James_Rose's Blog

I've gotten so many comments about the interview I did with James Thorpe, I decided I should weigh in.... Thorpe is the guy that police say pushed or forced auto salesman Jack Phinney out of a moving truck to his death on 75 Monday evening, while test driving a truck.

Everyone keeps asking me "Was he crazy?" Crazy like a fox maybe, but not mentally ill crazy. He was just too cocky, controlling and manipulative. If you saw the interview he tried to control everything from how he was going to wear the microphone to what and when I would be allowed to ask a question. (many of my colleagues were surprised at the patience I showed. Actually, I was too.) In my opinion someone that controlling is a master manipulator... in his case it's probably something he has honed his whole life. To me, that's not mental illness. That is just evil. It was clear to me he was lying. At first he said he wanted to find the guy that killed his friend. Yes, he actually had the audacity to say Jack (the man he's accused of killing) was his friend. He assumed someone ran over Jack and therefore they were responsible for his death. When I told him police said he was not hit by anyone he changed his story to.... Jack jumped. Let's just say if "his friend" Jack fell out of the vehicle, why didn't Thorpe stop? Instead he just kept going until cops caught up with him, several hours later.

I noticed he did seem to get off on trying to intimidate me and the jail guards... but shooting the bird at me at the end of the interview? That was pretty juvenile.

When he said Jack jumped out of the truck, I asked what was he talking about what did he say? He acted as if he was insulted that I would ask to hear a man's last words. That's the question that lead to him to slam down the phone, get up and walk out. I'm guessing he got frustrated because the more he talked the less I believed his story, and he couldn't control my line of questioning. If I even thought the guy was mentally ill I probably wouldn't be talking about this. I do realize some people are mentally ill-- and they need help. And they should NOT be exploited or made fun of. But in my humble, non clinical opinion this guy is not CRAZY.

BTW, let's not confuse mental illness with stupidity either. Thorpe left an expired driver's license with the dealership before he went on the test drive with Phinney.

James Rose

Monday night we did a story about a tiny little Chihuahua named Titan.   His name is as big as his 3 thousand dollar price tag.  Titan was stolen from a downtown Dallas doggie day care.   Titan had been missing for nearly two weeks when the owner Scott Andres emailed us at FOX 4.   It seemed like a bleak scenario but we went out and talked to the day care owner and Scott because it was very unusual. 

It was sad to think someone would stoop so low as to steal someone's pet... (especially from a hardened combat veteran) but hey, unfortunately there are people like that out there.  

The owner of the day care offered to pay a thousand American dollars for Titans safe return "no questions asked".   Chris Watts, the owner of the daycare  was determined to find Titan.    He, his employees and Scott posted hundreds of flyers all over Dallas and tracked down all sorts of leads--  nothing.  

A big thanks to our viewers....  Just three hours after our report at 9pm Scott says he got a call from someone saying they found a little Chihuahua.  He checked it out, and sure enough it was Titan.    It's refreshing to see a story with a happy ending.

And as for the couple that called Scott?   Yes they got the thousand dollars. 

If only Titan could talk.    

A friend of mine sent me this obviously made up picture. It got so many laughs in the newsroom I had to post it.

While I admit, I have not followed the Michael Vick story like hound dog. It does sound like he is in serious trouble with the federal dog fighting charges. In fact some of his co-defendants are speaking out and copping pleas. The very name "Bad Newz Kennels" seems to be an omen.

Vicks attorney says he will prove his innocence in court in November... until then it seems likely Vick is going to take a mauling in the court of public opinion.  And if found guilty the dogs might just have something to sink their teeth into.

That raises the question.  Just what would be an appropriate punishment for someone who tortures animals?

As I mentioned in my last blog on this topic... cops felt confident they could make an arrest in this case. Given the public outrage it was just a matter of time someone would come forward. And many of you right here on myfoxdfw.com helped keep the heat on... in fact, it was one of the hottest topics for weeks on our website.

