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Charges enhanced against former Missouri City police officer in fatal collision By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
A former Missouri City police officer involved in a collision that killed a mother and her teenage son last June was reindicted last month by Fort Bend County prosecutors after a man who was in the back seat of the officer’s car died from injuries he sustained in the collision. Bladamier Viveros was set to appear at a hearing Tuesday (after the Fort Bend Star’s print deadline) in the 240th District Court to address matters related a motion by the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office to revoke and increase Viveros’s bond. The hearing had originally been set for February 3. The collision occurred near the intersection of Cartwright Road and Texas Parkway on the evening of June 20, 2024. Killed in the collision were Angela Stewart, 53, and her son Mason, 16, who was driving their car after they visited a store on Cartwright. According to the Missouri City Police Department, Viveros was responding to a 911 call placed by the victim of a robbery at an ATM machine on Cartwright. He was traveling east in the 1600-1700 block of Cartwright when he struck the Stewarts’ car, which was exiting a parking lot of a large strip center at the intersection. They were both pronounced dead by Fort Bend EMS. Investigators with the Texas Department of Public Safety later said that Viveros was not using his flashing lights or siren while travelling over the speed limit. Hours after the incident, investigators discovered a man named Michael Hawkins in the backseat of Viveros’s patrol car who was badly injured and taken to Ben Taub Hospital in the Texas Medical Center. It was not immediately known why Hawkins was in the back seat of the car. His mother, Alice Bliss of Houston, subsequently sued Viveros, the city and police department on his behalf. That lawsuit is still pending. Viveros was immediately placed on administrative leave after the accident and was subsequently fired by the department. Viveros has been free on bonds totaling $150,000, which was set by a judge on December 17 after he revoked the previous bond amount of $100,000 following a violation of his pre-trial bond supervision conditions, according to prosecutors’ most recent motion to revoke the bond, filed on January 29. Michael Hawkins died on January 10, according to the state’s motion. On January 27, Viveros was re-indicted for aggravated assault of a public servant, a first-degree felony, in the Hawkins case. Because the degree of that case is now enhanced, prosecutors wrote, the bond amount is insufficient and should be enhanced by the judge.
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Richmond man charged with wife's murder Staff Reports A Richmond man was charged Monday with the Sunday shooting death of his wife, the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release. David Wayne Pollard, 47, is charged with murder in the death of his wife Iona Pollard, 52, at their home in the 8900 block of Rocky Knoll Lane. Deputies were dispatched to the scene at around 12:39 p.m. Sunday, where they discovered Iona Pollard deceased from an apparent gunshot wound inside the house. They detained David Wayne Pollard at the scene. After an investigation by FBCSO detectives, an arrest warrant for mur-
der was obtained through the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office, according to the press release. Pollard was booked into the Fort Bend County Jail on a $300,000 bond. As of the Fort Bend Star’s deadline on Monday, he remained in jail. In magistrate documents available on the Fort Bend County District Clerk’s website, Pollard has requested appointed counsel. “The loss of life is a heartbreaking tragedy that touches us all. These events leave a deep and lasting impact, not only on the families directly affected but also on the entire community,” Sheriff Eric Fagan said in the release. “Our heartfelt condolences go out to everyone grieving this tre-
mendous loss.” Iona Pollard, a cherished instructional coach at George Junior High School, was tragically killed in an incident involving her husband, David. This terrible event occurred outside of school grounds and is under investigation by local authorities. Iona Pollard was identified in a press release from Lamar Consolidated Independent School District as an instructional at George Junior High School. David Pollard is identified on the district’s website as a school safety coordinator. “Our thoughts are with Iona’s two children, who are also part of our Lamar CISD family,” Lamar CISD Superintendent Roosevelt Nivens
said in the release. “The loss of their mother and the circumstances of this tragedy are incredibly heartbreaking. We extend our deepest condolences to the Pollard children, their families, friends, and all who knew Iona, particularly her colleagues and students at George Junior High.” “As a community, we must pull together to support one another in this time of grief. Counseling and support services are available for any student, staff member, or family needing assistance. Staff members may also contact EAP at 1-800-475-3327. We understand the emotional weight this places on our community and are here to provide care and support,” Nivens said.
