Hood County News from Granbury, Texas • Page 1

124th Year Number 86 Local, zone(s): 3 sections 42 pages plus supplements State: 2 sections 26 pages TEE TIME SATURDAY: The second annual Greater Hood County Golf Championship is Saturday and Sunday at six area courses. Josh Price (pictured) won last inaugural event. 12A. CALENDAR. EDUCATION 11A KIDSCOOP LIFE 8A, 1B, 2B, 10B OBITUARIES.

READER SNAPS. SPORTS 12A-15A More than a newspaper. A Hood County legend since 1886 News News Hood County Hood County Published Wednesday and Saturday Granbury, Texas 76048 Wednesday, June 23, 2010 www.hcnews.com 75 cents BY KATHY CRUZ HOOD COUNTY NEWS As officials with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) begin what is expected to be a yearlong process in determining what caused the New Mexico plane crash that killed five people from Hood County, the two teenage boys who were the lone survivors appear headed for recovery. The most seriously injured Alex Richey, 16 took a surprising turn for the better on Saturday after having been listed in critical at the University Medical Center in El Paso on Friday. His 12-year-old brother, Kristopher, met with a psychologist over the weekend and on Sunday took two of about 20 feet each, aided by hospital staff, according to reports.

Monday evening, Kristopher was moved to his room, and both boys will soon be transferred to an as-yet- undisclosed Houston hospital, according to reports posted on Caring Bridge websites. Both boys were thrown from the wreckage, which may have saved their lives. A fire erupted and spread to about an acre before it was extinguished by emergency crews, officials reported. In a website posting early Monday by Kristopher, who just finished sixth grade at Acton Middle School, is well aware of what has happened to his Oak Woods first-grade teacher Keri Richey and her husband, Lowell, a former coach at Granbury Middle School, were passengers in the plane piloted by Rodney Duree, chair of the city of Granbury Airport Advisory Board. All three perished in the fiery crash, along with wife Delaine and their 12-year-old son, Lake.

Alex, a Granbury High School student who just finished 10th grade, sustained intestinal damage, punctured lungs, a broken jaw and two broken legs. The accident occurred as the plane was coming in for a landing on runway 24 at Sierra Blanca Regional Airport near Ruidoso, about 130 miles south of Albuquerque. The purpose of the trip was for Lowell Richey to spread the ashes of his mother, who died last fall. Peter Knudson, a spokesman for the NTSB, said the last communications from the pilot came when the plane was about 20 miles out, then 4 miles out. The craft crashed about a quarter mile from the runway.

PLEASE SEE HOPE 2A BY MARK WILSON HOOD COUNTY NEWS The nightmare is ongoing for Roy Pierce and his family. Since May 29, when his wife Elaine King was killed with a sword in their home on Ashley Court in Blue Water Shores southeast of Granbury, he has had trouble sleeping. He also said been difficult for him to return to work. The four children who were in the home that morning three who lived there and one who was visiting have had professional counseling. The man accused of using a three-foot-long sword to murder King is her uncle, Billy Richard Renfro Jr.

On Friday afternoon, three weeks after the unfathomable tragedy, Pierce spoke to the Hood County News. He was still trying to grasp why the woman he had been with for almost six years was killed. try to block it out of my mind. still staying in the house. looking for another said Pierce, adding that the first place he wanted to move work out.

A Hood County Office deputy first responded to the emergency call at 9:30 a.m. Renfro was arrested a short time later in the 1600 block of Fall Creek Highway after a brief vehicle chase. Pierce said he had left the house that morning to go to work at about 8 a.m. believe he waited because he knew I went to work and I going to be back for a Pierce said. two children, a 5-year- old boy and 7-year-old girl, reportedly were in the residence at the time of the incident, along with 17-year-old niece.

