By Lacie Morrison
lmorrison@mineralwellsindex.com

PALO PINTO – The Palo Pinto County Grand Jury recently returned 17 indictments against 16 named individuals and 19 indictments against unnamed individuals.

Among the named indictments returned was one against William Edward Ditmore Jr., 45, of Brad, who was arrested in April for the shooting death of his neighbor, Robert Mackey, 71.

Mackey was found shot to death on April 24 outside his business, Mackey Post Yard, on U.S. Highway 180 approximately 13 miles west of Palo Pinto. A neighbor discovered his body and contacted authorities.

At the time of his arrest, county officials said Ditmore confessed to his mother that he killed Mackey. Ditmore was indicted on a first-degree felony charge of murder.


Deputy cleared

In addition to the indictments returned against several individuals, the Palo Pinto Grand Jury declined to indict Palo Pinto County sheriff’s deputy Gary Lively for the May shooting of a Graford man.

District Attorney Michael Burns said the case was investigated by the Texas Rangers and the “no bill” verdict ends the investigation.

With a “no bill,” Burns explained the grand jury concluded that no crime was committed.

Jacob Wade King, 26, was fatally shot in an altercation with a group of law enforcement officers at a substation of the Palo Pinto County Sheriff’s Office on Park Road 36.

Palo Pinto County Sheriff Ira Mercer told the Index after the shooting that King allegedly charged a deputy with a broken knife after driving a red Chevrolet car into an unmanned and parked sheriff’s department vehicle.

The incident began with a domestic dispute between King and a woman inside the car while they were traveling eastbound on PR 36, the sheriff said. When King allegedly tossed the woman’s cell phone out the window, she stopped the car to retrieve it.

At that point, King reportedly slid into the driver’s seat, turned the car around and headed westbound. Officials reported that King accelerated in the substation’s parking lot and struck the patrol car. The department vehicle was knocked into the substation and damaged the building.

“He kept his hand behind his back and said he had a knife,” the sheriff said. Law enforcement personnel reportedly used pepper spray on King with no affect; Lively fired three shots at King, striking him in the leg, abdomen and shoulder.

Other indictments returned by the grand jury were:

• Raymond Junior Smith for felony driving while intoxicated.

• Lee Allen Mathis for felony driving while intoxicated.

• Jimmy Wayne Shubert for felony driving while intoxicated.

• Martine Shayne Bailey for possession of marijuana less than 2,000 pounds but more than 50 pounds.

• Rafael Mejia Garcia for possession of marijuana less than 2,000 pounds but more than 50 pounds.

• Ryan Edward Porter for possession of a controlled substance namely methamphetamine in an amount of 1 gram or more but less than 4 grams.

• Richard McClay Melvin for continuous sexual abuse of a child.

• Jeremiah Dale Johnson for false alarm or report.

• Dontrel Monte Thomas for burglary of a building.

• David Wendell Kilcrease for assault of a family member.

• John Joseph Polk for delivery of a controlled substance less than 1 gram and delivery of a controlled substance under 1 gram in a drug-free zone.

• David Carl Pollone for possession of a controlled substance greater than 1 gram and less than 4 grams with intent to deliver.

• Ricardo Martinez Renteria for prohibited substance in a penal facility.

• Marvin Daniel Vaughan II for possession of a controlled substance less than 1 gram in a drug-free zone.

• Dejuan Lamar Session for execution of capias or arrest warrant.