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All-District basketball selections have been announced. Did your favorite player make it? See page 8. (Photo by Bill McCaughey)
WEDNESDAY • MARCH 14, 2018 Key-Runoff •
U.S. REP. DISTRICT 22 DEMOCRAT Sri Preston Kulkarni • Steve Brown Letitia Plummer • Margarita R. Johnson Mark Gibson REPUBLICAN Pete Olson Danny Nyuyen James Green Eric Zmrhal
Percent
Votes
34.14% 22.46% 21.81% 11.87% 9.72%
6,680 4,394 4,267 2,323 1,902
77.34% 14.03% 5.64% 2.99%
24,201 4,390 1,766 935
STATE SENATOR DISTRICT 17 DEMOCRAT Rita Lucido • Fran Watson • Ahmad R. Hassan Margarita R. Johnson Mark Gibson REPUBLICAN Joan Huffman Kristin Tassin
38.83% 36.91% 24.26% 11.87% 9.72%
3,488 3,315 2,179 2,323 1,902
64.33% 35.67%
8,456 4,688
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 27 DEMOCRAT Ron Reynolds Wilvin Carter
7,849 4,937
61.39% 38.61%
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 28 DEMOCRAT Meghan Scoggins Durward White
5,224 1,225
81.00% 19.00%
DISTRICT ATTORNEY REPUBLICAN Cliff Vacek Shawn McDonald
18,346 11,658
61.15% 38.85%
JUDGE, COUNTY COURT-AT-LAW NO. 3 REPUBLICAN Harold Kennedy • Tricia Krenek • Jennifer C. Chiang
12,847 11,309 6,158
42.38% 37.31% 20.31%
JUDGE, COUNTY COURT-AT-LAW NO. 6 REPUBLICAN Dean Hrbacek Lewis White
20,740 9,488
68.61% 31.39%
JUSTICE OF THE PEACE PRECINCT 1, PLACE 2 REPUBLICAN Mary S. Ward Atwood McAndrew
4,835 3,314
59.33% 40.67%
JUSTICE OF THE PEACE PRECINCT 2 DEMOCRAT Joel C. Clouser Sr. • Tanisha C. Green• D. Dickerson-Gilbert
2,655 2,929 2,655
44.25% 29.24% 26,50%
JUSTICE OF THE PEACE PRECINCT 3 REPUBLICAN Kelly Nicole Crow Jarret Nethery
5,908 4,542
56.54% 43.46%
CONSTABLE PRECINCT 2 DEMOCRAT Daryl L. Smith Gary Majors
5,929 4,017
59.61% 40.39%
PRESIDING JUDGE, COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS REPUBLICAN Sharon Keller David Bridges
19,788 10,178
66.03% 33.97%
JUDGE, COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS PLACE 8 REPUBLICAN Michelle Slaughter Jay Brandon Dib Waldrip
65.37% 22.70% 11.93%
19,194 6,664 3,503
MEMBER, STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT 4 DEMOCRAT Lawrence Allen Jr Steven A. Chambers
66.25% 5,122 33.75% 2,609
JUSTICE, 1ST COURT OF APPEALS PLACE 7 REPUBLICAN Terry Yates Katy Boatman
55.24% 44.76%
16,619 13,464
65.61% 17,431 34.39% 9,135
JUSTICE, 14TH COURT OF APPEALS PLACE 8 DEMOCRAT Margaret Poissant Michele Chimene
57.10% 15,146 42.90% 11,380
268TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT REPUBLICAN John Hawkins Mike Hartman
56.81% 16,137 43.19% 12,267
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Mom gets 35 years for abuse, neglect of her seven children Eighth adopted child died in her care From staff reports FOR THE FORT BEND STAR
On March 9, Paula Sinclair, 55, was sentenced to 35 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice – Institutional Division (TDCJ – ID) after entering a plea of guilty on four first-degree felony charges for injury to a child-causing serious bodily injury. The sentence in each case will run concurrently. Chad Bridges,
Presiding Judge of the 240th District Court, heard the case. Sinclair’s criminal conduct first came to the attention of authorities just prior to Thanksgiving in 2016 when an investigator employed by the Texas Department of Family Services – Child Protection Services (CPS) entered the home owned and occupied by Paula Sinclair and her husband, and discovered seven children locked in a single upstairs bedroom. Further investigation revealed that the children, who
were between 13 and 17 years old at the time, were all adopted by Sinclair and her previous husband when the children were toddlers, along with an eighth child who died in 2011 while in the care of the Sinclair and her current husband. Following the discovery of the children, Sgt. Tim Morris with the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office Special Crimes Unit was contacted and a criminal investigation began. Morris’ team, led by Det. Juliana Johnson, obtained and
executed a search warrant for the residence where the children were found. Johnson observed and d o c u m e n t e d Paula Sinclair the deplorable conditions of the children’s bedroom, including a strong odor of urine and feces, missing carpet and exposed metal carpet tacks on the floor, and a toilet that did not work. Johnson further noted that the handles to the bedroom
SEE ABUSE PAGE4
Police nab three for shooting, kidnapping at mall From staff reports FOR THE FORT BEND STAR
Sugar Land police detectives arrested three people last week who were involved in a shooting and kidnapping on Feb. 26 at First Colony Mall. On the afternoon of the shooting, a motorist flagged down a Fort Bend County deputy on U.S. Highway 59 southbound near Williams Way. He told police that he was with a friend in the parking lot at the mall when another
group of people confronted him. During the altercation, the man said someone pulled a pistol and fired at least two shots at him. The victim jumped in his vehicle, sped away and left his friend behind, who ran into the mall. During the course of the investigation, detectives learned that both groups of people knew each other. The shooting was the result an altercation earlier that day in Rosenberg that involved the theft of drugs and money. The victims were not completely cooperative or forthcoming
with details; however, detectives later determined that a woman was with the two victims when the shots were fired. She was abducted, beaten Eric Spillers and later released by the gunman and his friends, who were holding her for ransom. Eric Michael Spillers, 20, Marissa Ann Esparza, 21, and Alyssa Castellano, 20, all of Rosenberg, have been charged with aggra-
Marissa Esparza
Alyssa Castellano
vated kidnapping. They were transported to the Fort Bend County Jail with bonds set at $150,000 for Spillers and $100,000 for Esparza and Castellano. Additional charges are possible.
