Access To Court Records

Mar. 12–A 32-year-old Carrollton car dealer is suing the city of Carrollton in federal court for civil rights violations, saying that a police officer used excessive force against him a year ago as he tried to deliver a car. Also named in the lawsuit is David Tatom, a Carrollton police officer. Shomari Staten finally obtained the police car dashcam video of the incident after a Dallas County judge ordered that Carrollton release the video. Staten had requested the video under the state’s open records act, but Carrollton refused to turn it over. In the video, a white officer towers over Staten, who is black, and pulls him down to the ground as he slams him into another parked vehicle. Carrollton spokeswoman Sheri Chadwick said, “The City of Carrollton cannot comment on any issue once there is pending litigation.” Staten’s attorneys say their client was racially profiled by Carrollton police when they spotted him in a shopping center on an afternoon after he changed the license plates, as required by law, on a blue 1997 Geo Prizm. Staten was waiting to deliver the car to a client who was getting a cashier’s check at a nearby bank. Tatom and a black officer moved in to question Staten and his employee, who is black, about “stealing license plates,” according to the suit. Staten filed a complaint and an open records request to get the video of the incident. Three weeks later, when Staten went to check on the open records request, he was taken to a room and asked if he really …
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Locked doors at sara’s pharmacy and gift corner in mission. A note claims a family emergency closed the store. Pharmacy owner Sara Garza and pharmacy technician Valerie Flores stand accused of federal health care fraud. The two allegedly schemed health care companies out five-hundred thousand dollars! Court records allege Garza and Flores submitted false claims for prescription medicines that were never dispensed. The records allege some medicaid claims were for medicines used to treat health problems patients never had. Garza and Flores are also accused of forging doctors’ and patients’ signatures. Customer Nancy Cordova claims medicaid fraud focus should switch to bigger businesses. Eric Reed has defended several people accused of health care fraud in the valley. He says a simple allegation can cancel one’s ability to provide medicaid services, a big blow to many valley businesses dependent on medicaid money. Reed says authorities are concentrating efforts on the valley. He urges those falsely accused to fight every allegation.