Arlington Police Wade Into Dispute Between Diocese and Carmelite Nuns. The Arlington Police Department said Wednesday that it is trying to determine if any criminal offenses happened during the weekslong dispute between the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth and the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity Discalced Carmelite Nuns in Arlington. Bishop Michael Olsen reportedly dismissed Reverend Mother Teresa Agnes Gerlach after she allegedly broke her vow of chastity, but the monastery and the attorney for the nun are suing, saying the religious order does not answer to the Diocese and that Olson took Gerlach’s property unlawfully during his investigation.
New Software Pauses Public Access to Court Documents. A switch to new software has apparently slowed or even stopped public access to court records in Dallas County. Defense attorneys report that they cannot access records that should have been uploaded after May 17, including indictments, witness lists, and bond information. Dallas County District Clerk Felicia Pitre says that the process of moving from one case management system to another has slowed as the county determines whether documents that may have been sealed by the courts were inadvertently unsealed in the process.
Abbott Signs Bills Related to Methodist Dallas Shooting. Gov. Greg Abbott signed two bills into law this week that were filed in response to the shooting deaths of two Methodist Dallas Medical Center employees last fall. Senate Bill 1004 makes tampering with an ankle monitor a state felony, while SB 840 (sponsored by state Sen. Royce West and state Rep. Rafael Anchia of Dallas) would increase the penalties for harming hospital workers. Nestor Hernandez reportedly had six different ankle monitor violations prior to October, when he allegedly shot Jacqueline Pokuaa and Katie “Annette” Flowers while visiting his girlfriend at the hospital.
Fire Damages West Dallas Church. A fire that damaged the Dallas Indian Revival Center in West Dallas Wednesday afternoon is believed to be accidental, Dallas Fire-Rescue said. Workers on the roof of the church were able to escape uninjured after combustible materials caught fire from a torch one of them was using. The building was severely damaged in the blaze, which took about an hour and a half to extinguish.
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