Another 17-year-old girl was there, visiting niece for the weekend. The visiting girl reportedly broke out a bathroom window so that she and daughter could escape the house. niece had left through the front door, and returned to the house to get son, who reportedly took refuge in a bedroom. Last October Pierce and his wife had decided to help Renfro, who is 39, by agreeing to let him live with them, Pierce said. He said that they were aware of the two violent felony convictions Renfro had in Tarrant County sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempted murder in 1991, and five years for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in 2004, according to court records.

knew about those Pierce said. told me, he told me, his mother told But he said they saw no prior evidence the Renfro might be dangerous, and fear hav- Family trying to cope with the unthinkable Injured boys recovering as probe of plane crash gets under way STRENGTH IN NUMBERS: A crowd of friends and supporters gathered outside the Richey household in Granbury Saturday evening for a candlelight memorial and prayer vigil for former Granbury Middle School coach Lowell Richey and his wife, Keri, a fi rst-grade teacher at Oak Woods School. The couple died in a plane crash Thursday near Ruidoso, N.M. Their sons, Alex, 16, and Kristopher, 12, are recovering in an El Paso hospital. Rodney Duree, his wife Delaine, and their 12-year-old son Lake were also killed in the crash.

A memorial service for the Rodney Duree family will be held at 2 Friday afternoon at Acton United Methodist Church. MARY VINSON HOOD COUNTY NEWS Alex Richey Kristopher Richey Elaine King, 33, murdered with sword, offi cers say PLEASE SEE WHY? 2A MARY VINSON HOOD COUNTY NEWS Boy, 15, drowns near City Beach Albertson Granbury student Jesse Albertson became fatigued while swimming and went underwater, according to reports. PLEASE SEE DROWNING 2A fireworks show rated one of the best You won't need to travel far to watch one of the top 10 Fourth of July fireworks displays in the Southwest. The fireworks show over Lake Granbury is included in the top 10 list compiled by a national business directory website. Granbury's of fireworks show is expected to get going around 9:40 p.m.

Sunday, July 4. According to the top 10 list, 'Spirit of America' has heaps of small-town charm despite being only 30 miles from Fort Worth. The best spot for viewing the fireworks is on Lake PLEASE SEE FOURTH 2A BY MARK WILSON HOOD COUNTY NEWS Five minutes after an officer cleared members of the public from City Beach, a man who had been helping search for a drowning victim emerged from the water and said, found The body of 15-year-old Hood County resident Jesse Daniel Albertson was lifted from the water into a waiting motorboat and taken to an ambulance on shore just after 3:40 p.m. Monday. Justice of the peace Judy Watson pronounced Jesse dead at 4:10 p.m., just over an hour after the first call came in to the Hood County emergency dispatchers.

Divers and other swimmers were involved in the search, and two boats were waiting next to the pier, where Brazos River Authority officials and other officers were overseeing the effort. Watson said she was told that Albertson and a 13-year-old friend had been swimming near the pier at City Beach, and decided to swim back to the beach area after they became tired. When the older boy became distressed in the water, the 13-year-old swam back to him and tried to help. he thought (Albert- son) was Watson said. he realized he was in trouble, and he was going under too, and broke loose from him and swam to shore.

He just got in distress and Watson said Tuesday that the official cause of death is listed as Emergency responders were unable to revive Jesse in the ambulance, which remained in place near a boat ramp. Later, representatives from a local funeral home arrived and parked- next to the ambulance to take the body. Brazos River Authority officer Kyle Lewis was at the scene but said he could not release any information. Judy Pierce, public information officer for BRA in Waco, issued a news release that did not include the name of the drowning victim. Pierce said Tuesday morning that she had no additional information.

A Granbury man who was on the beach with his family was one of the first to go into the water to help search for Jesse. He said the water was too cloudy to see anything. swam out about 10 or 15 said the man, who asked not to be identified. was going to the bottom and coming back up. You see more than two or three feet.

was hoping to go along the bottom and see something above me. My first thought was that it was kind of like a Ernest Hurtado, another volunteer who helped search for Jesse in the early stages, said, went out there to swim down to the bottom. We feel Kenneth Garrison of Granbury was on the beach and said he started noticing people seemed to be panic never heard Garrison said. need to put.