2023
READERS’ CHOICE
Cullinan Park Conservancy’s annual photo contest - Page 3
GET SEEN CALL 713-371-3600
ADVERTISE HERE! WEDNESDAY • AUGUST 21, 2024
Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 49 • No. 34 • $1.00
Visit www.FortBendStar.com
McCoy Former QVMS instructor charged with sexual calls on assault of a child, possession of child pornography Patel to withdraw from Precinct 3 race By Ken Fountain
KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Fort Bend County Precinct 4 Commissioner Dexter McCoy last week publicly called upon his fellow Democrat, Taral Patel, to withdraw from the November election for Precinct 3 Commissioner in the wake of charges against Patel of online impersonation and misrepresentation of
Taral Patel
Dexter McCoy
identity. In an open letter published Thursday in his private capacity, McCoy wrote that the Democratic Party “has been quick to highlight the incredible hypocrisy of Republicans at the state level who claim to value the Rule of Law while supporting an individual with multiple felony charges for public office,” referring to Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. “Now, in Fort Bend County, Democrats face a similar situation. In June, the Democratic nominee for County Commissioner Precinct 3, Taral Patel, was arrested on a felony charge for online impersonation and a misdemeanor charge for misrepresentation of identity. Court documents reveal Patel allegedly impersonated a sitting district judge and a former county employee via email and social media. The Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office has provided evidence that Patel allegedly created fake online accounts to post racist attacks directed at himself, which he then used to generate media attention and raise money for his campaign.” Patel was arrested in June on the felony and misdemeanor charges relating to the alleged creation of fake social media accounts and other online persona to engage in social media postings and press materials highlighting supposed racist and xenophobic attacks on himself. Patel is the son of Indian immigrants and a Hindu. Subsequent search warrants by the public integrity unit of Fort Bend District Attorney’s Office have raised new allegations that Patel also created a fake Facebook account in the name of 240th District Court Judge Surrendran Pattel (who is unrelated to Patel) to engage in other false statements and emails relating to the race of Precinct 3 Commissioner, a post held for nearly three decades by Republican Andy Meyers. Still other search warrants allege that Patel, under the guise of a purported “for-
SEE WITHDRAW PAGE 2
A former longtime instructor with the Kickstart Kids martial arts program at Fort Bend ISD’s Quail Valley Middle School has been arrested and charged with sexual assault of a child and possession of more than 50 items of child pornography. Dona Devon Pettway, who according to his Kickstart website has been an employee of the Dallas-based program since 2006, was fired by the program in June after allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a student became known by Fort Bend ISD. Each of the two charges carries a $250,000 bond. Pettway went before a Fort Bend County magistrate on Monday after being arrested
Friday. An arraignment is set for September 30 in the 458th District Court. Fort Bend ISD spokesperson Sherry Williams referred to a statement that the district released in June. “The district was recently made aware of an allegation of inappropriate conduct of a contracted employee with a student. The contracted employee was recently released from the district and will not be returning to any FBISD campus pending the results of an investigation by the Fort Bend ISD Police Department. If any student, staff, or parent has concerns or information regarding inappropriate conduct, please contact FBISD Police at 281-634-5500 or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 281-491-8477,” the statement read.
Dona Devon Pettway, a former instructor with the Kickstart Kids martial arts program at Fort Bend ISD’s Quail Valley Middle School, has been arrested and charged with sexual assault of a child and possession of more than 50 items of child pornography. Image from Pettway’s Kickstart Kids profile
The statement did not provide specificity about the contracted employee or the campus involved.
In an emailed statement, Joan Newhaus, executive director of Kickstart Kids, said that after the organization learned of the allegations against Pettway, “(w)e immediately removed the instructor from the classroom, and they are no longer employed by Kickstart Kids. All staff and instructors undergo a background check and receive comprehensive, regular training against abuse or misconduct toward students, all to protect young people under our care. “We will cooperate fully with any investigation by the school district or law enforcement,” it read. Kickstart Kids was founded in 1990 by actor and martial arts specialist Chuck Norris. According
to Newhaus, the program “prioritizes helping today’s young people. Its mission is to teach character through karate and to empower youth with core values, such as honesty, discipline and respect.” The program has been adopted by numerous school districts across Texas and other parts of the United States. Near the end of the 20232024 school year, the Fort Bend ISD administration was considering removing Kickstart Kids from its programs that students could attend to fulfill physical education requirements. But after numerous students and parents extolled the program at school board meetings, the board determined that it should remain as a P.E. equivalent.
Groundbreaking ceremony for African American Memorial set for Saturday
An artist’s rendering depicts the planned African American Memorial in Kendleton. A groundbreaking ceremony will be held on Saturday. Courtesy Hines Architecture + Design
Staff Reports On Saturday, a groundbreaking ceremony will be held for what is planned to be Texas’s largest African American Memorial at Bates Allen Park in Kendleton. The event will begin at noon. Long in the planning, the memorial project is the culmination of years of efforts by various individuals and people to honor the legacy of Black residents of Fort Bend County.
“This groundbreaking represents more than just the start of a construction project; it is a celebration of resilience, progress, and the powerful legacies of those who have paved the way,” Fort Bend Precinct 4 Commissioner Dexter McCoy said in a press release. He said the event will honor “these vital histories and to witness the creation of a symbol that will inspire future generations.” On Commissioners Court, Dexter worked to secure $4
million in funding for the development of an expanded Bates M. Allen Park to include a memorial to honor the contributions of AfricanAmericans to the county in Kendleton, a historically Black community. Kendleton was founded shortly after the end of the Civil War by formerly enslaved people and quickly became one of the most prominent African-American communities in Southeast Texas. The expanded Bates
M. Allen Park will encompass the Newman Chapel and Oak Hill cemeteries, long-important landmarks in Kendleton. Among the people interred at Newman Chapel Cemetery is Benjamin Franklin Williams, a Republican lawmaker during the Reconstruction Era and the only Black man ever nominated to be Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, and Walter Moses Burton, the first Black sheriff in U.S. history.
Saturday’s ceremony will include remarks from McCoy; U.S. Rep. Al Green; U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher; Precinct X Commissioner Grady Prestage; Texas Rep. Ron Reynolds; Kendleton Mayor Darryl K. Humphrey; Fort Bend County District Attorney Brian Middleton; and former U.S. Rep. Pete Olson, who helped initiate the project along with members of the Exchange Club of Sugar Land.
FORTBENDSTAR.COM