Lightning destroys Lumberton area home of former BPD Chief Scofield; no injuries

HARDIN COUNTY - A lightning strike has destroyed the Lumberton area home of retired Beaumont Police Department chief Tom Scofield. Scofield and his wife, Kathy, were away at bible study and weren't hurt. An EMS crew found their dog, Dixie, hiding in the pantry and transported her to a veterinarian for treatment of smoke inhalation.

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The fire was reported shortly after 6 p.m. Tuesday at the home on FM 421, several miles west of the Lumberton city limits between Lumberton and Sour Lake.

Firefighters from the Lumberton Volunteer Fire Department fought the fire, along with help from the Sour Lake VFD. They put out a mutual aid call for the Kountze VFD to bring its tanker.

Scofield retired at the end of 2005, having served as chief for about 13 years in a career that spanned 36 years with the Beaumont Police Department.

His wife, Kathy, had a long career with the Beaumont Health Department.
 

Beaumont orthodontist pleads guilty to Medicaid fraud
A Beaumont orthodontist has agreed to give up more than $800,000 and he faces up to ten years in federal prison after pleading guilty to medicaid fraud.

Prosecutors say 70-year-old Terrence Ewing Syler turned in claims for devices called expanders but didn't provide them to his patients

The government paid him $829,000 for the devices.

He has not been sentenced.

If you have information about health care fraud the Department of Health and Human Services encourages you to call its fraud hotline: 1-800-HSS-TIPS. 

Woman returns home after police search through the night

BEAUMONT - Beaumont Police are searching for a missing mentally challenged woman.

Military plans would put women in most combat jobs
By LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Military leaders will roll out their plans Tuesday to begin tearing down the remaining walls that have prevented women from holding thousands of combat and special operations jobs near the front lines.

Under details of the plans obtained by The Associated Press, women could start training as Army Rangers by mid-2015 and as Navy SEALs a year later.

The military services have mapped out a schedule that will also include reviewing and possibly changing the physical and mental standards that men and women will have to meet in order to quality for certain infantry, armor, commando and other front-line positions across the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. Under the plan to be introduced Tuesday, there would be one common standard for men and women for each job.

2 paramedics, baby hurt in Houston ambulance wreck
HOUSTON (AP) -- Houston police have arrested a suspected drunken driver after his SUV allegedly ran a red light, hit an ambulance and knocked the emergency vehicle on its side.

Houston police say the wreck early Tuesday left two paramedics who were in the ambulance and a baby boy in the SUV with minor injuries. The ambulance was returning to the station at the time of the wreck and was not hauling any patients.

Investigators say the SUV driver faces a felony DWI charge. Police are trying to determine his relationship to the injured youngster.

Further details weren't immediately available.