municipal Library.