Sex Offender Sentenced to Life in Prison

(FORT WORTH, Texas) -- A convicted sex offender was sent back to prison on Wednesday after he violated a civil commitment order.

According to the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office, Todd William Mitchell, 55, has six previous felony convictions for abusing young boys and had spent 14 years in prison before being released.

After being released from prison in 2006, Mitchell was ordered to undergo supervision and sex offender treatment. When Mitchell violated that order, he was returned to prison in 2009.

He was released again in 2011, but was found to be in violation of his commitment after he was terminated from his sex offender treatment program for failure to make progress and multiple rule violations including making sexual jokes.

While violation of civil commitment normally has a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison, due to his history, Mitchell was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday. Mitchell is the first sexual predator to receive a life sentence in Tarrant County for violating civil commitment.

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FBI Offers $20,000 Reward for Arrest of 'Mesh Mask Bandit'

(ARLINGTON, Texas) -- The FBI is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the so-called "Mesh Mask Bandit."

According to the Dallas Morning News, the man who is suspected of robbing 17 area banks since New Year's Eve struck again on Monday at a local Capital One Bank. Authorities have placed the latest composite sketch of the suspect on digital billboards in the area.

In a press release, the FBI stated that the robber may have sustained chemical burns during the latest robbery.

The suspect is described as a Hispanic male between the ages of 37 and 43 years old, between 5 feet 7 inches and 6 feet 2 inches tall with dark hair and dark eyes, according to the Morning News. He is believed to be driving a blue Dodge Caravan.

Anyone with information about the suspect is urged to call the FBI's Dallas office at (972) 559-5000.

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Homicide Suspect Arrested After Victim Falls to Injuries

(DALLAS) -- At midnight Wednesday, Dallas police arrested a man charged with murdering a woman this past April.

The suspect, 61-year-old Sharone Brown, was arguing with the victim, 60-year-old Sherry Whitacre in the early morning hours of April 10. During the argument, Brown allegedly assaulted Whitacre, punching her in the head and throwing her to the ground outside the door.

Whitacre was taken to the hospital by Dallas Fire Rescue, where she was able to recount what had happened to her. On April 17, Whitacre died, due to a combination of pre-existing medical problems and the injuries sustained during the assault.

The Dallas Medical Examiner’s office ruled the death as a homicide.

Brown was arrested by Dallas Police officers on Wednesday, and is currently in the Dallas County Jail. He has been charged with murder in the first degree.

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FBI Arrests Dallas County Man Charged with $3.5M Fraud Scheme

(DALLAS) -- Federal agents arrested a Dallas County man on Monday morning due to his alleged role in a multi-million-dollar staged accident fraud scheme, according to the FBI in Dallas.

The suspect, 61-year-old Leroy Nelson of Duncanville, Texas, was charged with six counts of mail fraud and engaging in illegal monetary transactions.

According to the indictment, Nelson was instrumental in creating a scheme to defraud multiple insurance companies going back to at least 2005. He allegedly recruited people to falsely report to their auto insurer that they had damaged a piece of equipment that was on the road or that was being hauled by a trailer.

Officials say Nelson provided them with very technical and informed scripts to read to their insurance companies, allowing them to claim $16,000 to $19,000 in damages. Nelson paid his recruits, and had the insurance money sent to private mailboxes around the country, then forwarded to him.

Each of the mail fraud counts carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine and each engaging in an illegal monetary transaction counts carries the same fine and a maximum of 10 years.

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Eight Children Found Alone in House, Taken to Fire Station

(DALLAS) -- Firefighters entertained eight children who had been dropped off at the Oak Cliff fire station after they were found alone in a home. Family and Protective Services has since taken temporary custody of the kids.

The children were found by two women who were visiting an acquaintance’s house for a welfare check at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, according to the Fire Department.

They instead found eight children, ranging in age from 3 to 12 years old. Authorities do not know how long they were home alone .

The woman took them to Oak Cliff Fire Department, where firefighters cared for them and entertained them for a little over a half hour before police arrived to take them away.

“Firefighters felt that they didn’t do anything special and didn’t want the focus applied to them when it should have been on the two ladies who found the kids in the first place,” explained Jason L. Evans, Public Information Officer for the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department.

The children have since been taken in by Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, according to The Dallas Morning News.

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