Flashback: FBI Investigates Bribery Allegations on Billy Don Dunn

Billy Don Dunn is a former mayor? Had no idea...but he currently serves on the Ferris City Council.

Dallas Observer FBI Probes Bribery Allegations in Ferris
http://www.dallasobserver.com/1994-11-10/news/fbi-probes-bribery-allegations-in-ferris/


Dallas
Observer The Trashing of Ferris, Texas
http://www.dallasobserver.com/1994-11-10/news/the-trashing-of-ferris-texas

Ferris Police Policy OKs Shooting of Wild Dogs

As a constant archive source, the story that has now reached global media outlets will have a permanent fixture on The Ferris Observer.

The Ellis County Press broke the story online Tuesday morning, then filed the story for press that afternoon in the paper. Since an e-mail to CBS 11 shortly after the ECP broke the story, this memo has grown and grown and grown.

Fox News. Yahoo News. The Miami Herald. The China Post. WorldNetDaily.com.


How'd Joey Dauben get this story? He explains it from a behind-the-scenes look over here.


[Click Here to Read That Controversial Memo Re: the Dog Shooting Policy]

Ferris ISD: Dad Fumes Over 'Failure' Remark

One Ferris ISD taxpayer and father is upset over his allegations that a Ferris High School principal suggested that he allow his child to "fail." To make this easier, I saved his three-page letter to the editor in the following format:

Also Available on The Ellis County Observer Web site and The Ellis County Press Web site...

[[[To Download Adobe's PDF Reader for FREE, Click Here]]]

PDF - Page 1: Ferris Dad Fumes Over 'Fail' Remark
PDF - Page 2: Ferris Dad Fumes Over 'Fail' Remark
PDF - Page 3: Ferris Dad Fumes Over 'Fail' Remark

New Councilwoman Carol Wright Sworn In

Thanks to The Ellis County Press' Megan Gray for this footage:




Wright replaces Place 5's Fred Pontley, who resigned earlier this summer when City Manager David Chavez fired Lt. Mike Zaidle in the Ferris Police Department.

Ferris Chief Resigns, Floodgates Open

Ferris' police chief resigned Monday, and like I told folks on this site a few days ago, The Ellis County Press put out more than the Waxahachie Daily.

The same effect happened when Dale Holt left the Ennis marshal seat. People started coming out of the woodwork with what they knew (and they still leak stuff to me). Unfortunately for Ferris, they're going to be losing a very good chief of police who was very open and forward with the media, especially us.

Also: There will be a press released issued by the City of Ferris to go over the alleged "inaccuracies" of my article, but if I've learned anything in this business, it's "know the answers before you ask the questions."

The buzz around town today was "Who told Joey Dauben this stuff?"

Ah, the good 'ol days of Ferris...

My next target: the Ferris City Council. They shoulder most of the blame for the conditions still at FPD.

Note: This article was submitted to press before the City of Garrett responded via e-mail. Robert McCumsey said his list of citations (below) were for all citations, not just moving violations, though The Ellis County Press requested for moving citations.


Ferris

Police chief resigns

JOEY DAUBEN
The Ellis County Press

FERRIS – Chief Michael Braly abruptly resigned Monday night after reportedly complaining about micromanaging by the city council, sources at City Hall said.

Braly, who said he would be seeking a job at the Irving Police Department, could not be reached for comment as of press time, but sources allege numerous incidents in the past several weeks of driving the former south Texas-area cop to leave when he reportedly couldn’t get help controlling the department.

Among those allegations listed in documents The Ellis County Press submitted open records requests for, the FPD reportedly had an officer:

Searching Internet prostitution ads on the popular Craigslist site;

Scanning pornography sites using city computers;

Viewing said Web sites for long periods of time;


Allegedly bragged about taking a photo of a woman topless as he patrolled the neighborhood and then showing fellow officers and supervisors;

This newspaper also requested dozens of documentation regarding separate incident reports about Ferris dog catcher Robert McCumsey, who was alleged to have written citations to motorists when his job de scri ption did not call for that; one councilman said he questioned why McCumsey’s animal control vehicle reportedly had city decals stripped in exchange for light bars and police scanning equipment, the sources said.

As of press time, the Ferris, Garrett and Ennis police departments did not return requests for information about unrelated and separate incidents allegedly involving McCumsey, but a search for moving violation citations written by McCumsey produced statistics the licensed peace officer wrote 15 tickets since October of last year.

Because McCumsey’s job de scri ption does not stipulate writing moving violation tickets, it is unclear whether fines and fees collected off those citations would be rendered null and void. McCumsey’s citation record is as follows:

October 2007: 8 (citations)
Nov. 2007: 1
Dec. 2007: 2
Jan. 2008: 3
Feb. 2008: 1

2008 Precinct 1 Opinion Polls

The Taxpayers Alliance for Good Government is sponsoring these 2008 Primary Polls:

Precinct 1 Commissioner Race - GOP
	Dennis Robinson - Incumbent
	Bob Polley
	David Land
Taxpayers Alliance for Good Government Poll

Precinct 1 Commissioner Race - Democratic
	Broderick Sargent
	Rodney Paige
	Michael Heard
Taxpayers Alliance for Good Government Poll

GOP Primary - Constable Precinct 1
	Ben Fry - Incumbent
	Jim Pharr
Taxpayers Alliance for Good Government Poll

About our polls: One vote per IP address every 30 days.

Readers, please refer to http://www.elliscountyobserver.com for the new Observer site.

The features are being added from this blog to the main site daily, and we welcome your patience during this transition. Keep sending your comments and news tips, though, to elliscountyobserver@hotmail.com!

Joey Dauben
Publisher