We Start This Morning With a DPD Roundup. First up, Bryan Riser, the officer whose charges that he ordered a pair of people killed were lifted by a judge for a lack of evidence, was accused of abusing his ex-wife in 2015. The Dallas Morning News got records from a recent child custody proceeding, during which his ex-wife alleged that Riser threatened to beat her in the street while their children watched. He also said he would kill her if she took the children out of Dallas-Fort Worth. So she moved and let Riser have primary custody of the kids so she could stay “alive for them.” Riser said he had no domestic disturbance on record, but DeSoto police were twice called to their home for reports that he was being violent. He never notified Dallas police of the incident, arguing that no crime occurred. Elsewhere in the department, Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia either rescinded or reduced most of the disciplinary measures his predecessor levied against the vice unit. Former Chief U. Reneé Hall disbanded the vice unit for three years while internal affairs investigated. Here’s The News: “The decision indicates that García thought the suspensions, issued by Assistant Chief Avery Moore during Hall’s tenure, were not appropriate given the investigation’s findings.”
Maserati Flees After Striking Officer. A driver of a Maserati smashed into the back of a police cruiser near a construction site on LBJ Freeway and Plano Road. The officer who was working the site was employed with the Edgewood Police Department, in Van Zandt County. He’s hospitalized and his condition is unknown. The driver appears to have gotten away.
ESPN’s NBA Writers React to Clips/Mavs. From the great Kevin Arnovitz: The Clippers have “overhauled their roster, changed their head coach, refined their defensive approach and adopted a sense of urgency, and yet they are again in danger of being unceremoniously and prematurely dispatched from the playoffs. They’re in this position despite getting great minutes from their small (and most common) lineup and solid production overall from their two superstars. Even more bizarrely — only the Atlanta Hawks have limited their first-round opponent to a lower quality of shots. The entire thing defies explanation.” It doesn’t, though. Luka is that good. Mavs can close out the series tonight at the American Airlines Center. It would be the first time Dallas advanced since 2011. Tipoff is at 8 p.m.
Rain Chances Return This Weekend. Saturday and Sunday respectively have 50 percent and 60 percent chances for rain. It won’t be as widespread as it has been, but do expect to have some bursts throughout the weekend. Temperatures will be below average for this time of the year and the risk of severe storms is low. Here’s WFAA’s forecast.
