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Magistrate rules Fort Bend ME can be sued in homicide ruling case By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
A Houston federal magistrate judge ruled this month that Fort Bend County Judge KP George and his colleagues on Commissioners Court cannot be sued by a Sugar Land woman who claims that the county’s medical examiner wantonly delayed making a manner-of-death ruling in her husband’s purported suicide, only to much later rule that the death was a homicide. But the magistrate ruled that Dr. Stephen Pustilnik, the medical examiner, is not entitled to “qualified immunity” in Yvette Atkinson’s claim that he made a false ruling of homicide in retaliation for her and her brother’s efforts to try to get Pustilnik to make a ruling. In the civil lawsuit filed in December 2022, Yvette Atkinson states that her husband, Simon, died of a gunshot wound at their home on June 5, 2020. A forensic pathologist performed an autopsy within days and “found no evidence of foul play,” the complaint states. Likewise, the Sugar Land Police Department investigated and “quickly concluded that Mr. Atkinson died of suicide,” according to the complaint. According to the complaint, Atkinson likely was depressed
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New FBISD board president Tassin pledges ‘a new day’ for district By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Newly elected Fort Bend ISD board president Kristin Tassin vowed on Monday that she would work toward bringing a new era of trust, accountability and cohesion to a board and a district that has seen its fair share of turmoil in recent months. “Today starts a new day in Fort Bend ISD,” Tassin said shortly after a newly constituted board voted unanimously for her to serve as president at Monday’s regular board meeting. Tas-
sin previously served on the board, including as president. “This board is collectively committed to serving our community in a way that is reflective of the excellence for which Fort Bend ISD is accustomed.” Tassin said she pledged “to work to restore respect and professionalism inside and outside the boardroom towards my fellow trustees, the superintendent, teachers, staff, parents, and the community at large. The time
SEE PRESIDENT PAGE 2
Newly elected Fort Bend ISD Position 6 trustee Kristin Tassin, right, is sworn in by outgoing board president Judy Dae on Monday. The newly constituted board later elected Tassin as its new president. Photo by Ken Fountain
MCTX ChalkFest See Page 3 - for more photos from the ChalkFest event
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because of business problems in the wake of the COVID-10 pandemic and the ensuing economic shutdown. But when Yvette Atkinson’s brother, Steven Sanchez, paid a visit to the Pustilnik’s office of medical to ask why he had not yet made an official ruling, it quickly turned into a “heated argument”, according to the complaint. Sanchez wanted to find out when a ruling would be made so that his sister could collect the proceeds from a $1 million life insurance policy she needed to keep her husband’s business afloat and support her teenage son, according to the complaint. That set off a series of confrontations between Sanchez and Pustilnik, whom the complaint accuses of delaying making a ruling in the case or even holding an inquest for more than a year “for the most petty and inhumane reasons,” the complaint states. Sanchez also tried to get George and members of Commissioners Court to intervene in the matter.
SEE HOMICIDE PAGE 2
Alexus Rendon of Channelview draws an image of a tiger during the third annual MCTX ChalkFest on Saturday. Photo by Ken Fountain
Sugar Land council receives recommendations from charter commission Staff Reports Sugar Land City Council last week reviewed a final report and recommendations from an independent group of residents who served on the city’s Charter Review Commission. The city’s charter is a document that provides the foundation for governance in Sugar Land. This includes provisions for a council-manager form of government, legislative authority of City Council, general elections provisions, finance provisions and several other areas outlining the governance of Sugar Land. Members of the commission included Chair Daniel Harris, Bob Barbour, David James, Tara Mascarenhas, Lesley Nichols, Neel Patel and Ashish Vyas. The commission held six public meetings from Jan. 24
through April 17. Their recommendations follow: • The commission recommends that the charter be amended to reduce maximum length of a franchise to no more than 25 years. • The charter currently authorizes City Council to regulate the rates, charges, fees, operations and services of any person, utility or entity providing water, wastewater, electricity, natural gas, telephone, telecommunications, cable television, taxicab, bus, solid waste, transportation, or similar service to the public within the city. The commission recommends that “taxicab” and “bus” be deleted as they are encompassed within “transportation.” • The commission recommends adding language making it clear that every third year there will be no election. • The commission recom-
mends that the “resign to run” provision in the charter be amended so that it applies to all positions and not just public offices other than City Council. The commission suggests that if a member of the City Council becomes a candidate for election to any public office, such candidacy shall constitute an automatic resignation of the city office then held and the vacancy thereby created will be filled in accordance with the provisions of the charter. • The commission recommends extending the term of judges to four years and requiring that the municipal court judge reside within the city of Sugar Land. The residency requirement would not apply to associate judges. In 1981, Sugar Land citizens voted to adopt the city’s first home-rule charter. By converting from a general-
The Sugar Land Charter Commission recently made several recommendations for charter amendments to City Council. File photo by Ken Fountain
law city to a home-rule city, citizens chose to exercise their right under the Texas Constitution to make local laws to govern their own affairs. The charter is the city’s “constitution” and cannot be amended except by approval of the voters and not more
than every two years. The charter is available online at sugarlandtx.gov/ charter. City Council is expected to consider and take action on the Charter Commission’s recommendations at a future meeting.