Elections, elections, and more elections
Primaries pave way for runoffs, General Election By Joe Southern JSOUTHERN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Voters in Fort Bend County will need to stay sharp as last week’s Primary Election has set the stage for several runoff races on May 22. Democrats in particular will have four races to settle, including selecting candidates for Governor, U.S. House, State Senate and Fort Bend County Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace. Republicans have two races to decide: Judge for County Court-at-Law No. 3 and County Treasurer. The Primary did result in the departure of one incumbent. Precinct 2 Constable Gary Majors, who was appointed to the position in 2016, lost to Daryl L. Smith, who will not face opposition from a Republican in the fall. Runoff elections On May 22, Democrats will choose between Andrew White and Lupe Valdez for Governor, Sri Preston Kulkarni and Letitia Plummer for U.S. House District 22, Beto O’Rourke and Sema Hernandez for U.S. Senator, Rita Lucido and Fran Watson for State Senator for District 17, and Joel C. Clouser Sr. and Tanisha C. Green for Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace. Republicans will choose be-
Cliff Vacek, center, poses for pictures with supporters March 6 at his election watch party at Clancy’s Public House in Richmond. (Photo by Joe Southern)
tween Harold Kennedy and Tricia Krenek for Judge of County Courtat-Law No. 3, and Tina Gibson and Bill Rickert for County Treasurer. Primary Election There were several races decided before the election due to a lack of competition. Running unopposed in both the Primary
and General Election are District 9 U.S. Rep. Al Green, a Democrat; 328th Judicial District Judge Walter Armatys, a Republican; County Court-at-Law No. 1 Judge Chris Morales, a Republican; County Court-at-Law No. 2 Judge Jeffrey A. McMeans, a Republican; County Clerk Laura Richard, a Republican; Precinct 2 County
Commissioner Grady Prestage, a Democrat; Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace Justin M. Joyce, a Republican; and Republican County Chairman Jacey Jetton. Primary winners who will not face opposition in November
SEE RESULTS PAGE 2
Municipal elections What the winners said starting to heat up By Joe Southern
JSOUTHERN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
By Joe Southern JSOUTHERN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
JUSTICE, 14TH COURT OF APPEALS PLACE 3 DEMOCRAT Joseph R. Willie II Jerry Zimmerer
Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 40 • No. 31
If federal, state, and county elections were not enough, voters in several Fort Bend County cities will be casting ballots May 5 for mayors and city council members. Sugar Land, Stafford, and Meadows Place all have contested races. Missouri City holds its elections in the fall. Some school boards are also up for election; however, the Fort Bend ISD has cancelled its election because incumbents Grayle James and Addie Heyliger are running unopposed. Lamar CISD does not have an election this year. In Sugar Land, the mayor and two at-large positions are up for election. Mayor Joe Zimmerman is seeking re-election and is be-
ing challenged by Diana Miller. Councilmember Himesh Gandhi is unopposed for at-large position 1. At-large position 2 Councilmember Mary Joyce is vacating the seat and Jennifer Lane has filed for the position. Fara Ahmed has also filed but is a write-in candidate, meaning her name will not be on the ballot but she qualifies to have voters write her name on the ballot. In Stafford, three city council positions are open with each incumbent and one challenger filing. The top three vote-getters in the four-way race get the seats. Incumbents Don Jones, Ken Mathew, and Cecil Willis are being challenged by Johnny Baiamonte. The biggest election tussle
SEE MUNICIPAL PAGE 2
The Primary Election campaign was a long and often challenging one for many of the candidates. Several were able to breathe a sigh of relief March 6 when the election results came in. For others, they lived to fight another day in the May 22 runoff election. This is what several of the winners had to say after the election: Pete Olson, U.S. House District 22: “My team came out here working their tails off the better part of four months. … We thought we might have a dogfight and we were prepared for that and luckily it isn’t close, but I’m very proud of their hard work. … We had almost 80 percent of the votes in the primary with three opponents; that’s huge! That sends a message to the Democrats this county will never, ever
become blue.” Dr. Letitia Plummer’s campaign, U.S. House District 22: “Tuesday was a big day for Democrats, where a record number of Democratic votes were recorded. Dr. Plummer was so excited to see the enthusiasm and civic engagement surrounding these primary elections and is ecstatic to have made the runoff. Each of her opponents ran exemplary campaigns, and Tuesday was big win not only for her but women in the county and surrounding areas.” Cliff Vacek, District Attorney: “I am honored and extremely thankful that the voters trusted me with their vote and expressed their confidence for me to be the next District Attorney of Fort Bend County. I want to thank my family, my friends, and everyone else who supported me
SEE WINNERS PAGE 2