Sources tell me some of the Internet chatter they picked up on the case was right here on this website. They say it lead them to people who had good information.

What's interesting about this story is... it started out as "biker vs drivers" and in the end, sources tell me it was both "bikers and drivers" that helped put the case together, both equally outraged by the incident. Many bikers felt the incident gave ALL bikers a bad name. And here's an interesting side bar, one of the lead investigators on the case is a biker.

Cops say 34-year old Steven Williford of Mesquite is the shooter in the incident and he's now charged with aggravated assault.

As I interviewed Master Sgt. Griffin about his winning a share of the Texas Lottery... I wondered... should a man fighting for our freedoms overseas in a combat zone really be taxed? I mean, after all he split a 12 MILLION dollar jackpot with 25 buddies and after all the taxes were taken out, he's taking home a little less than 200 thousand. It's still a lot of money but.... Let me make this clear-- Sgt. Griffin is not complaining. He feels like he won the lottery twice; once, by safely returning from Iraq and two, by getting a share of the jackpot. He strikes me as a sincere, genuine, honorable man and an obvious patriot. That's what made me think... guys like this are already being taxes by being in harm's way so, don't they deserve a taxbreak... especially on a freak windfall? By the way everyone I interviewed said the same thing... "he shouldn't be taxed he's already risking his life in a combat zone!"

In our morning editorial meeting, most of my colleagues thought it was nice to finally see the "good guy" finish. Before the meeting I briefly Google'd (Soldier combat tax) I got a link saying soldiers in a combat zone do not have to pay federal or state taxes. WOW, I thought, maybe this guy really can cash in... By the way, while I got the green light to check it out; I only received a luke warm response to the follwoup.

My first step... you guessed it... The IRS... the Internal Revenue Service. The Alpha and the Omega of the American tax code. After futilely attempting to navigating through the maze of mind boggling BS, I decided to just call one of the Public Information Officers to get a quick straight forward response. (NOT!!) Let's call him IRS# 1. After explaining to IRS# 1 that a North Texas solider won a share of the Lottery and was apparently exempt from paying federal taxes on his income... would that apply to is winnings as well? IRS# 1 Says "We don't comment on Specific taxpayer situations." WHAT?? I said ok how about in general? I was getting nowhere. So, I called and an IRS spokesman in our nation's capital... that ought to get me an answer right? Wrong! IRS# 2 tells me "We cannot comment on hypotheticals." Before I pulled the trigger I got some coffee made some calls on another story I'm working on... and I got a call from IRS # 3 who agreed to give me background information on the matter, If I didn't identify him. (Yes like deep throat) He summed it up by saying Military income in combat zones is not taxable all other outside income is... including Lottery winnings.

That's all I wanted to know in the first place... but my question still remains... can't the good guys get a break. Even if it is just in the form of a one time tax break?

If you'd like to weigh in on the matter, you can participate in our little unscientific poll or just let me know how you really feel. Click here to see story and poll.

In case you're thinking everyone forgot about it, they didn't. I'm talking about the shooting along the DNT several weeks ago. Below is a link to the 9-1-1 tape that supports the Jaguar drivers assertion that he was being attacked, chased and shot at by nearly a dozen Rouge bikers. Hear if for yourself. The man claimed he was trying to pass a bunch of bikers acting up, riding wheelites and blocking Southbound traffic when the trouble started. His car was riddled with bullets and his mirrors kicked off. This story generated a GREAT deal of internet interest. I am letting you know now that we will stay on top of this story. Police sources tell me they have some solid leads that may lead to an arrest, but they are asking for the help of the dozen or so "bad" bikers that were there and know what happened. As you can see stories like these can be a burden on all bikers (unfortunately). The lead investigator on the case is a biker himself and he's hoping some "good" bikers will step up and do the right thing.

