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Love Field Crasher Sentenced

Credit: Lynne Behrends (cc) flickr
Credit: Lynne Behrends (cc) flickr

By KERA News & Wire Services

Dallas, TX – A man who crashed through a Love Field security gate and gained access to the runway has been sentenced to 22 years in federal prison.

47-year old Michael Browne was driving a stolen truck in August of 2010 when he led Dallas police on the high speed chase. Browne pleaded guilty to a charge of interfering with security screening personnel.

The incident prompted aviation officials to investigate and strengthen access to secure areas at Love Field.

Man Convicted For Starving Child

A 41-year old father was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday for nearly starving his infant son to death four years ago.

The verdict marked the second time Michael Anthony Foster of Fort Worth has been convicted of causing serious bodily injury to a child and sentenced to prison for the crime.

Foster was first convicted by a jury in 2009 and state district Judge George Gallagher sentenced him to 50 years in prison, but that verdict was overturned after Foster argued that he was denied the right to defend himself during his first trial.

During his retrial earlier this month - in which Foster represented himself - prosecutors Kevin Boneberg and Kim D'Avignon again presented evidence that Foster intentionally starved his son, Euphrates, who was seven months old and weighed 8.3 pounds when he was rescued in 2007.

DART Bus Driver Didn't Know 4 Year-Old Was Alone.

DART says the bus operator who drove a 4 year old boy several miles without a parent or guardian this week thought the child was with his mother.

DART's Morgan Lyons says the driver saw the boy board the bus with a mother and her children, and later get off the bus with a mother and her children.

Lyons: The operator tells us she felt the woman knew the child and didn't follow up further. We've told our operators that in situations like that we would expect them to call in and report what happened. That's part of their training.

Lyons says the operator was reminded of that training and will not be disciplined.

Perry Denies Reports Of Shakeup In Campaign Staff

Republican presidential contender Rick Perry is denying reports that he's in the midst of a major staff shakeup.

Gov. Perry said Tuesday night that he's spoken to senior strategist Dave Carney and campaign manager Rob Johnson in the last 24 hours. And despite a report in Politico to the contrary, he says there's been no change in their roles with the campaign.

Politico reports that Joe Allbaugh is becoming Perry's campaign manager, Tony Fabrizio its main strategist, and Carney is now focusing on New Hampshire.

Perry is calling the report "scuttlebutt," which he jokes is a highly technical Texas term for not correct.

Lawyers ask Fort Hood case judge to recuse himself

Defense attorneys for an Army psychiatrist charged in a shooting rampage at Fort Hood are asking the military judge to recuse himself from the case.

Lawyers for Maj. Nidal Hasan argued Wednesday there could be an appearance of bias from the military judge, Col. Gregory Gross, because he was on the Central Texas post the day of the 2009 shootings.

Gross countered that he was overseeing a trial that day and hearing news of the shooting had minimal effect on him. The judge didn't immediately rule on the motion.

The 41-year-old Hasan faces a death sentence or life in prison without parole if convicted in the worst mass shooting on a U.S. military installation. He is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder.

Ex-college student in Tyler fatally shot

Police say an East Texas college student who allegedly thought a gun was unloaded has been charged with killing his roommate.

Tyler police were summoned Tuesday night to an apartment. Police say 18-year-old Daveon Johnson of Dallas had been shot. Johnson was transported to a Tyler hospital, where he later died.

Police on Wednesday announced 19-year-old Brandon Raynard Willis of Dallas has been charged with manslaughter. Police say Willis attends Tyler Junior College and Johnson formerly was a student.

Police say Willis allegedly was explaining that he'd been shot before and pointed a revolver at Johnson, thinking the gun was unloaded and pulling the trigger several times. The gun then discharged, striking Johnson.

Smith County Jail records did not list an attorney for Willis, who's held on $50,000 bond.

TCU kicker back at practice after arrest

TCU kicker Ross Evans is back at practice, though coach Gary Patterson isn't sure yet if the team's career scoring leader will play in the regular-season finale against UNLV on Saturday following his arrest.

Evans faces a charge of misdemeanor criminal mischief after being accused of kicking in the door of a North Texas apartment. He surrendered to Denton police last week after learning a warrant had been issued for his arrest.

Patterson says Evans was suspended last week while school officials gathered information about the incident, which occurred days before TCU's victory at Boise State on Nov. 12. The 18th-ranked Horned Frogs (9-2) didn't have a game last weekend.

Evans' 392 points and 227 extra points are school records. He is a senior.