THE HEAT IS ON Becerra, Shike announce primary challenges against George
By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
More than a year before the primaries in the races for Texas elective offices in 2026, the race for the seat of Fort Bend County Judge is already taking shape. In recent days two men - former Precinct 4 Constable Nabil Shike and current 434th District Court Judge J. Christian Becerra – announced they would challenge County Judge KP George for the Democratic nomination for the county’s top elective office. Shike, who last November lost his reelection bid to Republican Ali Sheikhani, was first out of the gate with a press release issued on Saturday, February 1. Becerra, who was first elected to the bench in 2020, followed with his own press release on Friday, February 7. George has been dogged since last year by allegations that he worked with his former chief of staff, Taral Patel, in a purported email and social media campaign designed to make it appear that people were impugning Patel’s ethnicity and religion during the unsuccessful campaign last year to unseat longtime Republican Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers. (Patel is Indian-American and a Hindu. George is Indian-American and a Christian.) Patel has been charged by Fort Bend County prosecutors with several felony and misdemeanor crimes. George has been charged thus far with a single misdemeanor count of misrepresentation of identity. He is currently appealing in the 14th Texas Court of Appeals a judge’s decision rejecting his motion to quash
434th District Court Judge J. Christian Becerra, left, and former Precinct 4 Constable Nabil Shike, center, have announced they are challenging Fort Bend County Judge KP George in the 2026 Democratic Primary. Sources: Becerra and Shike campaigns, Office of Fort Bend County Judge website his indictment. In a phone interview on Friday after his two challengers’ announcements, George told the Fort Bend Star that he fully intends to run for reelection and that he has “done nothing wrong.” He said there would be new information about that coming out “soon,” but he would not specify when. Both challengers alluded to George’s legal difficulties in their announcements without naming him directly. Shike, who is an attorney, won election to the constable position in 2020 but lost his election bid last November, said in his press release that he wants to “bring a breath of fresh air and new ideas to the Office of Fort Bend County Judge.” “The current administration has faced criticism highlighting the need for a leader who embodies the values of faith, family, and service to others,” Shike wrote. “I am poised to fill this void, promising to put people over politics and work tirelessly for
the betterment of Fort Bend County.” Efforts by the Fort Bend Star to reach Shike directly for this story were not successful by deadline. In his own press release, Becerrra said, “Leaders lead. I won’t stand for anyone who uses hate to drive a wedge between our communities. My catalyst for running for Fort Bend County Judge is to provide qualified, experienced leadership to bring our divergent community together. We are better together, and Fort Bend County deserves a leader who recognizes and appreciates our greatest asset: our people.” In an interview at a cafe in Sugar Land, Becerra told the Fort Bend Star that he has a lifelong passion for Fort Bend County and bettering its justice system. “The Fort Bend County I grew up in has changed completely,” he said. “To me, there’s old Fort Bend County and new Fort Bend County. We have to find a way to work together.” Becerra cited the county’s reputation as one of the most diverse
counties in the United States. “If we can show a blueprint of working together and bringing all of the communities together, and finding ways to focus on what makes us similar instead of focusing on that very small percentage of what makes us different.” He added that that hope counts for political parties as well as ethnic groups. Becerra’s great-grandfather emigrated to the United States from Mexico in the early 20th Century during the Mexican Revolution and founded a grocery store in Rosenberg, where Becerra grew up. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in philosophy. He said he had intended to go to New York to become an actor, but at his father’s insistence he went to law school at the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University. Upon graduation in 1998, Becerra
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METRO opens new Missouri City Park & Ride facility Staff Reports The Metropolitan Transit Authority, or METRO, last week opened its new Missouri City Park & Ride, a modern transit hub designed to improve mobility for Missouri City and Fort Bend County residents. The facility is located at 20525 Fort Bend Parkway Toll Road, Fresno. at the intersection of Fort Bend Parkway and Knight Road, With the opening of the new location, the 271 Missouri City - SH6 Park & Ride route has been discontinued. The new facility replaces the former Park & Ride stop in the parking lot of the Kroger grocery store on the other side of the Fort Bend Parkway. The facility connects riders to the Texas Medical Center with options to hop on METRORail or other local bus routes. The facility also serves
as a pick up and drop off point for METRO’s 363 Missouri City curb2curb service. “As this community continues to grow, access to reliable transit will be increasingly more important,” METRO Board Chair Elizabeth Gonzalez Brock said in a press release. “The new Missouri City Park & Ride expands mobility options, making it easier for commuters to connect to key destinations within METRO’s service area.” The new Missouri City Park & Ride offers 1,750 covered parking spaces and a covered waiting area to ensure a comfortable and convenient travel experience. The facility serves as an anchor
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The Metropolitan Transit Authority, or METRO, last week opened its new Missouri City Park & Ride facility, with 1,750 covered parking spaces and a covered waiting area. Courtesy Metropolitan Transit Authority