Stay tuned James Rose

Reporter Fox 4 News Street Squad

I want to make it clear. I am not blasting all bikers. I just think the stupid stunts SOME bikers pull on the highways are more appropriate for the show "Jack[behind]" Hey, I used to have a bike and loved riding it in the mountains of Colorado. But would I ride one here? NO WAY! For the same reasons that many of you so correctly cited. People driving in cars are the greatest threat to everyone on the roadway. There are so many people eating, drinking, writing, texting and talking on cell phones while driving... it makes me wanna drive around in a tank or some kind of armored car, let alone a motorcycle. And yes, I too am sometimes guilty of indulging in some of those distractions-- But not all at the same time. If you saw the report we aired Wednesday you know the kind of "bad" bikers I'm talking about... The kind that block all of the lanes of the highway by slowing down so that no one can pass while they ride wheelies... and do other death defying stunts.

Someone sent me a link to a website called Dallas Riders where a guy named "Tom Ass" talked about the incident on Sunday, claiming to have been involved.

And in case you missed my report showing video of the bikers just before the clash.

So, don't get me wrong I like biking I just don't want to be the bug on the windshield.

How often have you experienced this? You're driving down the highway, minding your own business, when suddenly you hear the screaming sound of a swarm of motorcycles speeding and weaving in and out of traffic. Many times they'll blow right by you riding on one wheel! Just the site and sound of a speeding bike doing a wheelie can be frightening... and downright unnerving for most of us. You begin to imagine the what ifs.... what if they wipeout? What if you (accidentally) hit them? What if someone else hits them before you do?  None of these are pleasant scenarios.

The glaring question is... why do these dare devils do it? I don't even think Evil Knievel had the nerve to do some of these stupid stunts. I'm sure it's an adrenaline rush, but when you weigh the rush against the potential road rash... for me the pain would far outweigh the pleasure.  I would however like to pick the brains of some of these risk taking riders, (and I don't mean off the street) to find out why they're apparently more than willing to be organ donors.  And that makes me wonder how many really are organ donors. 

I have been to 16 countries and the East, West and Gulf coasts of the U.S.. To me the emerald green-blue waters off the coast of Alabama and Florida are difficult to beat when it comes to natural beauty… The sugar white sand is as clean as it is blinding in the sunlight. We stayed at Pensacola Beach resort that was reasonable and more importantly, pet friendly.

There is a lot to do there. A three day fishing license is seven dollars. And odds are you will catch more fish than you can cook and eat at one setting. You don’t need to doll out the big bucks to reel in some big fish from the banks and piers. There are plenty of public piers available, and the Pensacola people are very friendly and willing to share the secrets of saltwater fishing.

If you get tired of fishing, you can always rent a catamaran very reasonably and sail the blue-green waters into the sunset or to see Fort Pickens on the Western end of Pensacola Beach. I think it is more impressive from the water than on the beach. In fact unless you are willing to bike or hike seven miles, that’s pretty much the only way you are going to see it on land. In 2004 Hurricane Ivan washed out the more than a mile of the roadway and it has yet to reopen. But National Park tours are available. For me seeing it from the water is more impressive, because it’s easier to reflect or the rich history.

We found lots of “free” family friendly entertainment in Pensacola which is also know as “America’s first European settlement”. Every Thursday night in the summer a band performs in the public square and it draws hundreds of locals and tourists alike. Pensacola also has one of the best aviation museums in the world and if you get up early enough , you can watch the Navy’s Blue Angels practice from the edge of the edge of the runway. If you’ve never seen the Blue Angels in action they are truly spectacular.

Next time, I’m going to do a little crabbing and maybe even learn to throw a cast net… seafood doesn’t get any better or fresher. And the 16’ Catamaran I had went fast enough to ski behind. (Well, maybe not that fast) but it was fun, and after all that’s the goal. Right? I may even go back toward the end of hurricane season. The deals get better as the seas get rougher. Besides, if I don’t get a vacation, maybe I’ll get a story.